The rapper who released the 1990 debut solo album AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted is Ice Cube.
Released on May 16, 1990, the album was Ice Cube’s first solo studio release after his acrimonious departure from N.W.A. He had helped establish N.W.A.’s hard-edged West Coast style, but the solo record gave him room to develop a broader political and social voice.
Much of the production came from the Bomb Squad, Public Enemy’s production team, whose dense, sample-heavy sound gave the album an unusual East Coast-West Coast combination. Ice Cube and Sir Jinx also contributed production. The record addresses life in South Central Los Angeles, racial injustice, policing, and the American legal system.
AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted reached No. 19 on the Billboard 200, earned widespread critical acclaim, and was certified platinum by the RIAA. It is often described as a hip-hop classic. A common mix-up is Death Certificate, Ice Cube’s second solo album, released in 1991. The album’s title stylization is also distinctive, using capital K’s in “AmeriKKKa.”