Ice Cube
Greatest Hits (2001)

review by: Jason Thornberry
Date: 3/27/02

That black gentleman that you adore to abhor has brought out a very well deserved Greatest Hits album after being true to the game for over
fifteen years. Where would NWA have ever been without his potent rhyme skills, compelling lyrics, and explosive personality?

Ice Cube (his government moniker is O’Shea Jackson) dropped the crème da la crème gansta rap masterpiece Straight Outta Compton with NWA, and proved he was serious about this rap shit when everyone else was busy listening to Kid N Play, who would bring the noize stupid-like with their rapsploitation vehicle House Party the following year.

The most dangerous man to ever rock a Jheri curl is also one of the Greatest Emcees Of All Time (number 6 in Ego Trip’s Book of Rap Lists) and has earned that status without question. Having Dre by his side (not to mention Eazy E, uckfay Ellayay anyway), you could tell that the extended exposure to such unprocessed aptitude brought out the very best in him. Having said that though, Cube really hit his stride on the albums released after he left NWA. Rather than go Hollywood, or get silly, he abstained from the Fresh Prince idiocy and brought out classics like Death Certificate and Amerikkka’s Most Wanted.

If somehow you missed his rather ample body of work, now’s your chance to catch some of the superior moments. Sadly absent, however, was No Vaseline, from 1991’s Death Certificate, where he went after his former friends and Comptonians, who referred to him then as "Benedict Arnold". I’m quite looking forward to what he lines up for Volume 2, in another decade or so.