Man Down

Even after successfully transitioning to movie star stature, Ice Cube never gave up on rap. From his N.W.A days on, the Los Angeles native’s discography stayed on course well into the 2010s. In more recent years, he’s seemed to embrace his status as a hip-hop elder statesman, forming the California supergroup MOUNT WESTMORE with fellow vets Snoop Dogg, E-40 and Too $hort as a vehicle for new music. Apart from that quartet’s 2022 album, <i>Man Down</i> marks Cube’s first full-length outing in some six years. Thankfully, he has lost none of his fury or his tenacity, making his voice heard and opinions known without reservations or apology. While nothing here matches the viciousness of, say, “No Vaseline”, he’s similarly righteous and emboldened on cuts like “It’s My Ego” and “I’mma Burn Rubber”. On the blunt “Ghetto Story”, he reminds listeners that he can still weave a mean narrative like he did back in the day. His choice of beats mirrors both his catalogue and, more broadly, his city’s funky legacy, the bounce on “So Sensitive” giving his wordplay additional buoyancy. Self-aware, he calls this phenomenon out directly on “Not Like Them”, its title an unsubtle nod that gives way to a series of knowledge drops. Building with legends, Cube taps Cypress Hill’s B-Real for the 420-friendly scheme session “Let’s Get Money Together” and gathers the MOUNT WESTMORE gents for the lascivious trunk-rattler “She’s Sanctified”. J-Dee of Da Lench Mob fame gets some much deserved post-incarceration props on “Facts”, while Kurupt pulls no punches on “Fighting for My Life in Paradise.” <i>Man Down</i> finishes strong with an “It’s My Ego” remix renamed “Ego Maniacs”, forming a treacherous trio of supremely confident MCs with Busta Rhymes and Killer Mike.