AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted
Studio album by Ice Cube
Released	May 16, 1990
Recorded	1989 - 1990
Genre	Gangsta rap, Conscious rap, Political hip hop
Length	49:36
Label	Priority
Producer(s)	Ice Cube, Hank Shocklee, Chuck D, Sir Jinx, Yo-Yo
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link RapReviews.com (10 of 10) link
Ice Cube chronology
	AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted (1990)	Kill at Will (1991)

AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted was Ice Cube's debut solo album after his acrimonious split from N.W.A. It was originally released May 16, 1990 (see 1990 in music). Cover of the Ice Cube album AmeriKKKas Most Wanted. ... A Studio Album is an album of regular studio recordings. ... Ice Cube (born OShea Jackson on June 15, 1969 in Los Angeles, California) is an American rapper, actor and film director. ... May 16 is the 136th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (137th in leap years). ... This article is about the year. ... A music genre is a category (or genre) of pieces of music that share a certain style or basic musical language (van der Merwe 1989, p. ... Gangsta rap is a subgenre of hip hop music which involves a lyrical focus on the lifestyles of inner-city or da hood gang members and other criminals. ... It is proposed that this article be deleted, because of the following concern: This is copied directly from Alternative hip hop. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Conscious hip hop. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Priority Records was started in 1985 by Bryan Turner to distribute rap compilation albums. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the performers, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Ice Cube (born OShea Jackson on June 15, 1969 in Los Angeles, California) is an American rapper, actor and film director. ... Cover of Autobiography of Mistachuck Carlton Douglas Chuck D Ridenhour, (born on August 1, 1960) is a rapper, composer, actor, author, radio personality and producer. ... Sir Jinx (born Tony Wheatob) is an American hip-hop producer and rapper. ... ° Cover from the You Better Ask Somebody album. ... The All Music Guide (AMG) is a metadata database about music, owned by All Media Guide. ... Image File history File links 5_stars. ... Ice Cube (born OShea Jackson on June 15, 1969 in Los Angeles, California) is an American rapper, actor and film director. ... Kill At Will is a seven track EP, released by Ice Cube in 1991. ... Ice Cube (born OShea Jackson on June 15, 1969 in Los Angeles, California) is an American rapper, actor and film director. ... N.W.A. (Niggaz With Attitude) was a hip hop group that was formed in Compton, California in 1986. ... May 16 is the 136th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (137th in leap years). ... This article is about the year. ... See also: 1989 in music, 1990 in British music, other events of 1990, 1991 in music, 1990s in music and the list of years in music // Events January 21 - MTVs Unplugged premieres on cable television with musical guest, Squeeze February 6 - Billy Idol is involved in a serious motorcycle...

The controversial title of the album is a spoof of a television show called "America's Most Wanted", wherein real-life crimes are reenacted and viewers are asked to call in with any information about the alleged perpetrators. The show has taken criticism for its reenactments. They are believed to perpetuate stereotypes regarding the criminality of African-American men and other minorities. The intentional misspelling of "America" with three K's equates the show and status quo society with the Ku Klux Klan. AMW redirects here; for other uses of that term, see AMW (disambiguation). ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... Members of the second Ku Klux Klan at a rally during the 1920s. ...

AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted is mostly a socio-political conscious rap / gangsta rap album. The songs delve into the issues of ghetto life, drug addiction, racism and poverty. He incessantly attacks racist institutions and social norms. Though he describes with detail the conditions of the ghetto, he does so in order to condemn those that allow ghetto despair to occur, instead of glorifying it. It is proposed that this article be deleted, because of the following concern: This is copied directly from Alternative hip hop. ... Gangsta rap is a subgenre of hip hop music which involves a lyrical focus on the lifestyles of inner-city or da hood gang members and other criminals. ... A ghetto is an area where people from a specific racial or ethnic background or united in a given culture or religion live as a group, voluntarily or involuntarily, in milder or stricter seclusion. ... Drug addiction, or dependency is the compulsive use of drugs, to the point where the user has no effective choice but to continue use. ... An African-American man drinks out of the colored only water cooler at a racially segregated street car terminal in the United States in 1939. ... A boy from an East Cipinang trash dump slum in Jakarta, Indonesia shows his find. ...

Cube takes some controversial stands, referring to certain types of African-Americans as "Oreo cookies", implying that they appear to be black outside but are white inside. Arsenio Hall is specifically mentioned as being a "sell-out". Cube also heavily criticizes soft-pop-R&B radio stations broadcasting a watered-down sound. The titular song on the album directly parodies the television show, "America's Most Wanted", exposing the perceived racism inherent in watching largely African-American men being arrested for entertainment. In African-American vernacular slang, Oreo Cookie (alternatively Oreo or Coconut) is a pejorative term for another African-American who has largely eschewed African American culture in order to ingratiate themselves to the European majority. ... Arsenio Hall (born on February 12, 1955 in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American comedian, talk show host, and actor. ...

