Synopsis

Set in the imagined year 2020, the video opens in a classroom where a stern teacher blames gangsta rap for society's violence, crime, war, and moral decline. Ice Cube then appears in dark, stylized performance scenes while a barrage of news footage connects his lyrics to riots, shootings, political scandals, racial controversies, and military conflict. The deliberately exaggerated presentation turns the song's argument into satire, challenging the habit of blaming rap music for problems that existed long before the genre.

Factoids & Trivia

• The song was released on January 3, 2008, as the lead single from Ice Cube's album "Raw Footage," which followed on August 19, 2008.

• The classroom is dated 2020, placing the video's fictional lesson 12 years in the future. Its authoritarian styling and patriotic setting parody official-looking attempts to present gangsta rap as the source of every social problem.

• The video's news montage includes references to the Los Angeles riots, the Virginia Tech massacre, the Iraq War, Don Imus, Michael Richards' Laugh Factory incident, Chris Benoit, and Michael Vick. The clips are edited to echo specific lyrics rather than simply decorate the performance.

• Ice Cube later explained that the war footage, including imagery connected with Osama bin Laden, was meant to question the idea of fighting a war from a comfortable distance while blaming music for violence at home.

• WC and DJ Crazy Toones make cameo appearances.

• The production was handled by Rush Films, with Colin Watkinson serving as cinematographer. Post-production credits include the bOx and colorist Dave Hussey.

• A remix featuring Nas and Scarface appeared on the soundtrack to the 2008 video game "Midnight Club: Los Angeles."