Raw Footage
Studio album by
Ice Cube
ReleasedAugust 19, 2008
Recorded2007–08
Genre
Length64:34
Label
Producer
Ice Cube chronology
Laugh Now, Cry Later
(2006) 		Raw Footage
(2008) 		I Am the West
(2010)
Singles from Raw Footage
  1. "Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It"
    Released: January 3, 2008
  2. "Do Ya Thang"
    Released: July 1, 2008
  3. "Why Me?"
    Released: September 24, 2008
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic67/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
About[2]
AllHipHop(8/10)[3]
Allmusic[4]
ChartAttack[5]
HipHopDX[6]
RapReviews(8.5/10)[7]
Robert Christgau(3-star Honorable Mention)(3-star Honorable Mention)(3-star Honorable Mention)[8]
Rolling Stone[9]
The Source[10]
XXL(favorable)[11]

Raw Footage is the eighth studio album by American rapper Ice Cube. It was released on August 19, 2008, by his record label Lench Mob Records[12][13] and EMI. The album features guest appearances from The Game, Butch Cassidy, Musiq Soulchild, Young Jeezy and WC. The album is his most political effort, since over a decade earlier with the release of his album The Predator (1992).

Preceding the release, supported by three singles; "Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It", "Do Ya Thang", and "Why Me?" featuring Musiq Soulchild.

Singles

The lead single from the album, called "Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It" was released January 3, 2008. The song was produced by Maestro. In this single, Ice Cube addresses society's view of gangsta rap music, which has sometimes been blamed for criminality in America. On February 12, 2008, the single became available via iTunes. The music video[14] features cameo appearances by WC and DJ Crazy Toones.

The album's second single, called "Do Ya Thang" was released through the iTunes on June 24, 2008. The song was produced by Palumbo Beats.

The music video for the third single, "Why Me?" featuring Musiq Soulchild,[15] premiered on BET's 106 & Park on September 24, 2008.

Other songs

The song "It Takes a Nation" was released via iTunes Store on May 27, 2008. It was never officially released as a single.

Critical reception

Robert Christgau said that the album contains "Some of the smartest raps of his career" and "some of the easiest beats."[8]

Commercial performance

Raw Footage debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200, selling 70,000 copies in its first week.[16] This became Ice Cube's seventh US top-ten album.[16]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."What Is a Pyroclastic Flow?" John Murphy0:54
2."I Got My Locs On" (featuring Young Jeezy)
P-No3:43
3."It Takes a Nation"
Emile3:26
4."Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It"
Maestro4:41
5."Hood Mentality"
Hallway Productionz5:11
6."Why Me?" (featuring Musiq Soulchild)
Hallway Productionz4:00
7."Cold Places"
  • Jackson
  • D. Underdue
  • T. Underdue
Hallway Productionz4:12
8."Jack n the Box"
Tha Bizness4:22
9."Do Ya Thang"
  • Jackson
  • M. Palumbo
Palumbo Beats4:04
10."Thank God"
Hallway Productionz5:28
11."Here He Come" (featuring O'Shea Jackson Jr.)
  • Jackson
  • Darrell Finister II
  • Gene Griffin
Symphony4:32
12."Get Money, Spend Money, No Money"
  • Jackson
  • Haynie
Emile4:07
13."Get Used to It" (featuring WC and The Game)
EmBeatz4:25
14."Tomorrow"
Campbell3:40
15."Stand Tall"
3:46
16."Take Me Away" (featuring Butch Cassidy)
Young Fokus, DJay Cas4:03
iTunes bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
17."Believe It or Not"
  • Jackson
  • Haynie
Emile3:11
Best Buy pre-order bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
17."Don't Make Me Hurt Ya Feelings"
Swizz Beatz2:47
18."Crack Baby?"
DJ Felli Fel2:59
19."Why We Thugs" (Live)(featuring WC)
Storch3:37
Notes
Sample credits

Charts

References

  1. ^ "Raw Footage by Ice Cube". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2015-09-08.
  2. ^ "About review". Archived from the original on 2009-06-25. Retrieved 2010-01-14.
  3. ^ "AllHipHop review". Archived from the original on 2008-08-26. Retrieved 2008-08-25.
  4. ^ Allmusic review
  5. ^ ChartAttack review[usurped]
  6. ^ "HipHopDX review". 18 August 2008. Archived from the original on 2017-05-21. Retrieved 2019-09-08.
  7. ^ "RapReviews review". Archived from the original on 2008-08-26. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
  8. ^ a b "Robert Christgau review". Archived from the original on 2012-02-18. Retrieved 2012-03-22.
  9. ^ "Rolling Stone review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 19, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-15.((cite magazine)): CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  10. ^ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (2004). 2004. ISBN 9780743201698. Archived from the original on 2017-02-16. Retrieved 2016-10-31.
  11. ^ "XXL review". Archived from the original on 2011-07-26. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
  12. ^ "Ice Cube interview". April 4, 2007. Archived from the original on October 23, 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-28.
  13. ^ "Suntimes interview". Chicago Sun-Times. April 1, 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-10-14. Retrieved 2007-09-28.
  14. ^ Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It. Archived 2008-08-30 at the Wayback Machine BallerStatus. Accessed January 13, 2008.
  15. ^ Ice Cube Gets Political with ‘Why Me?’ Video. Archived 2008-09-14 at the Wayback Machine Rap-up.com. Accessed September 3, 2008.
  16. ^ a b Jonathan Cohan (August 27, 2008). "Jonas Brothers Begin Second Week At No. 1". Billboard. Retrieved 2015-04-06.
  17. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 134.
  18. ^ "Ultratop.be – Ice Cube – Raw Footage" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  19. ^ "Ice Cube Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard.
  20. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Ice Cube – Raw Footage". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  21. ^ "Ice Cube Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  22. ^ "Ice Cube Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  23. ^ "Ice Cube Chart History (Top Rap Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  24. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2008". Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2020.

External links

Ice Cube
Authority control databases
Categories