O'Shea Jackson
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O'Shea Jackson Sr. (born June 15, 1969), known professionally as Ice Cube, is an American rapper, songwriter, actor, and film producer. His lyrics on
N.W.A N.W.A (an abbreviation for Niggaz Wit Attitudes) was an American hip-hop group formed in Compton, California in 1987. Among the earliest and most significant figures of the gangsta rap subgenre, the group is widely considered one of the great ...
's 1989 album ''
Straight Outta Compton ''Straight Outta Compton'' is the debut studio album by American hip-hop group N.W.A, released on January 25, 1989, through Priority Records, Priority and Ruthless Records. It was Record producer, produced by N.W.A members Dr. Dre, DJ Yella, a ...
'' contributed to
gangsta rap Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, is a subgenre of rap music that conveys the culture, values, and experiences of urban gangs and street hustlers, frequently discussing unpleasant realities of the world in general th ...
's widespread popularity,Steve Huey
"N.W.A: ''Straight Outta Compton''"
''
AllMusic.com AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the data ...
'', Netaktion LLC, visited 14 Jun 2020.
Loren Kajikawa, "Compton via New York", ''Sounding Race in Rap Songs'' (Oakland:
University of California Press The University of California Press, otherwise known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. It was founded in 1893 to publish scholarly and scientific works by faculty ...
, 2015)
pp 91–93
Todd Boyd, ''Am I Black Enough for You?: Popular Culture from the 'Hood and Beyond'' (Bloomington & Indianapolis:
Indiana University Press Indiana University Press, also known as IU Press, is an academic publisher founded in 1950 at Indiana University that specializes in the humanities and social sciences. Its headquarters are located in Bloomington, Indiana. IU Press publishes ...
, 1997)
p 75
skims Ice Cube's early successes in music, whil
indexing "Ice Cube"
reveals analysis of his political rap.
and his
political rap Political hip hop (also known as political rap and conscious hip-hop) is a subgenre of hip hop music that emerged in the 1980s as a form of political expression and activism. It typically addresses sociopolitical issues through lyrics, aiming t ...
solo albums ''
AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted ''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Ice Cube, released on May 16, 1990, by Priority Records. It was his first solo album, after an acrimonious split from his former group N.W.A. Primarily produced by Public ...
'' (1990), ''
Death Certificate A death certificate is either a legal document issued by a medical practitioner which states when a person died, or a document issued by a government civil registration office, that declares the date, location and cause of a person's death, a ...
'' (1991), and '' The Predator'' (1992) were all critically and commercially successful.Lakeyta M. Bonnette, ''Pulse of the People: Political Rap Music and Black Politics'' (Philadelphia:
University of Pennsylvania Press The University of Pennsylvania Press, also known as Penn Press, is a university press affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. History The press was originally incorporated with b ...
, 2015)
p 71
Allen Gordon, "Ice Cube: ''Death Certificate'' (Street Knowledge/Priority, 1991)", in Oliver Wang, ed., ''Classic Material: The Hip-hop Album Guide'' (Toronto:
ECW Press ECW Press is a Canadian book publisher located in Toronto, Ontario. It was founded by Jack David and Robert Lecker in 1974 as a Canada, Canadian literary magazine named ''Essays on Canadian Writing''. They started publishing trade and scholar ...
, 2003)
p 87
Preezy Brown
"18 socio-political lyrics from Ice Cube's 'Death Certificate' that still resonate in 2016"
'' Vibe.com'', Prometheus Global Media, LLC., 1 Nov 2016.
He was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...
as a member of N.W.A in 2016. A native of Los Angeles, Ice Cube formed his first rap group called C.I.A. in 1986.Steven Otfinoski, "Ice Cube", ''African Americans in the Performing Arts'' (New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2003)
p 108
In 1987, with
Eazy-E Eric Lynn Wright (September 7, 1964 – March 26, 1995), known professionally as Eazy-E, was an American rapper who propelled West Coast rap and gangsta rap by leading the group N.W.A and its label, Ruthless Records. Eazy-E is often re ...
and
Dr. Dre Andre Romell Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper, record producer, record executive, and actor. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and co-founder of ...
, he formed the gangsta rap group N.W.A. As its lead rapper, he wrote some of Dre's and most of Eazy's lyrics on ''Straight Outta Compton'', a landmark album that shaped
West Coast hip hop West Coast hip-hop is a regional genre of Hip-hop, hip-hop music that encompasses any artists or music that originated in the West Coast of the United States. West Coast hip-hop began to dominate from a radio play and sales standpoint during th ...
's early identity and helped differentiate it from East Coast rap. N.W.A was also known for their violent lyrics, threatening to attack abusive police which stirred controversy. After a monetary dispute over the group's management by Eazy-E and
Jerry Heller Gerald Elliot Heller (October 6, 1940 – September 2, 2016) was an American music manager and businessman. He was best known for his management of West Coast rap and gangsta rap pioneers N.W.A and Eazy-E. He rose to prominence in the 1960s ...
, Cube left N.W.A in late 1989, teaming with New York artists and launching a solo rap career. Ice Cube has also had an active film career since the early 1990s.David J. Leonard, "Ice Cube", in Mickey Hess, ed., ''Icons of Hip Hop: An Encyclopedia of the Movement, Music, and Culture'' (Westport, CT:
Greenwood Press Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. (GPG) was an educational and academic publisher (middle school through university level) which was part of ABC-Clio. Since 2021, ABC-Clio and its suite of imprints, including GPG, are collectively imprints of B ...
, 2007)
p 311
He entered cinema by playing Doughboy in director
John Singleton John Daniel Singleton (January 6, 1968 April 28, 2019) was an American director, screenwriter, and producer. He made his feature film debut writing and directing '' Boyz n the Hood'' (1991), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for ...
's feature debut ''
Boyz n the Hood ''Boyz n the Hood'' is a 1991 American coming-of-age hood crime drama film written and directed by John Singleton in his feature directorial debut. It stars Cuba Gooding Jr., Ice Cube (in his film debut), Morris Chestnut, and Laurence Fis ...
'', a 1991 drama named after a 1987 rap song that Ice Cube wrote.Gail Hilson Woldu, ''The Words and Music of Ice Cube'' (Westport, CT & London, UK: Praeger Publishers, 2008)
pp 44–45
He also co-wrote and starred in the 1995 comedy film ''
Friday Friday is the day of the week between Thursday and Saturday. In countries that adopt the traditional "Sunday-first" convention, it is the sixth day of the week. In countries adopting the ISO 8601-defined "Monday-first" convention, it is the fifth ...
'', which spawned a successful franchise and reshaped his public image into a bankable movie star. He made his directorial debut with the 1998 film ''
The Players Club ''The Players Club'' is a 1998 American dark comedy drama thriller film written and directed by Ice Cube in his feature film directorial debut. In addition to Ice Cube, the film stars Bernie Mac, Monica Calhoun, Jamie Foxx, John Amos, A. J. ...
'', and also produced and curated the film's accompanying
soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...
. As of 2020, he has appeared in about 40 films, including the 1999 war comedy ''
Three Kings In Christianity, the Biblical Magi ( or ; singular: ), also known as the Three Wise Men, Three Kings, and Three Magi, are distinguished foreigners who visit Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh in homage to hi ...
'', family comedies like the ''Barbershop'' series, and buddy cop comedies ''
21 Jump Street ''21 Jump Street'' is an American police procedural drama television series created by Patrick Hasburgh and Stephen J. Cannell for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It aired from April 12, 1987 to April 27, 1991, spanning 103 episodes over five s ...
'', ''
22 Jump Street ''22 Jump Street'' is a 2014 American adult buddy cop action comedy film directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, written by Jonah Hill, Michael Bacall, Oren Uziel and Rodney Rothman and produced by and starring Hill and Channing T ...
'', and '' Ride Along''. He was an executive producer of many of these films, as well as of the 2015 biopic ''
Straight Outta Compton ''Straight Outta Compton'' is the debut studio album by American hip-hop group N.W.A, released on January 25, 1989, through Priority Records, Priority and Ruthless Records. It was Record producer, produced by N.W.A members Dr. Dre, DJ Yella, a ...
''.


