The Predator

This article is about the album by rapper Ice Cube. For other uses, see Predator (disambiguation).
The Predator
Studio album by Ice Cube
Released November 17, 1992
Recorded 1991–1992
Studio Echo Sound (Glendale, California)
The Hit Factory (New York City)
Genre West Coast hip hop, gangsta rap, political hip hop, hardcore hip hop
Length 56:27
Label Priority/EMI
0499 2 57155 2 1
P2-57155 (original release)

7243 5 43339 2 7
P2-43339 (2003 remaster)
Producer Ice Cube (also exec.), DJ Pooh, Sir Jinx, Torcha Chamba, DJ Muggs
Ice Cube chronology
Death Certificate
(1991)		 The Predator
(1992)		 Lethal Injection
(1993)
Singles from The Predator
  1. "Wicked"
    Released: November 3, 1992
  2. "It Was a Good Day"
    Released: February 23, 1993
  3. "Check Yo Self"
    Released: August 17, 1993

The Predator is the third studio album by Ice Cube. Released within months of the 1992 Los Angeles riots, many songs comment on the racial tensions. The title is in part reference to the movie Predator 2, and the album itself includes samples from the film.[1] Though not Ice Cube's most critically successful album, The Predator is his most commercially successful, reaching 2x platinum status in the United States, also containing his most successful single, "It Was a Good Day." The Predator is his only number one album on the Billboard 200 to date, selling 193,000 copies in its first week.[2] As of 2008 it has sold over 2 million copies in the USA, according to Nielsen Soundscan.[3]

Overview

In the opening song, "When Will They Shoot," Ice Cube addressed criticisms of anti-Semitism he received for his last effort, Death Certificate:

White man is something I tried to study,
But I got my hands bloody, yeah.
They say I can sing like a jaybird
But, nigga, don’t say the j-word

Elsewhere "We Had to Tear This Mothafucka Up" is directed at the LA Police officers acquitted in the Rodney King trial, an event that ignited the 1992 LA Riots. The similarly themed "Who Got the Camera?" imagines a scenario in which a black man is subjected to police brutality. The songs are broken up by interludes involving interviews with Ice Cube and what appears to be a debate between members of a congregation or talk-show audience.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Robert Christgau[5]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[6]
Q[7]
Rolling Stone[8]
Rolling Stone (2003)[9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[10]
Spin(favorable)[7]
Washington Post(favorable)[11]

Although not as lauded as his previous efforts, The Predator was well received. Entertainment Weekly called it "Ice Cube's strongest, most cohesive work yet" (11/20/92, p. 88).[12] Q Magazine included it in its "90 Best Albums Of The 1990s" (12/99, p. 74).[12] Spin Magazine called it a record that "demands to be heard" (1/93, p. 61).[12]

It spawned three hit singles: "It Was A Good Day," which was a hit in March 1993; "Check Yo Self"; and "Wicked" (which was later covered by the band Korn). Both the album and single version of "Check Yo Self" include an appearance from Das EFX, with the latter's single featuring a remix utilizing a sample of Grandmaster Flash's "The Message". The song also received continuous radio and MTV play.

Commercial performance

The Predator debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, with sales of 193,000 copies in its first week. The album was certified platinum on January 7, 1993 and 2x platinum in late 2001, making it Ice Cube's best-selling album to date.

Legacy

The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[13]

In a 2014 interview with rapper/producer Q Tip, actor Leonardo DiCaprio expresses his admiration for Ice Cube' s album The Predator. He stated that the album was a "magnum opus of his solo career" and it was a "voice for the angry and unheard during the 90s."

