''The Predator'' is the third
studio album by American
rapper
Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
Ice Cube. It was released on November 17, 1992 through
Lench Mob Records
Lench Mob Records is an record label owned by Los Angeles rapper and actor Ice Cube. Founded as Street Knowledge Records, it was once home to many of Cube's former allies such as DJ Pooh, and Lench Mob's own Chilly Chill, Del the Funky Homos ...
and
Priority Records
Priority Records is an American distribution company and record label known for artists including N.W.A, Ice-T, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Big L, Silkk the Shocker and Westside Connection. It also distributed hip hop record labels including Death Row ...
. The album was released just within months of the
1992 Los Angeles riots
The 1992 Los Angeles riots, sometimes called the 1992 Los Angeles uprising and the Los Angeles Race Riots, were a series of riots and civil disturbances that occurred in Los Angeles County, California, in April and May 1992. Unrest began in So ...
;
many songs comment on racial tensions in the United States. The production on the album was primarily handled by
DJ Pooh
A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile ...
,
Sir Jinx
Anthony Wheaton, professionally known by his stage name Sir Jinx, is an American hip hop producer and rapper from Los Angeles. He is a cousin of multi-platinum producer Dr. Dre. He began his career as a member of the C.I.A. in the mid-80s with ...
, Torcha Chamba and
DJ Muggs
Lawrence Muggerud (born January 28, 1968), professionally known by his stage name DJ Muggs, is an American DJ, audio engineer and record producer. He is a member of Cypress Hill, a member of the trip hop band Cross My Heart Hope To Die and the l ...
. The title is in part reference to the movie ''
Predator 2
''Predator 2'' is a 1990 American science fiction action film written by brothers Jim and John Thomas, directed by Stephen Hopkins, and starring Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Ruben Blades, María Conchita Alonso, Bill Paxton, and Kevin Peter Hall ...
'', and the album itself includes samples from the film.
''The Predator'' was supported by three
singles
Singles are people not in a committed relationship.
Singles may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series
* ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe
* ''Singles'' ...
: "
It Was a Good Day
"It Was a Good Day" is a song by American rapper Ice Cube, released on February 23, 1993 as the second single from his third solo album, '' The Predator'' (1992). The song peaked at No. 7 on the ''Billboard'' Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and No. ...
", "
Check Yo Self
"Check Yo Self" is the third and final single from American rapper Ice Cube's third solo album, '' The Predator''. It was released on July 13, 1993, and features New York City rappers Das EFX. It topped both the ''Billboard'' R&B/Hip-Hop and Rap ...
" and "
Wicked
Wicked may refer to:
Books
* Wicked, a minor character in the ''X-Men'' universe
* '' Wicked'', a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire that inspired the musical of the same name
* ''Wicked'', the fifth novel in Sara Shepard's ''Pretty Little Liars'' s ...
". The album received generally positive reviews from critics and was also a commercial success. It debuted at number one on the
''Billboard'' 200 chart, selling 193,000 copies in its first week.
The album was certified
double platinum
Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...
by the
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in November 2001.
Background
In the opening song, "When Will They Shoot," Ice Cube addressed criticisms of
anti-Semitism
Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism.
Antis ...
he received for his last effort, ''
Death Certificate
A death certificate is either a legal document issued by a medical practitioner which states when a person died, or a document issued by a government civil registration office, that declares the date, location and cause of a person's death, as ...
'':
:White man is something I tried to study,
:But I got my hands bloody, yeah.
:They say I can sing like a
jaybird
:But, nigga, don’t say the
j-word
:I thought they was buggin'
:'Cause to us,
Uncle Sam
Uncle Sam (which has the same initials as ''United States'') is a common national personification of the federal government of the United States or the country in general. Since the early 19th century, Uncle Sam has been a popular symbol of ...
is
Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
without an oven
:Burnin' our black skin
:
Bomb a neighborhood, then
push the crack in
Elsewhere "We Had to Tear This Mothafucka Up" is directed at the
LA Police officers acquitted in the
Rodney King
Rodney Glen King (April 2, 1965June 17, 2012) was an African American man who was a victim of police brutality. On March 3, 1991, he was beaten by Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers during his arrest after a pursuit for driving whi ...
trial, an event that ignited the
1992 LA Riots. The similarly themed "Who Got the Camera?" imagines a scenario in which a black man is subjected to
police brutality. The songs are broken up by interludes involving interviews with Ice Cube and what appears to be a debate between members of a congregation or talk-show audience.
"Now I Gotta Wet’cha" is the source of the popular phrase "It’s on like
Donkey Kong
is a video game franchise created by Shigeru Miyamoto and owned by Nintendo. It follows the adventures of a gorilla named Donkey Kong (character), Donkey Kong and his clan of other Ape, apes and monkeys. The franchise primarily consists of plat ...
