Ice Cube has seemingly been around forever. This is easily understood, seeing that he is a key founder of gangsta rap. Back in the late eighties, he teemed up with Dr. Dre, MC Ren and Eazy-E to form the legendary N.W.A. This group placed gangsta rap on the map, planted the seed for a genre of music that successfully continues to grow today.

With the release of Ice Cube's album, 'War & Peace - Volume II (Peace Disc)', Cube takes his music to one of the highest levels of his career. This album being his 18th (8 solo, 5 collaborations, and 4 soundtracks), truly shows that he is a legend in his own right. Many of his albums have gone platinum, (and I'm sure this one will too), with fans confidence levels in Ice Cube's style being so high, that they don't think twice about buying his joints.

This album, 'The Peace Disc' shows a different side to cube. Overall the album has more of a club feel, and although the hard lyrics are still present, they're a bit toned down from prior albums. Nonetheless, Ice Cube's style is still gangsta, representing the West Coast as strongly as ever. The album sports production from big names such as Dr. Dre, Dogghouse Records, Puff Daddy, One Eye, and Carl Thompson.

"Roll All Day" is by far my favorite song. It has a bit of a "Ghetto Bird" feel - another one of Cube's hits. Its flow has a rolling feel, and plays a keyboard riff real well. The first single, "You Can Do It" has turned into a bit of a club anthem. It features Ms Toi and Mack 10 and features some funny lyrics. "Waitin' Ta Hate" is bassy track that'll have you in a daze. The second single "Until We Rich" features Krayzie Bone and is reminiscent of Cube's hit "It Was A Good Day", with its real life story of keeping your head up and your life straight. "Hello" is the latest N.W.A. collaboration with production by Dr. Dre and additional lyrics from MC Ren and Dre. "Supreme Hustle" is another great song.

Ice Cube has hit the right spot with this album. It fits into a perfect slot in hip hop's current state. The album is fairly short, with only 13 real songs (there are 4 more skits and one instrumental). The skits are better than decent and the new feel for Ice Cube seems to be working. A few of the tracks are a bit weak, but overall this album was impressive. In fact it might just be one of Ice Cube's better albums. If you like gangsta rap, are a West Coast rap fan, or enjoy Ice Cube's style, then probably should consider picking up this album.

www.brockwayent.com

(Originally posted on HipHopCanada.com)

This review was written April 1, 2000