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Ice Cube

 
Gale Contemporary Black Biography:

Ice Cube

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Ice Cube
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rap musician; songwriter; music producer; actor

Personal Information

Born O'Shea Jackson, c. 1969, in Los Angeles, CA; son of Hosea (a machinist and groundskeeper) and Doris (a hospital clerk) Jackson; married, Kimberly Jackson, 1993; children, Darryl, O'Shea Jr., Kareema.
Education: Phoenix Institute of Technology, graduated, 1988.

Career

Rap singer, producer, actor. Member of and writer for rap group N.W.A., 1986-89; solo artist, 1989-; solo albums include: AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted, 1990; Death Certificate, 1991; The Predator, 1992; Lethal Injection, 1993; War & Peace, Vol. 1 (The War Disc), 1998; War & Peace, Vol. 2 (The Peace Disc), 2000; formed record production company, Street Knowledge, 1990; produced for rapper Yo Yo; formed record production company, Lynch Mob, 1992; directed music videos, 1993; films include: Boyz N' the Hood, 1991; Trespass, 1993; CB4, 1993; Higher Learning, 1994; Friday, (also writer) 1995; Dangerous Ground, (also executive producer) 1997; Anaconda, 1997; Players Club, (also writer and director) 1998; I Got the Hook Up, 1998; Three Kings, 1999; Next Friday, (also writer) 2000; Shadow Man, 2000; Ghost of Mars, 2001; All About the Benjamins, 2001; formed movie production company, CubeVision.

Life's Work

"With an eye that magnifies brutal characters and violent situations, Ice exposes a world that seems on the brink of exploding in the ear of the listener," wrote Havelock Nelson and Michael Gonzales in their book, Bring the Noise: A Guide to Rap Music and Hip-Hop Culture. A native of South Central Los Angeles who recorded with the notorious group N.W.A. before going solo, Ice Cube has often been a lightning rod for controversy; his N.W.A. song "F--- tha Police " and solo raps like "Black Korea " have elicited angry denunciations, threats, and protests. Yet Cube has argued repeatedly that his lyrics simply hold a mirror up to the reality of inner-city life. In the meantime, his records have gone platinum, his participation in the 1992 Lollapalooza festival gained him an avid following among young white rock fans, and his appearances in films and cultivation of other acts have opened up new career avenues. He has also demonstrated an evolving view of race issues.

Ice Cube was born O'Shea Jackson in 1969--four years after the Watts Riots shook the foundations of Los Angeles and placed the race relations crisis in focus for the nation. His mother, Doris, who, like O'Shea's father, Hosea, hailed from the southern United States, named her son after her favorite football player, O. J. Simpson. A better-than-average student, he attended Hawthorne Christian School where he dabbled in sports. Like many of his friends, O'Shea committed a few petty crimes but was not involved in heavy gang violence. While funk and soul dominated inner-city radio during his youth, nothing caught O'Shea's ear quite the new sounds of rap that arrived toward the end of the 1970s. "When I first heard [the Sugarhill Gang's] 'Rapper's Delight,' I couldn't stop rewinding it, " he told Art Form. "It did nothing but grab me. By the age of 14, I was writing my own raps, and seeing [influential "gansta" rapper] Ice-T in concert for the first time. "

O'Shea--who now called himself Ice Cube--was also hanging around with his friend Jinx, who shared his passion for rap. After hearing Cube's first rap--written during typing class--Jinx agreed to make a tape with him. Cube admitted to Rolling Stone that this early effort was "pathetic. The beat was going, and I was over in the left corner. The lyrics, they were cool, but they wasn't no exciting type of mind-boggling shit. I was only 15, you know. " In 1986, Jinx's cousin, Dr. Dre, hooked Cube up with Eric "Eazy E" Wright, who had financed an independent record label--Ruthless Records--with proceeds from his drug dealing. Eazy asked Cube to write material for a New York-based group called HBO, which had signed with Ruthless.

N.W.A. Shook Rap World

Cube collaborated with Dr. Dre on a track called "Boyz-n-the-Hood, " an uncompromising tune about life on the streets of Compton. HBO didn't want the song, so Eazy recorded the song himself in 1986. Then he, Cube and Dr. Dre became Niggas With Attitude, or N.W.A. The group's records--many written and rapped by Cube--garnered them a following, and they seemed embarked on a lucrative career. But Cube's mother insisted that he get an education, so at age 18, he headed off for the Phoenix Institute of Technology. After a year-long drafting course, Cube returned to Los Angeles and started up with the group in earnest.

Cube wrote material for Eazy's solo effort, Eazy-Duz-It, Ruthless released in 1988. N.W.A.'s first LP, Straight Outta Compton, appeared on the Priority label in 1989. Featuring the controversial single "F--- tha Police, " which prompted a threatening letter to the record company from the FBI, the album went platinum in three months without the benefit of any radio airplay. Listening to the album, Nelson and Gonzales wrote in Bring the Noise, "is like sitting in the Theatre of Urban Mojo, staring at rapidly changing images of ghetto angst." While the authors charge that the band received harsh criticism because it told the truth about young black men's lives, they admit that the songs are an assault on the listener. Yet, they add, "in some way one cannot help but become attracted to the brutal images--it's like staring at an auto accident. "

Solo Success

Despite N.W.A.'s massive success, Ice Cube got into a dispute with the group's manager, Jerry Heller. After a 50-city tour and record grosses of over $3 million, Cube found he'd earned a mere $32,000. Following further negotiations he was compensated, but decided to leave the group. "N.W.A.'s still a strong group without Ice Cube, " the rapper remarked to Musician. "But Ice Cube is not as strong with N.W.A. as he is by himself. " He formed his own label, Street Knowledge, hiring new talent such as female rapper Yo-Yo. His first solo album, AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted--released on Priority in 1990--was quickly certified platinum. Produced in collaboration with Public Enemy's Chuck D. and the Bomb Squad, the album convinced many that Cube was the real force behind N.W.A.'s hardest-hitting work, and that as a solo artist he would be a major force. Spin called it "a masterpiece. " Yo-Yo debuted on the track "It's a Man's World, " matching Cube's well-known sexism with savvy responses; some listeners viewed her inclusion as a tempering of Cube's alleged misogyny. Indeed, Ice Cube also produced Yo-Yo's 1990 album Make Way For the Motherlode and would serve as executive producer on her 1992 sophomore effort, Black Pearl. Still, Nelson and Gonzales declared that "the sexism found on [AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted] is counterproductive to the goals of the struggle " for black liberation.

In 1991, Priority released Cube's Kill At Will, another highly successful record that earned strong reviews. Art Form praised the single "Dead Homiez " as "a harrowing and sorrowful tale of a funeral for a friend." That same year, Cube made his acting debut in John Singleton's hit movie Boyz N' the Hood, playing the haunted, violent Doughboy to generally favorable reviews.

Attacked as Racist

With the release of Death Certificate, Ice Cube once again plunged into controversy. Apparently anti-Semitic references to Heller in "No Vaseline " and hostile words for Korean grocers in "Black Korea " triggered a wave of protests from organizations like the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference; even Billboard condemned the record in an editorial. Cube's apparent racism and misogyny sparked considerable comment, though he and some of his defenders noticed that critics were silent on the subject of black-on-black violence.

