War & Peace, Vol. 1: The War Disc

Personnel: Ice Cube, Mr. Short Khop, K-Mac (rap vocals); Terry Rice, Elquine Rice, Barbara Wilson, Tracy Nelson (vocals); Nolan V.H., Brian "Head" Welch, James "Munky" Shaffer, Chris Hines (guitar); Emmanuel (keyboards); Butch (percussion); Jonathan Hyde, Mack 10, Sleep, Big Kebo, Moe, Fazon "Big Worm" Love (background vocals).
Producers include: Ice Cube, N.O. Joe, Joe Joe, Bud'da, E-A-Ski.
Personnel: Ice Cube (rap vocals); Mr. Short Khop, Barbara Wilson, Tracy Nelson (vocals); Brian "Head" Welch, James "Munky" Shaffer, Chris Hines (guitar); Emmanuel (keyboards); Butch (percussion); Jonathan Hyde, Mack-10, Sleep, Big Kebo, Moe, Fazon "Big Worm" Love (background vocals).
Producers: N.O. Joe, Joe Joe, Ice Cube, Bud'dha, E-A-Ski.
Personnel: Terry Rice, Danette Williams, Elquine Rice, Tracy Nelson, Barbara Wilson (vocals); Brian Welch, Chris Hines, James "Munky" Shaffer (guitar); Emmanuel (keyboards); Butch (percussion); Fred Maher (programming); Bio Kebo, Mack 10, moe., Mr. Short Khop, Sleep (background vocals).
Audio Mixers: Deep Fried Camp; Lamont Hyde; Ice Cube; John X.; N.O. Joe; Rich Costey; Bob Brown; Bud'da; Carlos Warlick.
Recording information: Atomic Dog Sutdios, Houston, TX; Enterprise, Burban; Larrabee West, Hollywood, CA; Suave House; WEstside Studios.
Photographer: Pamela Springsteen.
This disc is subtitled THE WAR DISC, which makes a great deal of sense, given the aggressive nature of most of the tracks. Throughout the album, Ice Cube plays it smart by sticking close to his hardcore gangsta roots. On WAR & PEACE, Ice Cube presents the gritty underside of contemporary ghetto life, without sparing us any of the gorier details. It's not that he revels in the darker side of life, just that, like everyone from Johnny Cash to Leonard Cohen, he sees no reason in beating around the bush when representing unpleasant circumstances. Instead, he jumps in with both feet. "Once Upon a Time in the Projects" is an unsettling walk through a neighborhood conspicuously unaffected by the "trickle-down" theory, and Ice Cube's storytelling gift blossoms here. "Limos, Demos & Bimbos" presents a more hedonistic viewpoint, and Ice Cube is aided here by cohort Mr. Short Khop. WAR & PEACE is an uncompromising release that stands up well alongside Ice Cube's previous efforts.