1960s Funk Version of Once Upon A Time In The Projects by Ice Cube

Описание: To understand "Once Upon a Time in the Projects," you have to understand the climate of 1990. Ice Cube had just walked away from N.W.A—the most dangerous group in the world—at the height of their powers. Critics and fans wondered: could the "brain" of N.W.A survive without Dr. Dre’s production?
When AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted dropped, it wasn’t just an album; it was a hostile takeover. Produced in collaboration with Sir Jinx and The Bomb Squad (Public Enemy’s production team), the album was a chaotic, dense, and revolutionary soundscape. Yet, amidst the sonic warfare, one track stood out for its narrative clarity and its rhythmic "lean." That track was "Once Upon a Time in the Projects."
Part II: The Anatomy of a Storyteller
Why do we love this song? It’s the cinematic realism. Cube wasn’t just rapping; he was directing a short film in your ears. The song details a protagonist attempting to pick up a girl from the housing projects, only to be met with the systemic hurdles, police profiling, and neighborhood tension that defined the era.
The genius of Cube in this era was his ability to balance the "angry young man" persona with a biting, satirical wit. When he describes the interaction with the girl's mother or the sudden police raid, he uses a flow that is conversational yet rhythmically perfect. It’s a masterclass in perspective. It’s not just "gangsta rap"—it’s social commentary disguised as a neighborhood anecdote.
The love for this song stems from its honesty. It didn’t glamorize the struggle; it documented it with a smirk and a heavy bassline.
Part III: The Funk Foundation
This is where the conversation gets deeper. You cannot love Ice Cube without eventually falling in love with the music that birthed his sound: Funk.
"Once Upon a Time in the Projects" relies heavily on the groove. While the Bomb Squad brought the New York noise, Cube ensured that the West Coast "bounce" remained intact. This era of hip-hop acted as a bridge. For those of us who grew up in the 90s, we didn't hear George Clinton or The Meters first; we heard Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, and Dr. Dre.
But as we grew older, the samples began to speak to us. We realized that the "stank" in Cube’s music was a direct inheritance from the P-Funk era. We began to realize that the heavy basslines weren't just computer-generated; they were the echoes of Bootsy Collins’ bass and Bernie Worrell’s synthesizers.
Part IV: Why Funk Endures
Funk is the music of liberation. It is polyrhythmic, communal, and unapologetically black. As we graduate from the grit of 90s rap into the broader world of Funk, we find a genre that celebrates the physical body and the resilient spirit.
Think about the transition from Cube’s "The Bird in the Hand" or "Once Upon a Time..." to the music of Parliament-Funkadelic or The Isley Brothers. There is a spiritual through-line there. It’s about the "One"—that first beat of the bar that holds everything together. Funk taught us that even in the midst of chaos (the kind Cube described in the projects), you could find a groove that made you feel invincible.
The love for Funk is a love for the "unfiltered." It’s the crackle of a vinyl record, the sweat of a live brass section, and the vocal acrobatics of James Brown. Ice Cube didn't just use Funk as a backing track; he used it as an emotional foundation. He took the "P-Funk" (Pure Funk) and turned it into "G-Funk" (Gangsta Funk), proving that the genre was fluid enough to handle the harsh realities of the streets.
Part V: The Legacy in 2026
Looking back from 2026, Ice Cube’s influence is more visible than ever. We see it in the way modern artists structure their storytelling and the way "vintage" funk sounds are being resurrected in modern pop and R&B. The BIG3 league, his film career, and his recent albums like Man Down all carry that same "Cube" energy—uncompromising, rhythmic, and rooted in the culture.
We love Ice Cube because he remained a student of the music. He never forgot that his power came from the rhythm of the people. And we love Funk because it is the heartbeat of all modern music. Whether you are listening to a 1990 cassette tape or a 2026 digital stream, the groove remains the same.
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