Ice Cube is making a welcome return to hip-hop in solo form with Man Down. The project arrives six years after the release of Everythangs Corrupt, the last time we heard him by his lonesome. In 2022, he did come back but with his fellow West Coast bros Snoop Dogg, E-40, and Too $hort under their MOUNT WESTMORE alias. Overall, Cube has been more active in Hollywood, but he's never really lost much of his aura as a cutthroat MC.
On this 11th studio album, he's a little more chill and doesn't have any bones to pick. But he's still rapping very deliberately (sometimes comically too) over some funky and bouncy West Coast backdrops. The more sensual "She's Sanctified" with his MOUNT WESTMORE posse and October London is a good example of the blending of tones. Cube said on Instagram recently that this is an album that "my fans have been waiting on," and we can see why he thinks so. The craftsmanship of the beats to the clever rhymes are still pretty on point despite him being in the more celebratory section of his career. Man Down is a more than worthy addition to the L.A. native's storied discography.
Man Down Tracklist:
