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Released in the aftermath of the 1991 L.A. riots, The Predator radiates tension. Ice Cube infuses nearly every song, and certainly every interlude, with the hostile mood of the era. Even the album's most laid-back moment, "It Was a Good Day," emits a quiet sense of violent anxiety. Granted, Ice Cube's previous albums had been far from gentle, but they were filled with a different kind of rage. On both AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted (1990) and Death Certificate (1991), he took aim at society in general: women, whites, Koreans, even his former group members in N.W.A. Here, Ice Cube is more focused. He found a relevant episode to magnify with the riots, and he doesn't hold back, beginning with the absolutely crushing "When Will They Shoot?" The song's wall of stomping sound sets the dire tone of The Predator and is immediately followed by "I'm Scared," one of the many disturbing interludes comprised of news commentary related to the riots. It's only during the aforementioned "It Was a Good Day" that Ice Cube somewhat alleviates this album's smothering tension. It's a truly beautiful moment, a career highlight for sure. However, the next song, "We Had to Tear This Mothafucka Up," eclipses the relief with yet more calamity. By the time you get to the album-concluding "Say Hi to the Bad Guy" and its mockery of policeman, hopelessness prevails. The Predator is a grim album, for sure, more so than anything Ice Cube would ever again record. In fact, the darkness is so pervasive that the wit of previous albums is absolutely gone. Besides the halfhearted wit of "Gangsta's Fairytale, Pt. 2," you won't find any humor here, just tension. Given this, it's not one of Ice Cube's more accessible albums despite boasting a few of his biggest hits. It is his most serious album, though, as well as his last important album of the '90s.
© Jason Birchmeier /TiVo
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Brian "Big Bass" Gardner, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ice Cube, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1992 Priority Records, LLC
DJ Pooh, Producer - Bobby "Bobcat" Ervin, Producer - Brian "Big Bass" Gardner, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Brian May, ComposerLyricist - Ice Cube, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1992 Capitol Records, LLC
Brian "Big Bass" Gardner, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ice Cube, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1992 Priority Records, LLC
Ice Cube, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Don Jaguar, ComposerLyricist - Torcha Chamba, Producer
℗ 1992 Priority Records, LLC
William Earl Collins, ComposerLyricist - Brian "Big Bass" Gardner, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Allen Toussaint, ComposerLyricist - George Clinton, ComposerLyricist - Ice Cube, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Bernie Worrell, ComposerLyricist - D.J. Muggs, Producer
℗ 1992 Priority Records, LLC
DJ Pooh, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Brian "Big Bass" Gardner, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ice Cube, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1992 Priority Records, LLC
DJ Pooh, Producer - Ice Cube, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1992 Capitol Records, LLC
Brian "Big Bass" Gardner, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ice Cube, Composer, MainArtist - Larry E. Muggerud, Composer
℗ 1992 Priority Records, LLC
Brian "Big Bass" Gardner, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ice Cube, MainArtist - Sir Jinx, Composer, Producer
℗ 1992 Priority Records, LLC
William Earl Collins, ComposerLyricist - Garry Shider, ComposerLyricist - Brian "Big Bass" Gardner, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - George Clinton, ComposerLyricist - Ice Cube, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Bernie Worrell, ComposerLyricist - Mr. Woody, Producer
℗ 1992 Priority Records, LLC
Donald Fagan, ComposerLyricist - DJ Pooh, Producer - Brian "Big Bass" Gardner, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - WALTER BECKER, ComposerLyricist - Ice Cube, Producer, MainArtist - Rashad, Producer
℗ 1992 Priority Records, LLC
William Earl Collins, ComposerLyricist - Janice Marie Johnson, ComposerLyricist - Brian "Big Bass" Gardner, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - George Clinton, ComposerLyricist - Ice Cube, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Bernie Worrell, ComposerLyricist - Sly Stone, ComposerLyricist - Pocketts, Producer - Perry L. Kibble, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1992 Priority Records, LLC
O'Shea Jackson, ComposerLyricist - Melvin Glover, ComposerLyricist - Sylvia Robinson, ComposerLyricist - DJ Pooh, Producer - Edward Fletcher, ComposerLyricist - Ice Cube, MainArtist - Clifton N. Chase, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1992 Priority Records, LLC
Bob Morse, Musician, AssociatedPerformer, Bass (Vocal) - Brian "Big Bass" Gardner, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ice Cube, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Sir Jinx, Producer - Haskins Clarence Eugene, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1992 Priority Records, LLC
Ice Cube, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1992 Priority Records, LLC
William Earl Collins, ComposerLyricist - Brian "Big Bass" Gardner, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - George Clinton, ComposerLyricist - Ice Cube, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Bernie Worrell, ComposerLyricist - Sir Jinx, Producer - Sly Stone, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1992 Priority Records, LLC
Album review
Released in the aftermath of the 1991 L.A. riots, The Predator radiates tension. Ice Cube infuses nearly every song, and certainly every interlude, with the hostile mood of the era. Even the album's most laid-back moment, "It Was a Good Day," emits a quiet sense of violent anxiety. Granted, Ice Cube's previous albums had been far from gentle, but they were filled with a different kind of rage. On both AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted (1990) and Death Certificate (1991), he took aim at society in general: women, whites, Koreans, even his former group members in N.W.A. Here, Ice Cube is more focused. He found a relevant episode to magnify with the riots, and he doesn't hold back, beginning with the absolutely crushing "When Will They Shoot?" The song's wall of stomping sound sets the dire tone of The Predator and is immediately followed by "I'm Scared," one of the many disturbing interludes comprised of news commentary related to the riots. It's only during the aforementioned "It Was a Good Day" that Ice Cube somewhat alleviates this album's smothering tension. It's a truly beautiful moment, a career highlight for sure. However, the next song, "We Had to Tear This Mothafucka Up," eclipses the relief with yet more calamity. By the time you get to the album-concluding "Say Hi to the Bad Guy" and its mockery of policeman, hopelessness prevails. The Predator is a grim album, for sure, more so than anything Ice Cube would ever again record. In fact, the darkness is so pervasive that the wit of previous albums is absolutely gone. Besides the halfhearted wit of "Gangsta's Fairytale, Pt. 2," you won't find any humor here, just tension. Given this, it's not one of Ice Cube's more accessible albums despite boasting a few of his biggest hits. It is his most serious album, though, as well as his last important album of the '90s.
© Jason Birchmeier /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 16 track(s)
- Total length: 00:56:30
- Main artists: Ice Cube
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Priority Records
- Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
© 2015 Priority Records LLC ℗ 1992 Priority Records LLC
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