At the same time, however, Cube impressed many critics with his prowess as a rapper and observer of life on the streets: Entertainment Weekly called 1991's Death Certificate "20 tracks of the most visceral music ever allowed in public, " awarding it an "A- " grade. Spin admired the record's "big, slap-happy beats " but took Cube to task for what critic Dimitri Ehrlich deemed racist, sexist, and homophobic material. Side one--the "Death Side "--begins with the sound of a funeral; "the life side " commences with a birth. "The 'death' side is the condition we're in now, " Cube explained to Ehrlich in Interview, adding that "There are more positive records on the 'life' side, because while the 'death' side shows you where we at, 'life' shows you where we going. "

Widened Appeal on Tour

Following Ice-T's successful run on the first Lollapalooza traveling rock festival in 1991, Cube appeared on the bill for Lollapalooza 2 in 1992, sharing the stage with funk-rockers the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Seattle-based grungemeisters Soundgarden, and Pearl Jam, among many others. Almost every rock act on the bill heaped praise on Cube, and the Chili Peppers went so far as to appear in a video for his 1992 album The Predator. Another, much more important event came between Death Certificate and The Predator, however: the Los Angeles riots in the spring of 1992. After a group of white police officers who were videotaped beating black motorist Rodney King were acquitted by an all-white jury, the city exploded in acts of random violence. Fans looked to Cube for a definitive statement on the riots.

The Predator earned an "A- " from Entertainment Weekly's Greg Sandow, who observed that "what's most striking here are songs--Ice Cube's strongest, most cohesive work yet--about the perils of everyday South Central life. " Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times--who called Cube's first and second LPs "two of the most compelling albums ever in rap "--found that despite its consistencies, the album's best moments make it "essential listening." Still, Hilburn criticized the rapper for "failing to deal more directly with the events of [the riots]." The album debuted at Number One on the Billboard pop and rhythm and blues charts simultaneously, the first album to do so since Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life in 1976.

On top of enhanced fame from his new hit record, Cube would soon become even better known thanks to another film role. This time he starred with Ice-T in the film Trespass, a crime thriller whose working title had been Looters but was changed in response to the 1992 riots. Meanwhile, Reflex magazine reported that Ice Cube had donated $25,000 to the Los Angeles-based Minority AIDS Project, and Option noted his donation of proceeds from a new single to post-riot relief efforts.

End of N.W.A.; Continued Solo Success

Just as The Predator was raiding the charts, Rolling Stone announced that N.W.A. had apparently disbanded. Ice Cube, however, appeared on top of his game. His 1993 release Lethal Injection was one of the year's most eagerly anticipated albums. While some critics praised it, Kevin Powell of Vibe declared it "not the masterpiece it could have been." Time, meanwhile, claimed that "Ice Cube's raps about police brutality and white immorality enter the ear and expand in the brain like a Black Talon bullet; his lyrics are sometimes inexcusable, but his logic is often inescapable. Ignore his high-caliber insights at your peril. "

Bell Hooks, a feminist theorist, explored Cube's perceived misogyny and thoughts on attaining black self-love in an interview with the rapper published in Spin. "Black women have always been the backbone of the community, " he declared, "and it's up to the black man to support the backbone. " He also insisted that "I do records for black kids, and white kids are basically eavesdropping. White kids need to hear what we got to say about them, and their forefathers, and uncles, and everybody that's done us wrong." Additionally, he admitted wanting to move into "straight political records " but didn't want to change the content of his records too abruptly.

By 1994, Cube's life had undergone some changes. Reported Vibe, "He's happily married, a follower of the beliefs of the Nation of Islam, and the father of a little namesake (O'Shea Jackson, Jr.), with a baby girl on the way. Fans and detractors alike will tell you that Cube seems a lot less angry these days. " He starred in Singleton's feature Higher Learning, directed some music videos, and announced plans to eventually move into feature film direction. Although the scourge of white America appeared to have gone mainstream, Lethal Injection had done little to rehabilitate Cube in the eyes of his critics; in interviews, Cube's more conciliatory remarks were still tempered with flareups of the old fury. He also trumpeted the Nation of Islam's demand for a separate black country. Yet the "new " Cube reflected a more pragmatic sensibility; as he insisted to Vibe, "I know that killing a nigga' down the street ain't going to solve none of my problems at all. And I don't put that into my records, unless I'm explaining a situation. I ain't stupid no more. And some people can't deal with that. "

Not Your Average Rap Artist

The more mature and sensible Cube also began to solidify the new direction in his professional life. The next few years would paint the rapper as more of a producer of movies than music. Cube made his film writing debut in 1995 with the release of the hugely successful movie Friday. The film featured F. Gary Gray in the director's chair and comedian Chris Tucker in the costar seat. The movie launched the big screen career for both Gray--who had done videos for Cube and Queen Latifah--and Tucker, who had experienced success with HBO's Def Comedy Jam. With a budget of $2 million, Friday has since grossed more than $80 million dollars.

Cube acted as executive producer and star in his next movie, Dangerous Ground, and costarred in horror flick Anaconda with Jennifer Lopez. And as he planned, his ever-changing position in Hollywood filmmaking was approaching a milestone. His next role would be as director, writer and actor in The Players Club. This directorial debut for Cube had a bigger budget than Friday--$5 million--and proved with opening week returns of more than $8 million, to be a financial success as well. The Players Club boasted the highest per-screen gross of the movies opening during the same weekend. Cube, now a rapper, writer, producer, actor and director, was also now a member of the small Hollywood Club of moneymaking film directors.

With the confidence that success was possible in the film world, Cube went back to his roots recording War & Peace, a two volume disc set that dropped Volume 1, in 1998. War & Peace, Vol. 1 (The War Disc) debuted with mild reviews. The rap artist, however, was still applauded for his impressive rhyme flow. He also tackled more movie roles, staring in Three Kings with George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg in 1999. War & Peace, Vol. 2 (The Peace Disc) was released in 2000 and has sold close to 750,000 units. To promote the release, Cube joined the successful Up In Smoke Tour during the summer. Along with Cube, the tour featured Dr. Dre, Eminem, and Snoop Doggy Dogg.

Cube also revisited his early success with a follow up to Friday--Next Friday. His production company, CubeVision, produced the movie for New Line Cinema as part of production pact that had extended through 2002. The production pact folded after New Line turned down several projects recommended by Cube. He then began working on two films slated for release in 2001: Ghost of Mars and All About the Benjamins. Cube has placed great stock in advice his mentor, John Singleton, has offered. "He said if you can write a record, you can write a movie," Cube explained in Jet. Following that advice, Cube has found great success as a filmmaker, as well as a musician.

Works

Selected discography

  • With N.W.A.
  • Boyz-n-the-Hood, Priority, 1986.
  • Straight Outta Compton, Priority, 1989.
  • As solo artist
  • AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted, Priority, 1990.
  • Kill at Will, Priority, 1991.
  • Death Certificate, Priority, 1991.
  • The Predator, Priority, 1992.
  • Lethal Injection, Priority, 1993.
  • War & Peace, Vol. 1, (The War Disc), Priority, 1998.
  • War & Peace, Vol. 2, (The Peace Disc), Priority, 2000.
Selected filmography
  • Boyz N' the Hood, 1991.
  • Trespass, 1993.
  • CB4, 1993.
  • Higher Learning, 1994.
  • Friday, (also writer) 1995.
  • Dangerous Ground, (also executive producer) 1997.
  • Anaconda, 1997.
  • Players Club, (also writer and director) 1998.
  • I Got the Hook Up, 1998.
  • Three Kings, 1999.
  • Next Friday, (also writer) 2000.
  • Shadow Man, 2000.
  • Ghost of Mars, 2001.
  • All About the Benjamins, 2001.

Further Reading

Books

  • Nelson, Havelock, and Michael Gonzales, Bring the Noise: A Guide to Rap Music and Hip-Hop Culture, Harmony Books, 1991, pp. 87-89.
Periodicals
  • Art Form, 1992, pp. 42-49.
  • Daily Variety, November 23, 1992, p. 6.
  • Entertainment Weekly, November 15, 1991, pp. 90-91; November 20, 1992, p. 88; May 12, 1995, pp. 43; April 17, 1998, pp. 48; October 8, 1999, pp. 22.
  • Hollywood Reporter, January, 2001.
  • Interview, December 1991, p. 89.
  • Jet, February 28, 2000, pp. 58.
  • Los Angeles Times, November 15, 1992, p. 64.
  • Musician, March 1991, pp. 58-61.
  • Newsweek, December 2, 1991, p. 69; April 27, 1998, pp. 72.
  • Option, July 1992, p. 146.
  • Pulse!, August 1992, p. 65.
  • Reflex, November 10, 1992, p. 11.
  • Rolling Stone, October 4, 1990, pp. 78-86, 166.
  • Spin, January 1992; March 1992, pp. 33-37; April 1993.
  • Time, January 3, 1994, p. 85.
  • Variety, January 17, 2000, pp. 50.
  • Vibe, February 1994; March 1994, pp. 41-46.

