5. Ice Cube, Death Certificate
Did you know that Ice Cube, the old Cube, was not fooling with politicians on no level? He didn’t trust them and in a lot of ways appeared to be an anarchist. At least, that is what the government thought. Riding of the national controversy he garnered from being a founding member of NWA — a group that plopped on the FBI’s most-wanted list for their explosive song, “F**k the Police — Cube released Death Certificate in 1991 with the same level of anger and institutional distrust. On the cover of Death Certificate, he showed “Uncle Sam” lying dead on a mortuary gurney. The image was a visual illustration of how graphic the songs on the album were. Dropped during a time where Black people were not afraid to voice their disbelief and disillusionment of the American dream, the old Ice Cube had his finger on the pulse of the nation. Well, at least 12% of the nation. Other people were upset at his audacity. Billboard magazine may now celebrate his genius, but back then they condemned the project, starting first with this cover.