It was a Good Day - wikipedia It was a Good Day `` It Was a Good Day '' Single by Ice Cube from the album The Predator Released February 24, 1993 Format CD 12 '' Recorded Genre West Coast hip hop gangsta rap Length 4 : 20 Label Priority Songwriter ( s ) Ice Cube, Ernie Isley, Marvin Isley, O'Kelly Isley, Ronald Isley, Rudolph Isley, Chris Jasper Producer ( s ) DJ Pooh Ice Cube singles chronology `` Wicked '' ( 1992 ) `` It Was a Good Day '' ( 1993 ) `` Check Yo Self '' ( 1993 ) `` Wicked '' ( 1992 ) `` It Was a Good Day '' ( 1993 ) `` Check Yo Self '' ( 1993 ) Audio sample file help `` It Was a Good Day '' ( originally known as `` Today Was a Good Day '' ) is a song by American gangsta rapper Ice Cube. It was released in February 1993 as the second single from his third solo album, The Predator. The song peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot R&B / Hip - Hop Songs chart and on the UK Charts at number 27. It was ranked as the 81st - greatest rap song of all time by About.com and number 77 on VH1 's 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s. In 2008, it was ranked number 28 on VH1 's 100 greatest songs of hip hop. Contents 1 Background 2 Music and reception 3 Games 4 Date of the `` Good Day '' 5 Goodyear response 6 Music video 7 Charts and certifications 7.1 Weekly charts 7.2 Year - end charts 7.3 Certifications 8 References 9 External links Background Ice Cube originally recorded a demo of the track in his home studio and went on to record the album version in Los Angeles at Echo Sound Studios during 1992, and it was one of the first ideas for the album sessions. Ice Cube commented on the concept behind the song stating, 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 ? ' Ice Cube initially went into the studio with a sample of the Isley Brothers ' `` Footsteps in the Dark '' and DJ Pooh enhanced the production with bass and vocals. The song has been re-released multiple times, including on Ice Cube 's Greatest Hits album. A remixed version, sampling `` Let 's Do It Again '' by The Staple Singers, appeared on his Bootlegs & B - Sides as well as The N.W.A Legacy, Vol. 1 : 1988 -- 1998. Music and reception The song ( and the music video ) tell the story of how Ice Cube has a good day in South Central Los Angeles. Throughout the song he enjoys playing basketball, having sex, smoking marijuana ( whether coincidentally or on purpose, the song is 4 : 20 in length ), getting drunk, going to his friend Short Dog 's house to watch Yo ! MTV Raps and later win at craps and bones, eating fast food at 2 AM, and cruising the streets of South Central undisturbed, free from having `` to use ( his ) AK. '' He even sees the lights on the Goodyear blimp, which Ice Cube says reads `` Ice Cube 's a Pimp ''. The song samples multiple songs, including the Isley Brothers ' `` Footsteps in the Dark '' and `` Come on Sexy Mama '' by The Moments. The song received generally very positive reviews from critics. Blender magazine writer, Michael Odel, stated it contained a `` chilled - out, feel - good vibe ''. AllMusic 's Jason Birchmeier noted that even though it was The Predator 's `` most laid - back moment, ( It ) emits a quiet sense of violent anxiety. '' and went on to say `` It 's a truly beautiful moment, a career highlight for sure. '' Entertainment Weekly mentioned that he rapped over a `` partly melancholy, partly swaggering beat ( and ) glories in good luck, South Central style ''. Vibe magazine described DJ Pooh 's beat as a `` smoothed - out production ''. It reached number 77 on VH1 's 100 Greatest Songs of the 90 's. It was included in About.com 's Top 100 Rap Songs, at number 81. In 2008, it was ranked number 8 on VH1 's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop. In contrast to the success and popularity of `` It Was a Good Day '', the sampled song which contributed to its fame did not receive such popularity. `` Footsteps in the Dark '' was released as the B - side to `` Groove