Ice Cube Preps New Music for ‘Death Certificate’ Reissue
Ice Cube will reissue his classic 1991 album Death Certificate with three new songs as part of a new deal with Interscope Records. The 25th anniversary edition of the double LP arrives June 9th.
The Death Certificate reissue will be available to pre-order June 2nd, at which point one of the new songs, “Only One Me,” will be available to download as well. The two other new cuts are “Dominate the Weak” and “Good Cop, Bad Cop.”
Released in the wake of the Rodney King murder, Death Certificate‘s incendiary content immediately drew controversy and acclaim. Ice Cube offered a vivid, harrowing depiction of life in South Central Los Angeles, tackling everything from gun violence and gangs to poverty and the lack of employment opportunities. The record also featured two of Ice Cube’s most infamous songs: The scathing N.W.A. diss track “No Vaseline” and “Black Korea,” a problematic 47-second screed informed by tensions between the black and Asian communities in South Central, which piqued after a Korean-American grocer shot a 15-year-old African-American woman.
In a statement, Ice Cube spoke about Death Certificate‘s chilling relevancy 25 years later. “Sadly, our community is dealing with many of the same issues,” he said. “I only hope that young millennials feeling powerless in the ‘hood can channel their own anger and frustration by listening to this record.”
Prior to signing with Interscope, Ice Cube had been releasing music through his own Lench Mob Records. His last solo album was 2010’s I Am the West. He’s also remained busy as an actor, recently appearing in the comedy Fist Fight alongside Charlie Day and Tracy Morgan.
Death Certificate 25th Anniversary Edition Track List
The Death Side
1. “Only One Me”
2. “Good Cop, Bad Cop”
3. “Dominate The Weak”
4. “The Funeral”
5. “The Wrong Nigga To Fuck Wit”
6. “My Summer Vacation”
7. “Steady Mobbin'”
8. “Robin Lench”
9. “Givin’ Up The Nappy Dug Out”
10. “Look Who’s Burnin'”
11. “A Bird In The Hand”
12. “Man’s Best Friend”
13. “Alive On Arrival”
14. “Death”
The Life Side
15. “The Birth”
16. “I Wanna Kill Sam”
17. “Horny Lil’ Devil”
18. “Black Korea”
19. “True To The Game “
20. “Color Blind”
21. “Doing Dumb Shit”
22. “Us”
23. “No Vaseline”