Notes & Personnel Info |  | 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. | | Personnel: Ice Cube (rap vocals); Mr. Short Khop, Barbara Wilson, Tracy Nelson (vocals); 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: N.O. Joe, Joe Joe, Ice Cube, Bud'dha, E-A-Ski. | | Personnel: Terry Rice, Danette Williams, Elquine Rice, Tracy Nelson, Barbara Wilson (vocals); Brian Welch, Chris Hines, James "Munky" Shaffer (guitar); Emmanuel (keyboards); Butch (percussion); Fred Maher (programming); Bio Kebo, Mack 10, moe., Mr. Short Khop, Sleep (background vocals). | | Audio Mixers: Deep Fried Camp; Lamont Hyde; Ice Cube; John X.; N.O. Joe; Rich Costey; Bob Brown; Bud'da; Carlos Warlick. | | Recording information: Atomic Dog Sutdios, Houston, TX; Enterprise, Burban; Larrabee West, Hollywood, CA; Suave House; WEstside Studios. | | Photographer: Pamela Springsteen. | | Considering that he hadn't delivered a full-fledged solo album since 1993's disappointing Lethal Injection, maybe it shouldn't have been a surprise that Ice Cube returned hard in 1998 with War & Peace, Vol. 1 (The War Disc), since five years is a long, long time to stay quiet. What was a surprise was how ambitious the album was. The first installment in a proposed double-disc set, The War Disc is a cacophonous, cluttered, impassioned record that nearly qualifies as a return to form. Designed as a hard-hitting record, it certainly takes no prisoners, as it moves from intense street-oriented jams to rap-metal fusions, such as the Korn-blessed "Fuck Dying," with its seething, distorted guitars. It's a head-spinning listen and, at first, it seems to be a forceful comeback. Upon closer inspection, The War Disc falters a bit. Not only does the relentless nature of the music wear a little thin, but Cube spends too much time trying to beat newcomers at their own game. His lyrical skills are still intact, but he spends way too much time boasting, particularly about material possessions, and his attempt to rechristen himself Don Mega, in a Wu-like move, simply seems awkward. Even so, the quality of the music -- and the moments when he pulls it all together, such as "3 Strikes You In" -- sustains War and makes it feel more cohesive than it actually is. The key is purpose -- even if Cube doesn't always say exactly what he wants, he does have something to say. That alone makes War & Peace, with just one album completed, a more successful and rewarding listen than the typical double-disc hip-hop set of the late '90s. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine | | 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. | | 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. |
Musical Guests | | Mr. Short Khop | | Mack 10 | | Korn | | K-Mac |
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| 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..." 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..." 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 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..." 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..." |
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