Album Reviews

Album Reviews: Raw Footage by Ice Cube

Suburban America may know Ice Cube as the ruff-but-lovable star of family-friendly films such as Are We There Yet?, Are We Done Yet? and The Longshots, but how will the picket-fence contingency react to the hailstorm of gangsta rap spite their shining star has dropped into their laps? His voice is the same destructive weapon it has been since the N.W.A. days, and Ice Cube attacks Bush, the war, FEMA, racism, corporate America and whoever else steps in front of him as he plows over his commercially clean-cut image with his eight album, Raw Footage.

While this disc might be a little more polished than what we've heard from Ice Cube recently, Raw Footage is an edgy and bitter reflection of the times in which it was written. A nod to the likes of Public Enemy, "It Takes A Nation" is a hard-hitting anthem for unification. "Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It" takes an introspective look at Cube's past, present and future, while "Hood Mentality" is an ode to overcoming the very lifestyle the rapper has portrayed throughout his career.

The inclusion of guest stars Young Jeezy ("Got My Locs On"), The Game ("Get Used To It") and Musiq Soulchild ("Why Me?") helps Ice Cube to bridge the gap between his glory days and the new generation of rap fans, but ultimately he makes a strong enough statement on his own. If mainstream success has left old-school fans and loyalists wondering if the almighty Ice Cube has sold his soul and spite, Raw Footage is a resounding, "No!"

–Ryan Ogle
09.17.08