Lethal Injection

by Ice Cube

Overview

Following the relentless intensity of his early-'90s albums, particularly his post-Rodney King statement, The Predator (1992), Ice Cube reclined a bit and put his rap career on autopilot beginning with Lethal Injection, the last album he would record for five years. Yes, it's a disappointing album, but it's not terrible by any measure. Even if Ice Cube is a little devoid of substance here relative to his rabble-rousing past, he's still a talented rapper, and he has one of the West Coast's premier producers, QDIII, joining him for almost half the album. Unfortunately, much of what made Ice Cube's early-'90s albums so electric -- his thoughtfulness, wit, hostility, energy, and social consciousness -- is sadly in short supply. For compensation, Ice Cube offers a few standout singles, namely "You Know How We Do It" and "Bop Gun (One Nation)." The former follows the successful template that worked a year earlier with "It Was a Good Day" -- a laid-back G-funk ballad laced with an old-school funk vibe; the latter clocks over 11 minutes, an epic ode to George Clinton's P-Funk legacy. These two songs undoubtedly rank alongside Ice Cube's best work ever. There are a few other songs like "Really Doe" and "Ghetto Bird" that also stand out, but even these songs sound rather lackluster relative to Ice Cube's previous work. He's obviously not interested in making an album as daring and ambitious as The Predator again, and you can't really blame him. After all, Ice Cube had delivered three brilliant albums, and a similarly brilliant EP as well, Kill at Will (1990), in just three years, not to mention his then-burgeoning role as an actor. He deserved a break. But at least he took the time to craft two standout singles that alone make this album worthwhile for fans. ~ Jason Birchmeier

Product Details

Release Date:	06/16/2015
Label:	Priority Records
UPC:	0602547294890

Tracks

1. The Shot
2. Really Doe
3. Ghetto Bird
4. You Know How We Do It
5. Cave Bitch
6. Bop Gun (One Nation)
7. What Can I Do?
8. Lil Ass Gee
9. Make It Ruff, Make It Smooth
10. Down for Whatever
11. Enemy
12. When I Get to Heaven

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Ice Cube   Primary Artist
K-Dee   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist
George Clinton   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist

Technical Credits

Sir Jinx   Composer,Producer
Snoop Dogg   Composer
88X Unit   Composer,Producer
Ice Cube   Composer,Producer
Bootsy Collins   Composer
Laylaw   Composer
Madness 4 Real   Composer,Producer
Leon Ware   Composer
Robby Benson   Composer
Junie Morrison   Composer
Marvin Gaye   Composer
K-Dee   Composer
Quincy Jones   Composer
Renaldo Benson   Composer
Al Cleveland   Composer
George Clinton   Composer
Brian G.   Composer,Producer
James Nyx   Composer
Garry Shider   Composer
Derrick McDowell   Composer,Producer
Dexter Wansel   Composer
QD III   Composer,Producer
Arthur Ross   Composer
Hank Shocklee   Composer
Norman Whitfield   Composer
Mychal-Kaye Simmons   Composer
88 Butterfly   Composer
D.K. McDowell   Composer
Victor Taylor   Composer
Theodore Life   Composer
Snoopy   Composer
T. Life   Composer
O'Shea Jackson   Composer
Theodore Life Jr.   Composer
Brian Gallow   Composer
Quincy Jones III   Composer
Larry Goodman   Composer
Anthony Wheaton   Composer