Ice Cube War & Peace Vol. 1 (The War Disc) CD

This disc is subtitled THE WAR DISC, which makes a great deal of sense, given the aggressive nature of most of the tracks. Throughout the album, Ice Cube plays it smart by sticking close to his hardcore gangsta roots. On WAR & PEACE, Ice Cube presents the gritty underside of contemporary ghetto life, without sparing us any of the gorier details. It's not that he revels in the darker side of life, just that, like everyone from Johnny Cash to Leonard Cohen, he sees no reason in beating around the bush when representing unpleasant circumstances. Instead, he jumps in with both feet. "Once Upon a Time in the Projects" is an unsettling walk through a neighborhood conspicuously unaffected by the "trickle-down" theory, and Ice Cube's storytelling gift blossoms here. "Limos, Demos & Bimbos" presents a more hedonistic viewpoint, and Ice Cube is aided here by cohort Mr. Short Khop. WAR & PEACE is an uncompromising release that stands up well alongside Ice Cube's previous efforts.

Parental Advisory

Personnel: Ice Cube, Mr. Short Khop, K-Mac (rap vocals); Terry Rice, Elquine Rice, Barbara Wilson, Tracy Nelson (vocals); Nolan V.H., Brian "Head" Welch, James "Munky" Shaffer, Chris Hines (guitar); Emmanuel (keyboards); Butch (percussion); Jonathan Hyde, Mack 10, Sleep, Big Kebo, Moe, Fazon "Big Worm" Love (background vocals).

Producers include: Ice Cube, N.O. Joe, Joe Joe, Bud'da, E-A-Ski.

Rolling Stone (12/10/98, pp.122-123) - 3 Stars (out of 5) - "...Cube manages to come off both visceral and polished, hardened and thoughtful, heartfelt and obnoxious..."
Rolling Stone (12/10/98, pp.122-124) - 3 Stars (out of 5) - "...a characteristically grim ride through the ghetto streets, the projects and the penitentiary....Cube manages to come off both visceral and polished, hardened and thoughtful, heartfelt and obnoxious..."
Spin (12/98, p.180) - 6 (out of 10) - "...WAR...is all Cali thump and old school gangsta-isms. The production isn't beats by the pound so much as beats by the ounce: a cleaner more refined cut, maybe, but nothing revolutionary..."
Entertainment Weekly (11/20/98, pp.132-133) - "...Ice Cube propulsively combines Cali cinemania and New York verbal dexterity into Southern bass booms that'll combust your woofers. His greatest weapon remains his rhyme flow--it's like a machine gun, only with better beats." - Rating: B+
The Source (12/98, p.205) - 3.5 Mics (out of 5) - "...in spite of his new allegiance to the life of a Dom-sippin' kingpin, Ice Cube can still be vocally mesmerizing..."