Ice Cube - Death Certificate
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CD Details
Artist: Ice CubeEdition: Music CD
Format: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
CD Release Date: 2003-02-25
Music Label: Priority Records
Soundtracks:
- The Funeral
- The Wrong N**** To F*** Wit
- My Summer Vacation
- Steady Mobbin'
- Robin Lench
- Givin' Up The Nappy Dug Out
- Look Who's Burnin'
- A Bird In The Hand
- Man's Best Friend
- Alive On Arrival
- Death
- The Birth
- I Wanna Kill Sam
- Horny Lil' Devil
- Black Korea
- True To The Game
- Color Blind
- Doing Dumb Sh**
- Us
- No Vaseline
- How To Survive In South Central
Music reviews of Death Certificate
Music Review: Ice Cube's most consistent Album
Rating: 5 Stars
In late '91 Ice Cube dropped 'Death Certificate', a concept album addressing the harsh realities of street life in the early 90's.
The album is thematically divided into the Death Side (A vision of where we are today) and the Life Side (A vision of where we need to go).The Death Side (side) begins with a track called "The Funeral", which sets a bleak tone for the rest of the side. As it's title implies, this track is a re-enactment of a funeral. This leads into the rest of the "Death Side" which is filled with tales of street life beginning with "The Wrong n***er to F*ck With". Although the album preceded the LA riots by some 5 or 6 months, one could almost picture Ice Cube saying these lyrics within a full scale rito of downtown Los Angeles. This leads into "My Summer Vacation" a song about gang members migrating to Saint Louis. This has a thumping beat that will stay in your head for days, and personally leaves me longing for a time when hip hop wasn't all about crunk beats.
"Steady Mobbin'" follows and was one of the singles from the album. This is a really funky song, and the lyrics are more laid back than the preceding two tracks. "Robin Lynch" is a skit and is followed by "Givin up the Nappy Dugout" which is a funky song about sex (I liked the references to Vanessa Del Rio on this one). "Look who's Burnin'" is a cautionary tale about STD's. This is followed by "A Bird in the Hand" an excellent song about getting over, and one of the funkiest beats on the album. "Man's Best Friend" is an amusing short song on the value of being a gun owner in the 'Hood. The final track on the Death Side is "Alive on Arrival" which could almost be considered a follow-up to Public Enemy's "9-11 is a Joke" This is a poignant and relevant song,dealing with racism (explicit and implicit)in the healthcare system, which is as relevant today as it was when released some 15 years ago.
The Life Side begins with "The Birth" a mirror of "The funeral" on side one, but obviously thematically different. The Life Side see's Ice Cube offering ideas on where the black community should go from the events dipicted on the Death Side. "I wanna kill Sam" deals with how black people are mistreated while serving in the military. "Horny Little Devil" addresses the issues of institutionalised slavey and rape.
These are followed by "Balck Korea" one of the song's that saw Ice Cube branded as a racist. The song deals with Korean Super Market Owners who stereotype all balck people as criminals. I personally don't find this song too offensive, as Ice Cube is articulate enough toput his views across without resorting to mere stereotypes as other artists wood, and this song appears within the context of album, which provides a realistic snapshot of life in the 'hood circa 1991. Due to this, I applaud Cube for addressing this as an issue of frustration for black communities, well before other artists did so.
"True to the Game" addresses sell outs, and is followed by "Colour Blind" one of the greatest songs about the pointlessness of gang warfare ever written. The Price of the CD is worth this song alone. "Doing Dum S**T" is a song about Ice Cube's childhood, and the things he would do - a funky song, and a somewhat welcome distraction. This is followed by "Us", another enjoyable funky song.
This is followed by "No Vaseline" the other song that got Ice Cube accused of being a racist in early 1992. This was a swipe at his former NWA band mates, and the manager of Priority Records Jerry Heller after a disagreement over money. This song was label as anti-Semitic. Personally, I don't believe it is, although I have the perspective of having heard all of Ice Cube's work and if he were an anti-Semite, then such sentiments would be bourn out across his works. I don't buy it! I find this song rather obsolete now as it's some 15 years on and the feud died with Eazy-E back in 1995.
This version of the CD includes " How to Survive in South Central" a track off the Boys in the Hood soundtrack. It acts as a tour map of South Central, it's an ok song, but I tend to skip over it.
All in all, a great album, definitely one of Ice Cube's Best, and certainly includes some profound insights. You will not view today's rap the same after hearing this for the first time, and certainly not if revisiting a thought provoking gem of the genre
Description of Death Certificate
Songs Include : The Funeral / The Wrong N**** To F*** Wit / MySummer Vacation / Steady Mobbin / Robin Lench / Givin Up The Nappy Dug Out / Look Who's Burnin / A Bird In The Hand / Man's Best Friend / Alive On Arrival / Death / The Birth / I Wanna Kill Sam / Horny Lil' Devil / Black Korea / True To The Game / Color Blind / Doing Dumb SH** / Us / No Vaseline / How To Survive In South Central - Bonus TrackPop CDs
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