AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted - Release and Reception

Release and Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
The Austin Chronicle
Robert Christgau	(B-)
Entertainment Weekly	B−
Los Angeles Times	favorable
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
The Source
Uncut
The Washington Post	favorable

AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted initially charted without the support of a lead single or video, although the title track would later receive a pressing, and a rare video for "Who's the Mack?" eventually surfaced. Regardless of very limited promotion, and airplay, the album reached gold status 2 weeks after its release, and was certified Platinum 2 months later.

Upon release, AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted received mostly positive reviews from music critics, and over the years it has been regarded by many as a hip-hop classic. David Jeffries from Allmusic gave the album 5 out of 5 stars and stated; "This street knowledge venom with ultra fast funk works splendidly throughout the album, with every track hitting home AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted is a timeless, riveting exercise in anger, honesty, and the sociopolitical possibilities of hip-hop." Davis Mills from the The Washington Post praised the album for its lyrical dexterity by stating; "Ice Cube has now proven that he was N.W.A.'s crucial element. He's an unusually gifted rhymer, and his delivery is even more self-assured." Greg Sandow from Entertainment Weekly complimented the album's vivid depictions of urban realities, and stated;

Ice Cube emerges as a rapper most original for his uncompromising tone. He throws ghetto life in our faces and dares us to draw our own conclusions. —Greg Sandow

Rolling Stone originally gave the album 2 ½ out of 5 stars in 1990, with Alan Light commenting; "The relentless profanity grows wearisome, the Bomb Squad beats lose steam, and Cube's attitudes toward women are simply despicable." He also declared the album as "a disappointment." Rolling Stone however, gave the album 5 out of 5 stars in 2004, and praised the album for its production, and lyrics.