Early life

O'Shea Jackson was born in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
on June 15, 1969, to hospital clerk and custodian Doris and machinist and
UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...
groundskeeper Hosea Jackson. He has an older brother, and they had a half-sister who was murdered when Cube was 12. He is a cousin of fellow rappers
Del tha Funky Homosapien Teren Delvon Jones (born August 12, 1972), better known by his stage name Del the Funky Homosapien (sometimes stylized as Del tha Funkee Homosapien) or Sir DZL, is an American rapper. Music career 1988–1997: Early life and beginnings Born in O ...
and
Kam Kaam ( Punjabi: ਕਾਮ; ''Kāma'') is one of the five thieves in Sikhism, described as excessive lust or desire. A devout Sikh is expected to be in control of ''Kaam'' at all times. Translation The term has been rendered as translating to ...
. He grew up on Van Wick Street in the Westmont section of
South Los Angeles South Los Angeles, also known as South Central Los Angeles or simply South Central, is a region in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, lying mostly within the city limits of Los Angeles, south of Downtown Los Angeles, downtown. It is de ...
. In ninth grade at
George Washington Preparatory High School George Washington Preparatory High School is a public four-year high school of Los Angeles Unified School District in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is located in the Westmont, California, Westm ...
in Los Angeles, Cube began writing raps after being challenged by his friend "Kiddo" in typewriting class. Kiddo lost. He has said that his stage name came from his older brother, who "threatened to slam iminto a freezer and pull imout when ewas an ice cube". Cube also attended William Howard Taft High School in the Woodland Hills area of Los Angeles. He was bused to the suburban school from his home in a high-crime neighborhood. In the fall of 1987, soon after he wrote and recorded a few locally successful rap songs with
N.W.A N.W.A (an abbreviation for Niggaz Wit Attitudes) was an American hip-hop group formed in Compton, California in 1987. Among the earliest and most significant figures of the gangsta rap subgenre, the group is widely considered one of the great ...
, he enrolled at the Phoenix Institute of Technology
Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...
. In 1988, with a diploma in
architectural drafting An architectural drawing or architect's drawing is a technical drawing of a building (or building project) that falls within the definition of architecture. Architectural drawings are used by architects and others for a number of purposes: to deve ...
, he returned to Los Angeles and rejoined N.W.A, but kept a career in architecture drafting as a backup plan.


Music career


Early work

In 1986, at the age of 16, Ice Cube began rapping in the trio C.I.A. but soon joined the newly formed rap group
N.W.A N.W.A (an abbreviation for Niggaz Wit Attitudes) was an American hip-hop group formed in Compton, California in 1987. Among the earliest and most significant figures of the gangsta rap subgenre, the group is widely considered one of the great ...
. He was N.W.A's lead rapper and main ghostwriter on its official debut album, 1989's ''
Straight Outta Compton ''Straight Outta Compton'' is the debut studio album by American hip-hop group N.W.A, released on January 25, 1989, through Priority Records, Priority and Ruthless Records. It was Record producer, produced by N.W.A members Dr. Dre, DJ Yella, a ...
''. Due to a financial dispute, he left the group by the start of 1990. During 1990, his debut solo album, ''
AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted ''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Ice Cube, released on May 16, 1990, by Priority Records. It was his first solo album, after an acrimonious split from his former group N.W.A. Primarily produced by Public ...
'', found him also leading a featured rap group,
Da Lench Mob Da Lench Mob was an American hip hop group from Los Angeles, California, associated with Ice Cube. The group consisted of rappers Shorty, T-Bone, J-Dee, and Maulkie. History The group made its debut on Ice Cube's first solo album, '' AmeriKKK ...
. Meanwhile, he helped develop the rapper
Yo Yo ''Yoyo'', also referred to as ''Yo Yo'', is a 1965 French comedy film directed by and starring Pierre Étaix. The story follows the son of a millionaire from the 1920s to the 1960s. After losing his fortune in the stock-exchange crash, he teams u ...
.


1986: C.I.A.

With friend
Sir Jinx Anthony D. Wheaton (born June 3, 1970), professionally known by his stage name Sir Jinx, is an American hip-hop record producer and rapper from Los Angeles. He is a cousin of multi-platinum producer Dr. Dre. He began his career as a member of th ...
, Ice Cube formed the rap group C.I.A., and performed at parties hosted by
Dr. Dre Andre Romell Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper, record producer, record executive, and actor. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and co-founder of ...
. Since 1984, Dre had been a member of a popular DJ crew, the
World Class Wreckin' Cru World Class Wreckin' Cru was an American electro group, during the 1980s in the Los Angeles area, that contributed to rap's development. Two of its members, Dr. Dre and DJ Yella, attained greater fame as members of N.W.A, which pioneered gangst ...
, which by 1985 was also performing and recording electro rap. Dre had Cube help write the Wreckin Cru's hit song "Cabbage Patch". Dre also joined Cube on a side project, a duo called Stereo Crew, which made a 12-inch record, "She's a Skag", released on
Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), cong ...
in 1986. In 1987, C.I.A. released the
Dr. Dre Andre Romell Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper, record producer, record executive, and actor. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and co-founder of ...
-produced single " My Posse". Meanwhile, the Wreckin' Cru's home base was the Eve After Dark nightclub, about a quarter of a mile outside of the city of Compton in Los Angeles County. While Dre was on the turntable, Ice Cube would rap, often parodying other artists' songs. In one instance, Cube's rendition was "My Penis", parodying Run-DMC's "
My Adidas "My Adidas" is the first single from Run–D.M.C.'s third album '' Raising Hell''. It is about Adidas footwear. Released in 1986, the song was written by two of the members, Joseph "DJ Run" Simmons and Darryl "DMC" McDaniels and was produced by ...
". In 2015, the nightclub's co-owner and Wreckin' leader
Alonzo Williams Alonzo Fitzgerald Williams (born August 9, 1963), also known as "Lonnie", is an American former professional football running back. He was selected in the 12th round and played for the Los Angeles Rams in 1987. He played college football at C ...
would recall feeling his reputation damaged by this and asking it not to be repeated.World Class Wreckin' Cru Founder Alonzo Williams Addresses Dr. Dre Gay Rumors & 'Straight Outta Compton'
Allhiphop.com, August 24, 2015


1986–1989: N.W.A.

At 16, Cube sold his first song to Eric Wright, soon dubbed
Eazy-E Eric Lynn Wright (September 7, 1964 – March 26, 1995), known professionally as Eazy-E, was an American rapper who propelled West Coast rap and gangsta rap by leading the group N.W.A and its label, Ruthless Records. Eazy-E is often re ...
, who was forming
Ruthless Records Ruthless Records was an American independent record label founded by Eric "Eazy-E" Wright and Jerry Heller in Compton, California on March 3, 1987. All of the Ruthless trademarks have been owned by Comptown Records, Inc. since 1987. Several ...
and the musical team
N.W.A N.W.A (an abbreviation for Niggaz Wit Attitudes) was an American hip-hop group formed in Compton, California in 1987. Among the earliest and most significant figures of the gangsta rap subgenre, the group is widely considered one of the great ...
, based in
Compton, California Compton is a city located in the Gateway Cities region of southern Los Angeles County, California, United States, situated south of downtown Los Angeles. Compton is one of the oldest cities in the county, and on May 11, 1888, was the eighth ci ...
. Himself from
South Central Los Angeles South Los Angeles, also known as South Central Los Angeles or simply South Central, is a region in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, lying mostly within the city limits of Los Angeles, south of Downtown Los Angeles, downtown. It is de ...
, Cube would be N.W.A's only core member not born in Compton. Upon the success of the song " Boyz-n-the-Hood"—written by Cube, produced by Dre, and rapped by Eazy-E, helping establish gangsta rap in California—Eazy focused on developing N.W.A, which soon gained
MC Ren Lorenzo Jerald Patterson (born June 16, 1969), known professionally by his stage name MC Ren, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer from Compton, California. He is the founder and owner of the independent record label Villain ...
. Cube wrote some of Dre's and nearly all of Eazy's lyrics on N.W.A's official debut album, ''
Straight Outta Compton ''Straight Outta Compton'' is the debut studio album by American hip-hop group N.W.A, released on January 25, 1989, through Priority Records, Priority and Ruthless Records. It was Record producer, produced by N.W.A members Dr. Dre, DJ Yella, a ...
'', released in January 1989. Yet by the end of the year, Cube questioned his compensation and N.W.A's management by
Jerry Heller Gerald Elliot Heller (October 6, 1940 – September 2, 2016) was an American music manager and businessman. He was best known for his management of West Coast rap and gangsta rap pioneers N.W.A and Eazy-E. He rose to prominence in the 1960s ...
.''Ice Cube: Attitude'' (McIver, 2002) Cube also wrote most of Eazy-E's debut album ''
Eazy-Duz-It ''Eazy-Duz-It'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Eazy-E. It was released on November 22, 1988, by Ruthless Records and Priority Records. The album charted on two different charts and went 2× Platinum in the United States despite ve ...
''. He received a total pay of $32,000, and the contract that Heller presented in 1989 did not confirm that he was officially an N.W.A member.''Ice Cube: Attitude'', Joel McIver, p.70, Foruli Classics, 2012 After leaving the group and its label in December, Cube sued Heller, and the lawsuit was later settled out of court. In response, N.W.A members attacked Cube on the 1990 EP ''
100 Miles and Runnin' ''100 Miles and Runnin'' is the only extended play by American hip-hop group N.W.A. Released on August 14, 1990, this EP of five tracks reflects an evolution of N.W.A's sound and centers on the single " 100 Miles and Runnin'.Jason Birchmeier"N. ...
'', and on N.W.A's next and final album, ''
Niggaz4Life ''Niggaz4Life'' (also known as ''Efil4zaggin'' per its mirrored title as seen on the cover) is the second and final studio album by American hip-hop group N.W.A, released on May 28, 1991. It was their final album, as the group disbanded later t ...
'', in 1991.


