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ICE-T The 7th Deadly Sin
Coroner/Atomic Pop
On "God Forgive Me," the finale here until the self-aggrandizing
(if wittily Zionist-baiting) debut single "Exodus" was tacked on,
Ice T offers almost the only hint of the sardonic persona play that
once terrified a republic. In it he begs absolution for inventing
"gangsta rap," which--with "no positive messages, no redeeming
value"--"changed the course of the world." Well, maybe that's not
as ridiculous as it seems. But certainly no such claim can be made
for this collection of pimp and dope tales, which transcend clipped
genre hackwork only on the chilling "Always Wanted To Be a Hoe,"
where an abused 16-year-old coos the title hook like she can't wait
to get the next dick in her mouth. Watching Ice's back is a
dumbfounding procession of old-time rappers you hoped had gone into
management, including King Tee, Brother Marquis, Ant Banks, Kid
Frost, Onyx, Kam, and, always last and always least, the odious Too
Short. Why is it we never can find a cop when we need one?
Rolling Stone, Oct. 28, 1999
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