The Predator (Ice Cube album)
The Predator | ||||
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Studio album by Ice Cube | ||||
Released | November 17, 1992 | |||
Recorded | November 1991–1992 | |||
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Genre | ||||
Length | 56:27 | |||
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Producer | ||||
Ice Cube chronology | ||||
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Singles from The Predator | ||||
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The Predator is the third studio album by Ice Cube. Released within months of the 1992 Los Angeles riots, on November 17, 1992, many songs comment on the racial tensions. The title is in part reference to the movie Predator 2, and the album itself includes samples from the film.[1] Though not Ice Cube's most critically successful album, The Predator is his most commercially successful, reaching 2x platinum status in the United States, also containing his most successful single, "It Was a Good Day." The Predator is his only number one album on the Billboard 200 to date, selling 193,000 copies in its first week.[2] As of 2008, it has sold over two million copies in the US, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[3]
Overview
In the opening song, "When Will They Shoot," Ice Cube addressed criticisms of anti-Semitism he received for his last effort, Death Certificate:
- White man is something I tried to study,
- But I got my hands bloody, yeah.
- They say I can sing like a jaybird
- But, nigga, don’t say the j-word
Elsewhere "We Had to Tear This Mothafucka Up" is directed at the LA Police officers acquitted in the Rodney King trial, an event that ignited the 1992 LA Riots. The similarly themed "Who Got the Camera?" imagines a scenario in which a black man is subjected to police brutality. The songs are broken up by interludes involving interviews with Ice Cube and what appears to be a debate between members of a congregation or talk-show audience.
"Now I Gotta Wet’cha" is the source of the popular phrase "It’s on like Donkey Kong." Since the song's release, the quote has been used in sports, commercials, movies, and television with a huge surge in usage from the years 2000 through 2005. In 2010, Nintendo trademarked the phrase in order to promote the Wii game, Donkey Kong Country Returns.
Critical reception
Professional ratings | |
---|---|
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
The Austin Chronicle | |
Chicago Sun-Times | |
Entertainment Weekly | A−[7] |
Los Angeles Times | |
Q | |
Rolling Stone | |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
Select | 3/5[12] |
Uncut |
Although not as lauded as his previous efforts, The Predator was well received. Entertainment Weekly called it "Ice Cube's strongest, most cohesive work yet".[7] Spin called it a record that "demands to be heard" (1/93, p. 61).[14] Q included it in its "90 Best Albums of the 1990s" (12/99, p. 74).[14]
It spawned three hit singles: "It Was a Good Day," which was a hit in March 1993; "Check Yo Self"; and "Wicked" (which was later covered by the band Korn). Both the album and single version of "Check Yo Self" include an appearance from Das EFX, with the latter's single featuring a remix utilizing a sample of Grandmaster Flash's "The Message". The song also received continuous radio and MTV play.
Commercial performance
The Predator debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, with sales of 193,000 copies in its first week. The album was certified platinum on January 7, 1993 and 2x platinum in late 2001, making it Ice Cube's best-selling album to date.
Legacy
The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[15]
In a 2014 interview with rapper and producer Q-Tip, actor Leonardo DiCaprio expresses his admiration for The Predator. He stated that the album was the "magnum opus of [Ice Cube's] solo career" and it was a "voice for the angry and unheard during the 90s".