— Simon Glickman and Leslie Rochelle

AMG AllMovie Guide:

Ice Cube

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Biography

One of the most powerful and uncompromising artists in rap music, Ice Cube enjoyed a surprisingly smooth transition into a career in motion pictures, first distinguishing himself as an actor and later branching out into writing, producing, and directing. Born O'Shea Jackson in South Central Los Angeles on June 15, 1969, Ice Cube came from a working class family, with both his father and mother employed by U.C.L.A. Ice Cube began writing lyrics when he was in ninth grade; a friend in a high school typing class challenged him to see who could come up with a better rap, and when he won the contest, Cube began honing his hip-hop skills in earnest. Before long, Ice Cube had formed a rap group called CIA with a friend, a DJ known as Sir Jinx. CIA began playing parties organized by Dr. Dre (born Andre Young), a member of a popular local hip-hop group called The World Class Wrecking Cru, and Cube and Dre both got to know Eazy-E (born Eric Wright), a rapper with a group called HBO who had started his own record company, financed by his successful career as a drug dealer. In time, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, and Eazy-E joined forces with DJ Yella (born Antoine Carraby) and MC Ren (born Lorenzo Patterson) to form the group N.W.A. With their 1988 album Straight Outta Compton, N.W.A.'s profane and provocative lyrics (particularly the infamous "F -- -- Tha Police") made them one of the most controversial groups in the history of rap music, and if they weren't the first gangsta rappers, they certainly brought the sound to a mass audience for the first time.

In 1989, Cube, dissatisfied with N.W.A.'s management (and the fact he had been paid a mere 30,000 dollars for writing and performing on an album which sold three million copies), decided to leave the group and strike out on his own. He released his first solo album, AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted, in 1990, and the disc's blunt, forceful sound and aggressive blend of street life and political commentary proved there was life for the rapper after N.W.A.. The following year, after releasing the follow-up EP Kill at Will, and a second album, Death Certificate, Cube made his acting debut in John Singleton's gritty look at life in South Central Los Angeles, Boyz N The Hood, which drew its name from an early N.W.A. track. Cube received strong reviews for his performance as ex-con Doughboy, and a year later starred opposite fellow rap trailblazer Ice-T in Walter Hill's Trespass. In 1995, Cube reunited with Singleton for the drama Higher Learning, and, later that year, expanded his repertoire by starring in Friday, a comedy he also wrote and produced.

With his career in the movies on the rise, Cube spent less and less time in the recording studio, although he often contributed to the soundtracks of the films in which he appeared, and recorded with the L.A. all-star group Westside Connection. In 1998, Cube added directing to his list of accomplishments with The Players Club, for which he also served as screenwriter and executive producer, as well as played a supporting role as Reggie. The same year, he released his first solo album in four years, War and Peace, Vol. One: The War Disc. Cube went on to write and produce sequels to both Friday and All About the Benjamins, which co-starred his Friday sidekick, Mike Epps. He also continued to work in films for other writers and filmmakers, including Three Kings, Ghosts of Mars, and the extremely successful urban comedy Barbershop.

In 2004, Cube's career continued to pick up steam. He appeared in the motor-cycle action thriller Torque, as well as Barbershop 2: Back in Business. By the next year, he was taking over for Vin Diesel, starring in XXX: State of the Union, as well as branching into the realm of family comedy with Are We There Yet?. Both were box office gold, and Cube went on to follow up the latter with 2007's sequel Are We Done Yet?. ~ Rovi
Gale Musician Profiles:

Ice Cube

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Rap singer, actor

"With an eye that magnifies brutal characters and violent situations, Ice Cube exposes a world that seems on the brink of exploding in the ear of the listener," wrote Havelock Nelson and Michael Gonzales in their book Bring the Noise: A Guide to Rap Music and Hip-Hop Culture. A native of South Central Los Angeles who recorded with the notorious group N.W.A. before going solo, Ice Cube has often been a lightning rod for controversy; his N.W.A. song "F— tha Police" and solo raps like "Black Korea" have elicited angry denunciations, threats, and protests. Yet Cube has argued repeatedly that his lyrics simply hold a mirror up to the reality of inner-city life. In the meantime, his records have gone platinum, his participation in the 1992 Lollapalooza festival has gained him an avid following among young white rock fans, and his appearances in films and cultivation of other acts have opened up new career avenues.

Ice Cube was born O’Shea Jackson in 1969; his mother, Doris—who like O’Shea’s father, Hosea, hailed from the southern United States—named him after her favorite football player, O.J. Simpson. A better-than-aver-age student described by Doris as "a very nice young man" in a Rolling Stone profile, Cube attended Hawthorne Christian School for a time and dabbled in sports. He grew up in the shadow of the 1965 Watts Riots, which shook the foundations of Los Angeles and put the race relations crisis in focus for the nation. Like many of his friends, Cube committed a few petty crimes during his youth but was no gangbanger. While funk and soul dominated inner-city radio when he was young, nothing caught his ear quite the way rap did when it arrived toward the end of the seventies. "When I first heard [the Sugarhill Gang’s] ’Rapper’s Delight,’ I couldn’t stop rewinding it," he told Art Form. "It did nothing but grab me. By the age of 14, I was writing my own raps, and seeing [influential ’gangsta’ rapper] Ice-T in concert for the first time."

Hooked Up With Dr. Dre and Eazy E
He was also hanging around with his friend Jinx, who shared his passion for rap. After hearing O’Shea’s first rap—written during typing class—Jinx agreed to make a tape with him. Cube told Rolling Stone that this early effort was "pathetic. The beat was going, and I was over in the left corner. The lyrics, they were cool, but they wasn’t no exciting type of mind-boggling shit. I was only fifteen, you know." In 1986 Jinx’s cousin Dr. Dre hooked Cube up with Eric "Eazy E" Wright, who

had financed an independent record label—Ruthless Records—with proceeds from his drug dealing. Eazy E asked Cube to write material for a New York group called HBO, which had signed with Ruthless.

Cube collaborated with Dre on a track called "Boyz-n-the-Hood," an uncompromising tune about life on the streets of Compton, an industrial city just south of L.A. HBO didn’t want the song, so Eazy E recorded it himself in 1986. Then he, Cube, and Dr. Dre became Niggas With Attitude, or N.W.A. The group’s records—many written and rapped by Cube—garnered them a following, and they seemed to be embarking on a lucrative career. But Cube’s mother insisted that he get an education, so at age eighteen he headed off for the Phoenix Institute of Technology. After a year-long drafting course, he returned to Los Angeles and started up with the group in earnest.

Cube wrote material for Eazy E’s solo effort, Eazy-Duz-It, which came out on Ruthless in 1988. N.W.A.’s first release, Straight Outta Compton, appeared on the Priority label in 1989. Featuring the controversial single "F— tha Police," which prompted a threatening letter to the record company from the FBI, the album went platinum in three months without the benefit of radio airplay. Listening to the album, wrote Nelson and Gonzales in Bring the Noise, "is like sitting in the Theatre of Urban Mojo, staring at rapidly changing images of ghetto angst." While the authors charged that the band received harsh criticism because it told the truth about young black men’s lives, they admitted that the songs are an assault on the listener. Yet, they added: "In some way one cannot help but become attracted to the brutal images—it’s like staring at an auto accident."

AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted
Despite N.W.A.’s massive success, Ice Cube got into a dispute with the group’s manager, Jerry Heller. After a fifty-city tour and record grosses of over $3 million, Cube found he’d earned a mere $32,000. After some negotiation, he was compensated but decided to leave the group. "N.W.A.’s still a strong group without Ice Cube," the rapper remarked to Musician. "But Ice Cube is not as strong with N.W.A. as he is by himself." He went on to form his own production company, Street Knowledge, hiring new talent such as female rapper Yo Yo. His first solo album, AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted— released in 1990 on Priority—was certified platinum. Produced in collaboration with Public Enemy’s Chuck D. and the Bomb Squad, the album convinced many that Cube was the real force behind N.W.A.’s hardest-hitting work and that as a solo artist he would be a major force.

Spin magazine called AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted "a masterpiece." Yo Yo debuted on the track "It’s a Man’s World," matching Cube’s well-known sexism with savvy responses; some listeners viewed the inclusion of Yo Yo as a tempering of Cube’s alleged misogyny. Indeed, Ice Cube also produced Yo Yo’s 1990 album Make Way for the Motherlode and would serve as executive producer on her 1992 effort, Black Pearl. Still, Nelson and Gonzales declared that "the sexism found on [AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted] is counterproductive to the goals of the struggle" for black liberation.

In 1991 Priority released Cube’s Kill at Will EP, another highly successful record that earned strong reviews. Art Form praised the single "Dead Homiez" as "a harrowing and sorrowful tale of a funeral for a friend," and also spoke highly of the song "The Product," about which Cube remarked, "It says a kid is just a product of his social background. Put him around lawyers, he’s gonna want to be a lawyer. Put him around gangbangers, he’s gonna want to be a gangbanger." That same year, Cube starred in John Singleton’s hit movie Boyz N the Hood, playing the haunted, violent Doughboy. He received generally favorable reviews in his film debut.

Attacked as Racist
With the release of his second solo offering, Death Certificate, Ice Cube once again plunged into controversy. Apparently anti-Semitic references in "No Vaseline" and hostile words for Korean grocers in "Black Korea" triggered a wave of protests from organizations like the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference; even Billboard magazine condemned the record in an editorial. Cube’s apparent racism and misogyny sparked considerable comment, though he and some of his defenders noticed his critics were silent on the subject of black-on-black violence.

At the same time, however, Cube impressed many critics with his prowess as a rapper and observer of life on the streets:Entertainment Weekly called Death Certificate "20 tracks of the most visceral music ever allowed in public," awarding it an "A-" grade. Spin admired the record’s "big, slap-happy beats" but took Cube to task for what critic Dimitri Ehrlich deemed racist, sexist, and homophobic material. Side one—the "death" side—begins with the sound of a funeral; the "life" side commences with a birth. "The ‘death’ side is the condition we’re in now," Cube explained to Ehrlich in Interview, adding that "there are more positive records on the ‘life’ side, because while the ‘death’ side shows you where we at, ‘life’ shows you where we going."

Following fellow rapper Ice-T’s successful run on the 1991 Lollapalooza rock festival organized by rocker Perry Farrell, Cube appeared on the bill for Lollapalooza 2 in 1992. He shared the stage with funk-rockers the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Seattle grungemeisters Sound-garden and Pearl Jam, among many others. Almost every rock act on the bill heaped praise on Cube, and the Chili Peppers went so far as to appear in a video for his 1992 album, The Predator. But a much more significant event came between Death Certificate and The Predator: the Los Angeles riots in the spring of 1992. After a group of white police officers—whom the nation had seen beating black motorist Rodney King on videotape—were acquitted by an all-white jury, the city exploded in arson, looting, and random violence. Many listeners looked to Cube for a definitive statement on the riots.

The Predator earned an "A-" from Entertainment Weekly’s Greg Sandow, who observed that "what’s most striking here are songs—Ice Cube’s strongest, most cohesive work yet—about the perils of everyday South Central life." Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times— who called Cube’s first and second efforts "two of the most compelling albums ever in rap"—found the best moments of The Predator make it "essential listening." But Hilburn criticized Cube for "failing to deal more directly with the events of last spring [the riots]." Still, the album faced few obstacles: it debuted at Number One on the Billboard R&B and pop charts simultaneously, the first album to do so since Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life in 1976 and the first rap album ever to debut at Number One on the pop chart. Daily Variety reported in late November that the record seemed destined for platinum sales.

Rolling Stone noted in late 1992—just as The Predator raided the charts—that N.W.A. had apparently disbanded. Ice Cube, however, despite widespread attacks and calls for censorship of his uncompromising lyrics, promised to be around for quite a while. Part of his longevity would appear to derive from his ability to evolve as an artist. He told Daily Variety that he wanted The Predator to demonstrate, among other things, that "I’m not pissed off 24 hours a day." He noted: "I don’t want to be stuck in the same mode. I’m a rapper and I wanted to demonstrate my skills as a rapper." While no one appeared to doubt his skills, he seemed to impress even his harshest critics with the power of his images. As he had told Spin in an earlier interview, "You’ve got to make the people who are buying your records feel."

On top of enhanced fame from a new hit record, Cube’s face would soon become even better known thanks to another film role and a generous charitable donation that captured additional media attention. He starred with Ice-T in the film Trespass, a crime thriller the working title of which had been Looters but was changed in response to the riots; and according to Reflex magazine’s November 1992 issue, the rapper donated $25,000 to the Los Angeles-based Minority AIDS Project.

Selected discography

With N.W.A.
"Boyz-n-the-Hood" (single), Priority, 1986.
Straight Outta Compton (includes "F— tha Police"), Priority, 1989.

Solo releases
AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted (includes "It’s a Man’s World"), Priority, 1990.
Kill at Will (EP; includes "Dead Homiez" and "The Product"), Priority, 1991.
Death Certificate (includes "Black Korea" and "No Vaseline"), Priority, 1991.
The Predator, Priority, 1992.
(Contributor; with Ice-T) Trespass (soundtrack), Sire, 1992.
(Contributor) "Get the Fist" (single), 1992.

Producer of Yo Yo’s Make Way for the Motherlode, Priority, 1990, and executive producer of Black Pearl, EastWest, 1992.

Sources
Books
Nelson, Havelock, and Michael Gonzales, Bring the Noise: A Guide to Rap Music and Hip-Hop Culture, Harmony Books, 1991.

Periodicals
Art Form, No. 17, 1992.
Billboard, April 24, 1993.
Daily Variety, November 23, 1992.
Details, January 1993.
Entertainment Weekly, November 15, 1991; November 20, 1992; December 18, 1992.
Interview, December 1991.
Los Angeles Times, November 15, 1992.
Metro Times (Detroit), March 31, 1993.
Musician, March 1991; February 1993.
Newsweek, December 2, 1991.
People, January 11, 1993.
Pulse!, August 1992.
Reflex, November 10, 1992.
Rolling Stone, October 4, 1990; January 7, 1993.
Spin, January 1992; March 1992; January 1993; April 1993.
Time, December 28, 1992.
Additional information for this profile was obtained from Priority Records publicity materials, 1992.
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Artists:

Ice Cube

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  • Genres: Rap

Biography

Ice Cube was the first member of the seminal California rap group N.W.A. to leave, and he quickly established himself as one of hip-hop's best and most controversial artists. From the outset of his career, he courted controversy, since his rhymes were profane and political. As a solo artist, his politics and social commentary sharpened substantially, and his first two records, AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted and Death Certificate, were equally praised and reviled for their lyrical stance, which happened to be considerably more articulate than many of his gangsta peers. As his career progressed, Cube's influence began to decline, particularly as he tried to incorporate elements of contemporary groups like Cypress Hill into his sound, but his stature never diminished, and he remained one of the biggest rap stars throughout the '90s.