1989–1993: Early solo career, ''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted'', ''Death Certificate'', and ''The Predator''

In early 1990, Ice Cube recorded his debut solo album, ''
AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted ''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Ice Cube, released on May 16, 1990, by Priority Records. It was his first solo album, after an acrimonious split from his former group N.W.A. Primarily produced by Public ...
'', in New York with iconic rap group
Public Enemy Public Enemy is an American Hip-hop, hip hop group formed in Roosevelt, New York, in 1985 by Chuck D and Flavor Flav. The group rose to prominence for their political messages including subjects such as Racism in the United States, American r ...
's production team,
the Bomb Squad The Bomb Squad was an American hip hop production team known for their work with hip hop group Public Enemy. The Bomb Squad are noted for their dense, distinct, innovative production style, often utilizing dozens of samples on just one track. ...
. Arriving in May 1990, it was an instant hit, further swelling rap's mainstream integration. Controversial nonetheless, it drew accusations of misogyny and racism. The album introduces Ice Cube's affirmation of black nationalism and ideology of black struggle. Cube appointed
Yo-Yo A yo-yo (also spelled yoyo) is a toy consisting of an axle connected to two disks, and a string looped around the axle, similar to a spool. It is an ancient toy with proof of existence since 440 BC. The yo-yo was also called a bandalore in th ...
, a female rapper and guest on the album, to be the head of his record label, and helped produce her debut album, ''
Make Way for the Motherlode Make or MAKE may refer to: * ''Make'' (magazine), a tech DIY periodical *Make (software) In software development, Make is a command-line interface software tool that performs actions ordered by configured dependencies as defined in a configura ...
''. Also in 1990, Cube followed up with an EP—''
Kill At Will ''Kill at Will'' (titled ''At Will'' in its censored version) is an extended play by American rapper Ice Cube, released on December 19, 1990, via Priority Records. It was released soon after ''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted'' and capitalized on Cube's ne ...
''—critically acclaimed, and rap's first EP certified
Platinum Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...
. His second album ''
Death Certificate A death certificate is either a legal document issued by a medical practitioner which states when a person died, or a document issued by a government civil registration office, that declares the date, location and cause of a person's death, a ...
'' was released in 1991. The album was thought to be more focused, yet even more controversial, triggering accusations of anti-white, antisemitic, and misogynistic content. The album was split into two themes: the Death Side, "a vision of where we are today", and the Life Side, "a vision of where we need to go". The track "
No Vaseline "No Vaseline" is a diss track written and recorded by American rapper Ice Cube. It was released on October 31, 1991, through Lench Mob Records and Priority Records, amidst his feud with his former group N.W.A. The song serves as the twentieth son ...
" scathingly retorts insults directed at him by N.W.A's 1990 EP and 1991 album, which call him a traitor.Sacha Jenkins, Elliott Wilson, Jeff Mao, Gabe Alvarez & Brent Rollins, "Mo' beef, mo' problems: #7, N.W.A vs. Ice Cube", '' Ego Trip's Book of Rap Lists'' (New York:
St. Martin's Griffin St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in Manhattan in New York City. It is headquartered in the Equitable Building. St. Martin's Press is considered one of the largest English-language publishers, bringing to the public some 700 ...
, 1999)
p 238
Besides calling for hanging Eazy-E as a "house nigga", the track blames N.W.A's manager
Jerry Heller Gerald Elliot Heller (October 6, 1940 – September 2, 2016) was an American music manager and businessman. He was best known for his management of West Coast rap and gangsta rap pioneers N.W.A and Eazy-E. He rose to prominence in the 1960s ...
for exploiting the group, mentions that he is a Jew, and calls for his murder. Ice Cube contended that he mentioned Heller's ethnicity merely incidentally, not to premise attack, but as news media mention nonwhite assailants' races. The track "Black Korea", also deemed racist, was also thought as foreseeing the
1992 Los Angeles riots The 1992 Los Angeles riots were a series of riots and civil disturbances that occurred in Los Angeles County, California, United States, during April and May 1992. Unrest began in South Los Angeles, South Central Los Angeles on April 29, after ...
. While controversial, ''Death Certificate'' broadened his audience; he toured with
Lollapalooza Lollapalooza () is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991, with Chicago becoming its permanent location beginning in 2005. Music genres i ...
in 1992. Cube's third album, '' The Predator'', was released in November 1992. Referring to the
1992 Los Angeles riots The 1992 Los Angeles riots were a series of riots and civil disturbances that occurred in Los Angeles County, California, United States, during April and May 1992. Unrest began in South Los Angeles, South Central Los Angeles on April 29, after ...
, the song "
Wicked Wicked may refer to: Books * ''Wicked'' (Maguire novel), a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire that inspired the musical of the same name * ''Wicked'', a 1997 novel series collaboration between Australian children's authors Paul Jennings and Morris ...
" opens, "April 29 was power to the people, and we might just see a sequel." ''The Predator'' was the first album ever to debut at No. 1 on both the R&B/hip-hop and pop charts. Singles include "
It Was a Good Day "It Was a Good Day" is a song by American rapper Ice Cube, released on February 23, 1993, by Lench Mob Records, Lench Mob and Priority Records, Priority as the second single from his third solo album, ''The Predator (album), The Predator'' (1992 ...
" and "
Check Yo Self "Check Yo Self" is the third and final single from American rapper Ice Cube's third solo album, '' The Predator'' (1992). It was released on July 13, 1993 by Lench Mob Records and Priority Records, and features New York City rapper Das EFX. It top ...
", songs having a "two-part" music video. Generally drawing critical praise, the album is his most successful commercially, over three million copies sold in the US. After this album, Cube's rap audience severely diminished, and never regained the prominence of his first three albums. During this time, Cube began to have numerous features on other artists' songs. In 1992, Cube appeared on
Del the Funky Homosapien Teren Delvon Jones (born August 12, 1972), better known by his stage name Del the Funky Homosapien (sometimes stylized as Del tha Funkee Homosapien) or Sir DZL, is an American rapper. Music career 1988–1997: Early life and beginnings Born in O ...
's debut album ''
I Wish My Brother George Was Here ''I Wish My Brother George Was Here'' is the debut album by American hip hop musician Del the Funky Homosapien. It was released by Elektra Records in 1991. The album was produced by Del, Boogiemen, and Ice Cube. It peaked at number 24 on the ''Bil ...
'', on
Da Lench Mob Da Lench Mob was an American hip hop group from Los Angeles, California, associated with Ice Cube. The group consisted of rappers Shorty, T-Bone, J-Dee, and Maulkie. History The group made its debut on Ice Cube's first solo album, '' AmeriKKK ...
's debut ''
Guerillas in tha Mist ''Guerillas in tha Mist'' is the debut studio album by American hip hop group Da Lench Mob, who originally appeared on Ice Cube's debut solo album, ''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted''. The titular "Guerillas in tha Mist" was a hit at the release of the a ...
'', which he also produced, and on the
Kool G Rap Nathaniel Thomas Wilson (born July 20, 1968), better known by his stage name Kool G Rap (or simply G Rap), is an American rapper. He began his career in the mid-1980s as one half of the group Kool G Rap & DJ Polo and as a member of the Juice Cr ...
and
DJ Polo The Juice Crew was an American hip hop collective made up largely of Queensbridge, New York–based artists in the mid-to-late 1980s. Founded by radio DJ Mr. Magic, and housed by Tyrone Williams' record label Cold Chillin' Records, the Juice C ...
song " Two to the Head". In 1993, he worked on
Kam Kaam ( Punjabi: ਕਾਮ; ''Kāma'') is one of the five thieves in Sikhism, described as excessive lust or desire. A devout Sikh is expected to be in control of ''Kaam'' at all times. Translation The term has been rendered as translating to ...
's debut album, and collaborated with
Ice-T Tracy Lauren Marrow (born February 16, 1958), known professionally as Ice-T (or Ice T), is an American rapper and actor. He is active in both hip hop music, hip hop and heavy metal music, heavy metal. Ice-T began his career as an underground r ...
on the track "Last Wordz" on
2Pac Tupac Amaru Shakur (; born Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor, regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all tim ...
's album '' Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z.''.


