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Today in Hip-Hop History: Ice Cube Dropped His ‘Death Certificate’ Album 28 Years Ago

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O’Shea Jackson, better known to the world as Ice Cube, made a lot of people mad when he was fed up with the bs and released this scathing album, appropriately entitled Death Certificate 28 years ago on this date.

The album cover itself speaks volumes. A Caucasian corpse with a toe tag that reads “Uncle Sam” draped with the stars and stripes with the recently self-made solo artist pledging allegiance is as anti-establishment as you can get. Not only had Ice Cube been freed from his situation with the legendary Niggaz Wit Attitudes, but he had also been released into a sea of information that would make his metamorphosis from a mere emcee and rhyme writer of a “gangsta” rap group to an unparalleled entertainer unlike anyone else. The LP’s insert is just as powerful as the cover, with Ice Cube and his Lench Mob crew doing the knowledge to the Nation Of Islam’s Final Call newspaper.

The album features melodic, yet truthful messages from the late Dr. Khalid Abdul Muhammad throughout the duration of the album. Songs like “I Wanna Kill Sam” and “Horny Little Devil” echo NOI sentiments, but that doesn’t take away from the surgical lyricism from the former NWA frontman coupled with production from Sir Jinx, the Boogiemen, and Cube himself. Timeless gems like “Black Korea” and “A Bird In A Hand” tackles real-life issues in the urban community and the scenarios he addressed still ail our society today, yet are significantly ignored by today’s artists.

CHECK OUT THE EXCLUSIVE THESOURCE.COM ICE CUBE ‘DEATH CERTIFICATE’ 25TH ANNIVERSARY INTERVIEW HERE

One of the most memorable tracks from Death Certificate is, of course, the infamous “No Vaseline” aimed at Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, Ren Yella, and their financial arm Jerry Heller. In the song, Cube spits darts like, “..lookin like straight bozos/ I saw it comin’ that’s why I went solo/ and kept on stompin’/ while y’all motherfuckers moved straight outta Compton..” and went straight at Heller’s neck with rhymes like, “..it’s a case of divide and conquer/ ’cause you let a Jew break up my crew/ house nigga gotta run and hide/ yellin’ Compton, but you moved to Riverside..”. N.W.A. never recovered from Cube’s blow, which made this record the ultimate diss record of all time. Ice Cube’s continued success which is still evident today, is just the icing on the cake of how he “dropped four niggas, now he’s makin’ all the dough.”

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The Source sends a supreme shout out to Cube, the Lench Mob (you too Kam), Dr. Khalid (RIP) and everyone else involved with this timeless classic!

The post Today in Hip-Hop History: Ice Cube Dropped His ‘Death Certificate’ Album 28 Years Ago appeared first on The Source.

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Celebrity

Boosie Badazz Responds to Kewon White’s Claims About Dallas Shooting

Boosie Badazz is responding after Kewon White, the man recently convicted of killing Mo3, spoke about the 2020 shooting involving the Louisiana rapper and said he had multiple chances to kill him. Speaking from jail during an interview with Cam Capone News, White talked about his problems with Boosie’s behavior on a trip to Dallas after Mo3’s death. White told the rapper he shot at Boosie about 10 times but wasn’t trying to kill him. He claimed he had three opportunities to kill the rapper.

Boosie was shot in the leg in Dallas on November 14, 2020, days after Mo3 was killed and one day after Boosie attended a vigil for his late collaborator. Boosie has taken note of the new comments in part because White is currently appealing his murder conviction. Boosie also questioned why White would go public with information about the shooting while appealing his case.

In a reply on social media, Boosie wondered why White would do that, believing the jailhouse interviews might cause more problems for the convicted killer. He also objected to the decision to explore the particulars of Mo3’s death while trying to appeal the conviction. White was convicted this month of capital murder for shooting Mo3, whose real name was Melvin Noble, on a Dallas highway in 2020. White has filed a notice of appeal since.

Read More: DJ Vlad Challenges Boosie Badazz Over Federal Gun Case

So the timing of White’s comments has become a central part of Boosie’s reaction. Boosie didn’t address White’s allegations regarding the 2020 shooting but did ask why someone challenging a murder conviction would even talk about case details in public interviews.

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The case has also included allegations against Yella Beezy. During White’s trial, prosecutors said Beezy paid White to kill Mo3. White has denied receiving any payment from Beezy, and Beezy has denied any involvement in the alleged murder plot.

White’s conviction and subsequent appeal have kept the case in the public conversation, and his recent jail interview added another chapter. His remarks on Boosie also address a violent period following Mo3’s death, during which Boosie traveled to Dallas and was shot. For Boosie, the problem is bigger than what happened in 2020. White’s choice to discuss the shooting while seeking an appeal has caused him to publicly question the strategy behind the interviews and the timing of the disclosures.

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Celebrity

DJ Vlad Challenges Boosie Badazz Over Federal Gun Case

DJ Vlad is taking his beef with Boosie Badazz to the next level, asking whether the rapper’s behavior in his federal gun case matches the anti snitching code he’s long imposed on others in hip hop.

In a new clip for VladTV, Vlad looked back at Boosie’s federal gun case and pointed to court documents he says show the rapper from Baton Rouge shifting blame onto his security guard. Vlad said the paperwork runs counter to Boosie’s long track record of publicly denouncing rappers he believes are snitching to authorities.

The latest row is another sign of an already frayed relationship. Boosie has been one of VladTV’s most frequent interview guests. Still, their relationship has soured over the years over issues involving interview payments, business dealings, and, most recently, Boosie’s push for a presidential pardon.

The pardon controversy has become a major part of the ongoing public beef between the rappers. Boosie reportedly paid $600,000 to two lobbyists, Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl, to lobby President Donald Trump for a pardon in his federal gun case. When the pardon didn’t come through, Boosie accused them of misleading him and demanded $300,000 back. Burkman and Wohl have denied scamming Boosie, saying they were hired to advocate for him, not to promise a pardon.

Read More: Aubrey O’Day Reacts After Former Diddy Staffers Reportedly Join Usher’s Team

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Boosie went on 60 Minutes to discuss the issue, which brought more attention to the situation. He later complained about how the interview was portrayed and released purported messages involving the lobbyists while defending himself against claims his actions were snitching.

Vlad is now using the controversy to call Boosie out on a principle that has been a major talking point in the rapper’s public commentary. Vlad mentioned Boosie’s situation as part of other past hip-hop discussions he’s had with Gunna, Young Thug, T.I., and Gucci Mane.

“The court documents for Boosie’s federal gun case are another point of contention for Vlad. His case hinges on whether the rapper’s alleged remarks about his security guard should be measured by the same yardstick Boosie has used to measure other artists. The charge is particularly noteworthy as Boosie has cultivated a strong public persona against what he considers snitching. With that history, the latest exchange with Vlad is more personal, adding to a complicated fallout between the two.

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