Lethal Injection
Studio album by
Ice Cube
ReleasedDecember 7, 1993
Studio
Genre
Length56:20
Label
Producer
Ice Cube chronology
The Predator
(1992) 		Lethal Injection
(1993) 		War & Peace Vol. 1 (The War Disc)
(1998)
Singles from Lethal Injection
  1. "Really Doe"
    Released: October 12, 1993
  2. "You Know How We Do It"
    Released: February 2, 1994
  3. "Bop Gun (One Nation)"
    Released: July 12, 1994
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Austin Chronicle[2]
Christgau's Consumer Guide(dud)[3]
Entertainment WeeklyB[4]
Los Angeles Times[5]
Music Week[6]
RapReviews7.5/10[7]
Rolling Stone[8]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[9]
The Source[10]

Lethal Injection is the fourth studio album by American rapper Ice Cube. It was released on December 7, 1993, through Lench Mob Records and Priority Records. The production on the album was handled by QDIII, Madness 4 Real, Sir Jinx, Laylaw, D'Mag, and Ice Cube himself.

Lethal Injection was supported by three singles: "Really Doe", "You Know How We Do It", and the Funkadelic-sampling "Bop Gun (One Nation)", which became a staple on MTV. The track "Down for Whatever" also gained popularity after featuring in the 1999 film Office Space. The album received generally positive reviews from critics and was a commercial success similar to the rapper's previous albums. The album debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200, selling 215,000 copies in its first week.[11]

Criticism

The album was heavily criticized for what many saw as Cube's pandering to gangsta rap, and for lyrics which were considered to be anti-police, racist and misogynistic, as well as the toning down of socio-political content found on his earlier efforts. The album's standing has increased over time.[12]

Commercial performance

Lethal Injection debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 215,000 copies in its first week.[13] This became Ice Cube's third US top-ten album.[13] The album also debuted at number one on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[14] On February 1, 1994, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over a million copies in the United States.[15]

Track listing

No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."The Shot (Intro)"Sir Jinx0:55
2."Really Doe"
4:28
3."Ghetto Bird"QDIII3:50
4."You Know How We Do It"QDIII3:52
5."Cave Bitch"Brian G4:18
6."Bop Gun (One Nation)" (featuring George Clinton)
11:17
7."What Can I Do?"88 X Unit4:39
8."Lil Ass Gee"Sir Jinx4:04
9."Make It Ruff, Make It Smooth" (featuring K-Dee)QDIII4:23
10."Down for Whatever"Madness 4 Real4:40
11."Enemy"Madness 4 Real4:50
12."When I Get to Heaven"Brian G5:04
2003 reissue bonus tracks
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
13."What Can I Do? (Westside remix)" (featuring Mack 10)
4:27
14."What Can I Do? (Eastside remix)"Ali Shaheed Muhammad4:46
15."You Know How We Do It (remix)"Ice Cube4:23
16."Lil Ass Gee (Eerie Gumbo remix)"N.O. Joe5:21

Singles

"Really Doe"

"You Know How We Do It"

"Bop Gun (One Nation)"

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1993–1994) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[16] 49
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[17] 34
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[18] 89
UK Albums (OCC)[19] 52
US Billboard 200[20] 5
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[21] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (1994) Position
US Billboard 200[22] 43
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[23] 7

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[15] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

References

  1. ^ AllMusic review
  2. ^ The Austin Chronicle review
  3. ^ Robert Christgau review
  4. ^ Entertainment Weekly review
  5. ^ Los Angeles review
  6. ^ Jones, Alan (December 11, 1993). "Market Preview: Mainstream - Albums" (PDF). Music Week. p. 13. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  7. ^ Juon, Steve (8 October 2019). "ICE CUBE - LETHAL INJECTION". RapReviews. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  8. ^ Touré (January 27, 1994). "Snoop & Cube". Rolling Stone. No. 674. p. 51. Archived from the original on March 28, 2008. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  9. ^ The New Rolling Stone Album Guide, p. 281, at Google Books
  10. ^ Shortie (February 1994). "Record Report: Ice Cube – Lethal Injection". The Source. No. 53. New York. p. 68.
  11. ^ Billboard 5 dec. 1998, p. RA1-PA128, at Google Books
  12. ^ Juon, Steve 'Flash'. "Ice Cube :: Lethal Injection – RapReviews". Retrieved 2022-03-30.
  13. ^ a b Billboard 5 dec. 1998, p. RA1-PA128, at Google Books
  14. ^ "TRBHH - 1993-12-25". Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  15. ^ a b "American album certifications – Ice Cube – Lethal Injection". Recording Industry Association of America.
  16. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Ice Cube – Lethal Injection". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  17. ^ "Ice Cube Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  18. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Ice Cube – Lethal Injection" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  19. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  20. ^ "Ice Cube Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  21. ^ "Ice Cube Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  22. ^ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1994". Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  23. ^ "Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1994". Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
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