It Was a Good Day

"It Was a Good Day" is a song by American rapper Ice Cube, released on February 21, 1993 as the second single from his third solo album, The Predator (1992). The song peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and No. 27 on the UK Charts. On the Billboard Hot 100, the song peaked at No. 15, making it Ice Cube's highest-charting single on the chart to date. The song's lyrics describe a generic pleasant day from his life; according to Ice Cube, he had no specific date in mind, though several attempts have been made to identify one. "It Was a Good Day" was ranked at No. 81 on the list of greatest rap songs of all time by About.com, No. 77 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s, No. 36 on Rolling Stone 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time, and No. 352 on the latter's list of Top 500 Best Songs of All Time. In 2008, the song was ranked at No. 28 on VH1's 100 greatest hip-hop songs. Background Ice Cube originally recorded a demo of "It Was a Good Day" in his home studio, and later went on to recorded the album version at Echo Sound Studios in Los Angeles in 1992, where it was one of the first ideas for his upcoming album. He later said, "The inspiration was my life at the time... I was at the top of the rap game. It was the summer of '92 and I was in a hotel room, really in a state of euphoria. I had all the money I had dreamed of. I was in a good frame of mind. And I remember thinking, 'Okay, there's been the riots, people know I will deal with that. That's a given. But I rap all this gangsta stuff—what about all the good days I had?'" Initially, Ice Cube went into the studio with a sample of the Isley Brothers' song "Footsteps in the Dark". DJ Pooh later enhanced the production with bass and vocals. The song samples "Footsteps in the Dark, Pts. 1 & 2" and The Moments' song "Sexy Mama". It has been re-released multiple times, including on Ice Cube's Greatest Hits album, Bootlegs & B-Sides, and The N.W.A Legacy, Vol. 1: 1988–1998.