Laugh Now, Cry Later
by Ice Cube
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 28 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 28
  3. Negative: 3 out of 28

Review this album

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. MichaelW
    Jul 20, 2006
    4
    Ice Cube, in 2006, just sounds so tired... like he took flows that weren't quite good enough for War and Peace Vol. 2, and no amount of guest stars or name producers can cover up for the lack of hunger. Cube at one point could've claimed to be the Best Ever... not after releasing dreck like this.
  2. EPPS
    Jun 23, 2006
    10
    Ice Cube Nigga!... West Coast Nigga!... Cube still has it. Maybe not like he used to, but cube aint never fell off and never will. This album checks all the lil bow wow's, juelz santana's and 50 snitch's in the rap game today...G Uont!!!..."I'm spittin pollaseeds...
  3. ChrisR
    Sep 6, 2006
    10
    CUBE is back again, he always comes out with the hardest shit and never shys away
  4. zippyzeed
    Jun 15, 2006
    2
    I didn't like this. Ice Cube used to be hard and rough with killer street rhymes. After seeing his poor acting skills, this is nothing more than a glorified hollywood cash grab.
  5. Moo
    Jun 23, 2006
    8
    Not quite a classic, but dope. Cube can still do it!
  6. matan
    Jun 11, 2006
    9
    great one
  7. IanC
    Jun 12, 2006
    10
    its a good cd a lot of hot songs, the best songs are child support, why we thugs, smoke some weed, doin what it spose 2 do and the N****A trap
  8. Cherilongtimefansince85
    Jun 14, 2006
    10
    Its the best! I love it. I listen to it everyday, everywhere. I saw him in Cleveland at house of blues and the lapa palooza tour 1991..was on stage with him. Will always love cube!
  9. MathiasJ
    Jun 29, 2006
    9
    This is great work! Another hit record from Cube, the best rapper of all time! Especially songs like: The Nigga Trip, Child Support, Smoke Some Weed and Laugh Now, Cry Later can be heard again and again. Cube's critical as always, and thats the way i like it. It's intelligent music! He's a genius!
  10. NcoleE
    Jul 13, 2006
    8
    Ice Cube is Back! And, in a big way. This CD is a breath of fresh air. I am really hoping that the "KRUNK" era is a thing of the past and now we can get back to real music and meaningful lyrics. Let's tell the guys from the South to pick up a book and brush up their vocabulary skills then come back to the plate. Like Busta said, They sound soo Trash! Thank you ICE Cube for holding Ice Cube is Back! And, in a big way. This CD is a breath of fresh air. I am really hoping that the "KRUNK" era is a thing of the past and now we can get back to real music and meaningful lyrics. Let's tell the guys from the South to pick up a book and brush up their vocabulary skills then come back to the plate. Like Busta said, They sound soo Trash! Thank you ICE Cube for holding down the WEST COAST.… Expand
  11. dougw
    Jun 17, 2006
    3
    all these critics suck ice cube is a legend and won't fall off. he is the O.G noone else can bring wat e brought to da rap game wait... he created the rap game!!! i am angry with te critics and with zippyzee d. u stupid idiot have u lisend to tha albums of the don mega ? not just tha hits? coz i ave all of hi albums period.
  12. Steven2
    Mar 3, 2013
    9
    Ice Cube is one of those artists that has to have a fall in his career before his comeback can happen. First he started out in one of the greatest musical groups of all time NWA. NWA was raw, gangsta, and sociopolitcal all at once. They defined west coast hip hop and for a time were unstoppable. Then Ice Cube had left the group due to personal reasons and the group made one more albumIce Cube is one of those artists that has to have a fall in his career before his comeback can happen. First he started out in one of the greatest musical groups of all time NWA. NWA was raw, gangsta, and sociopolitcal all at once. They defined west coast hip hop and for a time were unstoppable. Then Ice Cube had left the group due to personal reasons and the group made one more album before falling apart. But right after he had left, he had made the smash hit and universally acclaimed album, AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted. It might as well have been called Straight Outta Compton 2, because in some ways it has striking similarities to Straight Outta Compton, but that isn't a bad thing. Fortunately, he had made a much better album than his album with NWA. Not only was AmeriKKKa hard and raw, but it was also sociopolitical and melodic. It is my favorite West Coast album to this date. Then 1 year later he made the awesome sophmore album, Death Certificate. It was just as awesome, if not more awesome than his first album. Then he had to follow up to his amazing first two albums with an equally impressive masterpiece. Fortunately, he did not disappoint. The Predator was funky, angry, and melodic, while still giving fresh twists along the way. Then something happened. Dr Dre had made the landmark LP, The Chronic, and had revolutionized hip hop. To capitalize on it's success, Ice Cube had changed his sociopolitical lyrics and his funky, old school beats to a more mainstream, g-funk style. As a result, this album was received poorly, and was panned by the hip hop community. As a result, Cube had decided to take a break from music and worked on movie projects. About 5 years later, he had released War And Peace: The War Disc. Unfortunately, it was not a comeback. An entertaining LP, yes. A comeback, no. Then 2 years later he had dropped the sequel, War And Peace: The Peace Disc. Fortunately, it was better than the first disc, but it was not the comeback that we had wanted for so long. Like he did with his first hiatus, Cube had decided to take a break from music and worked on movies for about 6 years. Then it was time for a new album. The time was right, he hadn't made a great album in over 14 years. It was time for a comeback. Fortunately, this album is a comeback album. Not only is it a suburb hip hop album, but it is a great comeback album to a great rapper. From the funk, hypnotic beats to the raw, sociopolitical lyrics Cube had the hip hop community rest assured that he was back and better than ever.… Expand
  13. Urbanlistener
    Oct 6, 2015
    9
    Awesome album, a triumphant return after a 6 years absence by Cube. The beats are dope, his rhymes are great as usual, same great flow. Definitely an underrated gangasta album.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
59

Mixed or average reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 11
  3. Negative: 1 out of 11
  1. Vibe
    80
    His delivery is crisp and uncomplicated, but razor sharp, like gangster haikus. [Jun 2006, p.159]
  2. Billboard
    70
    Surprisingly, a middle-aged Cube still packs a youthful punch when it comes to the gangsta tales. [3 Jun 2006]
  3. AllMusic
    70
    Unlike his early classics, Laugh Now stumbles occasionally and fails to keep the momentum going through the whole fourth quarter.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »