Ice Cube

Ice Cube ranks among the most pivotal figures in rap’s evolution. Known for incisive wordplay, a delivery that shifts from seething intensity to sharp wit, and notable skill behind the boards, he helped shape the trajectory of the groundbreaking gangsta rap collective N.W.A after penning “Boyz-N-the-Hood” for Eazy-E and establishing his presence on the microphone with the follow-up single “Dope Man.” Once Straight Outta Compton (1988) reached listeners outside urban markets and drew federal attention via “Fuck tha Police,” Cube embarked on a solo path that produced five platinum LPs and one platinum EP—among them AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted (1990), Death Certificate (1991), and The Predator (1992). One month prior to the first of those releases, he joined Public Enemy on the pointed “Burn Hollywood Burn,” and within the following twelve months he further challenged the song’s targets through a lead performance in John Singleton’s Boyz N the Hood. Although subsequent acting credits such as the Friday series, his directorial bow The Players Club, and Barbershop occupied increasing attention, he still issued occasional solo work and contributed to Westside Connection while maintaining an unbroken run of RIAA-certified projects that extended to Laugh Now, Cry Later (2006). During the next decade, Cube and Dr. Dre jointly oversaw the well-received Straight Outta Compton (2015), a dramatization of N.W.A’s story whose renewed visibility led to the group’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction. Cube soon resurfaced with Everythangs Corrupt (2018), his first solo album in eight years, and assembled the supergroup Mount Westmore; the characteristically forceful Man Down (2024) marked his initial solo outing of the 2020s.

Born O’Shea Jackson and raised by working-class parents in South Central Los Angeles, California, he immersed himself in b-boy culture as a teenager and started composing rhymes while still in high school. Early performances took place at parties organized by Dr. Dre, who produced Cube’s initial recordings: Stereo Crew’s “She’s a Skag,” issued by Epic in 1986, and a 1987 EP by C.I.A. on the independent Kru-Cut imprint. Both Stereo Crew and C.I.A. included K-Dee, with Sir Jinx also appearing on the latter. Cube encountered Eazy-E through Dre, and the pair, joined by Arabian Prince, formed N.W.A’s original lineup before MC Ren and DJ Yella strengthened the roster. Eazy-E and industry veteran Jerry Heller launched Ruthless Records, which debuted in late 1987 with Eazy’s “Boyz-N-the-Hood” and an N.W.A EP featuring “8 Ball” and “Dope Man.” Although Cube supplied the lead vocals only on the latter track, he received sole writing credit for all three, revealing an aptitude for incisive storytelling laced with caustic humor.

Before Macola expanded those Ruthless sides into N.W.A. and the Posse, Cube had relocated to Arizona to pursue architectural drafting studies at Phoenix Institute of Technology. After completing the one-year program, he returned to contribute to Straight Outta Compton and Eazy-Duz-It. Issued by Ruthless in August and September 1988 respectively, the albums slowly reached broader audiences through grassroots support and eventual airplay on Yo! MTV Raps. Nine months post-release, Straight Outta Compton climbed to number nine on Billboard’s R&B/hip-hop chart, surpassing Eazy-Duz-It’s March peak at number twelve. The confrontational content of “Fuck Tha Police,” written by Cube and MC Ren, drew official notice from the Los Angeles Police Department and ultimately from the FBI’s assistant director of public affairs, who issued a sternly worded letter to the group.

Tensions with Jerry Heller led Cube to exit N.W.A in late 1989. He traveled to New York alongside Sir Jinx to cut his debut solo album with the Bomb Squad, previewed by his cameo on Public Enemy’s “Burn Hollywood Burn.” Priority released AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted in May 1990; it entered the Billboard 200 inside the top twenty and earned gold certification within four months. While critics lauded the production and Cube’s microphone command, the album’s frequent depictions of violence, homophobia, and misogyny drew sharp rebuke from rock outlets and advocacy groups. Despite the backlash, the project was celebrated as an innovative landmark—anchored by its title track, which topped Billboard’s Hot Rap Singles chart—and confirmed Cube as a potent independent voice. He established his own company, placed under female leadership, and by year’s end co-produced a 12-inch for Yo-Yo while issuing the platinum-certified Kill at Will EP. Yo-Yo’s Make Way for the Motherlode, fully produced by Cube and Sir Jinx, appeared in 1991, as did cousin Del the Funky Homosapien’s debut I Wish My Brother George Was Here. Cube also earned widespread praise for his acting introduction in John Singleton’s landmark urban drama Boyz N the Hood, whose title echoed the track he had originally written and which was shot in his native South Central Los Angeles.