Track listing
No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "The First Day of School (Intro)" | Ice Cube | 1:20 |
2. | "When Will They Shoot?" |
| 4:36 |
3. | "I'm Scared (Insert)" | 1:32 | |
4. | "Wicked" (featuring Don Jagwarr) |
| 3:55 |
5. | "Now I Gotta Wet 'Cha" | DJ Muggs | 4:03 |
6. | "The Predator" | DJ Pooh | 4:03 |
7. | "It Was a Good Day" | DJ Pooh | 4:19 |
8. | "We Had to Tear This Mothafucka Up" | DJ Muggs | 4:23 |
9. | "Fuck 'Em (Insert)" | Sir Jinx | 2:02 |
10. | "Dirty Mack" | Mr. Woody | 4:34 |
11. | "Don't Trust 'Em" |
| 4:06 |
12. | "Gangsta's Fairytale 2" (featuring Lil Russ) |
| 3:19 |
13. | "Check Yo Self" (featuring Das EFX) |
| 3:42 |
14. | "Who Got the Camera?" | Sir Jinx | 4:37 |
15. | "Integration (Insert)" | Ice Cube | 2:31 |
16. | "Say Hi to the Bad Guy" | Sir Jinx | 3:19 |
2003 reissue bonus tracks[16] | |||
---|---|---|---|
No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
17. | "Check Yo Self" ('The Message' Remix) (featuring Das EFX) |
| 3:54 |
18. | "It Was a Good Day" (Remix) | Ice Cube | 4:28 |
19. | "24 Wit An L" | Ice Cube | 3:25 |
20. | "U Ain't Gonna Take My Life" | Mr. Woody | 4:07 |
Samples
Standard edition tracks' credits taken from WhoSampled[17] and 2003 reissue bonus tracks' credits taken from Discogs[18] and their respective Wikipedia pages
The First Day of School (Intro)
- Dialogue from the film American Me (1992)
When Will They Shoot?
- "We Will Rock You" by Queen
- "Take Me to the Mardi Gras" by Bob James
- "Grand Verbalizer, What Time Is It?" by X-Clan
- "Giggin' Down 103rd" by Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band
- "Oh Honey" by Delegation
I'm Scared (Insert)
- Audience questions to Louis Farrakhan during an appearance on Donahue in March 1990
Wicked
- "You Can Make It if You Try" by Sly & the Family Stone
- "Funky Worm" by Ohio Players
- "Welcome to the Terrordome" and "Can't Truss It" by Public Enemy
- "Looseys" by Das EFX
Now I Gotta Wet 'Cha
- "Guerillas in Tha Mist" by Da Lench Mob
- "Get Out of My Life Woman" by Solomon Burke
- "Aqua Boogie (A Psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop)" by Parliament
The Predator
- Dialogue from the films Predator (1987) and Predator 2 (1990)
- "Superman Lover" by Johnny "Guitar" Watson
- "East Coast" by Das EFX
It Was a Good Day
- "Footsteps in the Dark" by The Isley Brothers
- "Sexy Mama" by The Moments
We Had to Tear This Mothafucka Up
- Excerpt of speech by Ben West, mayor of Nashville, Tennessee, on civil rights protest in that city in 1960; taken from Eyes on the Prize
- "Get Down" by Gene Russell
- "Blind Alley" by The Emotions
- "I Got Ants in My Pants" by James Brown
- "Blow Your Head" by Fred Wesley & the J.B.'s
Fuck 'Em (Insert)
- "Rock Steady" by Aretha Franklin
- "Dinner Conversation" from Scarface
Dirty Mack
- "Roto-Rooter" by Bootsy's Rubber Band
- "Aqua Boogie (A Psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop)", "P. Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up)" and "Unfunky UFO" by Parliament
Don't Trust 'Em
- "Green Earrings" by Steely Dan
- "Bathtub Scene" from Scarface
- "A Bitch Iz a Bitch" by N.W.A
- "Don't Believe the Hype" and "Bring the Noise" by Public Enemy
- "Poison" by Bell Biv DeVoe
- "Hold On" by En Vogue
Gangsta's Fairytale 2
- "Impeach the President" by The Honey Drippers
- "Sir Nose D'Voidoffunk [Pay Attention – B3M]" by Parliament
- "Distant" by A Taste of Honey
- "Sing a Simple Song" by Sly & the Family Stone
Check Yo Self
- "I'm Blue" by The Sweet Inspirations
- "The New Style" by Beastie Boys
- "The Group Fight" from Juice
Who Got the Camera?