1993–1998: ''Lethal Injection'' and forming Westside Connection

Cube's fourth album, ''
Lethal Injection Lethal injection is the practice of injecting one or more drugs into a person (typically a barbiturate, paralytic, and potassium) for the express purpose of causing death. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but t ...
'', came out in late 1993. Here, Cube borrowed from the then-popular
G-funk G-funk, short for gangsta funk, (or funk rap) is a sub-genre of gangsta rap that emerged from the West Coast scene in the early 1990s. The genre is heavily influenced by the synthesizer-heavy 1970s funk sound of Parliament-Funkadelic (aka P-F ...
popularized by
Dr. Dre Andre Romell Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper, record producer, record executive, and actor. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and co-founder of ...
. Although not received well by critics, the album brought successful singles, including " Really Doe", " Bop Gun (One Nation)", " You Know How We Do It", and "What Can I Do?" After this album, Ice Cube effectively lost his rap audience. Following ''Lethal Injection'', Cube focused on films and producing albums of other rappers, including Da Lench Mob,
Mack 10 Dedrick D'Mon Rolison (born August 9, 1971), better known by his stage name Mack 10, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and record executive. He was a member of hip hop supergroup Westside Connection along with WC and Ice C ...
,
Mr. Short Khop Lionel Hunt, better known by his stage name Mr. Short Khop is an American rapper. He encountered Ice Cube in front of a 7 Eleven convenience store in South Central, California. Ice Cube eventually struck a deal with the newcomer, and soon Shor ...
, and
Kausion Kausion was an American rap group composed of Cel, Gonzoe, and Kaydo that was signed to Ice Cube's Lench Mob Records in 1995. They released their debut album, '' South Central Los Skanless'', on October 10, 1995. The album peaked at number 37 o ...
. In 1994, Cube teamed with onetime N.W.A groupmate
Dr. Dre Andre Romell Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper, record producer, record executive, and actor. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and co-founder of ...
, who was then leading rap's
G-funk G-funk, short for gangsta funk, (or funk rap) is a sub-genre of gangsta rap that emerged from the West Coast scene in the early 1990s. The genre is heavily influenced by the synthesizer-heavy 1970s funk sound of Parliament-Funkadelic (aka P-F ...
subgenre, for the first time since Cube had left the group, and which had disbanded upon Dre's 1991 departure. The result was the Cube and Dre song "
Natural Born Killaz "Natural Born Killaz" is a single released by Dr. Dre and Ice Cube for the soundtrack of the film ''Murder Was the Case''. It was originally intended for their scrapped album ''Heltah Skeltah''. It would later be used by professional wrestling t ...
", on the ''
Murder Was The Case ''Murder Was the Case'' is a 1994 short film and soundtrack album starring and performed by Snoop Doggy Dogg. The 18 minute film was directed by Dr. Dre and Fab Five Freddy and chronicles the fictional death of Snoop Dogg and his resurrection ...
'' soundtrack, released by Dre's then-new label,
Death Row Records Death Row Records is an American record label that was founded in 1991 by The D.O.C., Dr. Dre, Suge Knight, and Dick Griffey. The label became a sensation by releasing multi-platinum hip-hop albums by West Coast-based artists such as Dr. D ...
. In 1995, Cube joined Mack 10 and WC in forming a side trio, the
Westside Connection Westside Connection was an American hip-hop Supergroup (music), supergroup formed by Ice Cube, Mack 10, and WC (rapper), WC. The group's debut album, ''Bow Down'', reached the number two position on the Billboard 200, ''Billboard'' 200 in 1996 ...
. Feeling neglected by East Coast media, a longstanding issue in rap's bicoastal rivalry, the group aimed to reinforce West pride and resonate with the undervalued. The Westside Connection's first album, ''
Bow Down ''Bow Down'' is the debut studio album by American West Coast hip hop supergroup Westside Connection. It was released on October 22, 1996, through Priority Records. The recording sessions took place at Ice Cube's house studio, Westsiiiiide Stud ...
'' (1996), featured tracks like "Bow Down" and "Gangstas Make the World Go 'Round" that reflected the group's objectives. The album was certified
Platinum Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...
by year's end. Interpreting rapper
Common Common may refer to: As an Irish surname, it is anglicised from Irish Gaelic surname Ó Comáin. Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Com ...
's song " I Used to Love H.E.R." as a diss of West Coast rap, Cube and the Westside Connection briefly feuded with him, but they resolved amicably in 1997. It was also at this time that Cube began collaborating outside the rap genre. In 1997, he worked with
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...
and
Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN (stylized as NIИ), is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1988. Its members are the singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Trent Reznor and his frequent col ...
singer
Trent Reznor Michael Trent Reznor (born May 17, 1965) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and composer. He came to prominence as the founder, lead singer, multi-instrumentalist, and primary songwriter of the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. T ...
on a remix of Bowie's "
I'm Afraid of Americans "I'm Afraid of Americans" is a song by the English musician David Bowie, released as a Single (music), single from his album ''Earthling (David Bowie album), Earthling'' on 14 October 1997 through Virgin Records. The song was co-written by ...
". In 1998, Cube was featured on the band
Korn Korn (stylized as KoЯn) is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, originally formed in 1993 by James Shaffer, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald Arvizu, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu and David Silveria, who were members of the band ...
's song " Children of the Korn", and joined them on their Family Values Tour 1998.


1998–2006: ''War & Peace Vol. 1 & 2'' and Westside Connection reunion

In November 1998, Cube released his long-awaited fifth solo album '' War & Peace Vol. 1 (The War Disc)''. The delayed sixth album, '' Volume 2'', arrived in 2000. These albums feature the
Westside Connection Westside Connection was an American hip-hop Supergroup (music), supergroup formed by Ice Cube, Mack 10, and WC (rapper), WC. The group's debut album, ''Bow Down'', reached the number two position on the Billboard 200, ''Billboard'' 200 in 1996 ...
and a reunion with his old N.W.A members Dr. Dre and MC Ren. Cube also received a return favor from Korn, as they appeared on his song "Fuck Dying" from ''Vol. 1''. Many fans maintained that these two albums, especially the second, were lesser in quality to his earlier work. In 2000, Cube also joined Dr. Dre,
Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is credited with popula ...
, and
Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...
for the Up in Smoke Tour. In 2002, Cube appeared on British DJ
Paul Oakenfold Paul Mark Oakenfold (; born 30 August 1963), formerly known mononymously as Oakenfold, is an English record producer, remixer and trance DJ. He has provided over 100 remixes for over 100 artists including U2, Moby, Madonna, Britney Spears, Ma ...
's solo debut album, '' Bunkka'', on the track "Get Em Up". Released in 2003, Westside Connection's second album, ''
Terrorist Threats ''Terrorist Threats'' is the second and final studio album by American West Coast hip hop supergroup (music), supergroup Westside Connection. It was released on December 9, 2003 through Hoo-Bangin' Records and Capitol Records. Hip hop productio ...
'', fared well critically, but saw lesser sales. "Gangsta Nation" (featuring
Nate Dogg Nathaniel Dwayne Hale (August 19, 1969 – March 15, 2011), known professionally as Nate Dogg, was an American rapper and singer. He gained recognition for providing guest vocals on several hit rap songs between 1992 and 2007, earning him the ...
), the only single released, was a radio hit. After a rift between Cube and Mack 10 about Cube's film work minimizing the group's touring, the Westside Connection disbanded in 2005. In 2004, Cube featured on the song " Real Nigga Roll Call" by
Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz Jonathan H. Smith (born January 17, 1971), better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, DJ, and record producer. Regarded as a progenitor of the club-oriented hip-hop subgenre crunk, his production and voice presence were inst ...
, the then leaders of rap's
crunk Crunk is a subgenre of Southern hip-hop that emerged in the early 1990s and gained mainstream success during the early to mid 2000s. Crunk is often up-tempo and one of Southern hip hop's more nightclub-oriented subgenres. Distinguishing itself w ...
subgenre.


