Ice Cube has announced that he will be dropping ‘Man Down’, his first solo album in five years, soon.
While talking to Public Enemy‘s Chuck D on his RAPstation podcast, the Californian revealed that he’s finishing up his next album in hopes of getting it out very soon.
“I’m working on an album that hopefully I can finish in the next couple of weeks and schedule to put it out,” Cube said. “I’m digging what I’m doing. The name of the record is called ‘Man Down’, and, you know, it’s a pretty good record. I like it. It’s dope.”
Ice Cube Announces First New Album In 5 Years: "Man Down" (cc: @MrChuckD) https://t.co/FOpYFQI79O
— Rapstation.News (@Rapstation365) September 26, 2023
In the same chat, Cube also reflected on his career and how it has shaped the person he is today: “It’s a blessing, really. For one, I made a promise to myself when I got in[to] this business that I wouldn’t let it change who I am as a person, so I was always willing to let the chips fall where they may and not worry about ‘I can’t do this or my career will be over’ or ‘if I do this, will this happen?’
“When you broke when you’re starting off, going back to being broke is not an issue. That’s not motivation, like ‘I’m going to be broke again, let me bow down to this bullshit.’ No.”
‘Man Down’ would be the hip-hop pioneer’s first solo LP since 2018’s ‘Everythang’s Corrupt’, where he showed the political rebelliousness he’s known for on tracks like ‘Arrest The President’ – referring to then-US leader Donald Trump. Since then, the rap and media mogul formed the hip-hop supergroup Mount Westmore which was comprised of Too $hort, E-40, Snoop Dogg and himself.
Mount Westmore dropped their debut album ‘Snoop, Cube, 40, $hort’ in December 2022. In a three-star review, NME said: “‘Snoop, Cube, 40, $hort’ isn’t completely devoid of praise; having to accommodate four distinct styles and personalities is no simple task. But while there are moments of brilliance, it’s clear there are too many chefs in the kitchen.”
While speaking to NME earlier this year about the record, Cube told us: “We wanted to do something that was gonna be eye-catching to all ages, that everybody across the world could relate to… We all bring so much to the table and we respect the gang. We’re not going to let our brothers down by not coming correct with the song and the idea… No matter how you blend us, it works.”
In July, Kanye West said that Cube had “really influenced” him to “get on this antisemite vibe.” The NWA band member refuted the claim, saying he “didn’t put the batteries in [Ye’s] back” to say harmful anti-semitic comments that have had him banned from both Twitter (now known as X) and Instagram multiple times.
Chatting to Piers Morgan, the ‘It Was A Good Day’ rapper told the host that he had met Ye and believes “[Ye]’s doing great.”
“He’s still dealing with some people trying to hold on to his money,” he continued. “But for the most part, I believe he’s in a good space… I think he’s learned a lot from this past year, and hopefully, he’ll come out better on the other side.”
In December, Ice Cube will embark on the UK and Ireland leg of the ‘High Rollers Volume 1’ tour alongside other West Coast legends, The Game and group Cypress Hill.
