The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech...Just Watch What You Say

Infobox Album
Name = The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech...Just Watch What You Say
Type = Album
Artist = Ice-T


Released = October 10, 1989
Recorded =
Genre = Gangsta rap
Political hip hop
Length = 55:42
Label = Sire/Warner Bros. Records
26028
Producer = Ice-T
Afrika Islam
Reviews = *Allmusic Rating|5|5 [http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:6etqoauabijm link]
*Robert Christgau (A-) [http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=Ice+T link]
*Rolling Stone Rating|4|5 [cite book |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |editor=Brackett, Nathan |others= |title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |origdate= |origyear= |origmonth= |url= |format= |accessdate= |accessyear= |accessmonth= |edition= |series= |date= |year=2004 |month= |publisher=Simon and Schuster |location= |language= |isbn=0743201698 |oclc= |doi= |id= |pages=page 401 |chapter= |chapterurl= |quote= ]
*Yahoo! Music (favorable) [http://music.yahoo.com/read/review/12043954 link]
Last album = "Power"
(1988)
This album = "The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech...Just Watch What You Say"
(1989)
Next album = "O.G. Original Gangster"
(1991)

"The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech... Just Watch What You Say" is the third album by Ice-T.

Released in 1989, the album has an uncharacteristically gritty sound, featuring some of the darkest musical scores Ice-T has ever released.

History

The album was released after Ice-T had been encountering censorship problems on tour. In "The Ice Opinion: Who Gives a Fuck?", the rapper states that "People had already told me what I could not say onstage in Columbus, Georgia. You couldn't say anything they called a 'swear' word. You couldn't touch yourself. They were using the same tactics they used on everyone from Elvis and Jim Morrison to 2 Live Crew"cite book |last= |first= |author=Ice-T |coauthors=Sigmund, Heidi |editor= |others= |title=The Ice Opinion: Who Gives a Fuck? |origdate= |origyear= |origmonth= |url= |format= |accessdate= |accessyear= |accessmonth= |edition= |series= |date= |year=1994 |month= |publisher=Pan Books |location= |language= |isbn=0330336290 |oclc= |doi= |id= |pages=page 165 |chapter= |chapterurl= |quote= ] .

The album's cover, featuring a B-boy with a shotgun shoved in his mouth, and two pistols pressed against each side of his head, reflected Ice-T's experiences with the concept of freedom of speech. "The concept of that picture is, 'Go ahead and say what you want. But here comes the government and here come the parents, and they are ready to destroy you when you open your mouth'".

Lyrical themes

"Shut Up, Be Happy" consists of a spoken word performance by Jello Biafra laid over a sample of the low, heavy, distorted guitar from Black Sabbath's "Black Sabbath".cite web |last= |first= |url=http://www.the-breaks.com/search.php?term=Ice-T&type=6 |title=Ice-T entry at The-Breaks.com |format= |work= |publisher= |accessdate=2007-10-10] "The Iceberg" alternates between typical violent metaphor, outlandish boasts, and comical sexual situations involving other members of Ice's Rhyme Syndicate. "Lethal Weapon" tells listeners that the mind is the most powerful weapon:

"You Played Yourself" advises listeners to be smart and not let themselves "be played". "Peel Their Caps Back" is about committing a drive-by to avenge a slain friend. Unlike other songs where violence is a metaphor for the rapper's ability to defeat other rappers lyrically, this song is a stark depiction of what could lead to such an event. However, it contains two surprising elements: in the end, the main character is killed, and the whole event is written off by the media as just another gang killing.

In "The Girl Tried to Kill Me", Ice-T raps about an encounter with a dominatrix:

"Black and Decker" starts off with Rhyme Syndicate members complaining about the media's portrayal of their work as meaningless violence. Ice wonders aloud what it would sound like if you drilled into someone's head with a powerdrill. After some gory sound effects, Ice says "Probably sound like that." "Hit the Deck" offers sincere advice to wannabe-MCs:

"This One's for Me," offers Ice's take on the rap scene and music industry. "The Hunted Child" is a first-person account of a scared young gang-banger on the run. The busy, multi-layered composition, with its scratched sirens and stactto drums, samples Public Enemy's "Bring the Noise".Ice-T (1989). "The Hunted Child". "The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech...Just Watch What You Say". Sire/Warner Bros. Records. ISBN 075992602822]

"What Ya Wanna Do" is a 9-minute party song featuring several members of the Syndicate, including a young Everlast, who became famous as a member of House of Pain. "Freedom of Speech" was one of the first raps to focus on the First Amendment and in particular attacked Tipper Gore's PMRC with unmistakable venom:

The album ends with in "My Word is Bond", featuring Syndicate members telling one exaggerated story after another against a looped sample of Slick Rick saying "Stop lying" from his song "La Di Da Di".Ice-T (1989). "My Word is Bond". "The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech...Just Watch What You Say". Sire/Warner Bros. Records. ISBN 075992602822]

Track listing

References