Back-to-back tracks in the middle of Lethal Injection are all the proof we need that Ice Cube is a great talent. "What Can I Do?" opens with a strings-and-wah-wah motif from an early-'70s blaxploitation film and follows wi... more »th a "Superfly" tale about a high-level drug dealer. Next up is "Lil Ass Gee," the story of a 12-year-old wanna-be gangster. Just a few years ago he was playing with G.I. Joe dolls, and now he's playing with real guns and making real babies. On both numbers, the rapper's rich, resonant baritone bleeds into the synth strings with a sense of fatefulness that's chilling to hear. But Ice Cube's career is a tragedy. A mesmerizing storyteller, a seductive vocalist, and a brilliantly inventive producer of aural collages, the Compton homeboy has squandered his talent on a vision so poisoned by right-wing racism and sexism that it has lost all credibility. --Geoffrey Himes« less
Back-to-back tracks in the middle of Lethal Injection are all the proof we need that Ice Cube is a great talent. "What Can I Do?" opens with a strings-and-wah-wah motif from an early-'70s blaxploitation film and follows with a "Superfly" tale about a high-level drug dealer. Next up is "Lil Ass Gee," the story of a 12-year-old wanna-be gangster. Just a few years ago he was playing with G.I. Joe dolls, and now he's playing with real guns and making real babies. On both numbers, the rapper's rich, resonant baritone bleeds into the synth strings with a sense of fatefulness that's chilling to hear. But Ice Cube's career is a tragedy. A mesmerizing storyteller, a seductive vocalist, and a brilliantly inventive producer of aural collages, the Compton homeboy has squandered his talent on a vision so poisoned by right-wing racism and sexism that it has lost all credibility. --Geoffrey Himes
CD Reviews
People don't know what they're missing
Jared Jongeling | USA | 07/10/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is the best cd Cube has ever made, period. Why only 4 stars? I dunno. But this definetely deserves 5 stars because it has the best songs you'll ever hear out of gangsta rap like One Nation (Bop Gun), Ghetto Bird, Really Doe and so many more. I know it only has 12 tracks but, people, listen to the quality on this record...It's phonomenal. I have hardly seen any rapper or music artist, for that matter put so much quality and chance into an album. I hope you go by my word and make this cd a part of your collection."
Great talent ruined by questionable lyrics
J. Stevens | El Paso, TX USA | 06/18/2008
(2 out of 5 stars)
"The title says it all. Ice Cube's undeniable talent was definitely misguided by his Afrocentrist and racist lyrics."
Ice Cube Hitting You With Some P-Funk Rhymes For The Nine-Tr
Chandler | Atlanta (College Park), Georgia | 06/20/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Ice Cube's 4th full album Lethal Injection would produce more great results comming off his most commercial LP (back in the early 90's) The Preditor. Compared to albums such as Amerikka's Most Wanted/Kill At Will and Death Certificate, a more older Ice Cube would come on this album with less gang related topics and less pro-black rhyme structure. Hooking up with a producer named q d III most parts throughout the album come off sucessful, and at the same time, more laid back (I guess Cube's production skills wern't in full swing yet back in '93). "Really Doe", "Cave B***h" (despite how racial you think that song is), "Lil A** Gee" would be the only few songs that will take you back to the early days of Ice Cube. The latter would be a song on the effect on little kids getting caught up in gangbanging. "Ghetto Bird" is an ode to those high speed chases that often occur in Los Angeles. The soft atmosphere occurs on most tracks as songs like "You Know How We Do It", "Make It Ruff, Make It Smooth" and "When I Get To Heaven" would play off well, but at the same time, might have left old Cube fans scratching their heads ("Down For Whatever" couldn't have been any slower). Despite the eleven minute long song "Bop Gun", that will make you nod your head to the uplifting p funk tune of George Clinton's (who ironically appears on this track) "One Nation Under A Groove".
If you purchased this after 2003, you would get four extra tracks (mostly taken from his Bootlegs & B Sides album) of remixes of the hits. ATCQ's Ali Shaheed Muhummad would remix "What Can i Do" with a beat that doesn't sound like Cube would be confortable with but pulls it off anyway. Cube himself would remix "You Know How We Do It" making it sound better than the origonal.
Overall, this album is solid release from Cube that I enjoyed at most parts. No he doesn't carry the same tone as he did back in his NWA days, but hits us with something more relaxing. People say that this is Cube's worst album that he released between 1990 and 1993, but that doesn't mean that it's a bad album (personally I believe The Preditor was his worst), and has been sucessful in many points, reading that it was his second most selling album behind The Preditor. This one I recommend picking up, it carries its weight for the majority.
Lyrics: B+
Production: A-
Musical Vibes: B
Overall: B+
Favorite Tracks: Really Doe, Ghetto Bird, You Know How We Do It (both origonal and remix), Cave B***h, (Bop Gun) One Nation, When I Get To Heaven, What Can I Do (Remix), Lil A** Gee (Remix)
"
Pretty Good but the Formula is starting to set in
mistermaxxx@yahoo.com | usa | 03/31/2000
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Ice Cube is a Legend in the Game.but this Disc while Pretty Good does have Formula Creeping in.the songs that stand out are Ghetto Bird,You Know How we Do It,What Can I Do?(Which Puts America on Notice for The past 400 Years)When I Get To Heaven is a Solid Track.but the rest of The Disc is Formula and starts going down and He hasn't Recovered Yet.still when he is on He can't be Faded."
WEST SIDE MUSIC
mistermaxxx@yahoo.com | 06/07/1999
(4 out of 5 stars)
"lethal injection is awesome....there is awesome west coast beats on this album. "You know how we do it" is one of the best songs i have ever heard. Peep this album"
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1