Death Certificate
Released: 1991

Death Certificate

by Ice Cube

The 2278th greatest album of all time

Death Certificate is Ice Cube's second solo album, released in 1991. It pairs West Coast gangsta rap production rooted in funk-influenced samples and hard, bass-driven beats with blunt, politically charged and confrontational lyrics that examine race, policing, urban poverty, and community response. The album is organized into two thematic sides that contrast grim realities with proposed responses, and it generated notable controversy for its explicit and provocative content.