For such a revolutionary figure, Cube (born O'Shea Jackson) came from a surprisingly straight background. Raised in South Central Los Angeles, where both of his parents had jobs at UCLA, Cube didn't become involved with b-boy culture until his late teens. He began writing raps while in high school, including "Boyz-n-the Hood." With his partner Sir Jinx, Cube began rapping in a duo called CIA at parties hosted by Dr. Dre, and he eventually met Eazy-E, then leading a group called HBO, through Dre. Eazy asked Cube to write a rap, and he presented them with "Boyz-n-the Hood," which was rejected. Eazy decided to leave CIA, and he, Cube, and Dre formed the first incarnation of N.W.A. Cube left to study architectural drafting at Phoenix, AZ, in 1987, returning the following year after he obtained a one-year degree. He arrived just in time for N.W.A.'s breakthrough album, Straight Outta Compton. Released late in 1988, Straight Outta Compton became an underground hit over the course of 1989, and its extreme lyrical content -- which was over-the-top both lyrically and politically -- attracted criticism, most notably from the FBI.

N.W.A. may have been rivaling Public Enemy as the most notorious group in hip-hop, but Cube was having deep conflicts with their management, resulting in him leaving the band in late 1989. He went to New York with his new posse, da Lench Mob, and recorded his first solo album with Public Enemy's production team, the Bomb Squad. Released in the spring of 1990, his debut AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted was an instant hit, going gold within its first two weeks of release. While the record's production and Cube's rhythmic skills were praised, his often violent, homophobic, and misogynist lyrics were criticized, particularly by the rock press and moral watchdogs. Even amid such controversy, the album was hailed as a groundbreaking classic within hip-hop, and it established Cube as an individual force. He began his own corporation, which was run by a woman, and he produced the debut album from his female protégée, Yo-Yo. At the end of 1990, he released the EP Kill at Will, which was followed in the spring by Yo-Yo's debut, Make Way for the Motherlode. That summer, his acting debut in John Singleton's acclaimed urban drama Boyz 'n the Hood was widely praised.

AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted may have been controversial, but it paled next the furor surrounding Cube's second album, Death Certificate. Released late in 1991, Death Certificate was simultaneously more political and vulgar than its predecessor, causing more outrage. In particular, "No Vaseline," a vicious attack on N.W.A. manager Jerry Heller, was perceived as anti-Semitic, and "Black Korea" was taken as a racist invocation to burn down all Korean-owned grocery stores. The songs provoked a public condemnation from the trade publication Billboard. It was the first time an artist had been singled out by the magazine. The furor over Death Certificate didn't prevent it from reaching number two and going platinum. During 1992, he toured with the second Lollapalooza tour in a successful attempt to consolidate his white rock audience. He also converted to the Nation of Islam during 1992, which was evident on his next album, The Predator. Upon its release in December of 1992, The Predator became the first album to debut at number one on both the pop and R&B charts. The steady-rolling single "It Was a Good Day" and the Das EFX collaboration "Check Yo Self" made the album Cube's most popular.

However, Cube's hold on the mass rap audience was beginning to slip. His former colleague, Dre, was dominating hip-hop with his stoned G-funk, and Cube tried to keep pace with 1993's Lethal Injection. While the album debuted at number five and went platinum, its funkier sound wasn't well-received. Lethal Injection was Cube's last official album for several years. In 1994, he wrote and produced da Lench Mob's debut, Guerillas in tha Mist, and produced Kam's debut, Neva Again, releasing a remix and rarities collection Bootlegs & B-Sides at the end of the year. In 1995, he kept quiet, appearing in Singleton's film Higher Learning and making amends with Dre on their duet "Natural Born Killaz." The following year, he acted in the comedy Friday, which he wrote himself. He also formed Westside Connection with Mack 10 and WC, releasing their debut album, Bow Down, at the end of the year. It went gold within its first month of release. In the spring of 1997, Cube starred in the surprise hit horror film Anaconda. War & Peace, Vol. 1 (The War Disc) followed in 1998; its sequel, The Peace Disc, followed two years later.

Cube spent the next few years devoting his time to film. Three Kings, Ghosts of Mars, and the big hit Barbershop all appeared in theaters before the rapper returned to music with Westside Connection's sophomore effort, Terrorist Threats, which appeared in 2003. Three years later he revived his barely used Lench Mobb label for his solo comeback album, Laugh Now, Cry Later. In the Movies, a compilation of soundtrack cuts, was put together for a 2007 release. A year later he returned with Raw Footage, an album filled with Cube's observations on politics along with the single "I Got My Locs On" featuring special guest Young Jeezy. His 2010 effort I Am the West was a family affair, with his sons Doughboy and OMG making guest appearances. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi
Wikipedia on Answers.com:

Ice Cube

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Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
For cubes of ice, see Ice cube. For other uses, see Ice cube (disambiguation).
Ice Cube

Ice Cube Performs at Supafest 3 Sydney, Australia 2012.
Background information
Birth name O'Shea Jackson
Born (1969-06-15) June 15, 1969 (age 42)
Los Angeles, California[1]
Origin South Central Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres Hip hop
Occupations Rapper, actor, record producer, screenwriter, film producer, director
Years active 1984–present
Labels Priority (1987–1996)
Lench Mob (1994–present)
EMI (1987–present)
Associated acts N.W.A, C.I.A., Scarface, Da Lench Mob, Westside Connection, Public Enemy, WC and the Maad Circle, Snoop Dogg, Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E., Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Mc Ren, 2Pac, Game
Website icecube.com

O'Shea Jackson (born June 15, 1969), better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American rapper, record producer, actor, screenwriter, film producer, and director. He began his career as a member of the C.I.A. and later joined the rap group N.W.A. After leaving N.W.A in December 1989,[2] he built a successful solo career in music, and also as a writer, director, actor and producer in cinema. Additionally, he has served as one of the producers of the Showtime television series Barbershop and the TBS series Are We There Yet?, both of which are based upon films in which he portrayed the lead character.

He was ranked #8 on MTV's list of the 10 Greatest MCs of All Time, while Snoop Dogg himself ranked Ice Cube as the greatest MC of all time.[3] About.com ranked him #11 on its list of the "Top 50 Greatest MCs of Our Time."[4] Allmusic has called him one of hip-hop's best and most controversial artists,[5] as well as "one of rap's greatest storytellers."[6]

Contents

Early life

Ice Cube was born on June 15, 1969 in Los Angeles, in the South Central area, the son of Doris Jackson (née Benjamin), a hospital clerk and custodian, and Hosea Jackson, who worked as a groundskeeper at UCLA.[7][8] According to a 2005 interview with Teenink, O'Shea's half-sister was murdered by her boyfriend in a murder-suicide when he was 12 years old.[9] His cousin is Teren Delvon Jones, also known as Del tha Funkee Homosapien, who is a part of the rap group Hieroglyphics and who has also worked with Gorillaz; and Kam of rap group The Warzone.[10] In his early teens, Ice Cube developed an interest in hip hop music, and began writing raps in Taft High School's keyboarding class.[10] He attended the Phoenix Institute of Technology in the fall of 1987, and studied architectural drafting.[11] With friend Sir Jinx, Ice Cube formed the C.I.A., and they performed at parties hosted by Dr. Dre. Young Cube met Dr. Dre in 1984, who was nineteen at the time. Dre soon entered the recording industry involved with the World Class Wreckin' Cru recording records. Dre saw Cube's potential as a writer and had him helping Dre in writing Wreckin Cru's big L.A. hit track, "Cabbage Patch" as well as joining Cube on a side partnership the duo called Stereo Crew by which they produced a twelve-inch record, "She's a Skag" released on Epic Records in 1986.[12]

Music career

N.W.A

Main article: N.W.A

In 1987, Ice Cube and Dr. Dre released the single My Posse, under the alias CIA. After the collaboration, Ice Cube showed Eazy-E the lyrics to, "Boyz-n-the-Hood".[1] Eazy-E, although initially rejecting the lyrics, eventually recorded the song for N.W.A. and the Posse, the debut album for the group N.W.A that included him, Dre, and other rappers MC Ren and DJ Yella.

