Join Daisy as she reflects on bangers from the past as a Throwback Thursday. This week’s pick – Death Certificate by Ice Cube.
How Ice Cube’s third album showed the world he was the wrong person to f**k with
Today’s pick comes from the West Coast of the USA. If ever you want to hear how a diss album is done, then this is the record for you.
I am not going to encourage making any more diss albums, however we must remember the 90s US hip hop scene was very touchy at the time.
From the war between the East and West coast, to the LA police riots, Ice Cube was venting at the time.
PLUS, his former hip hop group NWA for selling him out. The final straw was when Dr Dre. compared him to Benedict Arnold in an interlude.
So, on that note, the most famous standout track from Death Certificate is ‘No Vaseline’, and if ever you needed a masterclass on insulting your former friends (at the time), then this is the song to take notes from. Ice Cube makes it very clear that nobody is safe from the wrath of his acid tongue.
Other standout tracks include ‘Doing Dumb Sh*t’, where Cube reflects on his past, growing up and being a general lad.
One track though that touches on the gun violence and police brutality is ‘My Summer Vacation’. Guided by a super heavy bass, this track sees Ice Cube talk about how dark and dangerous times were in the 90s, though very little has changed nowadays.
If you fancy listening to something filled with anger and aggression, mixed with those trademark West coast beats (although the album was recorded in New York), Ice Cube’s “difficult third album” will make you hear one hell of an angry truth, which has become a hip hop classic worth mentioning today.
Check out the album here