Ice Cube - Laugh Now, Cry Later
Submitted by Hazard on Thu, 2006-12-07 05:42. Keywords:
Album Reviewed by Hazard
| Following a long hiatus after a couple of badly-received albums and some questionable movie projects, Ice Cube makes his much-awaited return with Laugh Now, Cry Later. People are most likely wondering whether they are about to hear the out-spoken Cube of the past or the commercially-minded Cube of We Be Clubbin fame. Luckily our fears are not realised as the tones of Why We Thugs hit the speakers.
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Despite the somewhat generic sound of the Scott Storch crafted beat, lyrically Cube is on point talking about America's prison system and life on the streets. On Child Support, over a sinister keyboard-driven beat, Cube aims his venom at the modern hip-hop scene, using child support as a metaphor for the "gangsta rap" scene that he helped develop. He asks materialistic artists to take their watches back to Jacob and attacks Interscope Records for profiting from the memory of a certain deceased rapper. He also takes a shot at the LAPD for its corruption and not pursuing the real criminals.
With a seriously dope, horn-heavy beat behind him, Cube weaves the tale of his career on Growin' Up. He starts off by talking about his ground-breaking involvement with NWA. He speaks of not getting his fair share of money thanks to Jerry Heller, and he then shouts-out to Eazy-E, thanking him for everything he did. He displays the story-telling ability and maturity that first endeared him to fans some sixteen years ago on his debut. The Nigga Trap is another hard-hitting cut, with Cube talking about America's racist society, calling out George Bush. He also has some choice words for one of his former cohorts, Public Enemy's Flavor Flav, criticising him for his romance with Bridgette Nielsen, saying that he should drive him through the hood and show him that there is still a target on his back.
The main fault on this album is not necessarily with Cube himself or his lyrics, it's more to do with the beats. For instance, check the pedestrian-sounding, Swizz Beats-produced Stop Snitchin or the lukewarm Lil' Jon-crafted Go To Church, featuring Snoop Dogg. These are a world away from the multi-layered cinematic soundscapes of the Bomb Squad and Sir Jinx. Some of the beats sound like scraps that were rejected by other artists. You'd think that someone of Cube's importance would warrant more creative production and you’d expect better from these supposedly top-notch beat-makers.
Although it's nowhere near as strong as his earlier efforts and there is room for improvement, especially on the production front, there is more than enough here to please fans of Ice Cube and hip-hop lovers in general. It's definitely better than some of the other garbage out so pick it up.
Lench Mob Records
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