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The Predator (album)

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This article is about the album by rapper Ice Cube. For other uses, see Predator (disambiguation).
Untitled

The Predator is the third studio album by Ice Cube. Released within months of the 1992 Los Angeles riots, 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 his most critically successful album, commercially The Predator is Ice Cube's most successful album, reaching double platinum status in the United States, and it contains his most well-known 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] It has sold 2,210,283 to date, 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.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic link
Robert ChristgauTemplate:Review-Christgau
Entertainment Weekly(A-) link
Q Magazine link
Rolling Stone 1992
Rolling Stone 2004
Spin(favorable) link
Washington Post(favorable) link

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" (11/20/92, p. 88).[4] Q Magazine included it in its "90 Best Albums Of The 1990s" (12/99, p. 74).[4] Spin Magazine called it a record that "demands to be heard" (1/93, p. 61).[4]

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.

Track listing

  • "Check Yo Self (the Message Remix)", "It Was A Good Day (Remix)", "24 Wit An L", and "U Aint Gonna Take My Life" are included as bonus material on later remastered pressings.
# Title Performer(s) Producer(s) Samples Time
1 "The First Day of School (Intro)" *Intro* Ice Cube 1:20
2 "When Will They Shoot?" Ice Cube DJ Pooh,
Bob Cat,
Ice Cube 		4:36
3 "I'm Scared (Insert)" *Interlude* Ice Cube 1:32
4 "Wicked" Ice Cube Torcha Chamba,
Ice Cube 		3:55
5 "Now I Gotta Wet 'Cha" Ice Cube DJ Muggs
  • "Get Out of My Life, Woman" by Solomon Burke
  • "Aqua Boogie (A Psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop)" by Parliament
  • Song playing during the intro is "Guerillas in tha Mist" by Da Lench Mob
 4:03
6 "The Predator" Ice Cube DJ Pooh 4:03
7 "It Was a Good Day" Ice Cube DJ Pooh 4:19
8 "We Had to Tear This Mothafucka Up" Ice Cube DJ Muggs 4:23
9 "Fuck 'Em (Insert)" *Interlude* Sir Jinx 2:02
10 "Dirty Mack" Ice Cube Mr. Woody
  • "Aqua Boogie", "P-Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up)" & "Unfunky UFO" by Parliament
 4:34
11 "Don't Trust 'Em" Ice Cube Rashad,
Ice Cube,
DJ Pooh 		4:06
12 "Gangsta's Fairytale 2" Ice Cube,
Lil Russ 		Pocketts,
Ice Cube 		3:19
13 "Check Yo Self" Ice Cube,
Das EFX 		DJ Muggs,
Ice Cube 		3:42
14 "Who Got the Camera?" Ice Cube Sir Jinx
  • Excerpt from the film Die Hard
  • "All We Need is Another Chance" by The Escorts
  • "Just a Friendly Game of Baseball" by Main Source
  • "I Gotta Thang, You Gotta Thang, Everybody Gotta Thang" by Funkadelic
  • "Good Ole Music" by Funkadelic
  • "It Aint Whatcha Got" by Jimmy McGriff & Junior Parker
 4:37
15 "Integration (Insert)" *Interlude* Ice Cube 2:31
16 "Say Hi to the Bad Guy" Ice Cube Sir Jinx 3:19

Chart positions

Album

Year Album Chart positions
Billboard 200 Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums
1992 The Predator 1 1

Singles

Year Song Chart positions
Billboard Hot 100 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks Hot Rap Singles Rhythmic Top 40 Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales
1992 "Wicked" 55 31 1 — 31
1993 "Check Yo Self" 20 1 1 18 1
"It Was a Good Day" 15 7 1 13 —

References

  1. ^ Chillin' with Cube | | Guardian Unlimited Film
  2. ^ http://tieba.baidu.com/f?kz=756926526
  3. ^ http://homerecording.com/bbs/general-discussions/dj-hip-hop-production/soundscan-album-sales-10-12-2005-a-173006/
  4. ^ a b c Tower.com: The Planet's Entertainment Destination for Music, CDs, Movies, DVDs, Books & more
Preceded by Billboard 200 number-one album
December 5–11, 1992 		Succeeded by
The Bodyguard (soundtrack) by Various artists

See also

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