"It Was a Good Day"

Ice Cube
(Priority, 1992)

The potential for violence clings to every note like grease on a Fatburger, but the violence itself never comes, so Cube just cruises through his semi-charmed life, bullshittin' about dice and hoops and getting laid. The Isley Brothers sample is as warm as the sun, the bass line's so deep it puts your ass to sleep, and Cube's tone is both oddly tender and calm as the bomb squad.

-- Alex Pappademas