Man, did Ice Cube REALLY drop a bomb on the hip hop nation with this debut album. After leaving N.W.A., Cube went solo and nothing would ever be the same again. Not many artists can come HARD like he did on their first albums. Ice Cube came harder than anyone else at the time in 1990, and he did it with ease and gusto. One of my personal favorite albums, this album defines what Ice Cube is all about. Here's the review:

Album Highlights: The ENTIRE album.

Production: Thumbs up, one of the first true times that the east and the west hooked up, and the results were AWESOME

Lyrics and Subject Matter: Thumbs up, like i said, NO ONE was spitting this hard in 1990, ask N.W.A., as they became nonexistant in hip hop after Cube left

Originality: Thumbs up

The Last Word: AWESOME album. One of the greatest albums EVER, Ice Cube represented here, and it shows. I STRONGLY RECOMMEND this album, and as an added bonus, you get the AWESOME Kill At Will EP in its remastered form. Buy this album NOW if you don't own it.

If you ask this reviewer, Ice Cube's solo career remains the best of the N.W.A. collective (which included Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, MC Ren, and Ice Cube). After all these years, "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted" sounds just as raw as the day it was released. The album dropped one year after the landmark album "Straight Outta Compton", and builds on the political and cultural commentary, bringing it to a higher level.

Ice Cube holds absolutely nothing back on his solo debut. His unapologetic lyrics touch on several topics; including street life, gangs, drugs, kids, a woman's place in the hip-hop world, and politics (among others). Standouts include the riveting title cut, the hilarious story-telling of "You Can't Fade Me", the enthralling production of "JD's Gafflin'", "A Gangster's Fairy Tale" where Ice Cube talks to the kids, "Endangered Species (Tales From The Darkside)" featuring Chuck D from Public Enemy, "Who's The Mack?", and the interesting commentary about a woman's place in hip-hop "It's A Man's World" featuring (female emcee) Yo-Yo.

Overall, those who thought Dr. Dre's "The Chronic" was the best thing to come out of the N.W.A. collective should check this out. If you think "The Chronic" is slightly overrated (like myself), you should definitely check this out. Don't be caught sleeping.

America'a Most Wanted Ice Tray stuns the world with his classic "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted" and changes the face of rap forever. A little bit like MC Hammer has just smoked a bag of rock and lets out all his agro on mic for an album, AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted is some funny stuff with bullets ripping in the background soundtrack from start to finish, is also inspiring in that Ice Tray raps like a maniac for an hour. The beats are funky. This is a great album to add to any classic connection. The fact that it came out two years before the LA Riots is prophetic... maybe played a part in it... a big one. Just get it and play it LOUD. The funk is amazing and is now replaced by hip-hop. You won't come across anything like this in a hurry again.

As a big fan of the book, "Ego Trip's Book of Rap Lists", there was a section where certain seminal hip hop records were bashed by Rolling Stones. Ice Cube's monumental gangsta rap debut was one of them. Critics said, "the relentless profanity grows wearisome, bombsquads production loses steam, and Cube's attitude towards women are simply despicable". However, "Amerikkka's Most Wanted" (A suberbly provacative title) is criticized for all the wrong reasons. Most critics based assumptions on shock value and profanity but Cube's message was loud and clear. He was going to shut down racist white Amerikkka with one of the most visceral and revolutionary records that I have ever heard.

Straight out the box, Ice Cube is not out to make friends with, "The N***** Ya Love To Hate". Reality is a hard thing to digest and he let people know by dropping jewels like, "When I'm shootin let's see who drop/ The police, the media, and suckers that went pop/ And mother******* that say they too black/ Put 'em overseas they be beggin to come back/ They say we promote gangs and drugs/ You wanna sweep a n***** like me up under the rug/ Kickin s*** called street knowledge/ Why more n****** in the pen than in college. It was like Huey Newton speaking from a gangsta figures perspective and collaborating with Public Enemy... he became the black CNN. Songs such as "Turn Off The Radio" could never happen on a major label again. He was saying, "Program directors and dj's ignore me/ because I simply said F*** top forty/ Top thirty, top twenty, and top ten/ Until you put more hip hop in/". Most happy songs didn't make much sense on radio (still don't) and Cube knew hip hop was a weapon that people could see in the broad.

"Amerikkka's Most Wanted" also cemented Ice Cube as one of the genres greatest storytellers. The way he freaked nursery rhymes, for the kids, on "A Gangsta's Fairtale" was unbelievable. It was informing kids to watch out for scandolous women and stds. "Once Upon A Time In The Projects" was so vivid, it brought you straight to Compton, as if Ice Cube was saying his rhymes right beside you with an angry expression on his face. "Endangered Species" is one of the most politically intense charged rap songs ever on wax. "Every cop killer goes ignored/ They'll just send another n***** to the morgue/ A point scored; they could give a f*** about us/ They rather catch us with guns, and white powder/ - If I was old, they'd probably be a friend of me/ Since I'm young, they consider me the enemy/ You should listen to me cause there's more to see/ Call my neighborhood a ghetto cause it houses minorities/".

Overall, it's easy to see why hip hop purists say hip hop today just isn't good as that old school s***. Hell, even Rolling Stones, who dismissed this record, realized the records greatness and later gave this debut a 5 out of 5 stars rating. What's more amazing is the aforementioned songs aren't even my top two favorites. The title track and "Who's The Mack" knocked me off the edge of my seat. You can find gangsta rap anywhere today but this had such a powerful message with such proper beats, that unlike its modern day contemporaries, stands the test of time. Like rapreviews.com said, "One of the most important records ever made...if someone says to you rap is simple, throw this on and dare them to write something better - - none of them ever will".

First to S.C. "Jacinto Morales". Your right but wrong in so many ways. Ice Cube never jumped to become a gansta because Snoop and Death Row was making it big. Cube was always about the gang life and always showed it in his albums. From his N.W.A. days he kept it gangsta. And Cube ain't no fake. I don't know where you got that but how is this album proof. Explain The Predator or Death Certificate. He was keppin it G in those albums.Please don't be following the hype of 50 Cent and saying well if he got shot than that's a gangsta.He went and dissed N.W.A. and Eazy E is a real gangsta. If Cube was a fake than he would of never responded to N.W.A. and No Vaseline wouldn't be one of the most viscious diss on rap today. This album is political but the westcoast wasn't all that political. Now I agree that he does see something and jump in(not the whole gang thing) but hey Cube is just keepin up with the time and hey what rapper isn't.Every rapper sees whats hot what producer is hot and use it to sell records. You make it like Cube is the only one. Don't be hatein' on Cube. He's a legend and a true West Coast G. Now prove me wrong.

Now for Amerikkkas Most Wanted this is a political album but it's also a great album. Cube talks about the struggles in the street, gang violence, police violence and racism. Whats also tight is now you get the Kill At Will EP which include Jackin'for Beats which is the first diss to N.W.A. Not as good of a diss as No Vasaline but still good. Amerikkka's Most Wanted had a big impact on rap and it also showed that Ice Cube would do just fine as a solo artist and make him become a WestCoast Legend and also a Hip Hop Icon. A classic album and should be remembered too.