Ice Cube - Everythangs Corrupt (2018)

I've a feeling there should be an apostrophe in the title but I'm not going to be the one to tell him. I also seem to recall some internet mutterings about Cube having become persona non grata in recent times, which would at least explain why he hasn't been a regular guest on Sesame Street for a while - if they're even still making it, which they probably aren't. Maybe he stood behind Dave Chapelle at the supermarket or something. If it bothers you, maybe you could ask him. You could bring up that missing apostrophe while you're at it. I'm sure he'd be more than happy to address whatever concerns you may have.

I completely missed this one when it came out, his first in something like eight years possibly because he doesn't need to make rap albums to get by any more - which would suggest he only hits the booth when he feels it necessary to do so. This seems to be reflected in at least the last three being among the best of his entire career, so it works out well for all of us, I'd say. Unsurprisingly, our man had one fuck of a lot to say in 2018 with Trump in office and the rise of the Proud Boys and their like; and that which he had to say involves a lot of rude words and the sort of righteous fury which takes the paint off the walls, additionally suggesting those mumbling away on the internet probably weren't down with the Cubester in the first place, so fuck 'em.

Amazingly - because this being a great album really shouldn't be that much of a surprise - Cube does what he does best without it sounding like nineties nostalgia, spitting over Soundcloud-trap production as though it's the most natural thing in the world while still keeping the barrage of industrial strength stress as intense as it was on those early solo albums. Again, we shouldn't be surprised because I Am the West was great for exactly the same reasons. Even when we revisit classic west coast beats in That New Funkadelic it keeps swinging with the same natural confidence and no hint of marketing strategies. No-one combines outright menace with sheer joy quite like this guy, and lyrically he still makes the rest sound like wankers. If you haven't yet quite figured out what's wrong with the world today, it's all here and it's funky as fuck.