Kill at Will

Kill at Will
EP by Ice Cube
Released December 18, 1990
Recorded 1990
Genre Hip hop
Length 20:38
Label Priority Records
Producer
Ice Cube chronology
AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted
(1990)AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted1990		 Kill at Will
(1990)		 Death Certificate
(1991)Death Certificate1991

Kill at Will (also known as At Will in its censored version) is the debut extended play released by Ice Cube on December 18, 1990 under Priority Records.[1] It was released soon after AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted and capitalized off Cube's newfound solo success.

Overview

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[2]
Robert ChristgauA−[3]
Entertainment WeeklyC+[4]
NME(7/10)[5]
The Source[6]
The Washington Post(favorable)[7]

Kill at Will contains two of Ice Cube's most famous tracks, the rambunctious "Jackin' for Beats", and the soulful ode "Dead Homiez". "Dead Homiez" was Cube's second solo single/music video. The song deals with the violence, death, and social problems of the inner city neighborhoods 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 hip hop songs to deal with the pain and loss suffered specifically by the families of black men lost to black on black violence.

"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. The song and its sentiment is an excellent example of plunderphonics. The EP was remastered and added to the reissue of the AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted album in 2003.

Track listing

No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Endangered Species (Tales from the Darkside) (Remix)" (featuring Chuck D)Sir Jinx4:11
2."Jackin' for Beats"Chilly Chill2:57
3."Get off My Dick and Tell Yo Bitch to Come Here (Remix)"Sir Jinx3:38
4."The Product"Sir Jinx3:35
5."Dead Homiez"Ice Cube3:55
6."JD’s Gaffilin’ (Part 2)" 0:36
7."I Gotta Say What Up!!!"Sir Jinx3:06

Partial list of samples

Album singles

"Endangered Species (Tales from the Darkside)"

Charts

Chart (1991) Peak
position
US Billboard 200 34
US Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums[8] 5

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
United States (RIAA)[9] Platinum 1,000,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Later samples

References

  1. ↑ "Ice Cube | hiphop.sh". 2007-10-15. Archived from the original on 2007-10-15. Retrieved 2017-03-04.
  2. ↑ Allmusic review
  3. ↑ Robert Christgau review
  4. ↑ Entertainment Weekly review
  5. ↑ NME review
  6. ↑ The Source review
  7. ↑ The Washington Post review
  8. ↑ "Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums - February 23, 1991". Billboard.
  9. ↑ "American album certifications – Ice Cube – Kill At Will". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
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