This is the 11th studio-length record from Los Angeles emcee, songwriter, actor, filmmaker, CubeVision founder & BIG3 founder Ice Cube. The cousin of Del the Funky Homosapien and Kam, he was originally a member of the CIA and later gained notoriety as a member of the NWA until leaving after their historic debut at Straight Outta Compton. Cube later signed as a solo artist with Priority Records and collaborated with Bomb Squad on his debut album “AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted” and later “Kill at Will”. Death Proof became another milestone in West Coast hip-hop for its some racially and politically charged content, and his debut album on Lench Mob Records, Predator, primarily addressed racial tensions in the United States at the time. “Lethal Injection” had a more g-funk feel, while the “War & Peace” double-disc set marked the end of the former Westside Connection member’s first contract. Released by Virgin Music and EMI Records, Laugh Now, Cry Later made a strong comeback in 2006 after focusing mainly on acting in the first half of the 2000s, followed by Raw Footage, which also had its highlights, though overall it wasn’t a bad one. “I’m the West” became his most negatively reviewed work, and “Everythang’s Corrupt,” released on Interscope Records, was still average but an improvement, so hearing “Man Down” will be the next best thing to “I’m m the West” sequel, I hope it will far exceed expectations.
“Rollin’ at Twilight” starts with a trap intro with Cassius Jay looking to highlight the highlights with his true self, while “It’s My Ego” goes the G-Funk route thanks to EA-Ski talking about demoing in front of an audience . “So Sensitive” is the weakest of the three singles and does a good job of showcasing Cube’s views on gender and modern etiquette, but then Mount Westmore came together to create the funky pop-rap song about women, “She’s Sanctified” .
Nottz gives “Not Like Them” a more traditional West Coast vibe that feels like the world has become meaningless in this day and age, while “5150” is all about positive talk about this bitch going crazy. Despite Zaytoven’s beats and the theme of everyone being a boss in a cesspool before the industrial/trap crossover “3 Lil Piggies” talks about 3 Cops, “No Cap” featuring Ishadon has to be the most impressive moment one.
“Ghetto Story” completely strips down the drums, finds his glory and goes to great lengths to get his bag on the street, while “Facts” starring Da Lench Mob’s J-Dee finds the pair reunited as They can talk about mobbin. “Fighting for My Life in Paradise” featuring Kurupt skips over soul samples explaining how good it feels to live their lives, while the raucous “Let’s Get Money Together” featuring B-Real plays off each other while making paper Back and forth.
As for “I’mma Burn Rubber,” we took the Cube from 0 to 100 with hyphy instrumentals before the homemade “Especially You” connects some famous synths to talk about needing everyone to head to the dance floor. Xzibit’s “Break the Mirror” ties the duo together for a West Coast hardcore boom that points out that no one wants the truth anymore, while “Talkin’ ‘BoutThese Rappers” attacks eccentric MCs over Lil Jon beats.
Scary Movie, in collaboration with Lench Mob Records’ in-house producers Hallway Productionz, brings “Man Down” to a close, promising to break your shit, while “Take Me to Your Leader” flies like an eagle , looks noble above the human voice, an example provided by David Banner. Closer “Ego Maniacs” starring Busta Rhymes and Killer Mike caps things off with a wild sequel to “It’s My Ego.”
“Laugh Now, Cry Later” may be the last Ice Cube album that I like from start to finish after 18 years, and “Man Down” is a dedication to all his Day 1 albums, more than his few LPs since 2008. improved.
Score: 8/10
