|
|
|
|
| Birth Name(s) : O'Shea Jackson |
Date of Birth: June 15, 1969 |
| Status:
Married
|
Partner:
Kim Jackson |
| Profession:
Actor/Musician |
Official Site
Go to the Ice Cube Official Homepage |
| << Add Ice Cube To Your Favorites |
|
Full Ice Cube Biography
Ice Cube first came to public notice as a singer and songwriter with the controversial and influential band N.W.A. His compositions with that group included many of the classic cuts from their debut LP "Straight Outta Compton" (Ruthless/Priority, 1989), including the title track, "Fuck Tha Police", "Gangsta Gangsta" and "Express Yourself".
He quit the band over business differences in 1990 and began a still-growing series of commercially and critically acclaimed solo albums, starting with "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted" (Priority, 1990). His second solo album, "Death Certificate" (Priority, 1991), a concept album about the fall and rise of the Black man, sold two million copies, and his subsequent solo output (six albums to date total) has sold over ten million copies. He has also discovered YoYo, Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, K-Dee, and Mack 10, and produced, written, toured, and recorded with Public Enemy, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, George Clinton, The D.O.C., Michel'e, Big Daddy Kane, W.C. & The Madd Circle (which spawned the solo career of Coolio), former N.W.A. bandmate Dr. Dre, and Cypress Hill. He has also recorded with two post-N.W.A. side-project bands, Da Lenchmob ("Guerillas In Tha Mist", Street Knowledge/East-West, 1991) and Westside Connection ("Bow Down", Priority, 1996). His movie career has been no less stellar. Ice Cube's debut in "Boys In Tha Hood" (1990) led to more roles in such films as "Trespass" (1994), "Dangerous Ground" (1997) and "Anaconda" (1997).
He also appeared as himself in the comedy "CB4" (1993). He is also no stranger to the other side of the camera, directing videos for himself as well as The Artist Formerly Known As Prince and Color Me Badd, as well as co-writing his screenwriting debut, "Friday" (1995). |
|
|
Additional Ice Cube Biography
Ice Cube was born as O'Shea Jackson to Doris Benjamin, a hospital clerk, and Andrew Jackson, who later worked at UCLA. He was born and raised in South Central Los Angeles. At age sixteen, he developed an interest in hip hop music, and began writing raps in Taft High School's keyboarding class. He attended the Phoenix Institute of Technology in the fall of 1987, and studied Architectural Drafting. With friend Sir Jinx, Cube formed the C.I.A., and they performed at parties hosted by Dr. Dre.
By this point Cube was a full-time member of N.W.A. along with Dr.Dre and (to a lesser extent) MC Ren. Cube wrote Dr. Dre and Eazy-E's rhymes for the group's landmark album, Straight Outta Compton, released in 1988. However, as 1990 approached, Cube found himself at odds with the group's manager, Jerry Heller, after Heller responded to the group's financial questions by drafting up a new arrangement. As he explains in his book:"Heller gave me this contract, and I said I wanted a lawyer to see it. He almost fell out of his chair. I guess he figure, how this young muthafucka turn down all this money? Everybody else signed. I told them I wanted to make sure my shit was right first."
In 2006, Ice Cube released his 8th solo album, Laugh Now, Cry Later, on his Da Lench Mob Records label, debuting at number four on the Billboard Charts and selling 144,000 units in the first week. The album featured production from Lil Jon and Scott Storch, who produced the lead single "Why We Thugs".
In 1994, Cube formed Westside Connection with Mack 10, and WC, and together they released an album called Bow Down. Most of the album was used to engage in the war of words between the East and West Coasts of the 90s. The album's eponymous single reached number twenty-one on the singles charts, and the album itself was certified Platinum by the end of 1996.
In the Movies is a compilation album of Ice Cube songs that have appeared in movie soundtracks, which was released on September 4, 2007.
After Dr. Dre left N.W.A. and Ruthless Records, he and Cube fostered a brief reunion. They planned a new project together, Helter Skelter, also to include appearances by MC Ren and Snoop Dogg with writing from The D.O.C.. Tiring of his label's gangster rap image, Dre admonished Cube to follow an "end of the world type of ". When reporters asked the pair what they were working on in Dre's studio, they joked N.W.E. - Niggaz Without Eazy.
The two quickly recorded a heavily P-Funk-influenced song with George Clinton called "You Can't See Me"; the song would later be taken by Suge and used for 2Pac's Death Row debut, which Dre had been neglecting. Dre instead began work on beats for Helter Skelter, bouncing concepts off of an increasingly disgruntled D.O.C. who, despite severed vocal cords and Dre's advice, wanted to rap. Eventually he got fed up and moved out of Dre's house to Atlanta, taking his possessions with him - as well as the reels of music - to record his own version of Helter Skelter. With other personal and business commitments by Dre, work on the album trailed off and eventually stopped.
L.A. group Cypress Hill also had a feud with Ice Cube when they felt that Ice Cube had taken the chorus from the song "Throw Your Set in the Air" for the song "Friday". Cypress Hill released a diss track entitled "No Rest For the Wicked", which among other things, took shots at Ice Cube for using pictures of an ornate marijuana pipe that had belonged to DJ Muggs for the cover of his album The Predator despite not smoking marijuana at that time. Ice Cube and the Westside Connection retaliated with "King of the Hill", & " Cross Em Out & Put a K", to which Cypress Hill responded with "Ice Cube Killa". In 1997 B-Real of Cypress Hill and Ice Cube were invited to a late night talk show in order to reconcile their differences for the benefit of the hip hop community, and the feud thus ended. Cube And B-Real would work together later that year as guest features on the track "Men of Steel" for the soundtrack of Shaquille O'Neal's film Steel. B-Real and Cube did even feature as guests in Warren G's single "Get U Down" which also featured Snoop Dogg.
Cube's rap technique is often straightforward, without the use of many similes. He is known for the social commentary in his songs, and implies that he just reports things how he sees them, though some critics accuse him of racism for epithets such as "caveman" and "devil". His solo style never differed from his N.W.A. days, using defensive and offensive violence or simply bragging, narratives and political hip hop like several popular East Coast acts of the time.
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)
- 2002: MECCA Movie Award: Acting Award |
|
| Add Ice Cube Biography (SuperUSERS) + |
| Add Ice Cube Review/Comment
|
HQ Ice Cube Pictures (26) | Random Ice Cube Picture
|
| << Back to the Ice Cube Homepage |
|
