Ice Cube - I Am The West (Album Review)
Ice Cube. I think we can all agree that he’s a triple OG in this rap shit, but in the interest of full disclosure, I have to admit that he’s solidly in my top 5 all time MCs list. I think he’s at number 4, based solely on his work with N.W.A. and his first 4 solo albums, which may or may not all be classics, depending on who you ask.
These days, rap fans seem to be more interested in knocking the man for making something of his life other than remaining the same old gangsta rapper for the last decade and a half of his career. As the kids say, “fuck all that shit”.
I’ve found Cube’s last few albums to be enjoyable in a “this shit is not even close to sniffing his classic material, but this is good, well-constructed rap music” fashion. The truth is that long before this point in his career, Ice Cube had already covered every reasonably imaginable subject that a gangsta rapper can discuss, given his artistic limits (I’ll be honest, Cube isn’t the most technically proficient rapper out, but it’s all in the voice, passion and willingness to talk shit about anything or anyone). Seriously, go listen to the old shit. Wiki and Google are your friends.
As a result, Cube has basically been making the same album over and over again since 1993’s “Lethal Injection”. With slight variations of course (i.e., different songs). But that’s not to say that this is a bad thing. Cube is right up there with the best MCs at proclaiming his greatness, threatening foes, macking hoes and reppin’ the West Coast/Los Angeles.
“I Am The West” follows in the same vein. It’s a more than serviceable album that would probably be much stronger with 12 as opposed to 15 songs. That said, it’s nice to see Cube working with his questionably monikered, but talented sons (OMG and Doughboy) along with the usual assortment of West Coast talent and old buddies. A few of the songs are even pretty memorable, namely “She Couldn’t Make It On Her Own”, produced by Bangladesh, “I Rep That West”, a classic banger and “Hood Robbin”, the obligatory social commentary track.
So I guess this was more a defense of Ice Cube’s artistic progression in the last decade and a half than a review of this particular album. If you have a problem with that you know the drill. I will say that “I Am The West” is another solid and enjoyable addition to one of the best discographies in rap.
3.5/5…
Notes
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realniggatumblr said:
I’m about to go ahead and listen to this right now. His last two albums were pretty solid.
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