Ice Cube’s favourite songs on 1991’s ‘Death Certificate’
A long time ago now, at the start of the ’90s, Ice Cube was arguably the biggest rapper on the planet. Having left NWA, and with his solo material coming out thick and fast, he was at the tippy-top of the game.
His debut album, AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted, was a big success following its release in 1990, which was followed up immediately by the similarly well-received Kill at Will EP. This was a truly prolific period for Cube, and a second album arrived in 1991. Death Certificate was another success for Cube, with many people looking back on it today as his greatest ever solo effort.
Death Certificate captured Cube at a consequential point in his life. Characterising this period during a 2021 interview with Vibe as “a transition stage to figure out what kind of person” he was, Cube was reflecting on what had happened in his life and was looking ahead to what was to come.
“My past and future, what was it gonna look like?” he pondered. “Was I just gonna wallow in my past and how I grew up? Was I gonna try to elevate myself and just become a better person? And the album reflected that.”
The album is 20 songs long and is split into two sides, with one reflecting the notion of death and the other of life. The death side, Cube explained, was “speaking on things that kill us in our community,” whereas the life side was “about trying to come out of that, trying to understand that, and trying to change our ways in a lot of aspects.”
The album that Cube created is a bit of a mixed bag, in terms of the ideas it expresses. While he does manage to paint a clear picture of the racial tensions, oppression, and violence of early ’90s America, his efforts were not uncomplicatedly worthy. Cube reveals his own tendencies towards prejudice on the album, with his misogyny, homophobia and anti-Asian racism being undeniable features.
At its best, Death Certificate presents its maker at a reflective, politically engaged point in his life. As for Cube himself, he looks upon the record fondly. All of its tracks “are dear to [his] heart,” but, out of all of them, ‘Bird in the Hand’ is a particular highlight, as he admitted to Vibe.
“Trying to figure out how you’re gonna make a living in this world when sometimes you do the right thing and it’s just not enough,” he said of his intentions with ‘Bird in the Hand.’ “So it was one of those records that a lot of people were commending me on and saying, ‘Yo, this record here, I’m feeling it.’”
Cube also pointed towards ‘Alive On Arrival’ and ‘True To The Game’ as especially strong offerings from Death Certificate, with the infamous ‘No Vaseline’ track also getting a special mention. A diss track against his former NWA bandmates, this was Cube expressing his vitriolic thoughts at the time in no uncertain terms.