- Dialogue from the films Die Hard (1987) and A Rage in Harlem (1991)
- "I Got a Thing, You Got a Thing, Everybody's Got a Thing" and "Good Old Music" by Funkadelic
- "Niggers vs. The Police" by Richard Pryor
- "Just a Friendly Game of Baseball" by Main Source
Integration (Insert)
- Excerpts from Malcolm X's debate at Oxford Union Society in 1964; a television interview with Malcolm X and unidentified man (taken from Like It Is); and a discussion between Phil Donahue and Louis Farrakhan on Donahue in March 1990
Say Hi to the Bad Guy
- "P. Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up)" by Parliament
- "Shack Up (Part II)" by Banbarra
Check Yo Self (The Message Remix)
- "The Message" by Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
It Was a Good Day (Remix)
- "Let's Do It Again" by The Staple Singers
- "Sir Nose D'Voidoffunk [Pay Attention - B3M]" by Parliament
24 Wit An L
- "Papa Was Too" by Joe Tex
- "We Write the Songs" by Marley Marl, Biz Markie and Heavy D
U Ain't Gonna Take My Life
- "Buck Whylin'" by Terminator X
- "Sir Psycho Sexy" by Red Hot Chili Peppers
- "I Gotcha" by Joe Tex
- "Police Ambush Henry Hill" from Goodfellas
Charts
Chart positions
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Year-end charts
Singles
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Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/Sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI)[19] | Silver | 60,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[20] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
*sales figures based on certification alone |
Use in media
In the comedy series Fresh Off the Boat, 11-year old Eddie Huang (Hudson Yang) tries to impress his neighbor and babysitter Nichole (Luna Blaise) with a copy of The Predator featuring a huge Parental Advisory label. She decides to keep his copy after listening to it babysitting him and they end up bonding over it.[21]
See also
References
- ↑ "Chillin' with Cube". The Guardian. London. February 25, 2000.
- ↑ "Billboard 我要发高端贴之 SOUNDSCAN历周冠军专辑销量!!!_billboard吧_贴吧". Tieba.baidu.com. Retrieved 2012-03-05.
- ↑ "SoundScan Album Sales 10/12/2005 – Home Recording forums". Homerecording.com. 2005-10-14. Retrieved 2012-03-05.
- ↑ Birchmeier, Jason. "The Predator – Ice Cube". AllMusic. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
- ↑ Coletti, Christopher (April 4, 2003). "Ice Cube". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
- ↑ DeRogatis, Jim (November 26, 1992). "Ice Cube Zeros in on 'Predator'". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved May 12, 2017. (Subscription required (help)).
- 1 2 Sandow, Greg (November 20, 1992). "The Predator". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
- ↑ Hilburn, Robert (November 15, 1992). "Post-Riot Fury Fuels Ice Cube's 'Predator'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
- ↑ "Ice Cube: The Predator". Q (76): 82. January 1993.
- ↑ Smith, Danyel (January 7, 1993). "Ice Cube: The Predator". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 19, 2008. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
- ↑ Relic, Peter (2004). "Ice Cube". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian. The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 400–01. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ↑ Higginbotham, Adam (March 1993). "Ice Cube: The Predator". Select (33): 72.
- ↑ "Ice Cube: The Predator". Uncut (73): 113. June 2003.
- 1 2 "Music: The Predator (CD) by Ice Cube". Tower.com. Archived from the original on 2007-03-11.
- ↑ Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (23 March 2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2.
- ↑ "The Predator [Bonus Tracks] - Ice Cube | Release Info | AllMusic". AllMusic.
- ↑ "Ice Cube on WhoSampled". WhoSampled. Retrieved 2015-10-03.
- ↑ "Ice Cube - The Predator". Discogs. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
- ↑ "British album certifications – Ice Cube – The Predator". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type The Predator in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- ↑ "American album certifications – Ice Cube – The Predator". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.
- ↑ "01x07 - Showdown at the Golden Saddle - Fresh Off the Boat Transcripts -". Forever Dreaming. Retrieved 24 May 2016.