Ice Cube
Album: Everythangs Corrupt
Label: Lench Mob and Interscope
Release Date: December 7, 2018
Which Side
Written by Silas Valentino
Within the first few minutes of Everythangs Corrupt, Ice Cube’s 10th solo album, there’s his old school MC bravado (“When I drop the mic it hit the floor like Thor/You can’t pick it up no more”), a recording of the “you will not replace us” chants from the tiki torch Nazi rally in Charlottesville, Virginia plus a full-fledge call for handcuffing the commander in chief. Then track three begins.
Everythangs Corrupt suggests Ice Cube, nearing 50 years old, hasn’t lost touch as being one of hip-hops most politically-charged firebrands. His first album in eight years, and his first released during the tumultuous Trump Era, has Cube repositioning his presence in the game. He’s not the youngest gunslinger but he’s far from sounding like he’s caught in an era of the past.
After a brief intro track when Cube reminds us he was “Always down to take a knee”, Everythangs Corrupt officially begins with the no-holds-back “Arrest the President.” He reflects the brass horn beat with a brash takedown on the 45th President, laying into him with allegations of Russian interference and ridiculing his unnatural appearance: “Arrest the president, you got the evidence/That nigga is Russian intelligence/When it rains it pours/Did you know the new white was orange?” While tearing into Donald John Trump isn’t unique and liberalism is already the predominant political mindset for most musicians, it’s still refreshing for an established artist to vocalize such detest without fearing the potential alienation of part of their audience.
Perhaps the most refreshing aspect of Everythangs Corrupt is how consistent the record feels within Cube’s discography and avoids pitfalls like trying to incorporate new styles into the mix. There’s no awkward attempt to sound like a Soundcloud rapper or an abundance of featured artists to provide some sort of artificial boost to this record. Besides a quick appearance from Too $hort, this album is entirely Ice Cube and doesn’t lose focus on what made him one of the most successful rappers of all time.
Over a 1970s-inspired beat – sourced directly from Bobby “Blue” Bland’s “Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City” – “Streets Sheds Tears” is an update to the soulful classic with Cube relishing in his universal appeal (“Sorry, y’all, I ain’t got no haters/All I got is mother fuckers tellin’ me I’m the greatest”) and recalling forgotten greats like The Dogg Pound: “I’m down with Daz ‘cause everythang is Kurupt.” Cube often overdubs himself over certain lines to stress his dominance and the track stands out as one of the smoother moments on an otherwise confrontational album.
The other silky moment on Everythangs Corrupt is the downbeat “Ain’t Got No Haters” featuring Too $hort. Cube was beat making well before Kanye West began crate digging at record stores for untapped soulful beats and Cube’s ability to cook up fresh alterations of past classics (in this case Delegation’s “Oh Honey” originally from 1977) has yet to fade.
The final track, “Good Cop Bad Cop”, explores Cube’s perspective on the police which is rather nuanced for a traditional rap artist, he essentially acknowledges that good police do exist. But such positivity seems to be overshadowed by corruption, which Cube challenges by referencing the film he once wrote Friday to explain his thoughts: “Fuck the po-po actin’ like Deebo/Already know Craig’ll let the brick go.”
It’s a brief moment that reflects Cube’s success in film, rhymes and remaining one of the loudest voices in hip-hop seemingly forever.