The Iceberg: Freedom of Speech... Just Watch What You Say

by Ice-T

Overview

Ice-T threw listeners quite a curve ball with his riveting third album, The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech...Just Watch What You Say -- arguably the closest hip-hop has come to George Orwell's 1984. Instead of focusing heavily on gangsta rap, Ice-T made First Amendment issues the CD's dominant theme. Setting the album's tone is the opener, "Shut Up, Be Happy," which finds guest Jello Biafra (former leader of punk band Dead Kennedys) envisioning an Orwellian America in which the government controls and dominates every aspect of its citizens' lives. Though there are a few examples of first-rate gangsta rap here -- including "The Hunted Child" and the chilling "Peel Their Caps Back" -- Ice's main concern this time is censorship and what he views as a widespread attack on free speech in the U.S. As angry and lyrically intense as most of The Iceberg is, Ice enjoys fun for its own sake on "My Word Is Bond" and "The Girl Tried to Kill Me" -- an insanely funny rap-rock account of an encounter with a dominatrix. ~ Alex Henderson

Product Details

Release Date:	10/03/1989
Label:	Sire
UPC:	0075992602822

Tracks

1. Shut up, Be Happy
2. The Iceberg
3. Lethal Weapon
4. You Played Yourself
5. Peel Their Caps Back
6. The Girl Tried to Kill Me
7. Black 'N' Decker
8. Hit the Deck
9. This One's for Me
10. The Hunted Child
11. What Ya Wanna Do?
12. Freedom of Speech
13. My Word Is Bond

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Ice-T   Primary Artist
Jello Biafra   Guest Artist,Speech/Speaker/Speaking Part

Technical Credits

Ice-T   Producer,Executive Producer,Composer,Arranger
Arnold Turner   Photography
Mark Wolfson   Mixing
Vachik Aghaniantz   Mixing
Afrika Islam   Programming,Producer
Mary Ann Dibs   Design