." Since the song's release, the quote has been used in sports, commercials, movies, and television with a huge surge in usage from the years 2000 through 2005. In 2010,
Nintendo trademarked the phrase in order to promote the
Wii game ''
Donkey Kong Country Returns
''Donkey Kong Country Returns'' is a 2010 side-scrolling platform game developed by Retro Studios and published by Nintendo for the Wii console. The game was released first in North America in November 2010, and in PAL regions and Japan the ...
''.
Singles
The album spawned three hit singles: "It Was a Good Day," which was a hit in March 1993; "Check Yo Self"; and "Wicked" (which was later covered by
nu metal band
Korn featuring
Deftones
Deftones is an American alternative metal band formed in Sacramento, California in 1988. They were formed by Chino Moreno (vocals, guitar), Stephen Carpenter (guitar), Abe Cunningham (drums), and Dominic Garcia (bass). During their first f ...
vocalist
Chino Moreno
Chino Moreno (born Camillo Wong Moreno, June 20, 1973) is an American musician who is best known as the lead vocalist, primary lyricist and contributing guitarist of the metal band Deftones. He is also a member of the side-project groups Team S ...
rapping the verses with slightly modified lyrics). Both the album and single version of "Check Yo Self" include an appearance from
Das EFX
Das EFX is an American hip hop duo. It consists of emcees Dray (also known as Krazy Drayz, born Andre Weston, September 9, 1970) and Skoob (also known as Books and Boogie Bang, born William "Willie" Hines, November 27, 1970). They named the ...
, with the latter's single featuring a remix utilizing a sample of
Grandmaster Flash's "
The Message". The song also received continuous radio and
MTV play.
Critical reception
Although not as lauded as his previous efforts, ''The Predator'' was well received. ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...
'' called it "Ice Cube's strongest, most cohesive work yet".
''
Spin'' called it a record that "demands to be heard" (1/93, p. 61).
''
Q'' included it in its "90 Best Albums of the 1990s" (12/99, p. 74).
Commercial performance
''The Predator'' debuted at number one on the
''Billboard'' 200 chart, selling 193,000 copies in its first week.
This became Ice Cube's first US number one debut.
On November 16, 2001, the album was certified
double platinum
Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...
by the
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over two million copies.
As of January 2003, the album has sold 2.2 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Legacy
The album was included in the book ''
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
''1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die'' is a musical reference book first published in 2005 by Universe Publishing. Part of the ''1001 Before You Die'' series, it compiles writings and information on albums chosen by a panel of music critics ...
''.
In a 2014 interview with rapper and producer
Q-Tip, actor
Leonardo DiCaprio expresses his admiration for ''The Predator''. He stated that the album was the "
magnum opus
A masterpiece, ''magnum opus'' (), or ''chef-d’œuvre'' (; ; ) in modern use is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, ...
of Ice Cube's solo career" and it was a "voice for the angry and unheard during the 90s".
Use in media
In the comedy series ''
Fresh Off the Boat
The phrase fresh off the boat ''(FOB)'', off the boat ''(OTB)'', are sometimes-derogatory terms used to describe immigrants who have arrived from a foreign nation and have yet to assimilate into the host nation's culture, language, and behavior, ...
'', 11-year old Eddie Huang (
Hudson Yang
Hudson David Yang (born October 24, 2003) is an American actor. From 2015 to 2020, he starred as the lead, Eddie Huang, in the ABC television series ''Fresh Off the Boat''.
Early life and education
Yang was born on October 24, 2003 in New York ...
) tries to impress his neighbor and babysitter Nichole (Luna Blaise) with a copy of ''The Predator'' featuring a huge
Parental Advisory
Advisory (abbreviated PAL) is a warning label introduced by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 1985 and adopted by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in 2011. It is placed on audio recordings in recognition of profan ...
label. She decides to keep his copy after listening to it babysitting him and they end up bonding over it.
The song "It Was a Good Day" made an appearance in the video games ''
The Last of Us Part II
''The Last of Us Part II'' is a 2020 action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 4. Set five years after ''The Last of Us'' (2013), the game focuses on two playable chara ...
and '' ''
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. ''
Track listing
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
See also
*
List of number-one albums of 1992 (U.S.)
These are the ''Billboard'' magazine number-one albums of 1992, per the ''Billboard'' 200.
Chart history
See also
*1992 in music
References
{{US Albums
1992
File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: Riots break out acro ...
*
List of number-one R&B albums of 1992 (U.S.)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Predator, The
Ice Cube albums
1992 albums
Albums produced by DJ Muggs
Albums produced by DJ Pooh
Priority Records albums
Political hip hop albums
Political music albums by American artists