Laugh Now, Cry Later

by

Ice Cube

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Man, I wish I could say that I'm a young 20 something and that I've been impatiently waiting for the new Ice Cube CD. If I could say that, maybe I'd prove that Ice Cube is as relevant to the new rap generation today, as he was to the rap generation of old.

But I can't say that. I'm a 30+ listener who remembers when Ice Cube completely revolutionized rap forever! I still remember the old video "Eaziar Said than Dunn" when at the videos conclusion Ice Cube turned around and gave a menacing grimace to the camera. Scared the crap outta me. That look personified everything I've either seen or hadn't seen but heard about in my neighborhood. And he wasn't afraid to drop plenty of F bombs. He even lent a few to Eazy-E, since we know he and the DOC wrote a large portion of the NWA lyrics.

Contrary to what most have said about NWA revolutionizing the rap game, I would have to give the lions share of that glory to Ice Cube, since after his departure from NWA, the group became something of a self-parodying comic strip, while the classic "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted" album maintained the raw, believable grittiness of "Straight Outta Compton."

And then somewhere along the line it seemed that Cube's success began to work against him because he didn't actually do the things he rapped about (Thank God). Oh, and then he started doing movies, which some people strangely feel discredits his gangsterism. Whatever.

All of this when combined with our new generation of "true gangster rappers" who all have short career and actual life expectancies, seems to have pushed some critics to doubt the merit of Cube's comeback album. Comments about being Old or

Old School recur frequently.

Actually, it's the old school Cube that I was hoping for. And you do actually get it with the "Laugh Now, Cry Later" album.

Cube brings his original flavor back that made gangster rap so grittty and relevant in the first place. And unlike most of the Platinum Puppies who think they've marked their territory with baby urine, Cube actually has a lot more useful and relevant social commentary that punctuates the usual commercial formula that is needed to sell records. He did this with "F-- The Police" and "Dopeman" years ago -- and long before Tupac made himself a legend with this adopted approach. "Why We Thugs" has a sort of anthem feel to it. It pumps. It grooves. And it raises a very strong and once forgotten point about who positions the over abundance of drugs and weaponry in the inner-cities. All the other so-called record label thugs probably lack the mental capacity that Cube has to even address such an issue. You can tell by their monosyllabic interviews, but that's beside the point I suppose.

I read a review in the Boston Globe, where the hater...uh, I mean writer, accusses Cube of the "same old" in his old school lyricism. He exampled the song "Child Support" and managed to completely miss the analogy that Cube is using: That he's the father of this gangster rap, and now he's got a bunch of rugrats tearing up house and home. The writer thought Cube was literally making himself out to be a dead-beat dad. He's not. And if you listen closely (a tall order for the rap audience) you'll hear Cube pushing politcal weight in a lot of what might be confused for the same old gangster glorification that we get today.

There's also a nostalgic cut on this album that takes people like me back to the late 80's, when suddenly Compton became so popular that kids in New York were wearing Los Angeles Raiders gear. Cube talks about meeting Dre and Eazy and the rest becoming history. Literally. All in all, The album has peaks and valleys, with the political peaks for the mature listener who wants to hear what's *really* on Cube's mind and the gutter-esque valleys for the hedonistic listener whose recreational concerns are to "Smoke Some Weed" and "Chrome and Paint." Such songs are really just Cube throwing a few bones to the dogs who don't know well enough to crave some real meat.

And finally, musically, the CD is just dope. I would have liked to hear a little more of the fire from the Storch Torch on the album, espcially since we all know Cube can afford his exboritant production fees. But the other fire from Emile, Rotem and others keeps the album fresh and diverse.

Ice Cube has been giving you classic album after album since Amerikkka'z Most Wanted. His music went downhill after Lethal Injection. War & Peace Volumes 1 and 2 were dissapointing releases from an MC who is capable of much better work. Well after 6 years on hiatus, Ice Cube returns with Laugh Now, Cry Later. Why We Thugs was a great single because its a vintage Ice Cube track that shows you the Ice Cube we know and love: the political side of Ice Cube. Laugh Now, Cry Later is another gem as Cube tells a great story of how he got in jail and how the family treats him since he's been locked up. More political jewels would follow in tracks like The N**** Trap and the incendiary Child Support. Growin Up is Ice Cube's introspective story. Click, Clack-Get Back and Go To Church feat Snoop Dogg and Lil Jon are good tracks also. Honorable mentions: I like Smoke Some Weed even though its a silly track and Stop Snitchin is okay. There are plenty of questionable tracks that ruins this album's potential to be great starting with Doin What It Pose 2Do. After Click, Clack-Get Back, the album nosedives into wackness. The Game Lord is stupid. Chrome & Paint feat WC, Steal The Show, You Gotta Lotta That(the most boring collabo this side of Puffy), Spittin Pollaseeds(WTF is that?) and Holla @ Cha Boy are all filler. Bottom Line: While this album is flawed, its still a highlight album of 2006. The excessive amounts of filler stopped it from being great but its a lot better than the War & Peace saga.

Standouts: WHY WE THUGS, CHILD SUPPORT, LAUGH NOW CRY LATER, GO TO CHURCH, THE N**** TRAPP, GROWIN UP and CLICK CLACK GET BACK!