Ice Cube Announces Released Date For ‘Laugh Now, Cry Later’

Rapper/actor Ice Cube has announced that he will release his seventh solo album, Laugh Now, Cry Later, in June via his independent label, Lench Mob Records. The album is the follow-up to Ice Cube’s Greatest Hits collection, which hit stores in 2001. The rapper, born O’Shea Jackson, put his film career on hold to focus […]

Rapper/actor Ice

Cube has announced that he will release his seventh solo album, Laugh Now,

Cry Later, in June via his independent label, Lench Mob Records.

The album is the

follow-up to Ice Cube’s Greatest Hits collection, which hit stores in

2001. The rapper, born O’Shea Jackson, put his film career on hold to focus

on recording the new LP.

"It’s a record

that flows from kind of one tone to the next," Ice Cube told AllHipHop.com

in a recent feature. "Laugh Now, Cry Later really is the state of the world

in a way. You know, you could say it’s the state of the world, the state of

America, the state of urban America.

Now everybody’s

doing a lot of playing and nobody’s really thinking about when God’s gonna make

us pay for all this at some point in time. That’s really what inspired me to

make it that title."

Scott Storch, Lil’

Jon and Swizz Beatz are among the contributing producers on the 18-track album,

with Snoop Dogg, WC and others making guest appearances.

The first single

is the Scott Storch-produced social commentary titled "Why We Thugs."

Ice Cube started

his career as a member of the pioneering rap group N.W.A., on Eric "Eazy

E" Wright’s Ruthless Records.

Ice Cube left the

group because of a financial dispute with Wright and N.W.A.’s manager, Jerry

Heller.

In 1990, he released

his solo debut, AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted, which was followed by Death

Certificate, War and Peace, Lethal Injection, The Predator

and others.

Laugh Now, Cry

Later hits stores June 6.