The Greatest 50 Hip-hop Albums Ever - #39...

[Twentytwofifty]

Ice Cube - Death Certificate (1992)


Niggas are in a state of emergency.
The Death Side:  a mirror image of where we are today.
The Life Side:  a vision of where we need to go.
So sign your Death Certificate.

    In short, The Death Side is the old Ice Cube, The Life Side is a new Ice Cube, detailing his view of what we, as a people, need to be about.  You see some of the old “gangsta” Ice Cube mixed with some of his social consciousness on this album.  "The Wrong Nigga To Fuck Wit" could be described as "The Nigga Ya Love Ta Hate, part II." I can see that, but he seems a lot less intent on just pissing everbody off this time. I think it's better done, both lyrically and muscially.  The music gives promise to the producing skills of Sir Jinx. This is much like Bomb Squad with more choice funk. On the other hand, it shouldn't be confused with Chuck D's Wizards of Funk. They have a similar style, but Ice Cube, Sir Jinx and the Boogie Men have a better ear for the true funk.  "My Summer Vacation" details the LA-style gang expansion into other major cities.  "Steady Mobbin'" is a bit slower, ironically sampling "Reach Out" (of all things) by the Average White Band. The music is especially dope, if a bit repetitive. It does tend to drown out Cube's voice sometimes, unfortunately. Still, it's a nice jam.  "Givin' Up The Nappy Dug Out" is a conversation between Cube and the father of a "properly raised Catholic Girl". It's old Ice Cube all right: “And if you try to yell rape, we got the little hooker on tape”.  The last thirty seconds is a sorta condom commerical which acts as a nice epilogue to "Givin' Up..." as well as the perfect segue into the next track, "Look Who's Burnin'" and you can guess what that's about.  "A Bird In The Hand" follows. Your choice? Slingin' birds or minimum wage, “Blacks are too fuckin' broke to be Republican”  The  next track informs us that the dog has been replaced by a 9mm as "A Man's Best Friend". After all, as he points out, you can't stick a pit bull in the small of your back:
 
I'd rather have an AK than a K9
'Cause if you shoot a gun
and my dog tries to fetch ya
Me and my dog are goin' out on a stretcher

    "Alive On Arrival" is the penultimate track on The Death Side. In this, our hero finds himself shot and waiting in the hospital for help.  He ends up hassled by cops and waiting around for hours.  "I Wanna Kill Sam" starts off with a diatribe against the armed forces before moving on to dissin' Amerikkka in general.  Soundwise, this is a bit breezier than any of the earlier tracks, but it still garners props.  "True To The Game" is a sort of expanded version of his "message to the oreo cookie" bit on Amerikkka’s Most Wanted.  "Color Blind" is one of those me-and-all-my-friends-you've-never-heard-of get-together-and-rap things. I usually hate these kind of tracks, but this one manages to come off. It's written by Ice Cube, Deadly Thrust, Kam, The Maad Circle, King Tee and J Dee. The "color" in the title, by the way, refers to gang colors. This bit of jamminess is followed by "Doing Dumb Shit". You know this is slammin' 'cause it samples "Funkenstelechy" by Parliment. This is truly dope. In this, Ice Cube reflects on, well, all the dumb shit he did when he was kid: messing with girls, playing around with drugs, stealing and getting smacked for it, and even his first sexual encounter.  "Us" is the penultimate track, but I prefer to think of it as the last song on The Life Side. On "No Vaseline", Ice Cube answers back to N.W.A's jabs from efil4zaggiN.  This is so cold that it's just embarrassing.  Too many quotables to mention.  Cube certainly didn't fall to the sophmore slump with this release, it's even arguably better than his debut.  This fantastic album without a doubt stood the test of time.

50. Dr. Dre – 2001 (1999)
49. Outkast – Southernplayalisticaddicmuzik (1994)
48. Jay-Z – Reasonable Doubt (1996)
47. Kool G Rap & DJ Polo – Wanted: Dead Or Alive (1990)
46. Redman – Whut? Thee Album (1992)
45. De La Soul - De La Soul Is Dead (1991)
44. Fugees – The Score (1996)
43. The D.O.C. – No One Can Do It Better (1989)
42. Common Sense - Resurrection (1994)
41. Makaveli - The Don Kiluminati: The 7 Day Theory (1996)
40. Public Enemy – Fear Of A Black Planet (1990)
39. Ice Cube – Death Certificate (1992)

[Larrabee]

Props man. We got a long way to go, but this countdown is hella entertaining.

[West Coast Veteran]

This would be in my Top 5.

[Wicked977]

This would be in my Top 5.

lol

[ecrazy]

props, and dang C2knuckles, remember when you had -220 karma!!?? look at you now!

[Capo Di Tutti I Capi]

This is in my top 10

[Kill]

Props man. We got a long way to go, but this countdown is hella entertaining.

yup. another album i´d have positioned similarly...there is really little that i couldn´t imagine i could have done/ranked like you myself on that list, except Makaveli and probably Reasonable Doubt would have been higher. props anyways, and yeah, your karma´s benefitting lol

[Elevz]

Damn... Wouldn't have expected to see this album added to the list so soon... It really is a great album, props once again... 

[dexter]

whut he said^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[TheDeli]

Props,

This is in my top 10

agreed

[QCDutch]

I'd say this would be higher in my list too, but I'll just wait to see what the rest'll be
so far looks pretty reasonable
props

[ToOoOoN!!!]

yeah props on your list! good work,classic album right there

[Twentytwofifty]

I expected these responses.  Every westcoast album that's on this list will have several people thinking it's too low.

I'll try to get number thirty-eight up before I go away for the weekend.

[Machiavelli]

This and the 7 day theory are in my top 10...

[makaveli11]

I expected these responses.  Every westcoast album that's on this list will have several people thinking it's too low.

I'll try to get number thirty-eight up before I go away for the weekend.

^^^^That's not true. Most westcoast albums you posted in the list so far are hip hop classics that most people would agree are top ten or at least top 20 regardless of what coast it is from.