Laugh Now, Cry Later

Laugh Now, Cry Later
Studio album by Ice Cube
Released	June 6, 2006
Recorded	2005–2006
Genre	West Coast hip hop, gangsta rap, political hip hop
Length	64:51
Label	Lench Mob (U.S.) 72914 (CD)
Producer	Ice Cube (exec.), Lil Jon, Scott Storch, The Hitmen, Swizz Beatz, DJ Green Lantern, The Hitmen, Emile, Warren G, Hallway Productionz, Bud'da, Sketch, Laylaw & D-Mac
Ice Cube chronology
War & Peace Vol. 2 (The Peace Disc) (2000) Laugh Now, Cry Later (2006) Raw Footage (2008)
Singles from Laugh Now, Cry Later
"Why We Thugs" Released: April 13, 2006 "Go to Church" Released: 2006 "Steal the Show" Released: 2006 "Child Support" Released: 2006 "Spittin' Pollaseeds" Released: 2007 "You Gotta Lotta That" Released: 2007

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
About.com	[1]
AllHipHop	(7/10)[2]
Allmusic	[3]
HipHopDX	[4]
Okayplayer	[5]
RapReviews	(7.5/10)[6]
Rolling Stone	[7]
The Source	[8]
USA Today	[9]
Vibe	[10]

Laugh Now, Cry Later is the seventh studio album by rapper Ice Cube, released on June 6, 2006. It is Ice Cube's first album to be released on his independently owned record label Lench Mob Records and his first studio album in six years since his previous album, War & Peace Vol. 2 (The Peace Disc). After spending the previous six years mainly doing movie projects, it could be considered a comeback album. The album debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 selling 144,000 copies in the first week.

Overview

Unlike Cube's previous album, Laugh Now Cry Later features only a handful of collaborations. These include songs with West Coast rappers Snoop Dogg, and WC, as well as Southern rapper Lil Jon. Laugh Now, Cry Later was preceded by the street single and accompanying video "Chrome & Paint". The first official single was the Scott Storch produced "Why We Thugs." The follow-up single, released in late June 2006, is the song "Go to Church", featuring Snoop Dogg and Lil Jon. The third single released from the album was the promo-only Steal the Show.

In the song "Growin' Up" he talks about and honours his deceased friend and co-rapper Eazy-E who along with Ice Cube were members of rap group N.W.A. "Never thought I'd see Eazy in a casket, thanks for everything, that's on everything. I learnt a lot of game from you, I like your son, he's got his name from you".

In an interview taken during its release, Ice Cube said: "I want to make a record that was like a history book. I wanted to make a record that does what all good hip-hop does: it makes you feel good; it kind of pumps you up, but it also shows you a part of life that you might not have been paying attention to or might not even know exists".^[11]

Ice Cube re-released the album on October 31, 2006 under the name Laugh Now, Cry Later: O.G. Limited Edition. The DualDisc contains concert and backstage footage as well as a playable music video for each song.^[12] The artwork for this album contains a picture of Ice Cube holding a custom gold Colt Anaconda. A clean version of the album was also made. It replaces most of the profanities by repeating or using a sound effect. Released independently on his Lench Mob Records the album has been certified Gold by the RIAA,^[13] which is generally unprecedented for an album released on an independent label. Laugh Now, Cry Later has sold 1,000,000 copies worldwide as of 2015.^[14]

Commercial Performance

The album debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 144,000 copies. In its second week the album ranked on number 7 selling 88,000 copies, and on the third week it ranked on number 12 selling 73,000 copies. In the fourth week it ranked on number 31 selling 28,000 more copies. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA in 2007.

Track listing

No.	Title	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Definition of a West Coast G (Intro)"		0:14
2.	"Why We Thugs"	Scott Storch	3:45
3.	"Smoke Some Weed"	Bud'da	3:46
4.	"Dimes & Nicks (A Call From Mike Epps)"		1:06
5.	"Child Support"	Hallway Productionz	4:01
6.	"2 Decades Ago (Insert)"		0:14
7.	"Doin' What It 'Posed 2Do"	Emile	4:07
8.	"Laugh Now, Cry Later"	Sean C	3:36
9.	"Stop Snitchin'"	Swizz Beatz	3:15
10.	"Go to Church" (featuring Snoop Dogg and Lil Jon)	Lil Jon	4:00
11.	"The Nigga Trap"	DJ Green Lantern	3:48
12.	"A History of Violence"		1:09
13.	"Growin' Up"	Laylaw & D-Mac	3:53
14.	"Click, Clack, Get Back!"	Emile	3:09
15.	"The Game Lord"	Hallway Productionz	4:09
16.	"Chrome & Paint" (featuring WC)	Bud'da	3:27
17.	"Steal the Show"	Scott Storch	4:12
18.	"You Gotta Lotta That" (featuring Snoop Dogg)	Lil Jon	4:06
19.	"Spittin' Pollaseeds" (featuring WC and Kokane)	Laylaw & D-Mac	5:04
20.	"Holla @ Cha Boy"	Lil Jon	3:30

iTunes bonus track
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
21.	"Pockets Stay Fat" (featuring Lil Scrappy)		DJ Green Lantern	3:55

