Kill at Will
1990 EP by Ice Cube
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kill at Will (titled At Will in its censored version) is an extended play by American rapper Ice Cube, released on December 19, 1990, via Priority Records.[1] Kill at Will was a commercial success, as it received a platinum certification from the RIAA.
| Kill at Will | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| EP by | ||||
| Released | December 19, 1990 | |||
| Recorded | 1990 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 21:53 | |||
| Label | Priority | |||
| Producer |
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| Ice Cube chronology | ||||
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Background
Kill at Will was released soon after AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted (Ice Cube's full-length debut album), which capitalized on his newfound solo success.[1] "Endangered Species (Tales from the Darkside)" and "Get Off My Dick and Tell Yo Bitch to Come Here" initially appeared on AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted in their original forms; on Kill at Will, the former was a remix, but the latter was nearly a new song (the version on AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted is less than a minute in length while the version on Kill at Will is over three minutes in length). The remaining five songs remained exclusive to Kill at Will.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Robert Christgau | A−[3] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [4] |
| Entertainment Weekly | C+[5] |
| NME | 7/10[6][better source needed] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [7] |
| The Source |  [8] |
| The Washington Post | (favorable)[9] |
Trouser Press praised "the lighthearted 'Jackin’ for Beats' (which bites EPMD, PE, Digital Underground, LL Cool J and others) and the devastating 'Dead Homiez', in which [Cube] solemnly contemplates the murder of a friend over an evocative mix of horn, guitar and piano."[10]
Robert Christgau stated: "I don't want to claim the criticism is getting to him--still talking tough on this interim EP, he remixes 'Get Off My Dick and Tell Your Bitch To Come Here.' But he's keeping his woman problem to himself and putting the gangsta shit in perspective: 'The Product' tells a young black con's story from his pops's nut, 'Dead Homiez' cops to a sadness a lesser outlaw might consider unmanly. With Sir Jinx running the board, the beats never work up to carpet-bomb density. And if Ice Cube keeps rhyming like this, you won't care."[3]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Endangered Species (Tales from the Darkside) (Remix)" (featuring Chuck D) | Sir Jinx | 4:11 |
| 2. | "Jackin' for Beats" | Chilly Chill | 2:57 |
| 3. | "Get Off My Dick and Tell Yo Bitch to Come Here (Remix)" | Sir Jinx | 3:38 |
| 4. | "The Product" | Sir Jinx | 3:35 |
| 5. | "Dead Homiez" | Ice Cube | 3:55 |
| 6. | "JD’s Gaffilin’ (Part 2)" | 0:36 | |
| 7. | "I Gotta Say What Up!!!" | Sir Jinx | 3:06 |
Partial list of samples
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"Endangered Species (Tales from the Darkside) (Remix)"
"The Product"
"I Gotta Say What Up!!!"
"Dead Homiez"
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"Jackin' for Beats"
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Later samples
- "Dead Homiez"
- "Young Black Male" by 2Pac from the album 2Pacalypse Now
- "The Product"
- "Young Black Male" by 2Pac from the album 2Pacalypse Now
Album singles
"Endangered Species (Tales from the Darkside)"
- Released: 1990
- B-side: "Dead Homiez"
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[15] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
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^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||