AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted

1990Ice Cube Priority Records The Golden Age Compton & LA

Music videoIce Cube - Who's The Mack? (Official Music Video)

Music videos Official videos via YouTube

Ice Cube - Who's The Mack? (Official Music Video)

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AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted is Ice Cube’s debut solo album, released on May 16, 1990 by Priority Records. Recorded after his split from N.W.A and Ruthless Records, it paired South Central storytelling with New York’s most explosive production team.

The story

Ice Cube flew east and recorded at Greene St. Recording in New York City from January to April 1990, working with Public Enemy’s Bomb Squad alongside Sir Jinx and Chilly Chill. The singles “Who’s the Mack?,” the title track and “Endangered Species (Tales from the Darkside)” introduced a solo artist who was sharper and angrier than ever.

Sound and production

The Bomb Squad’s dense, noisy collages gave Cube’s reports on South Central Los Angeles, policing and race in America a frantic, confrontational backdrop, a bicoastal fusion few thought possible at the time.

Charts and certifications

The album went Gold within two weeks of release and was certified Platinum two months later, far exceeding expectations for a solo debut.

Legacy

Rolling Stone upgraded its review over time, from two and a half stars in 1990 to five stars in 2004. The album helped set the template for politically charged gangsta rap and is widely counted among the defining hip hop albums of the 1990s.

Tracklist & credits

Produced by The Lench Mob, The Bomb Squad

A1
Better Off DeadProd. E. Sadler, Ice Cube, Sir Jinx
1:00
A2
The Nigga Ya Love To HateProd. Ice Cube, Sir Jinx, The Bomb Squad
4:01
A3
AmeriKKKa's Most WantedProd. Ice Cube, Sir Jinx, The Bomb Squad
4:08
A4
What They Hittin' Foe?Prod. Ice Cube, Sir Jinx, The Bomb Squad
1:30
A5.a
You Can't Fade MeProd. Ice Cube, Sir Jinx, The Bomb Squad
4:47
A5.b
JD's Gaffilin'
0:28
A6
Once Upon A Time In The ProjectsProd. The Bomb Squad, Sir Jinx
3:40
A7
Turn Off The RadioProd. Ice Cube, Sir Jinx, The Bomb Squad
2:37
A8
Endangered Species (Tales From The Darkside)Prod. Ice Cube, Sir Jinx, The Bomb Squad
3:24
B1
A Gangsta's FairytaleProd. The Bomb Squad, E. Sadler, Ice Cube, Sir Jinx
3:28
B2
I'm Only Out For One ThangProd. The Bomb Squad, Ice Cube, Sir Jinx
2:13
B3
Get Off My Dick And Tell Yo Bitch To Come HereProd. Ice Cube, Sir Jinx, The Bomb Squad
0:55
B4
The Drive-ByProd. Sir Jinx
0:56
B5
Rollin' Wit The Lench MobProd. Ice Cube, Sir Jinx, The Bomb Squad
3:48
B6
Who's The Mack?Prod. Sir Jinx, The Bomb Squad
4:31
B7
It's A Man's WorldProd. Ice Cube, Sir Jinx
4:46
B8
The BombProd. The Bomb Squad, Sir Jinx
3:24

Tracklist and producer credits: Discogs. Gear credits: Breakbeat Archive, sourced on each credit.

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