This is disappointing from one of the best to ever do it and I'd say Ice Cube's worst album for highlights. His albums since 'War & Peace Vol. 1 (The War Disc)' have flaws and poor moments, but there are still great songs to pick out of the mix, but here, there isn't really anything for Cube to hang his hat on.
A problem I've had with Cube for a while now is his simplistic rhymes. It just seems like the effort that he used to put into writing songs isn't always there. And in terms of the content, similar to 'Everythangs Corrupt', anything that is touching on serious subjects, like the title of the album alludes to, is only touching the surface. The production is of a similar standard to the aforementioned album as well, being decent-good, but nothing amazing. There is a variety of sounds though, from the funk and soul on songs like 'She’s Sanctified', the trap 'No Cap' (the worst song), which is the one song that sounds like it's purposely made for the modern era, the ol' school electro 'Especially You', and the g-funk 'It’s My Ego'. Nothing sounds the same.
It's fairly consistently solid for 19 songs, but as I started with, the high points aren't high enough.
Beats: ★★★
Rapping/Bars: ★★★
Hooks: ★★★
Best Tracks: It's My Ego, So Sensitive, 3 Lil Piggies, Ghetto Story, Ego Maniacs
1. Rollin’ At Twilight
The synth/lo-fi production is decent but the rhymes and content are weak. It starts by seeming to be like Cube is going to get into some introspective storytelling, and the beat fits that, but nothing comes of it. He rhymes "college" with "knowledge" and drops other numerous simple bars. The song structure is a bit odd too with an extra long first verse and then only eight bars for the second. It's like there was nothing else to say. A fairly limp way to begin the album from a man who kicked albums off with: 'The Nigga Ya Love To Hate', 'When Will they Shoot?', 'Ask About Me', 'Hello', 'Why We Thugs', etc.
2. It’s My Ego
A fun song, and video to go with it, that was a single prior to the album dropping. One of, if not the best song on the album. A strong west coast/g-funk beat by E-A-Ski and a catchy enough hook.
3. So Sensitive
A decent funky record with the up-beat production contrasting with the lyrics about the sensitivity of people this days. It's one of the songs that relates to the album title, but also one that could've used some deeper content. Although maybe Cube didn't want to offend on a greater scale. "They used to call these nigga words/So what the fuck are trigger words?/Words like his and hers?/What's a pronoun and a verb?"
4. She’s Sanctified
More funk, and October London's vocals bring some great soul to the mix. E-40 steals the show with his verse.
5. Not Like Them
The likeable production continues. This time from Nottz. Catchy hook. The first verse is basically Cube saying young ones should take his advice, the second has an anti-tech message due to our over reliance on it all, and the third is pretty much just brag rap. Cube does "sound so good over G shit" as he says, but this song just lacks more focus lyrically.
6. 5150
Again, we have bangin' production. After a spin or two of this album, this is the chorus that got stuck in my head. "I think this ho is psychotic (51 50, the bitch need an antibiotic)." As those lyrics indicate, this is a song about crazy bitches.
7. No Cap
Production that is more modern with its trap themes, but this is my least favourite. The features sound like everyone else in modern hip hop and the beat is okay, but there's nothing new about it.
8. 3 Lil Piggies
One of the hardest songs. It's just Cube spitting hard bars for 2 minutes. According to the annotation on Genius, this song could stem from Tony Yayo saying Biggie was a better storyteller than Cube. If that's true, it brought out one of the better performances on this album. "These three little piggies say I ain't good as Biggie/These motherfuckin' niggies say my pen game is iffy/This ain't just yellin', nigga, this is storytellin'/Are there any seeds up in that watermelon?"
9. Ghetto Story
Cube moves on by telling some cautionary tales from the ghetto.
10. Facts
This one features J-Dee from the Da Lench Mob who got released from Prison in 2021 after serving 25 years. The intro makes it sound like it was recorded as he got out. Cube raps a verse from his perspective about J-Dee's arrest and then J spits about his sentence. He sounds awfully like DMX. Not a bad song, but this is where it slips and never matches the first half.
11. Fighting for My Life in Paradise
The producer, David Banner, put the "Yeah Ho" vocal effect on this... It's so, I don't know, 2010...
12. Let’s Get Money Together
Ehhh.
13. I’mma Burn Rubber
Just brag rap. There's nothing to get excied about. Given the theme I could see it being used during a car chase in a film.
14. Especially You
Cube's taking the oldies back to electro with this one. I like the genre of production. Newcleus' 'Jam on Revenge' is a classic. All we have is lyrics for the strippers though.
15. Break the Mirror 58
Xzibit starts his verse by repeating the title multiple times and I think it ruins the flow of the song. Again, the content could go further, but bars are wasted. You hear a lot of slurs in hip hop, but "dickhead" is a rarity for whatever reason. Xzibit uses it here.
16. Talkin’ Bout These Rappers
Cube goes at online trolls and those who think the internet is real life and take it so seriously. I think this is the lowest rated song here because It hits a nerve with some Keyboard Gs around here.
17. Scary Movie
One of my favourite beats. Cube sticks to a topic. Here about the "toxic masculinity" BS narrative and the hypocrisy of those in the media/entertainment industry. The only problem with this song is the slow and boring chorus, which is a shame.
18. Take Me to Your Leader
Lyrically this song goes nowhere. It's obvious what it's about from the jump, but there isn't enough here. It's a good example of what is written at the start of this review about Cube not writing like he used to. The production by David Banner is likeable.
19. Ego Maniacs
A remix of 'It’s My Ego'. Busta is off beat here. It doesn't work as well as the other verses.
Four spins in, and while there are some unique moments, and enjoyable homage paid to songs of artists like Nas and Pac, nothing (apart from some lines like "I deserve it all" and the hilarious "Mustaaarrrdd") has stuck with me. All of his other albums have greater peaks and more engaging songwriting. The beats at times are weak, and what's been a problem for me his whole career, is the voice/s that he puts on way too often. And FFS, I'm so over rappers rapping without opening their mouths like that from the feature on 'Hey Now'. Capitalise your damn track titles properly too!
Best Tracks: Man at the Garden, Reincarnated
The first 5 minutes of this were very predictable. You just knew as soon as Hanno kissed his wife that she was going to be gone in the next scene. Add in the overused family tree aspect of the plot that has been done to death and there is more that we've all seen before.
It's entertaining, but this film just never came alive for me in the way great movies do. Paul Mescal—who bears a striking resemblance to Daniel Radcliffe—lacks the commanding presence Russell Crowe brought to the first installment. On top of that, the mishmash of accents, with no effort to maintain consistency or embrace Italian authenticity, shatters any sense of immersion the film might have otherwise achieved. It seems like movies aren't even trying to do this anymore unless the actors are taking the place of a historical POC.