"I think back to when I was robbin' my own kind,

the police didn't pay it no mind.

But when I start robbin the white folks?

Now I'm in the pen with the soap on a rope"

A later song ("Get Off My Dick Nigga, and Tell Yo Bitch to Come Here") returns to the same theme at the end, with newscaster Peter Jennings reporting on rioting: "Outside the south central area, few cared about the violence because it didn't affect them." Also of interest is "It's a Man's World", a rap-conversation between Ice Cube and female rapper Yo-Yo, in a similar fashion to such famous "battle of the sexes" songs as "Hit the Road Jack" and "Tramp" by Otis Redding. Cube and Yo-Yo verbally spar and trade sexist barbs back and forth, and the track is essentially showing that Ice Cube does in fact respect certain women and is not always sexist; not only does Ice Cube have a female rapper in his crew, but the song also admits that "it's a man's world, but it wouldn't be a damn thing without a woman's touch." However, outside of this song, the album received criticism for alleged sexism, as in "You Can't Fade Me", a humorous track where Cube fantasizes about kicking a former one-night stand in the stomach because she is pregnant with his baby and is using her pregnancy to take Cube's money. "Nigga You Love To Hate" is also notable for a chorus chanting "Fuck you, Ice Cube", setting a tone of alienation and paranoia for the album and introducing a pattern of obscenity, profanity, and the williness to break rules. Peter Charles Archibald Ewart Jennings, CM (July 29, 1938 – August 7, 2005) was a Canadian journalist and news anchor. ... South Los Angeles South Los Angeles is the official name for a large geographic and cultural area lying to the south and southeast of downtown Los Angeles, California. ... ° Cover from the You Better Ask Somebody album. ... Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding, Jr. ... The sign of the headquarters of the National Association Opposed To Woman Suffrage Sexism is commonly considered to be discrimination and/or hatred against people based on their sex rather than their individual merits, but can also refer to any and all systemic differentiations based on the sex of the...

Produced by the Bomb Squad (Public Enemy) and Da Lench Mob, AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted received accolades for innovation in production upon release. Since this time, West Coast rap has largely taken a different direction from Ice Cube's style, heading more towards the smooth drawl of Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg; however, Amerikkka's Most continues to be a suprisingly soulful and funk-influenced album. The Bomb Squad is a rap group consisting of Hank Shocklee, Keith Shocklee, Bill Stephney, and Eric Sadler. ... Public Enemy, also known as PE, is a seminal hip hop group from Long Island, New York known for their politically charged lyrics, criticism of the media and active interest in the concerns of the African American community. ... After first appearing on Ice Cubes debut album AmeriKKKas Most Wanted, Da Lench Mob -- Shorty, J-Dee, and T-Bone -- struck out on their own, with Ice Cube as their executive producer, in 1992. ... André Romell Young (born on February 18, 1965 in Los Angeles, California), who is better known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an influential Grammy-Award winning American record producer, hip hop producer, rapper, actor and record executive. ... Calvin Broadus (born October 20, 1971, in Long Beach, California), better known as Snoop Dogg (other nicknames include Snoop Doggy Dogg, The Bigg Boss Dogg, Bigg Snoop Dogg, and Snoop D-O Double G) is a rapper, record producer and actor from the United States. ...