By this point Ice Cube was a full-time member of N.W.A along with Dr. Dre, and MC Ren. Ice Cube wrote Dr. Dre and Eazy-E's rhymes for the group's landmark album, Straight Outta Compton, released in 1988. However, as 1990 approached, Ice Cube found himself at odds with the group's manager, Jerry Heller, after rejecting Heller's proposed contract terms.[13]

Since Ice Cube wrote the lyrics to approximately half of both Straight Outta Compton, and Eazy-E's solo album, Eazy-Duz-It, he was advised of the amounts he was truly owed by Heller, and took legal action soon after leaving the group and the label. In response, the remaining N.W.A members attacked him on the EP 100 Miles and Runnin' and on their next and final album, Efil4zaggin (Niggaz4life spelled backwards).

Solo career

In late 1989, Ice Cube recorded his debut solo album, AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted, in Los Angeles with the Bomb Squad (Public Enemy's production team). It was released in May 1990 and was an instant hit, riding and contributing to the rising tide of rap's popularity in mainstream society. The album was charged with controversy, and he was accused of misogyny and racism. Subsequently, Ice Cube appointed the female rapper Yo-Yo (who appeared on AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted) to the head of his own record label and helped produce her debut album, Make Way for the Motherlode. This was followed by a critically acclaimed role as 'Doughboy' in John Singleton's hood-based drama, Boyz n the Hood. In the same year as AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted, Ice Cube released the acclaimed EP, Kill At Will which sold well, becoming the first hip hop EP to go both Gold and Platinum.[1]

His second album Death Certificate was released in 1991. The album was regarded as more focused, yet even more controversial, and critics accused him again of being anti-white, misogynist, and antisemitic. The album is thematically divided into two sides: the 'Death Side' ("a vision of where we are today") and the 'Life Side' ("a vision of where we need to go"). It features "No Vaseline", a scathing response to N.W.A's attacks and "Black Korea," a track regarded by some as prophetic of the 1992 Los Angeles riots, but also interpreted as racist by many.[1] Ice Cube toured with Lollapalooza in 1992, which widened his fan base.[14]

Ice Cube released his third album, The Predator, in November 1992. Referring specifically to that year's Los Angeles riots, in the first single, "Wicked", he rapped "April 29 was power to the people, and we might just see a sequel". The Predator debuted at number one on both the pop and R&B charts, the first album in history to do so. Singles from The Predator included "It Was a Good Day" and the "Check Yo Self" remix, and the songs had a two-part music video. The album remains his most successful release, with over three million copies sold in the US. However, after The Predator, Ice Cube's rap audience diminished. Cube's fourth album Lethal Injection which was released in the end of 1993 and represented Ice Cube's first attempt at imitating the G-Funk sound of Dr. Dre's The Chronic, was not well received by critics. He had more successful hits from Lethal Injection, including "Really Doe", "Bop Gun (One Nation)", "You Know How We Do It" & "What Can I Do?". After 1994, he took a hiatus from music and concentrated on film work and developing the careers of other rap musicians, Mack 10, Mr. Short Khop, Kausion, and Da Lench Mob.[1]

In 1994, Ice Cube had reunited with former N.W.A member Dr. Dre, who was now part of Death Row Records, in their duet "Natural Born Killaz".[1] In 1998, he released his long-awaited fifth solo album, War & Peace Volume 1. The delayed sixth album Volume 2, was released in 2000. The albums featured appearances from Westside Connection as well as a reunion with fellow N.W.A members, Dr. Dre and MC Ren, though many fans maintained that the two albums were not on par with his past work, especially the second volume.[15] In 2000, Ice Cube also joined Dr. Dre, Eminem & Snoop Dogg on the Up In Smoke Tour.[16]

In 2006, Ice Cube released his seventh solo album, Laugh Now, Cry Later, on his Lench Mob Records label, debuting at number four on the Billboard Charts and selling 144,000 units in the first week.[17] The album featured production from Lil Jon and Scott Storch, who produced the lead single "Why We Thugs". He released his eighth studio album, Raw Footage, on August 19, 2008, featuring the controversial single "Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It".

On October 12, 2009, he released a non-album track called 'Raider Nation' in tribute to the Oakland Raiders' football team he supports.[18]

On May 11, 2010, Ice Cube released a 30 for 30 documentary, "Straight Outta L.A.", for ESPN on the relationship between the gangster rap scene in Los Angeles and the tenure of the Raiders there.[19][20] He has been voted as eighth of MTV's "greatest emcees of all time."[21]

On September 28, 2010, Cube released his ninth solo album, I Am the West. The album featured the single "I Rep That West". It debuted at #22 on the Billboard 200 and sold 22,000 copies in its first week.

Westside Connection

In 1996, Ice Cube formed Westside Connection with Mack 10 and WC, and together they released an album called Bow Down. Most of the album was used to engage in the East Coast-West Coast hip hop rivalry of the 90s. The album's eponymous single reached number 21 on the singles charts, and the album itself was certified Platinum by the end of 1996. With Bow Down, Westside Connection brought their own agenda to the hip hop scene. Ice Cube, Mack 10 and WC had grown tired of being overlooked by most East Coast media outlets; the album was designed to instil a sense of pride in West Coast rap fans and to start a larger movement that some people who felt underappreciated might identify with. Songs like "Bow Down" and "Gangstas Make the World Go 'Round" make reference to this. Ice Cube would also eventually make amends with Eazy-E shortly before the latter's death in 1995.

After a seven-year hiatus, Westside Connection returned with their second effort Terrorist Threats in 2003. The album fared well critically, but its commercial reception was less than that of Bow Down. "Gangsta Nation" was the only single released from the album, which was produced by Fredwreck and featured Nate Dogg; it was a radio hit. After a rift between Ice Cube and Mack 10 about Ice Cube's commitments to film work rather than touring with the group, Westside Connection disbanded. WC, did release a new solo album on Lench Mob Records entitled Guilty by Affiliation on August 14, 2007.[citation needed]

Collaborations

In 1992, Ice Cube assisted on debut albums from Del the Funkee Homosapien (I Wish My Brother George Was Here), Da Lench Mob (Guerillas in tha Mist, 1992) and Kam (Neva Again, 1993), all of which enjoyed critical acclaim and some moderate commercial success. He handled most of the production on Guerillas in tha Mist.

In 1993, Lench Mob member, J-Dee, was sentenced to life imprisonment for attempted murder, and Ice Cube did not produce their next album, Planet of tha Apes. Around this time in 1993, he also worked with Tupac Shakur on his album Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z., appearing on the track "Last Wordz" with Ice-T. He also did a song with Dr. Dre for the first time since he left N.W.A: "Natural Born Killaz", for the Murder Was The Case soundtrack, and also contributed to the Office Space soundtrack. He also featured on Kool G Rap's song "Two To The Head" from the Kool G Rap & DJ Polo album "Live And Let Die". Ice Cube appeared on the song "Children of the Korn" by the band Korn, as well as assisting in recording a Korn cover of Wicked, and lent his voice to British DJ Paul Oakenfold's solo debut album, Bunkka, on the track "Get Em Up". Ice Cube appeared in several songs in WC Guilty by Affiliation like "Keep it 100", "80's babies" and "Jack and the bean stalk". Ice Cube also appeared in D.A.Z. in the song "Iz You Ready to die" and in DJ Quik in the song "Boogie Till You Conk Out" in 2011.

2004–present

Ice Cube, performing live in Metro City Concert Club, on October 29, 2010.

In late 2005, Ice Cube and R. J. Cutler teamed up to create the six-part documentary series titled Black. White., which was broadcast on cable network FX. In May 2006 Ice Cube complained that Oprah Winfrey would not welcome him and other rappers on her show.[22] Ice Cube's other movie projects include Teacher of the Year, released in 2007,[23] and The Extractors, released in 2008.

He has signed on to star in and produce Welcome Back, Kotter, a big-screen adaptation of the 1970s television series.[24] Ice Cube will play the title character, originally portrayed by Gabe Kaplan and his film company, Cube Vision Productions, has sealed a deal with Dimension Films to bring the show to the big screen.

