| The Essentials | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Greatest hits album by | ||||
| Released | September 16, 2008 [1] | |||
| Recorded | 1990–2008 | |||
| Genre | West Coast hip hop | |||
| Label | Priority | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Ice Cube chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Pitchfork | (7.6/10) [3] |
| Robert Christgau | A− [4] |
The Essentials is the second greatest hits album by American rapper Ice Cube, released September 16, 2008 on Priority Records. [5]
| # | Song | Year | Featured guests | Original album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1* | "Go to Church" | 2006 | Snoop Dogg, Lil Jon | Laugh Now, Cry Later |
| 2* | "A Bird in the Hand" | 1991 | Death Certificate | |
| 3 | "Ghetto Vet" | 1998 | Mack 10, Mr. Short Khop | War & Peace Vol. 1 (The War Disc) |
| 4 | "Greed" | 1998 | War & Peace Vol. 1 (The War Disc) | |
| 5* | "Supreme Hustle" | 2000 | War & Peace Vol. 2 (The Peace Disc) | |
| 6* | "It Was a Good Day" | 1992 | The Predator | |
| 7 | "Spittin' Pollaseeds" | 2006 | WC, Kokane | Laugh Now, Cry Later |
| 8 | "Rollin' with The Lench Mob" | 1990 | AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted | |
| 9 | "The Wrong Nigga to Fuck Wit" | 1991 | Death Certificate | |
| 10 | "When Will They Shoot?" | 1992 | The Predator | |
| 11 | "Why We Thugs / Smoke Some Weed (Medley - Live)" | 2006 | WC, Crazy Toones | Laugh Now, Cry Later |
| 12 | "Givin' Up The Nappy Dugout" | 1991 | Death Certificate | |
| 13* | "A Gangsta's Fairytale" | 1990 | AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted | |
| 14 | "Check Yo Self" | 1992 | Das EFX | The Predator |
| 15 | "What Can I Do?" | 1993 | Lethal Injection | |
| 16* | "War & Peace" | 1998 | War & Peace Vol. 1 (The War Disc) | |
| 17 | "Dead Homiez" | 1990 | Kill at Will | |
| 18 | "Cold Places" | 2008 | Raw Footage |
N.W.A was an American hip hop group from Compton, California. They were among the earliest and most significant popularizers and controversial figures of the gangsta rap subgenre, and are widely considered one of the greatest and most influential groups in the history of hip hop music.
O'Shea Jackson, better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American rapper, actor, and filmmaker. His lyrics on N.W.A's 1988 album Straight Outta Compton contributed to gangsta rap's widespread popularity. His solo albums of 1990 and 1991 consist of political rap. In 1991 and 1995, entering film, he starred in Boyz n the Hood and cocreated Friday.
Eric Lynn Wright, known professionally as Eazy-E, was an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and entrepreneur who propelled West Coast rap and gangsta rap by leading the group N.W.A and its label, Ruthless Records, pushing the boundaries of lyrical content.
Straight Outta Compton is the debut studio album by rap group N.W.A, which, led by Eazy-E, formed in Los Angeles county's City of Compton in early 1987. Released by his label, Ruthless Records, on August 8, 1988, the album was produced by N.W.A members Dr. Dre, DJ Yella, and Arabian Prince, with lyrics written by N.W.A members Ice Cube and MC Ren along with Ruthless rapper The D.O.C. Not merely depicting Compton's street violence, the lyrics repeatedly threaten to lead it by attacking peers and even police. The track "Fuck tha Police" drew an FBI agent's warning letter, which aided N.W.A's notoriety, N.W.A calling itself "the world's most dangerous group."
Stations of the Crass is the second album by Crass, released in 1979. The record, originally released as a double 12", includes live tracks from a gig recorded at the Pied Bull pub in Islington, London, on August 7, 1979. The first three sides contain the studio tracks and play at 45 rpm, while the final side comprises the live material and plays at 33 rpm. The album's title is not only a pun on the Catholic rite of the Stations of the Cross, but is also a reference to the graffiti campaign that the band had been conducting around London's underground railway system, the cover artwork depicting a wall at Bond Street tube station that had allegedly been 'decorated' by them. Although the album met mixed critical reception at first, it managed to sell at least 20,000 copies within two weeks.
100 Miles and Runnin' is the debut and only EP from the American gangsta rap group N.W.A since its national debut in 1988. Released on August 14, 1990, this EP of five tracks reflects an evolution of N.W.A's sound, more layered than previously, and centers on the single "100 Miles and Runnin'."
Lethal Injection is the fourth studio album by American rapper Ice Cube. It was released on December 7, 1993 through Lench Mob Records and Priority Records. The production on the album was handled by QDIII, Madness 4 Real, Sir Jinx, Laylaw, D'Mag, and Ice Cube himself.
