Ice Cube
Cube wrote a rap titled "Boyz-n-the-Hood" and offered it to rapper Eazy-E's group, HBO. When HBO passed on the track, Cube, Eazy-E and Dr. Dre formed N.W.A. A lot of people didn't know that Ice Cube had left the group briefly to study architectural drafting in Arizona, but he was back for N.W.A's Straight Outta Compton (1988) album, which became a hit in rap circles from the West to the East Coast.
The album's extreme politics, violence and profanity set a new standard for rap and attracted a great deal of criticism (not to mention the attention of the FBI). But no matter 'cause Cube had disagreements with the group's management and left in 1989.
Moving east with his new group, Da Lench Mob, Cube recorded his debut solo album, provocatively titled AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted (1990), with the Bomb Squad of Public Enemy fame. The album immediately went gold, and Ice Cube's talents gained notice.
As Ice Cube became a powerful force in the rap world, he started his own corporation. He put a woman in charge of his company and produced an album for a female friend, Yo Yo, to counter charges that he had a hatred of women. But his dangerously titled 1990 EP, Kill at Will, brought more protests from music critics.
Ice Cube also toured as part of the Lollapalooza tour and succeeded in attracting white rock fans. Following the success of The Predator, (Cube's most poplular album) his prominence in the rap world began to decline. It was said that the 1993 Lethal Injection album courted a white audience while railing against it at the same time.
Back in 1990, Cube had extended his creative reach into acting by starring in John Singleton's Oscar-nominated film about urban culture, "Boyz N the Hood." (The movie's title was taken from Cube's early rap.) He resumed acting in 1995 with another Singleton film, "Higher Learning," and in 1996 Cube wrote and acted in "Friday." He went on to feature in the 1997 film "Anaconda" and that year rapped on hip-hopper Ant Banks' Big Thangs. In 1998 he acted in and directed the feature "The Player's Club" (distributed by New Line Cinema, with whom he just signed a two-year, first-look development and production deal).
When asked to choose music or movies, Cube shakes his head and replies:
"If opportunities present they self, you take them. I think I can do this from all different sides of the entertainment industry".
Although Cube rarely has downtime, he somehow found the time to oversee the production of a few friends. Two of them, Mack 10 and WC, joined him to become the 'Westside Connection'.
"I was tired of doing solo albums," Cube says. "I wanted to feel the group thing. With me, Mack 10 and WC, our chemistry was so tight that the Westside Connection was born."
The group's allegiance to the West courted controversy. Cube says the whole purpose for forming the group, was to make sure that people still gave props to the west side.
"I'm not really tripping on straight being from the west coast. But when I was doing it, I heard a lotta shit being said about the west coast, so I stood up for the west coast."
Westside Connection is scheduled to release another album May 2000.
In the new millenium, Ice Cube has sucessfully established himself as a film phenomenon, acclaimed actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He has stayed atop the games for over a decade.
"I still sell the same amount of records. I still get a big reception, so I'll always be here. Long as I stay consistent and keep my heart in it, I'm a be here."
| Torque | 2003 |
| Barbershop | 2002 |
| All About The Benjamins | 2002 |
| John Carpenter's Ghost of Mars | 2001 |
| Next Friday | 2000 |
| Thicker Than Water | 1999 |
| 3 Kings | 1999 |
| Player's Club | 1999 |
| Straight From The Streets | 1998 |
| I Got The Hook Up | 1998 |
| Anaconda | 1997 |
| Dangerous Ground | 1997 |
| John Carpenter's Ghost of Mars | 1997 |
| Higher Learning | 1995 |
| A Darker Side of Black | 1995 |
| Friday | 1995 |
| The Glass Shield | 1995 |
| Murder Was The Case | 1994 |
| CB4 | 1993 |
| Trespass | 1992 |
| Boyz N The Hood | 1991 |
 Amerikkka's Most Wanted |
 Death Certificate |
 Lethal Injection |
 War & Peace I |
 War & Peace II |
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