''Lethal Injection'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper

Ice Cube O'Shea Jackson Sr. (born June 15, 1969), known professionally as Ice Cube, is an American rapper, songwriter, actor, and film producer. His lyrics on N.W.A's 1989 album '' Straight Outta Compton'' contributed to gangsta rap's widespread popu ...

. It was released on December 7, 1993, through

Priority Records Priority Records is an American distribution company and record label known for artists including N.W.A, Ice Cube, MC Ren, Eazy-E, Master P, Snoop Dogg, Mos Def, Silkk the Shocker, Jay-Z, Paris, Mack 10, 504 Boyz, Brotha Lynch Hung, ...

. The album was produced by QDIII, Madness 4 Real,

Sir Jinx Anthony D. Wheaton (born June 3, 1970), professionally known by his stage name Sir Jinx, is an American hip-hop record producer and rapper from Los Angeles. He is a cousin of multi-platinum producer Dr. Dre. He began his career as a member of th ...

, Laylaw, D'Mag, and Ice Cube. ''Lethal Injection'' was supported by three singles: " Really Doe", " You Know How We Do It", and the

Funkadelic Funkadelic was an American funk rock band formed in Plainfield, New Jersey in 1968 and active until 1982. As one of the two flagship groups of George Clinton's P-Funk collective, they helped pioneer the funk music culture of the 1970s.John, ...

-sampling " Bop Gun (One Nation)", which became a staple on

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

. The track "Down for Whatever" also gained popularity after featuring in the 1999 film ''

Office Space ''Office Space'' is a 1999 American satirical black comedy film written and directed by Mike Judge. It satirizes the office work life of a typical 1990s software company, focusing on a handful of individuals weary of their jobs. It stars Ron ...

''. The album received generally positive reviews from critics and was a commercial success similar to the rapper's previous albums. The album debuted at number five on the US ''Billboard'' 200, selling 215,000 copies in its first week.

Criticism

The album was heavily criticized for what many saw as Ice Cube's pandering to

gangsta rap Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, is a subgenre of rap music that conveys the culture, values, and experiences of urban gangs and street hustlers, frequently discussing unpleasant realities of the world in general th ...

, and for lyrics which were considered to be anti-police, racist and misogynistic, as well as the toning down of socio-political content found on his earlier efforts. The album's standing has increased over time.

Commercial performance

''Lethal Injection'' debuted at number five on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart, selling 215,000 copies in its first week. This became Ice Cube's third US top-ten album. The album also debuted at number one on the US

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip-hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...

chart. On February 1, 1994, the album was certified

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by the

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(RIAA) for sales of over a million copies in the United States.

Track listing

Singles

" Really Doe" *Released: 1993 *B-side: "My Skin Is My Sin" " You Know How We Do It" *Released: February 1994 *B-side: "2 'n the Morning" " Bop Gun (One Nation)" *Released: August 1994 *B-side: "Down for Whatever"

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 1993 albums G-funk albums Ice Cube albums Priority Records albums Albums produced by Laylaw Albums produced by Quincy Jones III Albums recorded at Westlake Recording Studios Albums produced by Ice Cube