Eazy-Duz-It is the debut studio album by American hip hop artist Eazy-E, released on November 23, 1988, by Ruthless Records and Priority Records. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest gangsta rap albums.
Death Certificate is the second studio album by American rapper Ice Cube. It was released on October 29, 1991 through Lench Mob Records and Priority Records. The production on the album was primarily handled by Sir Jinx, DJ Pooh and Ice Cube. The album was supported by two singles: "Steady Mobbin'" and "True to the Game".
Laugh Now, Cry Later is the seventh studio album by rapper Ice Cube, released on June 6, 2006. It is Ice Cube's first album to be released on his independently owned record label Lench Mob Records, Virgin Records, and EMI. This album is his first studio album in six years since his previous album, War & Peace Vol. 2 . After spending the previous six years mainly doing movie projects, it could be considered a comeback album.
Bootlegs & B-sides is a compilation studio album by American recording artist Ice Cube. It was released on November 22, 1994 via Priority Records.
Live and Let Die is the third and final studio album by the American hip hop duo Kool G Rap & DJ Polo, which was released November 24, 1992, on Cold Chillin'. The album features guest appearances from Ice Cube, Big Daddy Kane, Scarface, and Bushwick Bill. The singles "Ill Street Blues" and "On the Run" both received consistent airplay on Yo! MTV Raps, and BET's Rap City upon the album's release.
Featuring...Ice Cube is a compilation album by American rapper Ice Cube. It was released on December 16, 1997, by Priority Records. The material featured on the compilation spans a length of about seven years. The earliest tracks are taken from the 1990 album AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted while "Bend a Corner Wit Me" was a brand new release at the time. The compilation was released while Ice Cube was enjoying notoriety from his recent success with Westside Connection. Despite the title, several of the tracks were originally released on Ice Cube's studio albums and featured other artists. The album was produced by Ice Cube with A&R and marketing by Joel Conrad Bechtolt and Greg Danylyshn for Priority Records. Featuring...Ice Cube was a Billboard Top 40 Hip-Hop/ R&B hit and went gold in 1998.
Based on a True Story is the second solo studio album by American rapper Mack 10. It was released on September 16, 1997 through Priority Records. Production was handled by Ant Banks, Binky Mack, DJ Bobcat, Young Tre, Ice Cube, Soopafly, and Mack 10 himself. It features guest appearances from Ice Cube, Allfrumtha I, E-40, Snoop Dogg, The Comrads and Too $hort. The album debuted at number 14 on the Billboard 200, number 5 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on October 21, 1997.
AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted is the debut studio album by American rapper Ice Cube, released on May 16, 1990, by Priority Records. It was his first solo album, after an acrimonious split from his former group N.W.A. The album was primarily produced by Public Enemy's production team The Bomb Squad. A critical and commercial success, it remains one of the defining hip hop albums of the 1990s.
In the Movies is a 2007 album by Ice Cube. It is a compilation of tracks that have appeared in movies from 1991 with Boyz n the Hood to 2005 with xXx: State of the Union. It was released on September 4, 2007 and in Australia on September 24, 2007. The album was confused for a studio album prior to the release of the track listing. This album has guest appearances from Mack 10, Ms. Toi, Dr. Dre, Master P, Mr. Short Khop and Ice-T. The album's artwork is cinema-reel themed and actual images of Ice Cube are similar to those in Laugh Now, Cry Later.
Raw Footage is the eighth studio album by American rapper Ice Cube. It was released on August 19, 2008, by his record label Lench Mob Records and EMI. The album features guest appearances from The Game, Butch Cassidy, Musiq Soulchild, Young Jeezy and WC. The album is his most political effort, since over a decade earlier with the release of his album The Predator (1992).
I Am the West is the ninth studio album by American rapper Ice Cube. It was released on September 28, 2010 by Lench Mob Records and EMI.
Straight Outta Compton is a 2015 American biographical drama film directed by F. Gary Gray, depicting the rise and fall of the gangsta rap group N.W.A and its members Eazy-E, Ice Cube, and Dr. Dre. The members of N.W.A were involved in the production of the film, including Ice Cube and Dr. Dre as producers, as was Eazy-E's widow, Tomica Woods-Wright, while MC Ren and DJ Yella served as creative consultants. Ice Cube is played by his real-life son, O'Shea Jackson Jr., with Corey Hawkins as Dr. Dre and Jason Mitchell as Eazy-E. Paul Giamatti also stars as N.W.A's manager Jerry Heller.
Everythang's Corrupt is the tenth studio album by American rapper Ice Cube, released on December 7, 2018 by Lench Mob and Interscope Records. It is his first studio album since 2010's I Am the West and was originally set for release in 2015.
Ice Cube – The Essentials at Discogs (list of releases)