with You '', which did not chart on either the pop or the R&B singles charts. Games The song appears in the video game Grand Theft Auto : San Andreas on the fictional radio station Radio Los Santos. Date of the `` Good Day '' Stand - up comedian Donovan Strain has deduced the day Ice Cube had a ' Good Day ' using clues within the lyrics of the song. Strain claims that, `` The only day where : Yo ! MTV Raps was on air, it was a clear and smogless day in Los Angeles, beepers or pagers were commercially sold, Lakers beat the SuperSonics, and Ice Cube had no filming commitments was January 20, 1992. '' Deadspin followed up with some fact checking corroborating the claim. However, bloggers have noted several errors in Strain 's reasoning. For example, `` it is unlikely that Ice Cube got ' a beep from Kim ' for a booty call since the likely Kim, Ice Cube 's fiancée by 1992, was eight - months pregnant at the time ''. Due to these errors, an alternative date has been calculated by one blogger to have been November 30, 1988. Ice Cube, however, has stated that the day described in the song is purely fictional. `` It 's a fictional song, '' Cube explained during an interview with Moviefoneabout 21 Jump Street. `` It 's basically my interpretation of what a great day would be. Do you know what I 'm saying ? So, you know, it 's a little of this and a little of that. I do n't think you can pinpoint the day. '' Goodyear response In 2014, Ice Cube agreed to support a crowdfunding campaign started by `` hip - hop loving friends '' who said they wanted to raise and donate $25,000 for the South Central charity `` A Place Called Home '' if the Goodyear Blimp would display the lyrics from the song. After Ice Cube spoke about the campaign on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Goodyear quickly agreed. Due to the nature of the fundraiser and the organization, the original song lyrics `` Ice Cube 's a pimp '' were altered to display `` It 's a good day '' on the Goodyear Blimp. Music video The music video was directed by F. Gary Gray and was first aired during March 1993. At the end of the video, police are depicted surrounding Ice Cube 's house in order to arrest him. It then states `` To Be Continued '' and actually continues in the `` Check Yo Self '' music video. Charts and certifications Weekly charts Chart ( 1993 ) Peak position UK Singles ( Official Charts Company ) 27 US Billboard Hot 100 15 US Hot R&B Singles ( Billboard ) 7 US Hot Rap Songs ( Billboard ) Year - end charts Chart ( 1993 ) Position US Billboard Hot 100 78 US Hot R&B Singles 49 US Hot Rap Songs 25 Certifications Region Certification Certified units / Sales United States ( RIAA ) Gold 600,000 sales figures based on certification alone shipments figures based on certification alone References ^ Jump up to : Michael Odell ( April 2005 ). The Greatest Songs Ever ! It Was a Good Day. Blender. Accessed May 16, 2008. Jump up ^ It Was a Good Day Lyrics. MTV. Accessed May 21, 2008. Jump up ^ It Was a Good Day sample search The - breaks. Accessed May 21, 2008. Jump up ^ Jason Birchmeier. The Predator > Overview AllMusic. Accessed May 16, 2008. Jump up ^ Greg Sandow ( November 20, 1992 ). The Predator Music Review Entertainment Weekly. Accessed May 16, 2008. Jump up ^ Vibe 150 : West Coast Archived October 3, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. Vibe. Accessed May 16, 2008. Jump up ^ 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s. VH1. Accessed May 16, 2008. Jump up ^ Top 100 Rap Songs. About.com. Accessed May 16, 2008. Jump up ^ `` Grand Theft Auto : San Andreas - Radio Los Santos ''. ign.com. Retrieved 18 July 2016. Jump up ^ Murk Avenue Tumblr MurkAve. National Good Day Day Accessed January, 2012. Jump up ^ The Internet Has Discovered The Exact Day Featured In Ice Cube 's `` It Was A Good Day '' DeadSpin. Jump up ^ Dino Gradoni. `` Sadly, January 20, 1992 May Not Be Ice Cube 's ' Good Day ' ''. The Atlantic. Archived from the original