Ice Cube has returned to the stage for his first coast-to-coast headlining tour in over a decade, and he’s not only rocking the mic, but also celebrating a career that spans 40 years.
In 1984, his rap career began as a co-founder of C.I.A., short for Cru’In Action!, a trio formed alongside his friend Sir Jinx and fellow MC K-Dee while he was still in high school. It wasn’t long before he really took off when he helped to form the iconic rap group N.W.A, alongside Arabian Prince, DJ Yella, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E and MC Ren.
He was responsible for writing a significant portion of the lyrics for the group’s groundbreaking 1989 debut studio album, Straight Outta Compton, which featured powerful tracks, such as its titular song, “F**k tha Police,” and “Express Yourself.”
Becoming quintessential Ice Cube
“I think being able to go solo and do it on my own, you know, made me feel like I made it,” Ice Cube told Blavity in an interview, reflecting on the moment that made him feel like he’d accomplished what he set out to do, mentioning that with N.W.A., “We got like an All-Star team here, so it’s working, but leaving that group and then going solo and still being able to maintain that level of stardom, so to speak, and take it to, you know, new heights with the acting and Boyz n the Hood and things like that.” He said that’s when he thought, “OK, I can do this outside of that production blanket.”
Never one to shy away from speaking his truth, Ice Cube’s Truth to Power Tour allows him to connect with fans across the nation while sharing empowering messages to newcomers who may just be discovering his discography. It also highlights the release of his 12th studio album, Man Up, which dropped in September.
“It’s always been about street knowledge,” Cube shared. “It’s always been about, you know, trying to spit game,” adding that those who rap do so for a reason.
“I mean, everybody freestyles every now and then just to kind of show off, but, for the most part, rap at its best is delivering a message.”
He mentioned that he loves to figure out different concepts he hasn’t touched on and try to create something, adding, “You still got to be dope,” and “The song still gotta bump. It gotta bang. It gotta catch you; you gotta be catchy. It has to still do all that, but you can deliver a powerful message at the same time.”
He continued, “I look at artists like Bob Marley, who’s able to make hits, but they also carry a heavy message. So that’s something that I pride myself on doing,” stating that with his previous album, Man Down, he focused on “things that kind of have us down,” but wanting to flip it with Man Up by inspiring yet remaining “quintessential Ice Cube” and doing what he does best.
On his accomplishments outside of music
Beyond being a pioneer of gangsta rap, Ice Cube has shattered the glass ceiling, making a name for himself in Hollywood as an actor and filmmaker, along with completely shifting the world of sports through his Big3 league, which earned him a spot in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame with the inaugural Ice Cube Impact Award in January 2024, which recognizes those using basketball as a platform for good in their communities.
Cube also created the beloved cult classic Friday, and Blavity’s Shadow and Act previously reported that a fourth film in the series has been greenlit. It’s been nearly 23 years since the franchise’s third film was released in 2002, and much has changed in the world since then. Still, Ice Cube doesn’t plan to steer too far from his mission to make Last Friday a relatable, funny comedy as he did with the first three films.
“I think you gotta make something that’s, of course, up to date, so we have to bring the story up to date, and, you know, I think you be real and you be funny,” adding, “You take the license to laugh at yourself, and some people were offended by those movies. You know, I think if you’re not pushing the edge a little bit, you’re not being as real as you need to be. So, we’re not gonna let society’s norms hold us back from making a funny, funny movie that makes sense for today.”
Advice to his younger self
Two transformative moments placed Ice Cube on the path that he’s on today. One occurred in elementary school, when his fifth-grade teacher noticed and encouraged him to use his gift of writing, and the other occurred at age 20 when he landed his first acting role thanks to a nudge from the late director John Singleton, who also later encouraged him to write his first film.
To the fifth-grade version of himself, Cube said, “I would say to myself that being creative and cooperative has opened up this situation for you,” remarking to stay creative and cooperative when it comes to where your bread is buttered and understanding where you are and who’s with you and who’s against you. He stated that his teacher, Miss Prentice, first noticed him because he could draw, but it was a guy who was a better artist, so he worked to get better. Ice Cube said he impressed her with his ability to turn his thoughts about what he did during the summer into words and sentences.
To his 20-year-old self, he concluded, ‘Take this s**t serious,” adding, “Don’t look at it just as a one-time thing if you can make it into a career. Like I looked at it as, after Boyz n the Hood, I could either be a great, great actor, or I could be a movie star, and I went for the movie star lane.”