Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
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
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From kr133,33/month
Ice Cube, Composer, Producer, MainArtist
℗ 1992 Capitol Records, LLC
O'Shea Jackson, Composer - DJ Pooh, Producer - Bobby "Bobcat" Ervin, Producer - Brian May, Composer - Ice Cube, Producer, MainArtist
℗ 1992 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Ice Cube, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1992 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Leroy Bonner, ComposerLyricist - Andrew Noland, ComposerLyricist - Ice Cube, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Walter Morrison, ComposerLyricist - ANDRE WESTON, ComposerLyricist - WILLIE HINES, ComposerLyricist - Gregory Webster, ComposerLyricist - Ralph Middlebrook, ComposerLyricist - Torcha Chamba, Producer - Stanley A. Jones, ComposerLyricist - A.C. Holmes, ComposerLyricist - Francisco Derek Lynch, ComposerLyricist - Christopher Charity, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1992 UMG Recordings, Inc.
O'Shea Jackson, Composer - William Collins, Composer - Allen Toussaint, Composer - George Clinton, Composer - Ice Cube, MainArtist - Bernie Worrell, Composer - D.J. Muggs, Producer
℗ 1992 UMG Recordings, Inc.
DJ Pooh, Producer - Ice Cube, Composer, MainArtist
℗ 1992 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Marvin Isley, ComposerLyricist - C. Jasper, ComposerLyricist - H. Ray, ComposerLyricist - S. Robinson, ComposerLyricist - DJ Pooh, Producer - O. Jackson, ComposerLyricist - Ronald Isley, ComposerLyricist - Ice Cube, MainArtist - O'Kelly Isley Jr., ComposerLyricist - Anna Harris Goodman, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1992 Priority Records LLC
Ice Cube, Composer, MainArtist - DJ Muggs, Producer - Larry E. Muggerud, Composer
℗ 1992 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Ice Cube, MainArtist - Sir Jinx, Composer, Producer
℗ 1992 UMG Recordings, Inc.
William Earl Collins, ComposerLyricist - Garry Shider, ComposerLyricist - George Clinton, ComposerLyricist - Ice Cube, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Bernie Worrell, ComposerLyricist - Mr. Woody, Producer
℗ 1992 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Donald Fagan, ComposerLyricist - DJ Pooh, Producer - WALTER BECKER, ComposerLyricist - Ice Cube, Producer, MainArtist - Rashad, Producer
℗ 1992 UMG Recordings, Inc.
William Earl Collins, ComposerLyricist - Janice Marie Johnson, ComposerLyricist - George Clinton, ComposerLyricist - Ice Cube, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Bernie Worrell, ComposerLyricist - Sly Stone, ComposerLyricist - Pocketts, Producer - Perry L. Kibble, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1992 UMG Recordings, Inc.
O'Shea Jackson, Composer - Melvin Glover, Composer - Sylvia Robinson, Composer - Edward Fletcher, Composer - Das EFX, FeaturedArtist - Ice Cube, Producer, MainArtist - D.J. Muggs, Producer
℗ 1992 UMG Recordings, Inc.
O'Shea Jackson, Composer - Bob Morse, Musician, AssociatedPerformer, Bass (Vocal) - Ice Cube, MainArtist - Clarence Haskins, Composer - Sir Jinx, Producer
℗ 1992 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Ice Cube, Producer, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1992 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Bootsy Collins, Composer - O'Shea Jackson, Composer - Max, Musician, AssociatedPerformer - Sylvester Stewart, Composer - George Clinton, Composer - Ice Cube, MainArtist - Bernie Worrell, Composer - Sir Jinx, Producer
℗ 1992 UMG Recordings, Inc.
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: 00:55:33
- Main artists: Ice Cube
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Priority Records
- Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
© 1992 UMG Recordings, Inc. ℗ 1992 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Improve album informationWhy buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.