Ice Cube recently revisited his iconic diss track “No Vaseline,” reflecting on his sharp jab at Dr. Dre and the rest of N.W.A. In an exclusive interview with HipHopDX, Cube opened up about his infamous “stick to producing” line aimed at Dre.
“That was all I could do, was tell Dre to do what you do best,” Cube laughed. “Get off the mic and leave me alone, you know?”
The rap legend also addressed comparisons to Drake’s jab at Metro Boomin on “Family Matters,” where the Toronto rapper told the producer to “shut your ho ass up and make some drums.”
“I don’t know [if I inspired that line],” Cube said. However, he gave Dre his flowers, praising his former bandmate’s skills and recent work with Snoop Dogg on Missionary.
“Dre is a formidable MC,” Cube said. “When Dre puts out a record, everybody better run for cover ’cause the lyrics, delivery, and music are gonna be on point. I would never use that line [again].”
Cube’s remarks highlight his respect for Dre’s artistry while offering a nod to the competitive nature of hip-hop diss tracks.
It’s no surprise musically, N.W.A. is a controversial gangsta rap group. On August 9, 1988, N.W.A. released their protest song Fuck tha Police, written by Ice Cube, the song sparked a lot of mixed reactions worldwide, even an Australian radio station, Triple J was banned from playing the song so they went on strike and played N.W.A’s “Express Yourself” continuously for 24 hours.
The controversy from the song made LAPD police decline to provide security at N.W.A. shows, and it got to the point where on August 1, 1989, Milt Ahlerich, then Assistant Director of the FBI office of public affairs to send a letter to Eazy-E’s label Ruthless Records, through the parent company and distributor Priority Records. The letter warned N.W.A. ‘Fuck tha Police’ was advocating for violence by stating; “advocating violence and assault is wrong and we in the law enforcement community take exception to such action.” and he made it clear his views also “entire law enforcement”.
I wanted you to be aware of the FBI’s position relative to this song and its message. I believe my views reflect the opinion of the entire law enforcement community.
Milt Ahlerich, August 1, 1989
Letter F.B.I. sent N.W.A.
The letter from the F.B.I. helped popularize N.W.A.’s Straight Outta Compton album and N.W.A. would later state that their music is not an advocation or promotion for violence but telling their stories and art. A lot of people saw this as the FBI trying to censor music and hinder art, which sparked a lot of pieces and more conversations worldwide on artist censorship. Dr. Dre responded to the FBI letter in N.W.A.’s 1990’s “100 Miles and Runnin’” single, rapping “my temper was too quick and now the FBI is all over my dick!” even relating the music video to the controversy. and the same year Eazy-E would do the same on “Amerikkka’s Most Wanted”, rapping “With a pay-off, cop gotta lay off, FBI on my dick, stay off”.
It’s funny that years later not a lot has changed. Some of the same things that inspired the protests back then were the same as the police brutality that inspired the Black Lives Matter movement today.
Dr. Dre, N.W.A., Q-Tip and A Tribe Called Quest’s influence on one another goes back to the early 90s
Dr. Dre’s The Chronic is hands down a classic. The album — released in 1992 — is crisp in production and finds Dr. Dre pulling from directions that many didn’t expect. At the time, Snoop Dogg, Warren G, Nate Dogg, amongst others, respectively. The album’s muse was A Tribe Called Quest’s 1991 The Low End Theory.
“It was listening to N.W.A’s Straight Outta Compton that inspired us to make The Low End Theory,” Q-Tip said in an MTV News interview. “And years later I spoke to Dr. Dre and he told me that hearing The Low End Theory inspired him to make The Chronic.”
From New York City to Compton, the connection of coast were prominent, but might not be evident, in retrospect. Nonetheless, the two impactful groups (N.W.A. and A Tribe Called Quest) inspired one another.
