Ice Cube Biography

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Ice Cube was the first member of the seminal Californian 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 Angles, 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 protיgיe, 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.

In 1998, he released his long-awaited solo album, War & Peace Volume 1. The delayed second part, War & Peace 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 weren’t on par with his past work, especially the second volume. In 2000, Jackson also joined Dr. Dre, Eminem & Snoop Dogg on the Up In Smoke Tour.

In 1996, Jackson 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 war of words between the East and West Coasts of the 90s. The album’s eponymous single reached number twenty-one 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 instill a sense of pride in West Coast rap fans and to start a larger movement that anyone who felt underappreciated might identify with. Songs like “Bow Down” and “Gangstas Make the World Go ‘Round” make reference to this. Jackson 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 and was a radio hit. After a rift occurred between Jackson and Mack 10 about Jackson’s commitments to film work rather than touring with the group, Westside Connection disbanded. WC, however is still friends with Jackson and released a new solo album on Lench Mob Records entitled Guilty by Affiliation on August 14, 2007.

In 2006, Jackson released his seventh solo album, Laugh Now, Cry Later, on his Da Lench Mob Records label, debuting at number four on the Billboard Charts and selling 144,000 units in the first week. 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. It features the controversial single “Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It”.

On Oct 12, 2009 he released a non album track called ‘Raider Nation’ in tribute to the American Football teams he supports. On May 11, 2010, Jackson 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.

In 1997 Jackson starred in the action thriller Dangerous Ground as a South African exiled from his country to escape to America and returns fifteen 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, the comedy Are We There Yet? and Are We Done Yet?, co-starring Nia Long.

In early April 2007 Jackson 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 check.” In an interview with BlackFilm, Jackson 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.”

In the Movies is a compilation album of Ice Cube songs that have appeared in movie soundtracks, which was released on September 4, 2007. Jackson and basketball star LeBron James have paired up to pitch a one-hour special to ABC based on James’ life.

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 new addition of the matriarch’s new husband, played by Terry Crews, and trying to deal with normal family situations.

On August 16, 2010, it was announced that Are We There Yet? has been renewed for 90 additional episodes. 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.

Jackson’s ninth studio album I Am the West released on September 2010. Ice Cube has stated this album will be different than any one of his other albums having a different direction for the album. He has revealed to have 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 will be 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.”