Kill at Will

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Kill at Will
Kill at Will cover
EP by Ice Cube
Released December, 1990
Recorded 1990
Genre Conscious rap, Gangsta Rap, Political hip hop
Length 21:55
Label Priority
Producer(s) Ice Cube, The Bomb Squad
Professional reviews
Ice Cube chronology

AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted
(1990)
Kill at Will
(1990)
Death Certificate
(1991)


Kill at Will is a seven track EP, released by Ice Cube in 1991.

Contents

[edit] Overview

Kill at Will was released soon after AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted, and capitalised off Cube's newfound solo success. The EP quickly shipped Gold in sales, a first for a hip hop EP, and a year later, had sold over a million copies . It featured a remix of "Endangered Species", featuring a brand new verse from Public Enemy's Chuck D. Despite it's length the EP is considered to be one of Ice Cube's best works by his fans, and original vinyl pressings are still highly sought after.

One of the highlights of the album, the soulful and poetic "Dead Homiez" which was Ice Cube's second solo single/music video. The song deals with the violence, death, and social problems of the inner city ghettos and is essentially a dedication to all those killed through urban violence. The song was praised later on by countless rap artists and critics, and is one of the first songs to deal with the pain and loss suffered by the families of black men lost to senseless violence.

It is perhaps, the defining "dead homie" type of rap song; a precursor to songs such as "Tha Crossroads" by Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and "Pour Out A Lil' Liqour" by Tupac Shakur.

"Jackin' for Beats", likewise, began the popular trend of an MC rapping over the various instrumentals of popular beats, which rotate during the course of one song. Virginia-based rapper Skillz is an exponient of this type of song, and has a series of songs called "The Wrap Up", where he rhymes over the major hits of the year, such as Missy Elliott's "Get Ur Freak On", and Bubba Sparxxx's "Ugly". During the song, Skillz will throw ligh-hearted jabs at the artist who's beat he's rapping over.

This gesture is usually done in good faith, however an MC may occasionally use another MCs beat to "diss" him or her, as did Jay-Z did by snatching Nas' beat for "Got Ur Self A..." for the song "Supa Ugly", during their battle of 2001.

The EP was remastered and added to the re-release of the AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted album in 2003.

[edit] Track listing

  1. "Endangered Species (Tales from the Darkside) (Remix)"
  2. "Jackin' for Beats"
  3. "Get off My Dick and Tell Yo Bitch to Come Here (Remix)"
  4. "The Product"
    • Samples:
      • "Good Times", "Rated X" & "Jungle Boogie" by Kool & The Gang
      • "You Can Make It if You Try" by Sly & The Family Stone
      • "Train Sequence" by Geoffery Sumner
  5. "Dead Homiez"
  6. "JD’s Gaffilin’ (Part 2)"
  7. "I Gotta Say What Up!!!"
    • Samples:

[edit] Album singles

Single cover Single information
"Endangered Species (Tales From The Darkside)"
  • Released: 1990
  • B-side:

[edit] Album Chart Positions

Year Album Chart positions
Billboard 200 Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums
1991 Kill At Will #34 #5
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