Is Ice Cube Still Politically Salient?
Clearly, Ice Cube's six-year sabbatical has placed him in a judicious position to observe the rap game from the sideline, and predictably, he pulls no punches while scoffing at imitators on "Child Support." But, it's not just clones that get kicked in the groin by the former N.W.A. chief.
After firing off some political missives at George Bush on "The N***a Trap," Cube then adds an unsuspecting victim to his sh*t-list: "Flava Flav with a white girl, that's whack/Gotta put that n***a in the back of my Cadillac//Take him to the 'hood where it's action packed/Let him know that the target's still on his back." Really makes you wonder what channel this rapper-turned-actor has been tuned in to for the past few years.
Updated Beats by Scott Storch, Swizz Beatz and Lil' Jon?
Evidently, Ice Cube is still fluent in the edgy rhetoric of hip-hop on the Scott Storch-laced "Why We Thugs," where he questions America's muddled sociological system. But, the single is almost ruined by formulaic handclaps and left-over piano loops. Scott Storch mishaps aside, Laugh Now, Cry Later is lacerated by second-rate production for the most part.
Lil' Jon's crunk juice fails to deliver the mojo on the Snoop Dogg-featured "You Gotta Lotta" and "Go to Church," while "Stop Snitchin'" suffers from a clumsy Swizz Beatz concoction.
Like most Ice Cube albums, however, the music is never as important as his scathing tirades. Once you get past the embarassing production, you'll be greeted with the soothing fact that Laugh Now... divulges an exciting new shift in Cube's thought process. Take the gangsta fairy tale, "Growin' Up" for instance, where the O.G. recounts his early N.W.A days: Oh sh*t, it's N.W.A.! "Them n***as on tour and they comin our way/Lil' Eminem is still tucked away//In that trailer park just bumpin our tape/Jerry Heller tried to make his escape//I had to bounce, while other n***az got raped."
Bottom Line
Those who still envision Ice Cube as a grouchy gangsta running around with an oozy on every track are way behind the curve. It’s not that the topics he eschews on Laugh Now, Cry Later are less pertinent than the ones he now espouses; it’s just that he’s found a more convincing way to say the same things. Westsiiide!
Top Tracks- "Growin' Up"
- "Chrome and Paint"
- "Laugh Now, Cry Later"