If the first album sparked debate, its follow-up provoked even greater reaction. Death Certificate, arriving in October 1991 shortly after the debut reached platinum status, adopted a more politically charged, combative, and profane stance, inviting heightened criticism. “No Vaseline,” a scathing indictment of N.W.A and Jerry Heller, was denounced as anti-Semitic, while “Black Korea” was interpreted as a call to torch Korean-owned markets. Billboard issued an unprecedented editorial rebuke of an artist over the material. Nevertheless, the album reached number two and attained platinum certification, propelled further into 1992 by “Steady Mobbin’,” a top-ten rap single. Throughout that year Cube joined the second Lollapalooza tour to solidify his rock following, executive-produced Da Lench Mob’s Guerillas in tha Mist, and in December appeared in the film Trespass while releasing The Predator. The latter became the first Cube album to enter both the pop and R&B/hip-hop charts at number one. Bolstered by three top-ten rap singles—the riot-response track “Wicked,” the laid-back “It Was a Good Day,” and the Das EFX collaboration “Check Yo Self”—it ultimately achieved double-platinum status.

Lethal Injection, Cube’s fourth LP, surfaced in December 1993 and continued his streak of top-ten debuts on both charts. Its standout single, “Bop Gun (One Nation),” saluted the lasting legacy of Parliament-Funkadelic and featured George Clinton. By year’s end his production credits encompassed additional Yo-Yo material and Kam’s Neva Again. After four albums in as many years, Cube paused solo releases but reunited with Dr. Dre in 1994 for “Natural Born Killaz” on the Murder Was the Case soundtrack; November also brought the Bootlegs & B-Sides collection. Visibility remained high in 1995 through roles in Higher Learning, writing and starring in Friday, and guest spots with Westside Connection’s Mack 10 and WC. Bow Down, Westside Connection’s debut, arrived in 1996, nearly topped the pop chart, and earned platinum certification on the strength of “Bow Down” and “Gangstas Make the World Go Round.” In 1997 Cube appeared in Dangerous Ground and Anaconda, contributed “The World Is Mine” to the former’s soundtrack alongside K-Dee and Mack 10, and saw Featuring…Ice Cube issued in December.

His directorial debut The Players Club, which he also scripted, opened in 1998 and was promoted by a top-ten soundtrack including his own “We Be Clubbin’.” That November, shortly after a featured turn on Korn’s “Children of the Korn,” he broke his solo drought with War & Peace, Vol. 1, source of the rap chart-topper “Pushin’ Weight” and another Korn collaboration, “Fuck Dying.” Like its predecessors, it went platinum. Film duties continued with Next Friday, which Cube wrote, produced, and starred in while appearing on its soundtrack. War & Peace, Vol. 2, featuring “Hello” with Dr. Dre and MC Ren, followed in March 2000 and concluded his Priority tenure, later summarized by Greatest Hits in 2001. Between solo projects Cube concentrated on cinema, appearing in Three Kings, Ghosts of Mars, Barbershop, and Friday After Next before Westside Connection reconvened for Terrorist Threats in December 2003.

Now signed to EMI, Cube extended his solo catalog with Laugh Now, Cry Later in June 2006. Priority assembled In the Movies, a soundtrack compilation, for 2007, and the following August he returned with Raw Footage, his seventh straight top-ten entry on both Billboard charts. Another Priority anthology, The Essentials, appeared in 2008. I Am the West, released in September 2010, became a family affair featuring sons Darrell Jackson (Doughboy) and O’Shea Jackson, Jr. (OMG) alongside longtime associate WC. By the close of 2011 Cube had also acted in or produced numerous television and film projects including Are We There Yet?, Beauty Shop, Friday: The Animated Series, and The Longshots.

In 2012 he announced a tenth solo album, Everythangs Corrupt. Although singles surfaced in 2013 and 2014, completion was postponed while he pursued film, television, and N.W.A-related work. Alongside Dr. Dre he developed a biographical film tracing the group’s origins and ascent, casting son O’Shea Jackson, Jr. in the role of himself. Straight Outta Compton, named after their landmark release, reached theaters in 2015 to strong reviews, grossed more than $200 million worldwide, and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. The movie prompted Dr. Dre’s Compton, which included Cube on “Issues.” N.W.A received Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2016. A 25th-anniversary reissue of Death Certificate followed the next year on Interscope, Cube’s new label. During the week of the 2018 midterm elections he issued “Arrest the President,” setting the stage for Everythangs Corrupt’s arrival the subsequent month. He subsequently formed Mount Westmore with Snoop Dogg, E-40, and Too $hort; the quartet delivered an album in 2020. In ensuing years Cube released occasional singles alongside MC Ren, Cypress Hill’s DJ Muggs and B-Real, and Above the Law’s Cold 187um. “It’s My Ego” preceded the November 2024 arrival of Man Down.