2006–2012: ''Laugh Now, Cry Later'', ''Raw Footage'', and ''I Am the West''

In 2006, Cube released his seventh solo album, ''
Laugh Now, Cry Later ''Laugh Now, Cry Later'' is the seventh studio album by rapper Ice Cube, released on June 6, 2006. It is Ice Cube's first album to be released on his independently owned record label Lench Mob Records and Universal Records. This album is his fir ...
'', selling 144,000 units in the first week.
Lil Jon Jonathan H. Smith (born January 17, 1971), better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, DJ, and record producer. Regarded as a progenitor of the club-oriented hip-hop subgenre crunk, his production and voice presence were inst ...
and
Scott Storch Scott Spencer Storch (born December 16, 1973) is an American record producer and songwriter. Storch began his career as part of Philadelphia-based hip hop band the Roots, which he joined as a keyboardist prior to the release of their 1993 debut a ...
produced the lead single, "
Why We Thugs "Why We Thugs" is the first single on Ice Cube's seventh album ''Laugh Now, Cry Later''. It was released on April 13, 2006 and the music video has a cameo appearance by comedian Mike Epps. The song makes references to George W. Bush, Saddam Hussein ...
". In October, Ice Cube was honored at VH1's Annual Hip Hop Honors, and performed it and also the track "Go to Church". Cube soon toured globally in the Straight Outta Compton Tour—accompanied by rapper WC from the Westside Connection—playing in America, Europe, Australia, and Japan. Amid Cube's many features and brief collaborations, September 2007 brought '' In the Movies'', a compilation album of Ice Cube songs on soundtracks. Cube's eighth studio album, ''
Raw Footage ''Raw Footage'' is the eighth studio album by American rapper Ice Cube. It was released on August 19, 2008, by his record label Lench Mob Records and EMI. The album features guest appearances from The Game, Butch Cassidy, Musiq Soulchild, Youn ...
'', arrived on August 19, 2008, yielding the singles " Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It" and " Do Ya Thang". Also in 2008, Cube helped on
Tech N9ne Aaron Dontez Yates (born November 8, 1971), better known by his stage name Tech N9ne (pronounced "tech nine"), is an American rapper and singer. In 1999, he and business partner Travis O'Guin founded the record label Strange Music. He has sold ...
's song " Blackboy", and was featured on The Game's song "
State of Emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state before, during, o ...
". As a fan of the
NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...
football team the Raiders, Cube released in October 2009 a tribute song, "Raider Nation". In 2009, Ice Cube performed at the
Gathering of the Juggalos The Gathering of the Juggalos (also known as The Gathering or GOTJ) is an annual music festival put on by Psychopathic Records, featuring performances by the entire label roster as well as numerous well-known musical groups and underground music, ...
, and returned to perform at the 2011 festival. On September 28, 2010, his ninth solo album, '' I Am the West'', arrived with, Cube says, a direction different from any one of his other albums. Its producers include West Coast veterans like
DJ Quik David Marvin Blake (born January 18, 1970), better known by his stage names DJ Quik or Da Quiksta, is an American rapper and record producer from Compton, California, known for his production in the G-funk style of West Coast hip-hop. Blake has ...
,
Dr. Dre Andre Romell Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper, record producer, record executive, and actor. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and co-founder of ...
,
E-A-Ski Shon Adams, better known by his stage name E-A-Ski, is an American rapper and producer from Oakland, California. He served as both a rapper and producer for No Limit Records, producing on Master P's early records and also releasing some of h ...
, and, after nearly 20 years, again Cube's onetime C.I.A groupmate
Sir Jinx Anthony D. Wheaton (born June 3, 1970), professionally known by his stage name Sir Jinx, is an American hip-hop record producer and rapper from Los Angeles. He is a cousin of multi-platinum producer Dr. Dre. He began his career as a member of th ...
. Offering the single "I Rep That West", the album debuted at #22 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and sold 22,000 copies in its first week. Also in 2010, Cube signed up-and-coming recording artist named 7Tre The Ghost, deemed likely to be either skipped or given the cookie-cutter treatment by most record companies. In 2011, Cube featured on
Daz Dillinger Delmar Drew Arnaud (born May 25, 1973), known professionally as Daz Dillinger or simply Daz (formerly Dat Nigga Daz), is an American rapper and record producer. As a member of Death Row Records in the early 1990s, he is credited with the label ...
's song "Iz You Ready to Die" and on
DJ Quik David Marvin Blake (born January 18, 1970), better known by his stage names DJ Quik or Da Quiksta, is an American rapper and record producer from Compton, California, known for his production in the G-funk style of West Coast hip-hop. Blake has ...
's song "Boogie Till You Conk Out". In 2012, Ice Cube recorded a verse for a remix of the
Insane Clown Posse Insane Clown Posse, often abbreviated as ICP, is an American hip hop duo. Formed in Detroit in 1989, ICP's best-known lineup consists of rappers Violent J (Joseph Bruce) and Shaggy 2 Dope (originally 2 Dope; Joseph Utsler). Insan ...
song "
Chris Benoit Christopher Michael Benoit ( ; May 21, 1967 – June 24, 2007) was a Canadian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He worked for various pro-wrestling promotions during his 22-year career, but is notorious for Chris Benoit double-murd ...
", from ICP's '' The Mighty Death Pop!'' album, appearing on the album '' Mike E. Clark's Extra Pop Emporium''. In September 2012, during
Pepsi Pepsi is a Carbonated water, carbonated soft drink with a cola flavor, manufactured by PepsiCo which serves as its flagship product. In 2023, Pepsi was the second most valuable soft drink brand worldwide behind Coca-Cola; the two share a long ...
's NFL Anthems campaign, Cube released his second Raiders anthem "Come and Get It".


2012–present: ''Everythang's Corrupt'', Mount Westmore and ''Man Down''

In November 2012, Cube released more details on his forthcoming, tenth studio album, ''
Everythang's Corrupt ''Everythang's Corrupt'' (stylized as Everythangs Corrupt) is the tenth studio album by American rapper Ice Cube, released on December 7, 2018, by Lench Mob and Interscope Records. It is his first studio album since 2010's '' I Am the West'' and ...
''. Releasing its title track near the 2012 elections, he added, "You know, this record is for the political heads." But the album's release was delayed. On February 10, 2014, iTunes brought another single from it, "
Sic Them Youngins on 'Em The discography of Ice Cube, an American rapper, consists of eleven studio albums, six compilation albums, one extended play, as well as twelve movie soundtracks. Albums Studio albums Collaborative albums Compilation albums Soundtrack alb ...
", and a music video followed the next day. Despite a couple of more song releases, the album's release was delayed even beyond Cube's work on the 2015 film ''
Straight Outta Compton ''Straight Outta Compton'' is the debut studio album by American hip-hop group N.W.A, released on January 25, 1989, through Priority Records, Priority and Ruthless Records. It was Record producer, produced by N.W.A members Dr. Dre, DJ Yella, a ...
''. After a statement setting release to 2017, the album finally arrived on December 7, 2018. In 2014, Cube appeared on
MC Ren Lorenzo Jerald Patterson (born June 16, 1969), known professionally by his stage name MC Ren, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer from Compton, California. He is the founder and owner of the independent record label Villain ...
's remix " Rebel Music", their first collaboration since the N.W.A reunion in 2000. In 2020, Cube joined rappers
Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...
,
E-40 Earl Tywone Stevens (born November 15, 1967), better known by his stage name E-40, is an American rapper. Stevens is a founding member of the rap group The Click (band), The Click and the founder of Sick Wid It Records. He has released 27 stud ...
,
Too Short Todd Anthony Shaw (born April 28, 1966), better known by his stage name Too Short (stylized as Too $hort), is an American rapper. A pioneer of West Coast hip-hop, Shaw was among the first acts to receive recognition in the genre during the late ...
and formed the supergroup
Mt. Westmore Mount Westmore is an American hip hop supergroup composed of California-based rappers Snoop Dogg, E-40, Too Short, and Ice Cube. Formed in late 2020, the group's debut album, ''Bad MF's'' (2022) was initially released through blockchain. It was ...
. The group's debut album was released on June 7, 2022. Throughout early 2024, Ice Cube is set to tour across Canada as part of his Straight Into Canada tour. Ice Cube's eleventh studio album and his first new album in six years, '' Man Down'', was released on November 22, 2024. The album was preceded by the singles "It's My Ego", "Ego Maniacs (featuring
Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after National Football League, NFL and Canadian Football Lea ...
and
Killer Mike Michael Santiago Render (born April 20, 1975), better known by his stage name Killer Mike, is an American rapper, singer and activist. He made his recording debut on Outkast's fourth album ''Stankonia'' (2000), and guest appeared on the duo's Gr ...
)" and "So Sensitive".