on December 15, 2016. Retrieved December 15, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Correction to Murk Avenue : Ice Cube 's ' Good Day ' really was Nov. 30, 1988 ''. Pandemonium. Retrieved 2017 - 07 - 31. ^ Jump up to : `` Ice Cube finally resolves ' It Was A Good Day ' theories : ' It 's a fictional song ' ''. EW.com. 2012 - 03 - 05. Retrieved 2017 - 07 - 31. Jump up ^ Fenske, Sarah. `` Ice Cube Gets His Name on the Goodyear Blimp ( For Real ) ''. www.laweekly.com. L.A. Weekly. Retrieved August 21, 2014. Jump up ^ Fenske, Sarah ( 2014 - 01 - 20 ). `` Ice Cube Gets His Name on the Goodyear Blimp ( For Real ) ''. L.A. Weekly. Retrieved 2017 - 07 - 31. Jump up ^ Ice Cube -- `` It Was a Good Day '' mvdbase. Accessed May 16, 2008. Jump up ^ `` Ice Cube : Artist Chart History ''. Official Charts Company. Jump up ^ `` Ice Cube -- Chart history '' Billboard Hot 100 for Ice Cube. Jump up ^ `` Ice Cube Album & Song Chart History '' Billboard Hot R&B / Hip - Hop Songs for Ice Cube. Jump up ^ `` Ice Cube -- Chart history '' Billboard Hot Rap Songs for Ice Cube. Jump up ^ `` Billboard Top 100 -- 1993 ''. Archived from the original on November 10, 2006. Retrieved August 27, 2010. Jump up ^ `` The Year in Music : R&B '' ( PDF ). Billboard. BPI Communications. 105 ( 52 ) : YE - 29. December 25, 1993. ISSN 0006 - 2510. Retrieved May 4, 2015. Jump up ^ `` The Year in Music : Rap '' ( PDF ). Billboard. BPI Communications. 105 ( 52 ) : YE - 27. December 25, 1993. ISSN 0006 - 2510. Retrieved May 4, 2015. Jump up ^ `` American single certifications -- Ice Cube -- It Was a Good Day ''. Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH Jump up ^ `` Best - Selling Records of 1993 ''. Billboard. BPI Communications. 106 ( 3 ) : 73. January 15, 1994. ISSN 0006 - 2510. Retrieved May 4, 2015. External links Music video on YouTube Audio on YouTube Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics Ice Cube Studio albums AmeriKKKa 's Most Wanted Death Certificate The Predator Lethal Injection War & Peace Vol. 1 War & Peace Vol. 2 Laugh Now, Cry Later Raw Footage I Am the West Extended plays Kill at Will Compilations Bootlegs & B - Sides Featuring... Ice Cube Greatest Hits In the Movies The Essentials Singles `` Endangered Species ( Tales from the Darkside ) '' `` Steady Mobbin ' '' `` True to the Game '' `` Wicked '' `` It Was a Good Day '' `` Check Yo Self '' `` Really Doe '' `` You Know How We Do It '' `` Bop Gun ( One Nation ) '' `` The World Is Mine '' `` We Be Clubbin ' '' `` Men of Steel '' `` Pushin ' Weight '' `` Hello '' `` You Can Do It '' `` Until We Rich '' `` $100 Bill Y'all '' `` Why We Thugs '' `` Go to Church '' `` Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It '' `` Do Ya Thang '' `` I Rep That West '' `` Sic Them Youngins On ' Em '' Other songs `` No Vaseline '' Related articles Discography N.W.A Westside Connection C.I.A. Da Lench Mob Lench Mob Records Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=It_Was_a_Good_Day&oldid=804608974 '' Categories : 1993 singles Ice Cube songs Music videos directed by F. Gary Gray Billboard Rap Songs number - one singles Songs written by Ice Cube Songs about Los Angeles 1993 songs Song recordings produced by DJ Pooh Priority Records singles Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Use mdy dates from August 2011 Articles with hAudio microformats All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from October 2017 Singlechart usages for UKsinglesbyname Singlechart called without song Singlechart usages for Billboardhot100 Singlechart usages for Billboardrapsongs Certification Table Entry usages for United States Talk Contents About Wikipedia Dansk Español Français Italiano Português Simple English Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 10 October 2017, at 02 : 45. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. 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Question: when was the song today was a good day made
Answer: 1992