Maps of Music
I Am the West (2010)
Where the lyrics of I Am the West take you, and where it was really made.
Ice Cube released his ninth solo album on his own Lench Mob label, and it debuted at number 22 on the Billboard 200 with 22,000 copies sold in its first week.
Place unknown
Do you know where this album was recorded, or where its cover was shot? Tell us and we will add it to the map.
Tell us the placeAlbum story
Overview
- I Am the West is the ninth solo studio album by American rapper Ice Cube
- Released September 28, 2010 through Lench Mob Records
- Third independent release, following 2006's Laugh Now, Cry Later
- Produced by DJ Montay, Hallway Productionz, JIGG, T-Mix, B.A.M., Bangladesh, Dae One, Doughboy, John Murphy, Rocko, Sir Jinx, Tha Bizness, The Fliptones and Track Bully
- Guest appearances from WC, Doughboy, OMG, Young Maylay and Jayo Felony
Background
- Ice Cube said the album would differ from his other albums in direction
- Released independently on his own label, Lench Mob
- Ice Cube described independence as a way to do things outside the box that record companies would usually frown on, with a marketing plan tailored to him
- Discussed two songs planned for the album, "Man vs. Machine" and "Hood Robbin"
- Young Maylay appeared as a guest on the album
- Ice Cube confirmed in August that Dr. Dre would no longer be on the album
- Received beats from West Coast veteran producers DJ Quik, Dr. Dre, E-A-Ski and Sir Jinx, the last of whom he had not worked with on a solo album in nearly 20 years
- Interludes by Keith David, as on several earlier Ice Cube and Westside Connection albums
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Tracklist
| 1 | A Boy Was Conceived (intro) | 0:26 |
| 2 | Soul on Ice | 3:39 |
| 3 | Life in California | 4:02 |
| 4 | She Couldn’t Make It on Her Own | 2:59 |
| 5 | Urbanian | 2:25 |
| 6 | Y’all Know Who I Am | 2:18 |
| 7 | Too West Coast | 2:58 |
| 8 | I Rep That West | 4:32 |
| 9 | Drink the Kool‐Aid | 3:10 |
| 10 | No Country for Young Men | 4:14 |
| 11 | It Is What It Is | 3:21 |
| 12 | Hood Robbin’ | 3:45 |
| 13 | Your Money or Your Life | 3:24 |
| 14 | Nothing Like L.A. | 3:20 |
| 15 | All Day, Every Day | 2:21 |
| 16 | Fat Cat | 2:54 |
| 17 | Man vs. Machine | 2:27 |
| 18 | Pros vs. Joes | 2:19 |
Sources: musicbrainz.org
Artist
Formation
- Born O'Shea Jackson in Los Angeles on June 15, 1969; stage name from his older brother's teasing.
- Formed the trio C.I.A. in 1986 at age 16, then joined N.W.A.
- Left N.W.A in late 1989 over a monetary dispute with the group's management.
Career
- Lead rapper and main lyricist of N.W.A's Straight Outta Compton (1989), shaping gangsta rap's early identity.
- Solo albums AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted (1990), Death Certificate (1991) and The Predator (1992) were critically and commercially successful; The Predator debuted at No. 1 on both the R&B/hip-hop and pop charts.
- Co-founded the Westside Connection with Mack 10 and WC in 1995.
- Acting career from 1991's Boyz n the Hood; co-wrote and starred in Friday (1995) and directed The Players Club (1998).
- Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an N.W.A member in 2016.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Reception
At release
- Metacritic: average score of 62 from eight reviews by mainstream publications, rated generally favourable
- AllMusic (David Jeffries): praised the album, writing that Cube's utterly unique album shows the younger generation how to cross 40 while keeping their freedom and baller status
- RapReviews (Steve 'Flash' Juon): on the strongest tracks Cube keeps his vintage gruff demeanor, lyrical ferocity and hard-hitting beats; where he chases a contemporary sound, things fall apart, but those mistakes are easy to skip
- Los Angeles Times (Jeff Weiss): on the ninth album he retreats to self-satisfied taunts about his legendary status, the enervated state of the Left Coast and his rivals
- Rolling Stone (Jon Dolan): mixed review, finding his rants boring over track after track of bland Nineties G-funk, with a promised collaboration with Dr. Dre never arriving
- Slant (Huw Jones): when Cube's performance is allowed to take center stage, the album becomes an engaging hip-hop record
- Pitchfork (Ian Cohen): even if the album reminds listeners mainly of Cube's earlier work, it has done its job if it leads someone to hear his older albums for the first time
Records
- Billboard 200: debuted at number 22
- Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: number 7
- Top Rap Albums: number 6
- Independent Albums: number 3
- First-week sales: 22,000 copies
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Trivia
- The first single, "I Rep That West", came out on April 25, 2010, five months before the album.
- Sir Jinx was a producer on the album after nearly 20 years away from a solo project with Ice Cube.
- "Too West Coast", produced by Hallway Productionz, received a music video released on October 5, 2010.
- Track 4 samples "The Message" by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.
- Ice Cube's planned album track "Man vs. Machine" was about society's obsession with machinery and automation.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com