Maps of Music

The Predator (1992)

Where the lyrics of The Predator take you, and where it was really made.

The Predator came out within months of the 1992 LA riots, and one of its songs targets the police officers whose acquittal helped spark them.

Key places

Recorded at Echo Sound, Glendale (1992)

Recording site Echo Sound — The album was recorded at Echo Sound in Glendale. The point uses the city centre of Glendale, not the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at The Hit Factory, New York (1992)

Recording site Record Plant Studios — The album was recorded at The Hit Factory in New York City. The point uses the city centre, not the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Mixed at Westlake Studios (1992)

Recording site Westlake Recording Studios — The album was mixed at Westlake Studios in Los Angeles. The point marks the studio at its listed address on Santa Monica Boulevard. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• The Predator: third studio album by American rapper Ice Cube
• Released 17 November 1992 through Priority Records
• Produced by DJ Pooh, Sir Jinx, Torcha Chamba, and DJ Muggs
• The title partly refers to the film Predator 2, and the album includes samples from that film
• Three singles: “It Was a Good Day”, “Check Yo Self”, and “Wicked”
• Debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart

Background

• Released within months of the 1992 Los Angeles riots; many songs comment on racial tensions in the United States
• The opening song “When Will They Shoot” answers criticism of anti-Semitism over Ice Cube's previous album Death Certificate
• “We Had to Tear This Mothafucka Up” targets LA police officers acquitted in the Rodney King trial
• “Who Got the Camera?” imagines a black man facing police brutality
• Interludes feature interviews with Ice Cube and an apparent debate among congregation or talk-show members

Recording

• Discogs credits list recording at Echo Sound and The Hit Factory
• Mixing is credited to A&M Studios, Westlake Studios, and Echo Sound
• Mastering is credited to Bernie Grundman Mastering, with Brian Gardner as mastering engineer

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Tracklist

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

• Entertainment Weekly called it “Ice Cube's strongest, most cohesive work yet”
• Spin called it a record that “demands to be heard”
• The album received generally positive reviews, though not as acclaimed as his previous efforts

Reappraisal

• Q included it in its “90 Best Albums of the 1990s” list (12/99)
• The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

Records

• Debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 193,000 copies in its first week
• The first US number-one debut for Ice Cube
• Certified double platinum by the RIAA on 16 November 2001 for sales over two million copies
• Sold 2.2 million copies in the United States as of January 2003, per Nielsen SoundScan

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org · pt.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The phrase “It's on like Donkey Kong” comes from the song “Now I Gotta Wet'cha”; Nintendo trademarked it in 2010 to promote Donkey Kong Country Returns.
• “Wicked” was later covered by nu metal band Korn, with Deftones vocalist Chino Moreno rapping the verses.
• “It Was a Good Day” and the Message remix of “Check Yo Self” appear in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on the in-game station Radio Los Santos.
• The title partly references Predator 2, and the album samples that film.
• The album is listed in 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org

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