Film and television career

Since 1991, Ice Cube has acted in nearly 40 films, several of which are highly regarded. Some of them, such as the 1992 thriller ''
Trespass Trespass is an area of tort law broadly divided into three groups: trespass to the person (see below), trespass to chattels, and trespass to land. Trespass to the person historically involved six separate trespasses: threats, assault, battery ...
'' and the 1999 war comedy ''
Three Kings In Christianity, the Biblical Magi ( or ; singular: ), also known as the Three Wise Men, Three Kings, and Three Magi, are distinguished foreigners who visit Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh in homage to hi ...
'', highlight action. Yet most are comedies, including a few adult-oriented ones, like the ''Friday'' franchise, whereas most of these are family-friendly, like the ''Barbershop'' franchise.


Narrative

John Singleton John Daniel Singleton (January 6, 1968 April 28, 2019) was an American director, screenwriter, and producer. He made his feature film debut writing and directing '' Boyz n the Hood'' (1991), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for ...
's seminal film ''
Boyz n the Hood ''Boyz n the Hood'' is a 1991 American coming-of-age hood crime drama film written and directed by John Singleton in his feature directorial debut. It stars Cuba Gooding Jr., Ice Cube (in his film debut), Morris Chestnut, and Laurence Fis ...
'', released in July 1991, debuted the actor Ice Cube playing Doughboy, a persona that Cube played convincingly. Later, Cube starred with
Ice-T Tracy Lauren Marrow (born February 16, 1958), known professionally as Ice-T (or Ice T), is an American rapper and actor. He is active in both hip hop music, hip hop and heavy metal music, heavy metal. Ice-T began his career as an underground r ...
and
Bill Paxton William Paxton (May 17, 1955 – February 25, 2017) was an American actor, filmmaker and musician. A versatile character actor known for his distinctive Texan drawl and everyman screen persona, he was a four-time Golden Globe Award and a Prime ...
in
Walter Hill Walter Hill (born January 10, 1942) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer known for his action films and revival of the Western (genre), Western genre. He has directed such films as ''The Driver'', ''The Warriors (film), The ...
's 1992 thriller film ''
Trespass Trespass is an area of tort law broadly divided into three groups: trespass to the person (see below), trespass to chattels, and trespass to land. Trespass to the person historically involved six separate trespasses: threats, assault, battery ...
'', and in Charles Burnett's 1995 film ''
The Glass Shield ''The Glass Shield'' is a 1994 American crime drama film co-written and directed by Charles Burnett. It stars Michael Boatman and Lori Petty as rookie Deputy Sheriffs who uncover a conspiracy around the arrest of a suspect (Ice Cube). After a fe ...
''. Meanwhile, Cube declined to costar with
Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreogr ...
in Singleton's 1993 romance ''
Poetic Justice Poetic justice, also called poetic irony, is a literary device with which ultimately virtue is rewarded and misdeeds are punished. In modern literature, it is often accompanied by an ironic twist of fate related to the character's own action, h ...
'', a role that
Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur (; born Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor, regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all tim ...
then played. Cube starred as the university student Fudge in Singleton's 1995 film ''
Higher Learning Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...
''. Singleton, encouraging Cube, had reportedly told him, "If you can write a record, you can write a movie." Cube cowrote the screenplay for the 1995 comedy ''
Friday Friday is the day of the week between Thursday and Saturday. In countries that adopt the traditional "Sunday-first" convention, it is the sixth day of the week. In countries adopting the ISO 8601-defined "Monday-first" convention, it is the fifth ...
'', based on adult themes, and starred in it with comedian
Chris Tucker Christopher Tucker (born August 31, 1971) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. Tucker made his debut in 1992 as a stand-up performer on the HBO comedy series '' Def Comedy Jam'', where he frequently appeared on the show during the 1990 ...
. Made with $3.5 million, ''Friday'' drew $28 million worldwide. Two sequels, ''
Next Friday ''Next Friday'' is a 2000 American stoner comedy film and the sequel to the 1995 film ''Friday''. It is the first film to be produced by Ice Cube's film production company Cube Vision, and to be written by Cube himself. It was directed by Stev ...
'' and ''
Friday After Next ''Friday After Next'' is a 2002 American stoner comedy film directed by Marcus Raboy and starring Ice Cube (who also wrote the film), Mike Epps (in a dual role), John Witherspoon, Don "D.C." Curry, Anna Maria Horsford, and Clifton Powell. It ...
'', were respectively released in 2000 and 2002. In 1997, playing a South African exiled to America who returns 15 years later, Cube starred in the action thriller '' Dangerous Ground'', and had a supporting role in ''
Anaconda Anacondas or water boas are a group of large boas of the genus ''Eunectes''. They are a semiaquatic group of snakes found in tropical South America. Three to five extant and one extinct species are currently recognized, including one of the l ...
''. In 1998, writing again, the director Ice Cube debuted in ''
The Players Club ''The Players Club'' is a 1998 American dark comedy drama thriller film written and directed by Ice Cube in his feature film directorial debut. In addition to Ice Cube, the film stars Bernie Mac, Monica Calhoun, Jamie Foxx, John Amos, A. J. ...
''. In 1999, he starred alongside
George Clooney George Timothy Clooney (born May 6, 1961) is an American actor, filmmaker, and philanthropist. Known for his leading man roles on screen in both blockbuster and independent films, Clooney has received numerous accolades, including two Ac ...
and
Mark Wahlberg Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg (born June 5, 1971), formerly known by his stage name Marky Mark, is an American actor, producer, and former rapper. Mark Wahlberg filmography, His work as a leading actor, leading man spans the Comedy film, come ...
as a
staff sergeant Staff sergeant is a Military rank, rank of non-commissioned officer used in the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. History of title In origin, certain senior sergeants were assigned to administr ...
in ''
Three Kings In Christianity, the Biblical Magi ( or ; singular: ), also known as the Three Wise Men, Three Kings, and Three Magi, are distinguished foreigners who visit Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh in homage to hi ...
'', set in the immediate aftermath of the
Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...
, whereby the United States attacked Iraq in 1990, an "intelligent" war comedy critically acclaimed. In 2002, Cube starred in Kevin Bray's ''
All About the Benjamins ''All About the Benjamins'' is a 2002 American buddy action comedy film directed by Kevin Bray, starring Ice Cube and Mike Epps as a bounty hunter and a con artist who join forces to find a group of diamond thieves: the former for glory, and ...
'', and in
Tim Story Timothy Kevin Story is an American film director. He is best known for '' Barbershop'' (2002), ''Fantastic Four'' (2005), and the ''Ride Along'' franchise. He has been nominated for two NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Directing in a Feature ...
's comedy film '' Barbershop''. In 2004, Cube played in '' Barbershop 2'' and ''
Torque In physics and mechanics, torque is the rotational analogue of linear force. It is also referred to as the moment of force (also abbreviated to moment). The symbol for torque is typically \boldsymbol\tau, the lowercase Greek letter ''tau''. Wh ...
''. The next year, he replaced
Vin Diesel Mark Sinclair (born July 18, 1967), known professionally as Vin Diesel, is an American actor and film producer. One of the world's highest-grossing actors, he is best known for portraying Dominic "Dom" Toretto in the '' Fast & Furious'' fra ...
in the second installment of the ''XXX'' film series, '' XXX: State of the Union'', as the main protagonist, which he reprises the character in the third installment and reunited with Diesel 12 years later, '' XXX: Return of Xander Cage''. He also appeared in the family comedy '' Are We There Yet?'', which premised his role in its 2007 sequel ''
Are We Done Yet? ''Are We Done Yet?'' is a 2007 American family comedy film directed by Steve Carr and starring Ice Cube. The film is the second installment in the ''Are We There Yet?'' franchise, and the sequel to the 2005 movie of the same name. The plot of ...
''. In 2012, Cube appeared in ''
21 Jump Street ''21 Jump Street'' is an American police procedural drama television series created by Patrick Hasburgh and Stephen J. Cannell for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It aired from April 12, 1987 to April 27, 1991, spanning 103 episodes over five s ...
''. He also appeared in its sequel, ''
22 Jump Street ''22 Jump Street'' is a 2014 American adult buddy cop action comedy film directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, written by Jonah Hill, Michael Bacall, Oren Uziel and Rodney Rothman and produced by and starring Hill and Channing T ...
'', in 2014. That year, and then to return in 2016, he played alongside comedian
Kevin Hart Kevin Darnell Hart (born July 6, 1979) is an American comedian and actor. The accolades he has received include the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor and nominations for two Grammy Awards and four Primetime Emmy Awards. After winning se ...
in two more Tim Story films, '' Ride Along'' and ''
Ride Along 2 ''Ride Along 2'' is a 2016 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Tim Story and written by Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi. It is the sequel to the 2014 film '' Ride Along''. The film stars Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Ken Jeong, Benjamin Br ...
''. Also in 2016, Cube returned for the third entry in the ''Barbershop'' series. And in 2017, Cube starred with
Charlie Day Charles Peckham Day (born February 9, 1976) is an American actor, writer, and producer. He is best known for playing Charlie Kelly (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Charlie Kelly on the FX Networks, FX dark comedy ''It's Always Sunny in Phila ...
in the comedy ''
Fist Fight ''Fist Fight'' is a 2017 American comedy film directed by Richie Keen and written by Van Robichaux and Evan Susser. The film stars Ice Cube, Charlie Day, Tracy Morgan, and Jillian Bell with Dean Norris, Christina Hendricks, Kumail Nanjiani, a ...
''. In October 2021, Ice Cube was set to star in the comedy film ''Oh Hell No'' (now titled ''Stepdude'') alongside
Jack Black Thomas Jacob "Jack" Black (born August 28, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is known for roles in family and comedy films, in addition to his voice work in animated films. His awards include a Children's and Family Emmy ...
, but left the project after refusing to get vaccinated for
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
. The project would have paid him $9 million.


