Artist: Ice Cube
Song: The Nigga Ya Love To Hate
Album: AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted
Mood: Impetuous
The other day, I was watching the movie Beef, a documentary that centers around hip-hop artists’…well, beefs. It’s a great flick, first of all- if you appreciate a good battle, you should check it out. But what stood out to me was how many times Ice Cube was involved in these battles; moreover, I was amazed at the almost reverential tones with which everybody spoke about him. So I decided to go back and give two of his albums a listen: “The Predator” and his classic, “AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted.” What I heard reminded me that, despite his apparent preference to star in family-friendly movies over the past 10 or so years, Cube was one HELL of an artist back in the day. He was at once socially conscious, militant, and the musical embodiment of the “Angry Black Man” character that was ever-present in the early 1990s, and “The Nigga Ya Love To Hate” is a prime example of that. What sets this song (and, hell, this album) apart is that it’s a West Coast rapper rhyming over an East Coast producer’s beat; what’s more, it actually sounds good. The Bomb Squad (known mostly for their work with Public Enemy) manage to put together a track that’s both head-nodding and, more importantly, doesn’t make Cube sound out of place (a la Jay-Z on a Dr. Dre-produced track.) With his effortless flow and razor-sharp social commentary, Cube makes this song a must-have for any hip-hop lover’s playlist.
His lyrics have undoubtedly lost some of their sting over the years, but perhaps that’s due in large part to the progress we’ve made as a society. Whatever the case may be, “The Nigga Ya Love To Hate” is the kind of track that makes you feel at once pissed off, arrogant, and damned excited. Check it out.
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