ICE CUBE – DEATH CERTIFICATE

If America thought Ice Cube's first solo album was scandalous, it hadn't seen anything yet. On Death Certificate, the ex-N.W.A. member takes aim at everything from the LAPD Chief of Police and new jack swing (on "The Wrong N'**a to F .. k Wit") to his former groupmates ("No Vaseline," one of the iciest diss tracks ever recorded). It's an unflinching snapshot of pre-Rodney King riots Los Angeles. Still, the beats are funkier than ever, with samples from Zapp, P-Funk, and James Brown.