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"It Was A Good Day" is a 1993 single by American gangsta rapper Ice Cube from his third solo album, The Predator. It is the second single from the album and it peaked into the top 20 in the Billboard Hot 100. It shot to number 7 on the R&B charts and number 15 on the Pop charts. It was also a hit in the UK Charts, peaking at #27. In April 2006, it was independently ranked as the 81st greatest rap song of all time.[1]
The song's music video and the lyrics itself tell the story of how Ice Cube has a good day in South Central Los Angeles. Throughout the song he enjoys gambling, playing basketball, having sex, smoking marijuana, getting drunk, eating fast food, and cruising the streets of South Central undisturbed:
| “ |
The inspiration was my life at the time ... I was at the top of the rap game. It was the summer of ’92 and I was in a hotel room, really in a state of euphoria. I had all the money I had dreamed of. I was in a good frame of mind. And I remember thinking, ‘Okay, there’s been the riots, people know I will deal with that. That’s a given. But I rap all this gangsta stuff — what about all the good days I had?’ [2] |
” |
The song samples the Isley Brothers' "Footsteps in the Dark" and "Sexy Mama" by The Moments. At the end of the accompanying music video, police are depicted surrounding Ice Cube's house in order to arrest him. It then states "To Be Continued", a segue to his next music video and single "Check Yo Self," which was released the following August. The shirt Cube was wearing in the video was the same one he later wore in the 1995 movie Friday
Ice Cube in the video clip
- In late 1993, Ice Cube made a cameo appearance in Dr. Dre's "Let Me Ride" video, walking out of a bathroom with a group of girls, saying "Damn right it was a good day" in reference to the single.
- In her 1996 single, "5 O'Clock," Washington, D.C. rapper Nonchalant decried the corrosive influence of the gangsta ethos on the black community, remarking "If you had a good day, damn I must've missed it."
- In 2005, Bizarre of D12 did a parody of "It Was a Good Day", naming it "Bad Day" on his album Hannicap Circus.
- Dynamite Hack covered the song on their 1998 album Pillowhead, renaming it "Today Was a Good Day" and dramatically changing the style.
- It reached #77 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 90's.
| Chart |
Peak Position |
| UK Singles Chart |
# 27 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 |
# 15 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Rap Singles |
# 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay |
# 21 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles |
# 4 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Recurrents |
# 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Airplay |
# 32 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Singles Sales |
# 7 |
| U.S. Billboard Rhythmic Top 40 |
# 13 |
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