Ice Cube
Ice Cube
Ice Cube
Ice Cube
Ice Cube
Ice Cube
Ice Cube
Ice Cube
Ice Cube
Ice Cube
Ice Cube & Khalid Muhammad
Ice Cube & Khalid Muhammad
Ice Cube
Ice Cube
Ice Cube
Ice Cube
Ice Cube & J-Dee & King T & Kam & Threat & Coolio & WC
Ice Cube
Ice Cube
Ice Cube
Ice Cube
Cube talks about trying to get paid as a teenage dad straight outta high school and he gave a brief summary of the song to Rolling Stone:
The options get taken away, so you need to make it with the options that are out there.
The track samples B.B. King’s “Chains and Things”:
[Intro: Big Bird]
Say, look at this
I've been cleaning out my nest, and I found an old book of my poetry
[Verse: Ice Cube]
Fresh out of school 'cause I was a high school grad
Gots to get a job 'cause I was a high school dad
Wish I got paid by rappin' to the nation
But that's not likely, so here's my application
Pass it to the man at AT&T
'Cause when I was in school I got the A.E.E
But there's no SC for this youngsta
I didn't have no money, so now I gotta punch the
Clock, gotta slave, and be half a man
But whitey says there's no room for the African
Always knew that I would clock G's
But welcome to McDonald's, "May I take your order, please?"
Gotta serve ya food that might give you cancer
'Cause my son doesn't take no for an answer
Now I pay taxes, that you never give me back
What about diapers, bottles, and Similac?
Do I have to sell me a whole lotta crack
For decent shelter and clothes on my back?
Or should I just wait for help from Bush?
Or Jesse Jackson, and Operation PUSH?
If you ask me the whole thing needs a douche
A Massengill, what the hell
Crack will sell in the neighborhood
To the corner house bitches
Miss Parker, little Joe, and Todd Bridges
Or anybody that he know
So I copped me a bird, better known as a kilo
Now everybody know I went from po'
To a nigga that got dough
So now you put the feds against me
'Cause I couldn't follow the plan of the presidency
I never get love again
But blacks are too fuckin' broke to be Republican
Now I remember, I used to be cool
'Til I stopped fillin' out my W-2
Now senators are gettin' high
And your plan against the ghetto backfired
So now you got a pep talk
But sorry, this is our only room to walk
'Cause we don't want a drug push
But a bird in the hand is worth more than a Bush
[Outro]
Tell the politicians, the hustlers
Live and let live (Yeah)
Tell the politicians, the hustlers
Live and let live (Yeah)
A Bird In The Hand was written by Ice Cube & DJ Pooh & George Clinton & Bootsy Collins & Garry Shider & Ron Dunbar & Donnie Sterling.
Ice Cube released A Bird In The Hand on Tue Oct 29 1991.