In a London interview he revealed he is in talks of a collaboration with Gorillaz after speaking to frontman Damon Albarn.[25]

In October 2006, Xzibit, Lil Jon and WC from the Westside Connection honoured Ice Cube at VH1's Annual Hip Hop Honors, performing some classic Ice Cube tracks, and Ice Cube also performed "Why We Thugs" and "Go To Church" from his album Laugh Now, Cry Later, where the New York crowd were greeted with Cube's vintage Cali sound. After launching that comeback album, Ice Cube toured across the world to promote it. The tour is known as "Straight Outta Compton Tour", and accompanying him is his friend and fellow rapper WC from the Westside Connection. Some places he has recently performed include the Paradiso in Amsterdam and various venues in England. After touring the U.S. and Europe, he performed all around Australia, from Sydney's Enmore Theatre to The Forum Arena in Melbourne, before heading to Japan.

Ice Cube collaborated with Tech N9ne on the song "Blackboy" that appears on Tech N9ne's July 2008 album Killer. The eighth Ice Cube studio LP, titled Raw Footage, was released on August 19, 2008, and featured the singles Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It and Do Ya Thang. Ice Cube appeared on a song by rapper The Game titled "State of Emergency" off The Game's Album, L.A.X. In 2009, Ice Cube performed at the Gathering of the Juggalos, and will return to perform at the 2011 festival.[26]

Despite rumors of conflicts with other rappers in 2010, Ice Cube stated in an interview with DJ Whoo Kid on Sirius Shade 45 that he has "no beef."[27]

Ice Cube's ninth studio album I Am the West was released on September 28, 2010. Ice Cube has stated this album has a different direction than any one of his other albums. He received beats from West coast veteran producers such as DJ Quik, Dr. Dre, E-A-Ski, and Sir Jinx, not having worked on a solo album with the latter in nearly 20 years. The album was released independently under his label Lench Mob. Ice Cube has stated that "being independent is beautiful because we can do things 'out the box' that record companies would usually frown at. Instead of working from a ready-made cookie-cutter marketing plan, we can tailor make a marketing plan specifically for me."

In November 2011, Ice Cube stated via Twitter that he was 7 songs into the current album he's recording. He also stated he "always got an album coming out" which suggests that he isn't thinking of rap retirement to focus on acting in the near future.[28][29]

In 2012, Ice Cube recorded a verse for a remix of the Insane Clown Posse song "Chris Benoit", from ICP's The Mighty Death Pop! album, appearing on the album Mike E. Clark's Extra Pop Emporium.[30]

Other ventures

Film and television career

Following his role as 'Doughboy' in Boyz n the Hood, in 1992 he starred alongside Ice-T, and Bill Paxton in Walter Hill's action film, Trespass, and then in The Glass Shield.

Ice Cube was offered a co-star role with Janet Jackson in the 1993 romantic film Poetic Justice, but he refused to play the role, which was given to Tupac Shakur instead.

John Singleton had encouraged Ice Cube to try his hand at screenwriting, telling him, "If you can write a record, you can write a movie."[31] With this encouragement, Ice Cube wrote the screenplay for what became the 1995 comedy Friday, in which he also starred, alongside then up-and-coming comedian Chris Tucker. Friday earned $28 million worldwide on a $3.5 million budget, and spawned two sequels, Next Friday and Friday After Next. (On March 9, 2011 he announced that he was making the final sequel called Last Friday). That year, he also starred in his second collaboration with John Singleton, Higher Learning, as world-weary university student "Fudge"; a role for which he earned award nominations.

In 1997, Ice Cube starred in the action thriller Dangerous Ground as a South African exiled to America who returns 15 years later. He also had a supporting role in the film Anaconda that same year. He wrote, executive produced, and made his directorial debut in The Players Club in 1998, and in 1999 starred alongside George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg in the critically acclaimed Three Kings. In 2000, he wrote and appeared in the Friday sequel Next Friday. In 2002, Ice Cube starred in the commercially successful movie Barbershop, as well as All About the Benjamins and the third film in the Friday trilogy, Friday after Next (which he again wrote). In 2004, he appeared in Barbershop 2: Back in Business, and Torque; in 2005 he starred in the action movie XXX: State of the Union, as well as the comedies Are We There Yet? and Are We Done Yet?, co-starring Nia Long.

In early April 2007, Ice Cube was a guest on Angie Martinez' Hot97 radio show and stated that he was interested in bringing back Chris Tucker as Smokey in a possible Friday sequel, but that was only possible "if New Line cuts the cheque."[32] In an interview with BlackFilm.com, Ice Cube stated that he would be interested in involving all major characters from the Friday franchise in a possible sequel, but added "I know I'm not going to get Chris [Tucker] back, but I'd love to get everybody else back."[33] As of December 2011, Chris Tucker has agreed to be in "Last Friday".

In the Movies is a compilation album of Ice Cube songs that have appeared in movie soundtracks, which was released on September 4, 2007.[34]

Ice Cube and basketball star LeBron James have paired up to pitch a one-hour special to ABC based on James's life.[35] Ice Cube's Are We There Yet television series premiered on TBS on June 2, 2010. Based on the 2005 feature film of the same name, the show revolves around a family adjusting to the matriarch's new husband (Terry Crews) and trying to deal with normal family situations. On August 16, 2010, Are We There Yet? was renewed for 90 additional episodes.[36] In an August 2010 interview with UrbLife.com, Ice Cube expressed excitement about the show being picked up for the run, which will pan out to around six seasons. He also credits Tyler Perry for opening the door for him at TBS.[37]

Clothing line

Ice Cube has licenced a clothing line, Solo by Cube, which features hooded sweatshirts with built-in headphones in the hood strings.

Personal life

Ice Cube was and still is a very avid fan of the Oakland Raiders.

Family

He married Kimberly Woodruff in 1992, with whom he has four children (three boys, 1 girl) – O'Shea Jr., Darrel, Shareef and Kareema.[14][38]

A father of four, Ice Cube was asked by Fresh Air's Terry Gross to provide some perspective on the relationship between his work and his family. When asked whether or not he allowed his children to listen to his music, he responded: "What's worked for me is instilling in my kids a level of self-respect," helping them to understand the content of not just music but the violence found on the evening news. When asked what he tells his children about profanity, he recalled telling his kids that there are "appropriate times to use any kind of language.... Adults should never hear you use these words. If you want to use these words around your friends, that's really on you."[10] Two of Ice Cube's sons are also rappers under the names, OMG (OhMy Goodness) and Doughboy. They were featured on his album, I Am the West.

Jackson is also the cousin of rapper Del the Funky Homosapien who started his career writing for Jackson's Group Da Lench Mob. With Cube's help Del released his debut album I Wish My Brother George Was Here when he was only 18.