Best Buy bonus tracks
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
21.	"Run"		J.R. Rotem	3:35
22.	"Race Card"		Warren G	3:57

Japanese bonus track
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
21.	"Dick Tease" (featuring Fatman Scoop)		Hallway Productionz	4:02

Samples

• "Chrome & Paint" - contains a sample of "The Continental Walk" by Hank Ballard
• "Click Clack Get Back" - contains a sample of "Captain Bobby Stout" by The Jerry Hahn Brotherhood
• "Spittin Pollaseeds" - contains a sample of "Baby" by Brandy
• "A History of Violence" - contains a sample of "Memory Lane" by Minnie Riperton
• "Child Support" - contains a sample of "Kick in the Door" by The Notorious B.I.G.
• "Growin' Up" - contains a sample of "Memory Lane" by Minnie Riperton
• "Laugh Now, Cry Later" - contains a sample of "Master Plan" by Alan Tew
• "Stop Snitchin'" - contains a sample of "Gangsta Gangsta" by N.W.A

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2006)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[15]	46
French Albums (SNEP)[16]	129
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[17]	9
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[18]	33
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[19]	63
UK Albums (OCC)[20]	152
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[21]	11
US Billboard 200[22]	4
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[23]	2
US Top Rap Albums (Billboard)[24]	2

Year-end charts

Chart (2007)	Position
US Billboard 200	137
US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums	36

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/Sales
Canada (Music Canada)[25]	Gold	50,000^^
United States (RIAA)[26]	Gold	500,000^^
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

1. "About.com review". Rap.about.com. 2012-05-24. Retrieved 2012-08-17.
2. "AllHipHop review". Allhiphop.com. 2007-08-17. Retrieved 2012-08-17.
3. Jeffries, David (2006-06-06). "Allmusic review". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 2012-08-17.
4. "HipHopDX review". Hiphopdx.com. 2006-06-07. Retrieved 2012-08-17.
5. "Okayplayer review". OkayPlayer.com. 2008-01-08. Archived from the original on 2008-01-08. Retrieved 2012-08-17.
6. "RapReviews review". Rapreviews.com. 2006-06-06. Retrieved 2012-08-17.
7. "Rolling Stone review". RollingStone.com. 2007-07-12. Archived from the original on 2007-07-12. Retrieved 2012-08-17.
8. "The Source review". Duckdown.com. 2007-03-20. Archived from the original on 2007-03-20. Retrieved 2012-08-17.
9. USA Today review Archived October 26, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
10. Vibe review. Books.google.com. Retrieved 2012-08-17.
11. "Local/State". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2012-08-17.
12. Moss, Corey (2006-11-09). "Ice Cube Pulls A 50 Cent, Re-Releases Laugh Now, Cry Later With Videos - Music, Celebrity, Artist News". MTV.com. Retrieved 2012-08-17.
13. Laugh Now, Cry Later RIAA certification. RIAA. Accessed November 26, 2007.
14. "// rap-up summer issue on sale now! " Blog Archive " Album Preview: Ice Cube - 'Raw Footage'". Rap-Up.com. 2008-04-15. Retrieved 2012-08-17.
15. "Australiancharts.com – Ice Cube – Raw Footage". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
16. "Lescharts.com – Ice Cube – Raw Footage". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
17. "Ice Cube – Chart history" Billboard Canadian Albums Chart for Ice Cube.
18. "Charts.org.nz – Ice Cube – Raw Footage". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
19. "Swisscharts.com – Ice Cube – Raw Footage". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
20. "Ice Cube | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart Retrieved May 18, 2015.
21. "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
22. "Ice Cube – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Ice Cube. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
23. "Ice Cube – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for Ice Cube. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
24. "Ice Cube – Chart history" Billboard Top Rap Albums for Ice Cube. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
25. "Canadian album certifications – Ice Cube – Laugh Now, Cry Later". Music Canada.
26. "American album certifications – Ice Cube – Laugh Now, Cry Later". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH

External links

• Chart Overview on LNCL
• Latest news on the album from Google News
• Album interview at the Wayback Machine (archived July 12, 2010)
• Promotional album sampler featuring 10 songs
• Vibe News Article at the Wayback Machine (archived August 19, 2010)
• About the New Album, including snippets of an Ice Cube interview
• Ice Cube Lyrics, Music, Biography Information and more