The Predator

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This article is about the album by rapper Ice Cube. For other uses, see Predator (disambiguation).
The Predator
Ice Cube - The Predator - Album Cover.jpg
Studio album by Ice Cube
Released November 17, 1992
March 11, 2003 (2003 remaster)
July 20, 2010 (2010 remaster)
Recorded 1991–1992
Echo Sound (Glendale, California)
The Hit Factory (New York City)
Genre West Coast hip hop, gangsta rap, political hip hop, hardcore hip hop
Length 56:27
Label Priority/EMI
0499 2 57155 2 1
P2-57155 (original release)

7243 5 43339 2 7
P2-43339 (2003 remaster)
Producer Ice Cube (also exec.), DJ Pooh, Sir Jinx, Torcha Chamba, DJ Muggs
Ice Cube chronology
Death Certificate
(1991)Death Certificate1991		 The Predator
(1992)		 Lethal Injection
(1993)Lethal Injection1993
Singles from The Predator
  1. "Wicked"
    Released: November 3, 1992
  2. "It Was a Good Day"
    Released: February 23, 1993
  3. "Check Yo Self"
    Released: August 17, 1993

The Predator is the third studio album by Ice Cube. Released within months of the 1992 Los Angeles riots, many songs comment on the racial tensions. The title is in part reference to the movie Predator 2, and the album itself includes samples from the film.[1] Though not his most critically successful album, commercially The Predator is Ice Cube's most successful album, reaching 2x platinum status in the United States, also containing his most successful single, "It Was a Good Day." The Predator is his only number one album on the Billboard 200 to date, selling 193,000 copies in its first week.[2] As of 2008 it has sold over 2 million copies in the USA, according to Nielsen Soundscan.[3]

Overview

In the opening song, "When Will They Shoot," Ice Cube addressed criticisms of anti-Semitism he received for his last effort, Death Certificate:

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

Elsewhere "We Had to Tear This Mothafucka Up" is directed at the LA Police officers acquitted in the Rodney King 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.

Commercial Performance

The Predator debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, with sales of 193,000 copies in its first week. The album was certified platinum on January 7, 1993 and 2x platinum in late 2001, making it Ice Cube's best-selling album to date.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic 4/5 stars[4]
Robert Christgau (choice cut)[5]
Entertainment Weekly A−[6]
Q 4/5 stars[7]
Rolling Stone 2.5/5 stars[8]
Rolling Stone (2003) 4/5 stars[9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide 3.5/5 stars[10]
Spin (favorable)[7]
Washington Post (favorable)[11]

Although not as lauded as his previous efforts, The Predator was well received. Entertainment Weekly called it "Ice Cube's strongest, most cohesive work yet" (11/20/92, p. 88).[12] Q Magazine included it in its "90 Best Albums Of The 1990s" (12/99, p. 74).[12] Spin Magazine called it a record that "demands to be heard" (1/93, p. 61).[12]

It 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 the band Korn). Both the album and single version of "Check Yo Self" include an appearance from Das EFX, 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.

Track listing

No. Title Producer(s) Length
1. "The First Day of School" (Intro) Ice Cube 1:20
2. "When Will They Shoot?"   DJ Pooh, Bob Cat, Ice Cube 4:36
3. "I'm Scared" (Interlude)   1:32
4. "Wicked" (featuring Don Jagwarr) Torcha Chamba, Ice Cube 3:55
5. "Now I Gotta Wet 'Cha"   DJ Muggs 4:03
6. "The Predator"   DJ Pooh 4:03
7. "It Was a Good Day"   DJ Pooh 4:19
8. "We Had to Tear This Mothafucka Up"   DJ Muggs 4:23
9. "Fuck 'Em" (Interlude) Sir Jinx 2:02
10. "Dirty Mack"   Mr. Woody 4:34
11. "Don't Trust 'Em"   Rashad, Ice Cube, DJ Pooh 4:06
12. "Gangsta's Fairytale 2" (featuring Lil Russ) Pocketts, Ice Cube 3:19
13. "Check Yo Self" (featuring Das EFX) DJ Muggs, Ice Cube 3:42
14. "Who Got the Camera?"   Sir Jinx 4:37
15. "Integration" (Interlude) Ice Cube 2:31
16. "Say Hi to the Bad Guy"   Sir Jinx 3:19

Sample Credits

All credits taken from WhoSampled[13]

"When Will They Shoot?"

"Wicked"

"Now I Gotta Wet 'Cha"

"The Predator"

"It Was a Good Day"

"We Had to Tear This Mothafucka Up"

"Fuck 'Em"

"Dirty Mack"

"Don't Trust 'Em"

"Gangsta's Fairytale 2"

"Check Yo Self"

"Who Got the Camera?"

"Say Hi to the Bad Guy"

Charts

Chart positions

Chart (1992) Peak
position
UK Albums Chart 73
US Billboard 200 1
US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums 1

Year-end charts

Chart (1993) Position
US Billboard 200 24
US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums 8

Singles

Year Song Chart positions
Billboard Hot 100 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks Hot Rap Singles Rhythmic Top 40 Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales
1992 "Wicked" 55 31 1 — 31
1993 "Check Yo Self" 20 1 1 18 1
"It Was a Good Day" 15 7 1 13 —

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
United Kingdom (BPI)[14] Silver 60,000
United States (RIAA)[15] 2× Platinum 2,000,000

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

See also

References

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Preceded by Billboard 200 number-one album
December 5–11, 1992		 Succeeded by
The Bodyguard (soundtrack) by Various artists
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