Laugh Now, Cry Later [PA] (CD - 2006)

Personnel: Ice Cube (rap vocals); Lil Jon (rap vocals, drum programming); Kokane, Snoop Dogg, WC (rap vocals); Craig Love (guitar); Chris Carmouche (keyboards); Tracy Lee Nelson, Barbara Wilson (background vocals).

Audio Mixer: John Frye.

Recording information: Stankonia Recording, Atlanta, GA; The Hit Factory Criteria, Miami, FL.

Photographer: Eric Williams.

The decade following 1992's THE PREDATOR found Ice Cube releasing a handful of mediocre albums (none of which lived up to the standards of his first three solo releases) and devoting his time to other activities (including writing and directing films). But 2006's LAUGH NOW, CRY LATER reminded the world that Cube is still one of the most forceful voices in hardcore hip-hop, a game he helped create the rules for.

The guest roster glitters with all-stars, including Snoop Dogg, Dre, and crunk king Lil Jon. Cube's familiar delivery still crackles with fierce intensity, especially on the politically militant album opener "Why We Thugs," which takes the federal government to task for the condition of America's ghettos. Yet the album isn't strictly polemical: "Smoke Some Weed" has a self-explanatory message, and its slinky, Middle Eastern vibe boasts one of the album's best beats. In all, LAUGH NOW weighs in as Ice Cube's strongest album since THE PREDATOR, and underscores the rapper's status as a hip-hop icon. minimize