Documentary

In late 2005, Ice Cube and R. J. Cutler co-created the six-part documentary series '' Black. White.'', carried by cable network FX. Ice Cube and basketball star
LeBron James LeBron Raymone James Sr. ( ; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is the NBA's all-time leading scorer and ...
paired up to pitch a one-hour special to
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...
based on James's life. On May 11, 2010, ESPN aired Cube's directed documentary ''
Straight Outta L.A. ''Straight Outta L.A.'' is a 2010 American documentary film in ESPN's ''30 for 30'' series directed by Ice Cube that covers the National Football League, NFL team Los Angeles Raiders, Raiders' time in Los Angeles from 1982 to 1994, and how this o ...
'', examining the interplay of Los Angeles sociopolitics, hip hop, and the Raiders during the 1980s into the 1990s.


Serial television

Ice Cube's '' Are We There Yet?'' series premiered on TBS on June 2, 2010. It revolves around a family adjusting to the matriarch's new husband, played by
Terry Crews Terry Alan Crews (born July 30, 1968) is an American actor, television host, and former professional American football, football player. He played Julius Rock in the UPN/The CW Television Network, CW sitcom ''Everybody Hates Chris'', which air ...
. On August 16, the show was renewed for 90 more episodes, amounting to six seasons. Cube also credits
Tyler Perry Tyler Perry (born Emmitt Perry Jr., September 13, 1969) is an American actor, filmmaker, and playwright. He is the creator and performer of Madea, Mabel "Madea" Simmons, a tough elderly woman, and also portrays her brother Joe Simmons and her ...
for his entrée to TBS. In front of the television cameras, rather, Cube appeared with Elmo as a 2014 guest on the
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
children's show ''
Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational television, educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation, and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Worksh ...
.''


Personal life

In 1990, a musical associate in the rap group
Public Enemy Public Enemy is an American Hip-hop, hip hop group formed in Roosevelt, New York, in 1985 by Chuck D and Flavor Flav. The group rose to prominence for their political messages including subjects such as Racism in the United States, American r ...
introduced Cube to the
Nation of Islam The Nation of Islam (NOI) is a religious organization founded in the United States by Wallace Fard Muhammad in 1930. A centralized and hierarchical organization, the NOI is committed to black nationalism and focuses its attention on the Afr ...
(NOI).Martin Cizmar
"Ice Cube is one of rap's original gangsters, but he is also one of hip hop's most unconventional political activists"
''
Willamette Week ''Willamette Week'' (''WW'') is an alternative weekly newspaper and a website published in Portland, Oregon, United States, since 1974. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business, and culture. History Early history '' ...
,'' Aug 23, 2016, updated Oct 3, 2016.
He
converted to Islam Reversion to Islam, also known within Islam as reversion, is adopting Islam as a religion or faith. Conversion requires a formal statement of the '' shahādah'', the credo of Islam, whereby the prospective convert must state that "there is none w ...
, though he denied membership in the NOI, whose ideology against white people and especially Jews led to its categorization as a
hate group A hate group is a social group that advocates and practices hatred, hostility, or violence towards members of a race, ethnicity, nation, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other designated sector of society. Acc ...
by the
Southern Poverty Law Center The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, it is known for its legal cases against white ...
. However, he readily adopted the group's ideology of
black nationalism Black nationalism is a nationalist movement which seeks representation for Black people as a distinct national identity, especially in racialized, colonial and postcolonial societies. Its earliest proponents saw it as a way to advocate for ...
, a concept familiar to the hip hop community.Dawn-Marie Gibson, "Embracing the Nation: Hip-hop, Louis Farrakhan, and alternative music", in Andre E. Johnson, ed., ''Urban God Talk: Constructing a Hip Hop Spirituality'' (Lanham, Maryland:
Lexington Books Bloomsbury Publishing plc is a British worldwide publishing house of fiction and non-fiction. Bloomsbury's head office is located on Bedford Square in Bloomsbury, an area of the London Borough of Camden. It has a US publishing office located in ...
, 2013), p
140

141
He nevertheless has claimed to listen to his own conscience as a "natural
Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
", claiming to do so because "it's just imand God". In 2012, he expressed support for
same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...
. In 2017, he said that he thinks "religion is stupid" in part and explained, "I'm gonna live a long life, and I might change religions three or four times before I die. I'm on the Islam tip—but I'm on the Christian tip, too. I'm on the
Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
tip as well. Everyone has something to offer to the world." Ice Cube has been married to Kimberly Woodruff since April 26, 1992. They have four children together; their oldest son O'Shea Jackson Jr. (born 1991) portrayed him in the film ''
Straight Outta Compton ''Straight Outta Compton'' is the debut studio album by American hip-hop group N.W.A, released on January 25, 1989, through Priority Records, Priority and Ruthless Records. It was Record producer, produced by N.W.A members Dr. Dre, DJ Yella, a ...
''. When asked about the balance between his music and parenting in 2005, Cube discussed teaching his children to question the value of violence depicted in all media, not just song lyrics. Through his son O'Shea Jackson Jr., Ice Cube became a grandfather in August, 2017. In 2017, he launched
Big3 Big3 (stylized BIG3) is a 3x3 basketball, 3-on-3 basketball league founded by the hip-hop musician and actor Ice Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz. The league consists of 12 teams whose rosters include both former National Basketb ...
, a 3-on-3 basketball league starring former
NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
players. Ice Cube is a notable fan of the
Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West ...
, originally supporting the team during their tenure in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
from 1982 to 1994. NWA's use of Raiders' memorabilia in conjunction with the team's historically intimidating presence, helped to further popularized an image for the team in hip-hop culture for years to come. Ice Cube is also a fan of the
Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
of MLB, performing a pregame show before game 2 of the
2024 World Series The 2024 World Series was the World Series, championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2024 Major League Baseball season, 2024 season. The 120th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (b ...
and later at the team's World Series win celebration at
Dodger Stadium Dodger Stadium is a ballpark in the Elysian Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. It is the home of the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Opened in 1962, it was constructed in less than three years at a ...
, and has equally been a devout fan of the
Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...
.


