Ice-T
threw listeners quite a curve ball with his riveting third album,
The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech...Just Watch What You Say
-- arguably the closest
hip-hop
has come to
George Orwell
's
1984
. Instead of focusing heavily on
gangsta rap
,
made First Amendment issues the CD's dominant theme. Setting the album's tone is the opener,
"Shut Up, Be Happy,"
which finds guest
Jello Biafra
(former leader of
punk
band
Dead Kennedys
) envisioning an Orwellian America in which the government controls and dominates every aspect of its citizens' lives. Though there are a few examples of first-rate
here -- including
"The Hunted Child"
and the chilling
"Peel Their Caps Back"
--
Ice
's main concern this time is censorship and what he views as a widespread attack on free speech in the U.S. As angry and lyrically intense as most of
The Iceberg
is,
enjoys fun for its own sake on
"My Word Is Bond"
and
"The Girl Tried to Kill Me"
-- an insanely funny
rap-rock
account of an encounter with a dominatrix. ~ Alex Henderson