| Ice Cube | |
|---|---|
Ice Cube performing in Toronto, 2006. |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | O'Shea Jackson |
| Also known as | Cube, Don Mega |
| Born | June 15, 1969 Los Angeles, California[1] |
| Origin | South Central Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Hip hop, West Coast hip hop, gangsta rap, g-funk, political hip hop |
| Occupations | Rapper, actor |
| 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. |
| Website | icecube.com |
O'Shea Jackson (born June 15, 1969), better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American rapper and actor. He began his career as a member of the hip-hop group 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.
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Jackson 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.[3][4] 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.[5] 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.[6] At his early teens, Ice Cube developed an interest in hip hop music, and began writing raps in Taft High School's keyboarding class.[6] He attended the Phoenix Institute of Technology in the fall of 1987, and studied architectural drafting.[7] 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 1983, 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.[8]
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.[9]
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).
In late 1989, Ice Cube recorded his debut solo album in Los Angeles with the Bomb Squad (Public Enemy's production team). AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted 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 1991 follow-up, Death Certificate 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 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; it was still being cited years after its release.[1] Ice Cube toured with Lollapalooza in 1992, which widened his fan base.[10]
Ice Cube released 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. 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 solo album, War & Peace Volume 1. The delayed 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.[11] In 2000, Ice Cube also joined Dr. Dre, Eminem & Snoop Dogg on the Up In Smoke Tour.[12]
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.[13] 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.[14]
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.[15][16] He has been voted as eighth of MTV's "greatest emcees of all time."[17]
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, however, did release a new solo album on Lench Mob Records entitled Guilty by Affiliation on August 14, 2007.
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 and Brendan Dedal 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.
In 2004, his hit singles "Check Yo Self", "It Was a Good Day" and affiliated song "Guerrillas in tha Mist" with Da Lench Mob appeared on popular video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on fictional radio station Radio Los Santos.
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.[18] Ice Cube's other movie projects include Teacher of the Year, released in 2007,[19] 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.[20] 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.[21]
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.[22]
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."[23]
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.[24][25]
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 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."[26] 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."[27] 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."[28]
In the Movies is a compilation album of Ice Cube songs that have appeared in movie soundtracks, which was released on September 4, 2007.[29]
Ice Cube and basketball star LeBron James have paired up to pitch a one-hour special to ABC based on James's life.[30] 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.[31] 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.[32]
Ice Cube has licenced a clothing line, SOLO by Cube, which features hooded sweatshirts with built-in headphones in the hood strings.
Ice Cube is an avid fan of the Oakland Raiders.
He married Kimberly Woodruff in 1992, with whom he has five children (three boys, two girls) – O'Shea Jr., Darrel, Shareef and Karima, Deja.[10][33]
A father of five, 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."[6] Two of Ice Cube's sons are also rappers under the names, OMG 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.
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.[34] Interestingly, MC Ren, also a member of N.W.A has since converted to Islam.
| 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 | 1995 | Teddy Woods | Main Role |
| Higher Learning | 1995 | Fudge | 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 | 1999 | 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[35] |
| 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 | Main Role |
| Straight Outta Compton | 2012 | ||
| Last Friday | 2013 | Craig Jones | Main Role |
| Second Chances | 2013 | ||
| Chrome & Paint | 2013 | ||
| Welcome Back, Kotter | 2013 | ||
| Ride Along | 2014 | ||
| Ten | 2014 |
| Title | Year | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Are We There Yet? TV series | 2010–present | Terrence Kingston | Recurring Role |
| Title | Year | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Call of Duty: Black Ops | 2010 | Chief Petty Officer Bowman/SOG multiplayer announcer | Voice actor |
Ice Cube has received nominations for several films in the past. To date, he has won two awards:
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