Before striking out on his own, Ice Cube was a member of the legendary West Coast rap group N.W.A. (Straight Outta Compton - 1989). Thus, Ice Cube's lyrical style is descended from West Coast rappers like Ice T (Iceberg/Freedom of Speech...Just Watch What You Say - 1989) and Too $hort (Life Is...Too $hort). Musically, Public Enemy (Yo! Bum Rush the Show - 1987)'s spare, hollow beats, old school rappers like Eric B. & Rakim (Paid in Full - 1987) and Kurtis Blow (Kurtis Blow - 1980) and 1970s funk (Parliament - Motor Booty Affair - 1978; Gap Band - The Gap Band II) and soul (Sly & the Family Stone - There's a Riot Goin' On - 1971; Curtis Mayfield - Let's Do It Again - 1975) influenced Ice Cube's sound, partially through his producers, the Bomb Squad. N.W.A. (Niggaz With Attitude) was a hip hop group that was formed in Compton, California in 1986. ... Straight Outta Compton is a genre-defining gangsta rap album by N.W.A first released in 1988, and later rereleased on September 24, 2002 in a remastered version with four bonus tracks. ... Tracy Marrow (born February 16, 1958), better known as Ice T or Ice-T, is an American rapper, singer and actor. ... Too Short, or Too $hort, (born Todd Anthony Shaw on April 28, 1966) is a rapper who started his career in his hometown of Oakland, California. ... Public Enemy, also known as PE, is a seminal hip hop group from Long Island, New York known for their politically charged lyrics, criticism of the media and active interest in the concerns of the African American community. ... Yo! Bum Rush The Show is a 1987 album by Public Enemy. ... The very first hip hop to come out of the block parties of New York City in the 1970s and early 1980s is called old school hip hop. ... Eric B. & Rakim were an East Coast hip hop duo who popularised the jazz-influenced hip hop of the late 1980s. ... Paid in Full is a movie that was released in 2002 by Rocafella. ... Curtis Kurtis Blow Walker, (born on August 9, 1959, in Harlem, New York) is one of the pioneer rappers in the recording industry, and hip hops first mainstream star. ... Kurtis Blow, (born Curtis Walker on August 9, 1959), is one of the most influential early rappers and hip hops first mainstream star. ... Funk is a distinct style of music originated by African Americans, e. ... Parliament was originally The Parliaments, a doo-wop group based out of George Clintons Plainfield, New Jersey barber shop. ... Motor Booty Affair is an album produced by the band Parliament. ... The Gap Band are an American R&B, funk and soul music group who rose to fame during the 1970s and 1980s with their heavily-charged dance anthems and their sentimental and ethereal love songs. ... For other uses, see Soul music (disambiguation). ... Sly & the Family Stone were an American rock band from San Francisco, California. ... Theres a Riot Goin On is the influential 1971 album by the soul/rock/funk band Sly & the Family Stone. ... Curtis Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American soul, funk and R&B singer, songwriter and guitarist probably best known for his soundtrack to the blaxploitation film Superfly. ... The Curtis Mayfield-penned, Staples Singers-performed soundtrack to the highly successful 1975 comedy film starring Sidney Poitier and Bill Cosby. ... The Bomb Squad is a rap group consisting of Hank Shocklee, Keith Shocklee, Bill Stephney, and Eric Sadler. ...

Ice Cube influenced later West Coast rappers, including the stoned drawl of Cypress Hill (Cypress Hill - 1991) and The Pharcyde (Bizarre Ride II to the Pharcyde - 1992), as well as later G Funk rappers like Dr. Dre (The Chronic - 1992) and Snoop Doggy Dogg (Doggystyle - 1993). Though Ice Cube's popularity among mainstream listeners has not continued into the late 1990s, and his sound is distinctively old school to modern ears, many rappers themselves have been influenced by his innovative lyrical techniques. While Ice Cube's early albums most often described true circumstances in outlandish fashion, such as a fairy tale in "A Gangsta's Fairytale", later rappers took this to the extreme of describing physically impossible acts of violence in an outrageously exaggerated manner. Cypress Hill is a Latin-American hip-hop group from South Gate, CA. It was founded in 1988 and has sold up to 17 million records worldwide by 2006. ... Cypress Hill is the debut album from the group of the same name, released on August 13, 1991 (see 1991 in music). ... The Pharcyde is one of the most celebrated underground West Coast alternative hip hop acts. ... G-funk (Gangsta-funk or Ghetto-funk) is a type of hip hop music that emerged from West Coast gangsta rap in the early 1990s. ... André Romell Young (born on February 18, 1965 in Los Angeles, California), who is better known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an influential Grammy-Award winning American record producer, hip hop producer, rapper, actor and record executive. ... The Chronic is the highly influential debut album from American rap producer Dr. Dre. ... Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus (born October 20, 1971 in Long Beach, California) is a rap musician and actor. ... Doggystyle is the debut album by American West Coast (G Funk) hip hop artist Snoop Doggy Dogg, released on November 23, 1993 (see 1993 in music). ... The very first hip hop to come out of the block parties of New York City in the 1970s and early 1980s is called old school hip hop. ...