Religion

In an interview with British newspaper The Guardian, Ice Cube stated that he is a Muslim, having converted sometime in the 1990s. He described his Muslim faith as a simple, personal one that does not involve attending prayer services or following rituals. Although he has spoken favorably of the Nation of Islam, he denied ever being in the organization.[39]

Discography

Main article: Ice Cube discography
Studio albums
Extended Plays
with N.W.A
with Westside Connection

Filmography

As an actor

Films

Title Year Role Other notes
Boyz n the Hood 1991 Darin "Doughboy" Baker Main Role
Trespass 1992 Savon Main Role
CB4 1993 himself Cameo
The Glass Shield 1994 Fudge Main Role
Higher Learning 1995 Teddy Woods Main Role
Friday 1995 Craig Jones Main Role
Dangerous Ground 1997 Vusi Madlazi Main Role
Anaconda 1997 Danny Rich Main Role
The Players Club 1998 Reggie Minor Role
I Got The Hook Up 1998 Gun Runner Minor Role
Three Kings 1999 SSgt. Chief Elgin Main Role
Thicker Than Water 1999 Slink Supporting Role
Next Friday 2000 Craig Jones Main Role
Ghosts of Mars 2001 James 'Desolation' Williams Main Role
All About The Benjamins 2002 Detective Bucum Main Role
BarberShop 2002 Calvin Palmer Main Role
Friday After Next 2002 Craig Jones Main Role
Torque 2004 Trey Main Role
BarberShop 2: Back in Business 2004 Calvin Palmer Main Role
Are We There Yet? 2005 Nick Persons Main Role
XXX: State of the Union 2005 Darius Stone Main Role
Are We Done Yet? 2007 Nick Persons Main Role[40]
First Sunday 2008 Durell Main Role
The Longshots 2008 Curtis Plummer Main Role
Janky Promoters 2009 Russell Redds Main Role
Lottery Ticket 2010 Jerome "Thump" Washington Supporting Role
Rampart 2011 Kyle Timkins Supporting Role
21 Jump Street 2012 Capt. Dickson Supporting Role

Television

Title Year Role Other notes
Are We There Yet? TV series 2010–present Terrence Kingston Recurring Role

Video games

Title Year Role Other notes
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2010 Chief Petty Officer Bowman/SOG multiplayer announcer Voice actor

As director/writer/producer

Awards

Film award history

Ice Cube has received nominations for several films in the past. To date, he has won two awards:

  • 2000: Blockbuster Entertainment Award: Favorite Action Team (for Three Kings)
  • 2002: MECCA Movie Award: Acting Award

Music awards

  • VH1 Hip Hop Honors 2006
  • BET Hip-Hop Awards 2009
    • I Am Hip-Hop Award 2014

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2007). "Ice Cube – Biography". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p48/biography. Retrieved February 13, 2008. 
  2. ^ N.W.A.. Discogs.com
  3. ^ "The Greatest MCs Of All Time". MTV.com. 2006-03-09. http://www.mtv.com/bands/h/hip_hop_week/2006/emcees/index4.jhtml. Retrieved 2012-04-11. 
  4. ^ "Top 50 MCs of Our Time: 1987 - 2007 - 50 Greatest Emcees of Our Time". Rap.about.com. http://rap.about.com/od/toppicks/ss/Top50Emcees_8.htm. Retrieved 2012-04-11. 
  5. ^ Thomas, Stephen (1969-06-15). "Ice Cube". AllMusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/ice-cube-p48/biography. Retrieved 2012-04-11. 
  6. ^ Jeffries, David (1991-10-31). "Death Certificate - Ice Cube". AllMusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/death-certificate-r27942/review. Retrieved 2012-04-11. 
  7. ^ "Ice Cube". http://hiphop.sh/cube. Retrieved August 9, 2007. 
  8. ^ Nashawaty, Chris (November 15, 2002). "They Call Him Mister Cube , News". Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,388411,00.html. Retrieved June 1, 2010. 
  9. ^ Ice Cube – Actor/Musician | Teen Interview. Teen Ink. Retrieved on 2011-12-31.
  10. ^ a b c Ice Cube 01/10/2005 NPR Fresh Air Interview with Terry Gross http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4276517
  11. ^ Jefferson, Jevaillier (February 2004). "Ice Cube: Building On His Vision". Black Collegian. http://www.black-collegian.com/issues/2ndsem04/icecube2004-2nd.shtml. Retrieved December 8, 2011. 
  12. ^ Johson, Bill (May 31, 2010). "Ice Cube Reminisces On His Very First Gig And Single". The Urban Daily. http://theurbandaily.com/music/first-things-first-music/billjohnson/ice-cube-reminisces-on-his-very-first-gig-and-single/. Retrieved February 21, 2011. 
  13. ^ Ice Cube: Attitude (McIver, 2002) ISBN 1-86074-428-1
  14. ^ a b "Chillin' with Cube". The Guardian (UK). February 25, 2000. http://film.guardian.co.uk/Feature_Story/feature_story/0,4120,140252,00.html. Retrieved June 14, 2007. 
  15. ^ Birchmeier, Jason. ""War & Peace, Vol. 2 (The Peace Disc)" – Overview". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r465652. Retrieved February 13, 2008. 
  16. ^ Pareles, Jon (July 17, 2000). "Four Hours of Swagger from Dr. Dre and Friends". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07E2DE123BF934A25754C0A9669C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all. Retrieved February 13, 2008. 
  17. ^ "Ice Cube – Billboard Albums". Allmusic. 2007. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p48/charts-awards. Retrieved February 13, 2008. 
  18. ^ by jennie(ctrl). "Raider Nation!". Ice Cube. http://icecube.com/news/5743/. Retrieved June 1, 2010. 
  19. ^ "Blog Archive » Ice Cube: “Raiders fans were gangster’s way before we came into the picture”". Sports Radio Interviews. November 12, 2009. http://sportsradiointerviews.com/2009/11/12/ice-cube-%e2%80%9craiders-fans-were-gangster%e2%80%99s-way-before-we-came-into-the-picture%e2%80%9d/. Retrieved June 1, 2010. 
  20. ^ "ESPN 30 for 30". ESPN. June 17, 1994. http://30for30.espn.com/film/straight-outta-la.html. Retrieved June 1, 2010. 
  21. ^ "Ice Cube: Rank 8", MTV.com. Accessed February 4, 2011.
  22. ^ "Ice Cube: Oprah has 'a problem with hip-hop'". Associated Press. MSNBC. May 26, 2006. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12991185/. Retrieved May 18, 2008. 
  23. ^ http://movies.msn.com/celebs/celeb.aspx?c=59868, Retrieved on 2008/06/13.
  24. ^ Ice Cube cautious about welcoming back Kotter, Pr-inside.com; accessed October 8, 2010.
  25. ^ Friday, July 21, 2006, 10:48 BST (July 21, 2006). "Music – News – Gorillaz and Ice Cube to collaborate?". Digital Spy. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/article/ds35077.html. Retrieved October 8, 2010. 
  26. ^ 2011 Gathering Of The Juggalos Infomercial on YouTube
  27. ^ DJ Whoo Kid (August 22, 2010). "Ice Cube New Friday?! Beef With Who?! Mike Epps On-Set Smoke Out?! Lottery Ticket Fun! VIDEO!". RadioPlanet.tv. http://www.radioplanet.tv/ice-cube-shade-45-interview. 
  28. ^ https://twitter.com/#!/icecube/status/138576007253852161
  29. ^ https://twitter.com/#!/icecube/status/137728181833699329
  30. ^ "Grapevine: ICP, Ice Cube team up on new album | The Detroit News". detroitnews.com. 2012-05-17. http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120517/ENT09/205170387. Retrieved 2012-05-27. 
  31. ^ "Ice Cube – Brief Article". Jet. February 28, 2000. http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-60041449.html. Retrieved February 13, 2008. 
  32. ^ Ice Cube on Hot 97 Podcast[dead link]
  33. ^ "Are We There Yet?: An Interview with Ice Cube". Blackfilm.com. http://www.blackfilm.com/20050121/features/icecube.shtml. Retrieved October 8, 2010. 
  34. ^ Jeffries, David. "In the Movies" – Overview. Allmusic. Retrieved September 7, 2007.
  35. ^ James Pitches ABC on TV Drama Based on His Life USA Today, December 20, 2008
  36. ^ ‘Are We There Yet‘ Renewed by TBS for 90 More Episodes August 16, 2010 – tvbythenumbers
  37. ^ "Ice Cube’s Life Story?! Talks Tyler Perry, Woody Harrelson, TV Success and More!". UrbLife.com. August 16, 2010. http://www.urblife.com/the-fame/ice-cube-talks-film-and-tv-success. 
  38. ^ "Ice Cube – Biography". IMDB. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001084/bio. Retrieved February 13, 2008. 
  39. ^ "Ice Cube on Islam". London: (www.)guardian(.co.uk). February 25, 2000. http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2000/feb/25/icecube. Retrieved November 15, 2008. 
  40. ^ Sequel to 2005's "Are We There Yet?

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