Lethal Injection (album)

Lethal Injection
Studio album by
Ice Cube
ReleasedDecember 7, 1993
Studio
Genre
Length56:20
LabelPriority
Producer
  • QDIII
  • Madness 4 Real
  • Sir Jinx
  • Laylaw
  • Ice Cube
  • D'Maq
Ice Cube chronology
The Predator
(1992) 		Lethal Injection
(1993) 		Bootlegs & B-Sides
(1994)
Singles from Lethal Injection
  1. "Really Doe"
    Released: October 12, 1993
  2. "You Know How We Do It"
    Released: February 2, 1994
  3. "Bop Gun (One Nation)"
    Released: July 12, 1994
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Austin Chronicle[2]
Christgau's Consumer Guide(dud)[3]
Entertainment WeeklyB[4]
Los Angeles Times[5]
Music Week[6]
RapReviews7.5/10[7]
Rolling Stone[8]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[9]
The Source[10]

Lethal Injection is the fourth studio album by American rapper Ice Cube. It was released on December 7, 1993, through Priority Records. The album was produced by QDIII, Madness 4 Real, Sir Jinx, Laylaw, D'Mag, and Ice Cube.

Lethal Injection was supported by three singles: "Really Doe", "You Know How We Do It", and the Funkadelic-sampling "Bop Gun (One Nation)", which became a staple on MTV. The track "Down for Whatever" also gained popularity after featuring in the 1999 film Office Space. 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.[11]

Criticism

The album was heavily criticized for what many saw as Ice Cube's pandering to gangsta rap, 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.[12]

Commercial performance

Lethal Injection debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 215,000 copies in its first week.[13] This became Ice Cube's third US top-ten album.[13] The album also debuted at number one on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[14] On February 1, 1994, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over a million copies in the United States.[15]

Track listing

No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."The Shot (Intro)"Sir Jinx0:55
2."Really Doe"
  • Derrick McDowell
  • Laylaw
4:28
3."Ghetto Bird"QDIII3:50
4."You Know How We Do It"QDIII3:52
5."Cave Bitch"Brian G4:18
6."Bop Gun (One Nation)" (featuring George Clinton)
11:17
7."What Can I Do?"88 X Unit4:39
8."Lil Ass Gee"Sir Jinx4:04
9."Make It Ruff, Make It Smooth" (featuring K-Dee)QDIII4:23
10."Down for Whatever"Madness 4 Real4:40
11."Enemy"Madness 4 Real4:50
12."When I Get to Heaven"Brian G5:04
2003 reissue bonus tracks
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
13."What Can I Do? (Westside remix)" (featuring Mack 10)
  • D'Maq
  • Lay Law
4:27
14."What Can I Do? (Eastside remix)"Ali Shaheed Muhammad4:46
15."You Know How We Do It (remix)"Ice Cube4:23
16."Lil Ass Gee (Eerie Gumbo remix)"N.O. Joe5:21

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

Chart (1993–1994) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[16] 49
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[17] 34
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[18] 89
UK Albums (OCC)[19] 52
US Billboard 200[20] 5
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[21] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (1994) Position
US Billboard 200[22] 43
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[23] 7

Certifications

Certifications for "Lethal Injection"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)[24] Gold 7,500‡
United States (RIAA)[15] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

  • List of number-one albums of 1993 (U.S.)

References

  1. ^ AllMusic review
  2. ^ The Austin Chronicle review
  3. ^ Robert Christgau review
  4. ^ Entertainment Weekly review
  5. ^ Los Angeles review
  6. ^ Jones, Alan (December 11, 1993). "Market Preview: Mainstream - Albums" (PDF). Music Week. p. 13. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  7. ^ Juon, Steve (October 8, 2019). "ICE CUBE - LETHAL INJECTION". RapReviews. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  8. ^ Touré (January 27, 1994). "Snoop & Cube". Rolling Stone. No. 674. p. 51. Archived from the original on March 28, 2008. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  9. ^ The New Rolling Stone Album Guide, p. 281, at Google Books
  10. ^ Shortie (February 1994). "Record Report: Ice Cube – Lethal Injection". The Source. No. 53. New York. p. 68.
  11. ^ Billboard 5 dec. 1998, p. RA1-PA128, at Google Books
  12. ^ Juon, Steve 'Flash'. "Ice Cube :: Lethal Injection – RapReviews". Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  13. ^ a b Billboard 5 dec. 1998, p. RA1-PA128, at Google Books
  14. ^ "TRBHH - 1993-12-25". Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  15. ^ a b "American album certifications – Ice Cube – Lethal Injection". Recording Industry Association of America.
  16. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Ice Cube – Lethal Injection". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  17. ^ "Ice Cube Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  18. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Ice Cube – Lethal Injection" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  19. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  20. ^ "Ice Cube Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  21. ^ "Ice Cube Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  22. ^ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1994". Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  23. ^ "Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1994". Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  24. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Ice Cube – Lethal Injection". Radioscope. Retrieved July 25, 2025. Type Lethal Injection in the "Search:" field.
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