This is my second favourite Cube album, behind 'The Predator', with this having one of the best openings to an album you are going to find with most of The Death Side tracks being incredible. From there, while still mostly very good, I don't feel the beats quite as much on the The Life Side until 'Us' and the great diss track 'No Vaseline' which finishes the album, and Cube ain't as intense either. The content is obviously here that Cube does in a fun way, unlike some other political rap artists, with anti drug, anti gang, racism and safe sex among other things being the messages. What more can you say, an essential rap release from one of the best to do it. Beats: ★★★★☆ Bars: ★★★★★ Best Tracks: The Wrong Nigga to Fuck Wit, My Summer Vacation, Steady Mobbin', Givin' Up the Nappy Dug Out, A Bird in the Hand, Us, No Vaseline

In comparing this to his previous albums, for me his debut lacks my type of production like much '80s/really early '90s rap to love it, and while 'Death Certificate' is also great, there are a few tracks that I don't love, particularly toward the end of the album. This album probably suffers a touch as well with a bit of a drop off in quality toward the end, but when there are classics like 'Wicked', 'It Was a Good Day' and so on starting the album, it is hard to keep that quality up. Overall, the production is great with a funky aggressiveness to many of the tunes, and Ice Cube makes this one of the better albums in the hip hop genre. Beats: ★★★★★ Rapping/Bars: ★★★★★ Hooks: ★★★★☆ Best Tracks: When Will They Shoot?, Wicked, Now I Gotta Wet 'Cha, It Was a Good Day, We Had to Tear This Mothafucka Up, Dirty Mack, Check Yo Self

This certainly isn't as lyrically profound as Cube's previous albums, certainly not as influential, nor are there a lot of tracks, but I love most of the production on this and I don't rank it too far behind his other albums for pure enjoyment. There are some great beats and uses of samples throughout the tracks also which make it stand out. 'Lil Ass Gee' and 'Down for Whatever' are the only things I find to be near average here. Another great album in the best album run of any rapper. Beats: ★★★★☆ Bars: ★★★★ Best Tracks: Cave Bitch, Ghetto Bird, Bop Gun

I think this may have been my first taste of Cube, it was either this or Vol. 2 which I first acquired. If I had been better versed in the classics of rap back then, I'm sure I would have picked up something from his earlier career, but nevertheless I've always enjoyed this album. It begins bangin' and angry, loses some steam in the middle with 'Cash Over Ass' and some others, but still features some standouts and I don't think there is anything too poor here. As 'Lethal Injection' began losing some of the content Cube's earlier albums are known for, this continues that trend. There is a bit of a theme about money and the greed of record companies, and my favourite track here in 'Extradition' about being wrongfully arrested, with '3 Strikes You In' and 'Penitentiary' having a similar theme. This is really an album though for people who just love Cube even without a lot of the content. He still has the presence and sounds like he cares about what he's saying, and the metal influenced beats are fairly bangin' and different than what Cube had done in the past. Best Tracks: Ask About Me, Dr. Frankenstein, Fuck Dying, The Peckin' Order, Limos, Demos & Bimbos, Once Upon a Time in the Projects Pt. 2, Extradition

Yes, this pretty much lacks any of the content Ice Cube made his name from, but there is still some stuff to be enjoyed I feel if you are a fan. The N.W.A. reunion opener is a good banger. The next couple of tracks are average, and while the album never excels, I quite enjoy the funky beats on tracks like 'Gotta Be Insanity' and 'Roll All Day', and then 'Record Company Pimpin'' is the last track of note sampling EPMD's classic 'Please Listen to My Demo'. The majority of this isn't the Cube we know, but in creating this 'Peace Disc' after the War, maybe as much political rap was never going to be featured, not that helluva lot was on the previous album. Best Tracks: Hello, Until We Rich, Gotta Be Insanity, You Can Do It, Roll All Day, Record Company Pimpin'.