Track listing

1. "Better off Dead" (Brian Holt/Ice Cube)
2. "The Nigga Ya Love to Hate" (Ice Cube/E. Sadler)
3. "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted" (Ice Cube/Sadler/Keith Shocklee)
4. "What They Hittin' Foe" (Ice Cube/Average White Band)
5. "You Can't Fade Me/JD's Gaffilin'" (Ice Cube/Sadler)
6. "Once upon a Time in the Projects" (Ice Cube/Sir Jinx)
7. "Turn off the Radio" (D./Ice Cube/Sadler/Betty Shabazz)
8. "Endangered Species (Tales from the Darkside)" (Ice Cube/Chuck D/Sadler/Sir Jinx)
9. "A Gangsta's Fairytale" (Ice Cube/Sadler)
10. "I'm Only Out for One Thang" (Flavor Flav/Ice Cube/Sir Jinx/Stevie Wonder)
11. "Get off My Dick and Tell Yo Bitch to Come Here" (Ice Cube/Sadler)
12. "The Drive By" (Shocklee/Sir Jinx)
13. "Rollin' Wit the Lench Mob" (Ice Cube/Sadler)
14. "Who's the Mack?" (Ice Cube/JBs)
15. "It's a Man's World" (Ice Cube/Sir Jinx/Yo-Yo)
16. "The Bomb" (Ice Cube/Sir Jinx)
17. "Endangered Species (Tales From the Darkside) (Remix)"
18. "Jackin’ For Beats"
19. "Get Off My Dick and Tell Yo Bitch To Come Here (Remix)"
20. "The Product"
21. "Dead Homiez"
22. "JD’s Gaffilin’ (Part 2)"
23. "I Gotta Say What Up!!!"

Tracks 17-23 are on the 2003 re-release, originally on the out-of-print 1990 EP Kill At Will. Ice Cube (born OShea Jackson on June 15, 1969 in Los Angeles, California) is an American rapper, actor and film director. ... The Average White Band (also AWB) is a Scottish funk and R&B band. ... Sir Jinx (born Tony Wheatob) is an American hip-hop producer and rapper. ... Hajj Bahiyah Betty Shabazz (born Betty Jean Sanders) (May 28, 1936 – June 23, 1997), also known as Betty X, she was the wife of the late Malcolm X. // Background There is an air of uncertainty about Betty Shabazzs background and early life. ... Cover of Autobiography of Mistachuck Carlton Douglas Chuck D Ridenhour, (born on August 1, 1960) is a rapper, composer, actor, author, radio personality and producer. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Stevie Wonder (born Stevland Judkins[1] on May 13, 1950), is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, musician, and social activist. ... ° Cover from the You Better Ask Somebody album. ... Kill At Will is a seven track EP, released by Ice Cube in 1991. ...

Personnel

1. The Bomb Squad - Record Producer
2. Mario Castellanos - Photography
3. Chris Champion - Assistant Engineer
4. Chuck D. - Performer
5. Da Lench Mob - Vocals (bckgr), Producer
6. (Ex) Cat Heads - Vocals (bckgr)
7. Flavor Flav - Vocals, Performer
8. Ricky Harris - Vocals (bckgr)
9. Al Hayes - Bass Guitar, Guitar
10. Vincent Henry - Flute, Saxophone
11. Brian Holt - Vocals
12. Kevin Hosmann - Art Direction
13. Ice Cube - Vocals, Producer
14. J. Dee - Vocals (bckgr)
15. Tim Rollins - Piano
16. E. Sadler - Producer
17. Nick Sansano - Engineer
18. Shannon - Vocals (bckgr)
19. Christopher Shaw - Engineer
20. Keith Shocklee - Scratching
21. Sir Jinx - Vocals (bckgr), Producer
22. Howie Weinberg - Mastering
23. Dan Wood - Vocals (bckgr), Engineer
24. Yo-Yo - Vocals, Performer

The Bomb Squad is a rap group consisting of Hank Shocklee, Keith Shocklee, Bill Stephney, and Eric Sadler. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the performers, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Chris Champion Chris Champion was a professional wrestler. ... Carlton Douglas Chuck D Ridenhour (born August 1, 1960) is an American rapper, composer, actor, author, radio personality and producer. ... After first appearing on Ice Cubes debut album AmeriKKKas Most Wanted, Da Lench Mob -- Shorty, J-Dee, and T-Bone -- struck out on their own, with Ice Cube as their executive producer, in 1992. ... In music a singer or vocalist is a type of musician who sings, i. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Martin EB18 Bass Guitar in flight case. ... Different kinds of guitars The guitar is a fretted and stringed musical instrument, used in a wide variety of musical styles, and is also widely known as a solo classical instrument. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Saxophones of different sizes play in different registers. ... Ice Cube (born OShea Jackson on June 15, 1969 in Los Angeles, California) is an American rapper, actor and film director. ... A grand piano, with the lid up. ... Scratching is a DJ or turntablist technique originated by Grand Wizard Theodore, an early hip hop DJ from New York (AMG). ... Sir Jinx (born Tony Wheatob) is an American hip-hop producer and rapper. ... Howie Weinberg is a music mastering engineer who has worked with numerous bands. ... ° Cover from the You Better Ask Somebody album. ...

Chart positions

Billboard Music Charts (North America) - album Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry. ...

• 1990 The Billboard 200 - No. 19
• 1990 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums - No. 6

Billboard (North America) singles

• 1990 Amerikkka's Most Wanted - Hot Rap Singles - No. 1