Fresh off releasing his highly-anticipated and critically-acclaimed latest solo album, Man Down, this past Friday. Legendary Westcoast Hip-Hop pioneer and icon Ice Cube returns with the debut of his newest Gabriel “VIDEOGOD” Hart-directed video for Ego Maniacs featuring Killer Mike and Busta Rhymes. The remix to his hit E-A-Ski-produced hit single, It’s My Ego. That is also the closing track to the album.
The simple, yet creative new video opening with Ice Cube in a blue fur coat matching his Dodgers fitted cap and an all-black Ice Cube t-shirt in front of the Vanwick St. sign. Right before then going to Killer Mike in a red letterman MVP jacket with black pants and white gym shoes rapping his stellar opening guest verses of, “My hero was a N***a With an Attitude, leader of a Lench Mob. Bought me a ‘6-4 just to watch it Crip hop. Told the teacher, “I’ma grow up, make hardcore hip-hop.” And b**ch, I did it, big bank made big knots. Little n***a ’bout his bankroll, fvck stank hoes. Three days straight, I was trappin’ in the same clothes. Fvck gold, n***a rather pay for the studio.” While a bunch of GRAMMYs appear in the background, as well as later on Gold chrome wheels and then a red 64’ Impala with a Killer House in the background as a play on Waffle House. Plus fire and strippers down a stripper pole. Before transitioning to black-and-white with Ice Cube in a Dodgers fitted cap and jacket riding in his luxury ride and then seen flying in a blue private jet in the sky smoking a J as he raps the catchy chorus. It then showing Cube on top of the world famous, Randy’s Donuts sign and in front of his luxury lowrider and replaying the scene from Boyz n the Hood he raps about with such bars as, “Before I Crip walk it out, I’m the one he talkin’ ’bout. Knock you out, wake you up, break you up, chalk you out. Ain’t no checkin’ in, b**#%es, just checkin’ out. One n***a soak it in, one n***a stressin’ out. Go the hunnid route, by the haunted house. Like Boyz n the Hood, the n***a wanted out. Homie let him out, then we skirted out.” Ice Cube also reperforming his classic Dodgers World Series performance and burying his competition before standing atop the LAX Airport sign.
The latter part of the video then transiting to a New York subway station train that Busta Rhymes emerges out of as he starts spitting his own stellar guest verses of, “Yo and as a young wild n***a that was moving and that was lit out. A young Busta that was buggin’, tryna figure shit out. Got my name from Chuck D and I was hype like, “What’s the drilly?” Then came the birth of Leaders of the New, fucking up Spectrum City. Yeah, and I remember to this day. Cube and N.W.A. was beefin’, the group was in a disarray. Stayed at the stu’ on school nights late, lookin’ forward to a spankin’. Couldn’t believe who pulled up to 510 South Franklin. P.E. headquarters, thinking ’bout Turks and Caicos.” To close the track. As images of an always animated Busta on a brick wall reading Downtown Brooklyn appear and also him in front of a bunch of blaring speakers. The video then closing with Cube riding in his lowrider, Killer Mike standing in front of his red 64’ Impala, Ice Cube then appearing once again in his all blue fur coat matching his Dodgers fitted cap and an all-black Ice Cube t-shirt in front of the Vanwick St. sign and his arms out before a bus drives by with papers flying from the streets and Ego Maniacs graffitied on the wall. Busta shown still being as animated as he always is while Cube sings the catchy outro chorus. While riding off into the clouds and smoking again in his private blue jet.