Ice Cube: Featuring...Ice Cube : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

1997 saw the worlds of hip-hop and R&B take the concept of guest rappers to a ludicrous level – no one seemed to finish a track or a thought on his own. This collection of previously released Ice Cube tracks, featuring the likes of Yo-Yo, Chuck D., Scarface and Dr. Dre, shows that Cube, while at the head of this dubious trend, remains one of the few who knows how to collaborate with purpose. Whether it's the controversial turn on "Natural Born Killaz" (in which Cube and Dre seemingly make light of Nicole Brown Simpson's murder) or the playful battle of the sexes with Yo-Yo on "It's a Man's World," Ice Cube employs the skills of other rappers to underscore his own strengths or reveal an angle of his persona. Featuring ... is a lesson in artistry for rappers just dueting with the charts' latest darlings.