Original Source, Black Enterprise
Ice Cube has returned to the mic with an 11th studio album, Man Down, that dropped on Nov. 22.
In true Cube fashion, he has plenty to say, and he does so across 19 tracks. Stand-out songs include “It’s My Ego,” which debuted in the top 10 of two Billboard lists, Forbes reported. The video has 6.6 million YouTube views at press time. Not a bad way to pop out after 40 years in the game. Along with “So Sensitive” and “Ghetto Story,” “It’s My Ego” addresses some topical issues that Cube wants to get off his chest— keeping it hip-hop, maintaining the delivery and flow Ice Cube is known for while integrating a side of Cube that many may not be familiar with.
And Cube brings a collaborative spirit to the track “She’s Sanctified,” featuring October London and the West Coast homies E-40, Snoop Dogg, and Too Short. A superficial assessment of Cube’s new release might be an oversimplification that the album is steeped in masculinity as opposed to an observation of the human condition from his perspective. Cube himself states the album is purely about revisiting the genre’s core tenets.
“The album is going to mean different things to different people.” Ice Cube told BLACK ENTERPRISE. “Some people are gonna interpret it many different ways, which is part of art.”
“To me, it’s just a quintessential Ice Cube record where you gotta follow the DNA of hip-hop. You gotta have the beats, you gotta have the lyrics, and you gotta be clever and deliver.”
Cube, the founder of the Big3 basketball league, is at a point in his hip-hop career where he doesn’t have to be controversial or chase trends to gain an audience or sell. Having been a rapper and entertainer for almost four decades, he’s arrived at a sweet spot where he can simply immerse himself in the art and performance of it all.
“I’m gonna do records that I like, that I feel are cool,” Cube said. “I’m in a position where I can do that and not have to play chasing the charts … it’s pure hip-hop … I’m a happy artist that way. I think I make better music that way.”
While the album art for Man Down signals ominous times, bodies face down in the street as a young person walks by, It’s My Ego video shows a lighter, humorous side of Cube as he mocks hypocritical subjects and scenarios that plague the community.
Cube doubles down that Man Down isn’t an indictment of society but rather an observation on the behaviors we might consider and discuss for the greater good—a call and response, if you will—much like his earlier critical works, the life side of Death Certificate and War & Peace (volumes 1 and 2).
“This record is a statement of where we are,” the Los Angeles rapper said. “But after Man Down, there’s man up. You know, step up.”
“There’s one statement, then there’s an answering statement, kind of like hip-hop.”
The track So Sensitive calls out aspects of political correctness. Albeit controversial, Cube “put it on wax,” as he is never one to shy away from criticism and backlash:
“I always say nobody’s exempt on the Ice Cube record, you know, everything can be explored and talked about, and anybody and everybody can be examined in a hip-hop way. It’s a record that recorded itself.”
“The music is real OG type … and the lyrics just start coming out,” Cube explained.
“I feel there’s a lot of sensitivity going on … and we got to toughen up in a lot of areas, and this is my take on it.”
While social commentary is an element of hip-hop, Cube is mindful of incorporating some fun this go ‘round. The “happy artist” is most evident in the visuals for “It’s My Ego,” where he balances the critique of self-glory with comedy.
“Totally wanted to have fun,” Cube says. “I’m this egomaniac preacher … all about ego and jewelry and cars and flash.”
“Everybody’s got an ego. So, I didn’t want it to be [all about] the negative ego or the negative connotations of the ego, [though,] your ego can really take you down if you’re really feeling yourself.”
Ice Cube continued: “For some reason, it’s like the pendulum shifts too far over it, and now people are not being themselves. They like trying to fit into the crowd and they don’t want to stand out. They don’t wanna be unique, and you know, so, but they still want to be seen.”
Ice Cube is certainly a man of his time when it comes to his OG principles and perspective of the world around him. While Ice Cube has reached the pinnacle in his career where he isn’t beholden to music industry shenanigans, he hasn’t abandoned his core audience. Man Down is for hip-hop heads and staunch Ice Cube fans. His sole intention is to offer listeners a balanced dose of hip-hop, cultural critique, and a chuckle here and there. Cube ain’t preaching to the choir or his critics.
The album is very much a throwback to the rudiments of rap—beats, lyricism, and storytelling.