Conspiracy theories and antisemitism

At a 1991 press conference promoting his album ''
Death Certificate A death certificate is either a legal document issued by a medical practitioner which states when a person died, or a document issued by a government civil registration office, that declares the date, location and cause of a person's death, a ...
'', Cube endorsed the Nation of Islam's pseudo-scholarly book ''
The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews ''The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews'' is a three-volume work of pseudo-scholarship, published by the Nation of Islam. The first volume, which was released in 1991, asserts that Jews dominated the Atlantic slave trade. ''The Secret ...
'', which falsely claims that European Jews dominated the
Atlantic slave trade The Atlantic slave trade or transatlantic slave trade involved the transportation by slave traders of Slavery in Africa, enslaved African people to the Americas. European slave ships regularly used the triangular trade route and its Middle Pass ...
. ''Death Certificate'' also contains the song "
No Vaseline "No Vaseline" is a diss track written and recorded by American rapper Ice Cube. It was released on October 31, 1991, through Lench Mob Records and Priority Records, amidst his feud with his former group N.W.A. The song serves as the twentieth son ...
",JTA
"Rapper Ice Cube scuffles with rabbi outside casino, hit with $2ml lawsuit"
''
The Jerusalem Post ''The Jerusalem Post'' is an English language, English-language Israeli broadsheet newspaper based in Jerusalem, Israel, founded in 1932 during the Mandate for Palestine, British Mandate of Mandatory Palestine, Palestine by Gershon Agron as ''Th ...
'', JPost.com, Jpost Inc., May 30, 2015.
which uses racial slurs against the other former members of N.W.A and refers to the group's manager
Jerry Heller Gerald Elliot Heller (October 6, 1940 – September 2, 2016) was an American music manager and businessman. He was best known for his management of West Coast rap and gangsta rap pioneers N.W.A and Eazy-E. He rose to prominence in the 1960s ...
as "white man", "white boy", "Jew", "white Jew", "
devil A devil is the mythical personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conce ...
" and "cracker (slur), cracker". In response to accusations of racism and anti-Semitism, Cube said in 2008, "I ain't got time to be fuckin' anti-Semitic, anti-this, anti-that, Anti-Korean sentiment, anti-Korean. I ain't got time for that shit. I'm too busy bein' pro-black, you know what I'm saying?" In 2015, Cube expressed regret at including the word "Jew" in the lyrics of "No Vaseline" and explained that he intended to attack only Heller and not "the whole Jewish race". In 2020, Marlow Stern wrote an article in the ''Daily Beast'' addressing Cube's "long, disturbing history" of anti-Semitism. The article was a response to Cube's day-long Twitter posting spree the day before, during which he promoted Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. He also shared various disproven anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. Again calling himself "just pro-black" and not "anti-anybody", he dismissed "the hype" and professed that he was just "telling [his] truth".


Discography

Solo studio albums * ''
AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted ''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Ice Cube, released on May 16, 1990, by Priority Records. It was his first solo album, after an acrimonious split from his former group N.W.A. Primarily produced by Public ...
'' (1990) * ''
Death Certificate A death certificate is either a legal document issued by a medical practitioner which states when a person died, or a document issued by a government civil registration office, that declares the date, location and cause of a person's death, a ...
'' (1991) * '' The Predator'' (1992) * ''
Lethal Injection Lethal injection is the practice of injecting one or more drugs into a person (typically a barbiturate, paralytic, and potassium) for the express purpose of causing death. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but t ...
'' (1993) * '' War & Peace Vol. 1 (The War Disc)'' (1998) * ''War & Peace Vol. 2 (The Peace Disc)'' (2000) * ''
Laugh Now, Cry Later ''Laugh Now, Cry Later'' is the seventh studio album by rapper Ice Cube, released on June 6, 2006. It is Ice Cube's first album to be released on his independently owned record label Lench Mob Records and Universal Records. This album is his fir ...
'' (2006) * ''
Raw Footage ''Raw Footage'' is the eighth studio album by American rapper Ice Cube. It was released on August 19, 2008, by his record label Lench Mob Records and EMI. The album features guest appearances from The Game, Butch Cassidy, Musiq Soulchild, Youn ...
'' (2008) * '' I Am the West'' (2010) * ''
Everythang's Corrupt ''Everythang's Corrupt'' (stylized as Everythangs Corrupt) is the tenth studio album by American rapper Ice Cube, released on December 7, 2018, by Lench Mob and Interscope Records. It is his first studio album since 2010's '' I Am the West'' and ...
'' (2018) * '' Man Down'' (2024) Collaborative studio albums * ''
Straight Outta Compton ''Straight Outta Compton'' is the debut studio album by American hip-hop group N.W.A, released on January 25, 1989, through Priority Records, Priority and Ruthless Records. It was Record producer, produced by N.W.A members Dr. Dre, DJ Yella, a ...
'' (with
N.W.A N.W.A (an abbreviation for Niggaz Wit Attitudes) was an American hip-hop group formed in Compton, California in 1987. Among the earliest and most significant figures of the gangsta rap subgenre, the group is widely considered one of the great ...
) (1989) * ''
Bow Down ''Bow Down'' is the debut studio album by American West Coast hip hop supergroup Westside Connection. It was released on October 22, 1996, through Priority Records. The recording sessions took place at Ice Cube's house studio, Westsiiiiide Stud ...
'' (with
Westside Connection Westside Connection was an American hip-hop Supergroup (music), supergroup formed by Ice Cube, Mack 10, and WC (rapper), WC. The group's debut album, ''Bow Down'', reached the number two position on the Billboard 200, ''Billboard'' 200 in 1996 ...
) (1996) * ''
Terrorist Threats ''Terrorist Threats'' is the second and final studio album by American West Coast hip hop supergroup (music), supergroup Westside Connection. It was released on December 9, 2003 through Hoo-Bangin' Records and Capitol Records. Hip hop productio ...
'' (with
Westside Connection Westside Connection was an American hip-hop Supergroup (music), supergroup formed by Ice Cube, Mack 10, and WC (rapper), WC. The group's debut album, ''Bow Down'', reached the number two position on the Billboard 200, ''Billboard'' 200 in 1996 ...
) (2003) * ''Snoop Cube 40 $hort'' (with Mount Westmore) (2022)


Filmography


Films


Television


Video games


Tours

* Steady Mobbin' Tour (1992) * The Predator Tour (1993) * Family Values Tour 1998 (1998) * Up in Smoke Tour (2000) * Raw Footage Tour (2008) * I Am the West Tour (2011) * Truth to Power: 4 Decades of Attitude Tour (2025)


Awards and nominations


Film awards

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 In Christianity, the Biblical Magi ( or ; singular: ), also known as the Three Wise Men, Three Kings, and Three Magi, are distinguished foreigners who visit Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh in homage to hi ...
'') *2002: MECCA Movie Award: Acting Award


Music awards


VH1 Hip Hop Honors

, - , style="text-align:center;", VH1 Hip Hop Honors, 2006 , Himself , Honoree ,


BET Hip-Hop Awards

, - , style="text-align:center;", 2009 BET Hip Hop Awards, 2009 , Himself , I Am Hip Hop award ,


The BET Honors

, - , style="text-align:center;", The BET Honors, 2014 , Himself , Entertainer Award ,


Grammy Awards

, - , style="text-align:center;", 66th Annual Grammy Awards, 2024 , Himself (as a member of N.W.A.) , Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award ,


Other

*Hollywood Walk of Fame Star 2017 *The
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...
Member of N.W.A. 2016 * Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Ice Cube Impact Award 2023


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ice Cube Ice Cube, 1969 births Living people 20th-century African-American male actors 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American rappers 20th-century Muslims 21st-century African-American male actors 21st-century American male actors 21st-century American rappers 21st-century Muslims African-American film producers African American–Jewish relations African-American male rappers 21st-century American male rappers 20th-century American male rappers African-American Muslims African-American record producers African-American screenwriters African-American songwriters African-American television producers American draughtsmen American hip-hop record producers American male film actors American male screenwriters American male songwriters American male television actors American male video game actors American male voice actors American music industry executives American music video directors American philanthropists Big3 people Capitol Records artists Converts to Islam EMI Records artists Film producers from California Gangsta rappers Interscope Records artists Male actors from California Male actors from Los Angeles Members of the Nation of Islam Mount Westmore members N.W.A members People from Baldwin Hills, Los Angeles Priority Records artists Race-related controversies in music Rappers from Los Angeles Record producers from California Ruthless Records artists Screenwriters from California Songwriters from California Television producers from California West Coast hip-hop musicians Westside Connection members William Howard Taft Charter High School alumni Muslims from California American conspiracy theorists