Raw Footage [PA]

Performer: Ice Cube
Artist: Young Jeezy; Musiq Soulchild; Doughboy; The Game; WC; Butch Cassidy
Engineer: Bruce Buechner; Tom Brock
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Keith David, Musiq (Soulchild) (vocals); Warryn Campbell (various instruments); G. Koop (guitar); George Mathews , John Murphy (keyboards); DJ Crazytoones (scratches); Romeo Johnson, DeVere Duckett, Shareef Jackson, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Angie Stone, Traci Nelson, Barbara Wilson, WC (background vocals). Audio Mixer: Dave Lopez . Recording information: Fever Studio, North Hollywood, CA. Photographer: Eric Williams. Despite Ice Cube's having translated his success into a cuddly family film empire, the N.W.A. veteran doesn't need to provide any gangsta disclaimers on RAW FOOTAGE. While the track "It Takes A Nation" may take the route of brandishing his braggadocio, Cube's flow is still wholly distinguishable in its force and clarity. True, the official album-opener, "I Got Locs On," also announces his adaptability, as it borrows some production techniques from his Houston-bred contemporaries. But just as he was the Madonna of hip-hop, Cube can take a current trend and own it to the point where you forget who influenced who. RAW FOOTAGE isn't without its social commentary, either (e.g., the sermonizing on tracks like "Hood Mentality"). But the fact is that Ice Cube doesn't have to articulate his role-model status through his music (his movies already achieve that). He only has to come with conviction, which FOOTAGE more than accomplishes.

Rolling Stone (p.86) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "Throughout his eighth solo album, Cube augments his blustery flow with vendettas against politicians and corporations....RAW FOOTAGE proves that even though he's middle-aged, he's still hungry." Billboard (p.41) - "[T]he impassioned delivery and stripped-down G-funk grooves are still more potent than plenty of efforts by rappers half Cube's age." XXL (Magazine) (p.123) - "Evoking memories of his AMERIKKKA'S MOST WANTED days, Cube aggressively combats the government on tracks like the epic-sounding 'Cold Places.'"

A founding member of seminal West Coast gangsta rap group NWA, Ice Cube (O'Shea Jackson) has managed to achieve longevity in the notoriously short-lived world of rap stardom. His earlier solo albums (LETHAL INJECTION, DEATH CERTIFICATE) are among the most uncompromising rap records ever made. Despite accusations of rampant homophobia and misogyny in his work, Ice Cube sold millions of records in the '90s, and his G-funk style proved enormously influential to subsequent rappers. Along the way, he even managed a successful career in films (FRIDAY, BARBERSHOP, BOYZ N' THE HOOD).

Click Here for Shipping Options and Policies

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.5