''Laugh Now, Cry Later'' is the seventh

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

by rapper

Ice Cube O'Shea Jackson Sr. (born June 15, 1969), known professionally as Ice Cube, is an American rapper, songwriter, actor, and film producer. His lyrics on N.W.A's 1989 album '' Straight Outta Compton'' contributed to gangsta rap's widespread popu ...

, released on June 6, 2006. It is Ice Cube's first album to be released on his independently owned

record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...

Lench Mob Records Lench Mob Records is a record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, ...

and

Universal Records Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, ...

. This album is his first studio album in six years since his previous album, '' War & Peace Vol. 2 (The Peace Disc)''. After spending the previous six years mainly doing movie projects, it could be considered a comeback album. The album received generally positive reviews from critics and debuted at number four on the US ''Billboard'' 200 selling 144,000 copies in first week. The album was certified

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA) in August 2006.

Background

Unlike Cube's previous album, ''Laugh Now, Cry Later'' features only a handful of collaborations. These include songs with West Coast rappers

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...

and WC, and Southern rapper

Lil Jon Jonathan H. Smith (born January 17, 1971), better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, DJ, and record producer. Regarded as a progenitor of the club-oriented hip-hop subgenre crunk, his production and voice presence were inst ...

. ''Laugh Now, Cry Later'' was preceded by the street single and accompanying video "Chrome & Paint". The first official single was the Scott Storch produced " Why We Thugs". The follow-up single, released in late June 2006, is the song " Go to Church", featuring

and

. The third single released from the album was the promo-only "Steal the Show". In the song "Growin' Up" he talks about and honours his deceased friend and co-rapper

Eazy-E Eric Lynn Wright (September 7, 1964 – March 26, 1995), known professionally as Eazy-E, was an American rapper who propelled West Coast rap and gangsta rap by leading the group N.W.A and its label, Ruthless Records. Eazy-E is often re ...

who along with Ice Cube were members of rap group

N.W.A N.W.A (an abbreviation for Niggaz Wit Attitudes) was an American hip-hop group formed in Compton, California in 1987. Among the earliest and most significant figures of the gangsta rap subgenre, the group is widely considered one of the great ...

. "Never thought I'd see Eazy in a casket, thanks for everything, that's on everything. I learnt a lot of game from you, I like your son, he's got his name from you". In an interview taken during its release, Ice Cube said: "I want to make a record that was like a history book. I wanted to make a record that does what all good hip-hop does: it makes you feel good; it kind of pumps you up, but it also shows you a part of life that you might not have been paying attention to or might not even know exists".

Release

The album was released independently on his

on June 6, 2006. Five months later, Ice Cube re-released the album on October 31, 2006, under the name ''Laugh Now, Cry Later: O.G. Limited Edition''. The DualDisc contains concert and backstage footage as well as a playable music video for each song. The artwork for this album contains a picture of Ice Cube holding a custom gold Colt Anaconda. A clean version of the album was also made. It replaces most of the profanities by repeating or using a sound effect.

Commercial performance

''Laugh Now, Cry Later'' debuted at number four on the US ''Billboard'' 200, selling 144,000 copies in its first week. This became Ice Cube's sixth US top-ten album. In its second week, the album dropped to number ten on the chart, selling an additional 64,000 copies. On August 25, 2006, the album was certified

by the

(RIAA) for sales of over 500,000 copies. As of August 2008, the album sold 547,000 copies in the United States.

Track listing

Samples

*"Chrome & Paint" – contains a sample of "The Continental Walk" by Hank Ballard *"Click, Clack - Get Back!" – contains a sample of "Captain Bobby Stout" by the Jerry Hahn Brotherhood *"Spittin' Pollaseeds" – contains a sample of "Baby" by

Brandy Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured ...

*"A History of Violence" – contains a sample of "Memory Lane" by

Minnie Riperton Minnie Julia Riperton (November 8, 1947 – July 12, 1979) was an American soul singer and songwriter best known for her 1974 single " Lovin' You", her five-octave vocal range, and her use of the whistle register. Born in 1947, Riperton grew ...

and a sample of "In the House – In a Heartbeat" by John Murphy *"Child Support" – contains a sample of "Kick in the Door" by the Notorious B.I.G. *"Growin' Up" – contains a sample of "Memory Lane" by

*"Laugh Now, Cry Later" – contains a sample of "Master Plan" by Alan Tew *"Stop Snitchin'" – contains a sample of "Gangsta Gangsta" by

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

Chart Overview on LNCLLatest news on the album from Google News
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Promotional album sampler featuring 10 songs
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* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20091025163213/http://www.icecube.org/ Ice Cube Lyrics, Music, Biography Information and more {{Authority control 2006 albums Ice Cube albums Albums produced by Bud'da Albums produced by Laylaw Albums produced by Lil Jon Albums produced by Warren G Albums produced by Sean Combs Albums produced by Swizz Beatz Albums produced by Scott Storch Albums produced by Emile Haynie Albums produced by DJ Green Lantern