Track listing

No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."The First Day of School (Intro)"  Ice Cube1:20
2."When Will They Shoot?"  DJ Pooh, Bob Cat, Ice Cube4:36
3."I'm Scared (Insert)"   1:32
4."Wicked" (featuring Don Jagwarr)Torcha Chamba, Ice Cube3:55
5."Now I Gotta Wet 'Cha"  DJ Muggs4:03
6."The Predator"  DJ Pooh4:03
7."It Was a Good Day"  DJ Pooh4:19
8."We Had to Tear This Mothafucka Up"  DJ Muggs4:23
9."Fuck 'Em (Interlude)"  Sir Jinx2:02
10."Dirty Mack"  Mr. Woody4:34
11."Don't Trust 'Em"  Rashad, Ice Cube, DJ Pooh4:06
12."Gangsta's Fairytale 2" (featuring Lil Russ)Pocketts, Ice Cube3:19
13."Check Yo Self" (featuring Das EFX)DJ Muggs, Ice Cube3:42
14."Who Got the Camera?"  Sir Jinx4:37
15."Integration (Interlude)"  Ice Cube2:31
16."Say Hi to the Bad Guy"  Sir Jinx3:19

Samples

All credits taken from WhoSampled[14]

"When Will They Shoot?"

"Wicked"

"Now I Gotta Wet 'Cha"

"The Predator"

"It Was a Good Day"

"We Had to Tear This Mothafucka Up"

"Fuck 'Em"

"Dirty Mack"

"Don't Trust 'Em"

"Gangsta's Fairytale 2"

"Check Yo Self"

"Who Got the Camera?"

"Say Hi to the Bad Guy"

Charts

Chart positions

Chart (1992) Peak
position
UK Albums Chart 73
US Billboard 200 1
US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums 1

Year-end charts

Chart (1993) Position
US Billboard 200 24
US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums 8

Singles

Year Song Chart positions
Billboard Hot 100 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks Hot Rap Singles Rhythmic Top 40 Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales
1992 "Wicked" 55 31 1 — 31
1993 "Check Yo Self" 20 1 1 18 1
"It Was a Good Day" 15 7 1 13 —

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[15] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[16] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Use in media

In the comedy series Fresh Off the Boat, 11-year old Eddie Huang (Hudson Yang) tries to impress his neighbor and babysitter Nichole (Luna Blaise) with a copy of The Predator featuring a huge Parental Advisory label. She decides to keep his copy after listening to it babysitting him and they end up bonding over it.[17]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Chillin' with Cube". The Guardian. London. February 25, 2000.
  2. ↑ "Billboard 我要发高端贴之 SOUNDSCAN历周冠军专辑销量！！！_billboard吧_贴吧". Tieba.baidu.com. Retrieved 2012-03-05.
  3. ↑ "SoundScan Album Sales 10/12/2005 – Home Recording forums". Homerecording.com. 2005-10-14. Retrieved 2012-03-05.
  4. ↑ link
  5. ↑ Christgau, Robert. "The Predator". Robert Christgau.
  6. ↑ "The Predator – EW.com". ew.com.
  7. ↑ "Ice Cube". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on 19 June 2008.
  8. ↑ "The Predator : Ice Cube : Review : Rolling Stone". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on 6 February 2008.
  9. ↑ "The New Rolling Stone Album Guide". google.com.
  10. ↑ "POP RECORDINGS". pqarchiver.com.
  11. 1 2 3 "Music: The Predator (CD) by Ice Cube". Tower.com.
  12. ↑ Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (23 March 2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2.
  13. ↑ "Ice Cube on WhoSampled". WhoSampled. Retrieved 2015-10-03.
  14. ↑ "British album certifications – Ice Cube – The Predator". British Phonographic Industry. Enter The Predator in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Silver in the field By Award. Click Search
  15. ↑ "American album certifications – Ice Cube – The Predator". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
  16. ↑ "01x07 - Showdown at the Golden Saddle - Fresh Off the Boat Transcripts -". Forever Dreaming. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
Preceded by
The Chase by Garth Brooks		 Billboard 200 number-one album
December 5–11, 1992 		Succeeded by
The Bodyguard (soundtrack) by Various artists
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