{ "id": "epydmd3gk3", "slug": "ice-cube-epydmd3gk3", "title": "Ice Cube", "updated": "2026-10-25", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.music", "label": "Music", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.music" }, { "id": "culture.music.scenes", "label": "Music scenes", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.music.scenes" }, { "id": "culture.music.scenes.genre", "label": "Transnational genre scenes", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.music.scenes.genre" }, { "id": "culture.music.scenes.genre.hiphop", "label": "Hip hop scenes worldwide", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.music.scenes.genre.hiphop" }, { "id": "culture.music.scenes.genre.hiphop.artists", "label": "Artists, groups, and people: Hip hop scenes worldwide", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.music.scenes.genre.hiphop.artists" }, { "id": "culture.music.scenes.genre.hiphop.artists.us_west", "label": "West Coast rap (Bay Area and Los Angeles)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.music.scenes.genre.hiphop.artists.us_west" }, { "id": "culture.music.scenes.genre.hiphop.artists.us_west.los-angeles-and-southern-california-rapp", "label": "Los Angeles and Southern California rappers", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.music.scenes.genre.hiphop.artists.us_west.los-angeles-and-southern-california-rapp" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.music.scenes.genre.hiphop.artists.us_west", "label": "United States · 1946 to 2000: West Coast rap (Bay Area and Los Angeles)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.music.scenes.genre.hiphop.artists.us_west", "path": [ { "id": "geo.us", "label": "United States", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946", "label": "United States · 1946 to 2000", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.music", "label": "Music", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.music" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.music.scenes", "label": "Music scenes", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.music.scenes" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.music.scenes.genre", "label": "Transnational genre scenes", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.music.scenes.genre" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.music.scenes.genre.hiphop", "label": "Hip hop scenes worldwide", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.music.scenes.genre.hiphop" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.music.scenes.genre.hiphop.artists", "label": "Artists, groups, and people: Hip hop scenes worldwide", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.music.scenes.genre.hiphop.artists" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.music.scenes.genre.hiphop.artists.us_west", "label": "West Coast rap (Bay Area and Los Angeles)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.music.scenes.genre.hiphop.artists.us_west" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Ice Cube (O'Shea Jackson, born 1969, South Central Los Angeles) is an American rapper, actor, and filmmaker, a founding N.W.A member, solo platinum artist, star of Friday and Barbershop, and BIG3 co-founder.", "snippet": "Ice Cube (O'Shea Jackson, born 1969, South Central Los Angeles) is an American rapper, actor, and filmmaker, a founding N.W.A member, solo platinum artist, star of Friday and Barbershop, and BIG3 co-founder.", "node": "culture.music.scenes.genre.hiphop.artists.us_west.los-angeles-and-southern-california-rapp", "markdown": "# Ice Cube\n\n**Ice Cube** (born O'Shea Jackson, 1969) is an American rapper, actor, and filmmaker who rose to fame in the late 1980s as a member of the gangsta rap group N.W.A and then built a solo recording career, a film career, and business ventures including the BIG3 basketball league.[1](https://www.biography.com/musicians/ice-cube)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Born | O'Shea Jackson, 1969, South Central Los Angeles, California[1](https://www.biography.com/musicians/ice-cube) |\n| Breakthrough | Wrote much of N.W.A's debut LP *Straight Outta Compton* (1988), including the title track, \"Gangsta Gangsta,\" and \"Express Yourself\"[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001084/bio/) |\n| Departure from N.W.A | Left in December 1989 over how little he had been paid; later called it his biggest career risk[3](https://www.complex.com/music/a/b-blanchet/ice-cube-explains-leaving-nwa-career-risk) |\n| Solo debut | *AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted* (1990), the first of a series of acclaimed albums[1](https://www.biography.com/musicians/ice-cube) |\n| Solo sales | Five platinum albums and one platinum EP, including *AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted* (1990), *Death Certificate* (1991), and *The Predator* (1992)[4](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p48/biography) |\n| Film work | Actor in *Boyz n the Hood*, *Friday* (1995, co-writer), *Barbershop* (2002), and *21 Jump Street* (2012); directing debut with *The Players Club* (1998)[1](https://www.biography.com/musicians/ice-cube) • [5](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-apr-05-ca-36066-story.html) |\n| Honor | Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of N.W.A in 2016[6](https://apnews.com/article/db3b74c4d3d127302a871bc5a85304a3) |\n| Business ventures | Co-founder of the BIG3 3-on-3 basketball league (2017); creator of Contract with Black America (2020)[6](https://apnews.com/article/db3b74c4d3d127302a871bc5a85304a3) |\n\n## Early life\n\nIce Cube was born O'Shea Jackson in South Central Los Angeles to Doris, who worked as a hospital clerk and custodian, and Hosea Jackson, a groundskeeper at the [University of California, Los Angeles](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-california-los-angeles).[1](https://www.biography.com/musicians/ice-cube) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001084/bio/) As a teenager his parents sent him from his local school to a suburban high school in the [San Fernando Valley](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-fernando-valley), an experience that let him see his own neighborhood from the outside and left him questioning why its drugs and violence drew so little attention.[1](https://www.biography.com/musicians/ice-cube)\n\nHe began writing raps in high school and in the mid-1980s formed the group C.I.A. with two others; the group, and Cube in particular, caught the attention of the up-and-coming rapper and producer Andre Romelle Young, better known as [Dr. Dre](https://www.edgepedia.org/dr-dre).[1](https://www.biography.com/musicians/ice-cube) Once he finished secondary school, Ice Cube began studying at the Phoenix Institute of Technology and in 1988 received a two-year diploma in drafting.[1](https://www.biography.com/musicians/ice-cube)\n\n## N.W.A\n\nWith Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, DJ Yella, and [MC Ren](https://www.edgepedia.org/mc-ren), Jackson formed N.W.A (Niggaz Wit Attitudes), a group considered one of the pioneers of gangsta rap, whose hard-hitting sound and lyrics jolted the music industry while selling millions of records.[1](https://www.biography.com/musicians/ice-cube)\n\nThe group's second album, *Straight Outta Compton* (1988), made them famous and contentious. Anchored by the controversial hit \"F*** tha Police,\" it drew scrutiny from the FBI while examining the divide between Black youth and law enforcement.[1](https://www.biography.com/musicians/ice-cube) • [4](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p48/biography) Cube's compositions for the record included the title track, \"Gangsta Gangsta,\" and \"Express Yourself.\"[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001084/bio/)\n\nIn December 1989 Cube left the group, angered over how little he had been paid for his writing. He later described the departure as his biggest career risk.[3](https://www.complex.com/music/a/b-blanchet/ice-cube-explains-leaving-nwa-career-risk) The split produced a recorded feud with his former cohorts, in which Cube's diss track \"No Vaseline\" became one of his best-known songs.[6](https://apnews.com/article/db3b74c4d3d127302a871bc5a85304a3)\n\n## Solo recording career\n\nCube's solo debut, *AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted* (Priority, 1990), arrived a year after the split and began a run of commercially and critically successful albums.[1](https://www.biography.com/musicians/ice-cube) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001084/bio/) His second solo album, *Death Certificate* (1991), a concept album about the fall and rise of the Black man, sold two million copies.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001084/bio/) *The Predator*, released in November 1992, was a platinum Priority release and the third full-length solo album by the first N.W.A member to officially defect from the group; by January 1993 it had climbed to No. 33 on the Billboard 200 in its ninth week on the chart.[7](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/90s/1993/BB-1993-01-30.pdf) Across his solo career he has totaled five platinum albums and one platinum EP.[4](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p48/biography)\n\nHis best-known songs include \"It Was a Good Day,\" \"Check Yo Self,\" \"No Vaseline,\" and \"Steady Mobbin.\"[6](https://apnews.com/article/db3b74c4d3d127302a871bc5a85304a3) He also collaborated outside hip-hop with artists including [David Bowie](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-bowie) and [Trent Reznor](https://www.edgepedia.org/trent-reznor).[1](https://www.biography.com/musicians/ice-cube)\n\nHis recording has continued at a slower pace. *Everythang's Corrupt* (2018) was his tenth studio album, and *[Man Down](https://www.edgepedia.org/man-down-album)*, released in November 2024, was his eleventh; it debuted at No. 8 on Billboard's Top Rap Albums chart, his first top-10 rap album in 14 years, and featured [Snoop Dogg](https://www.edgepedia.org/snoop-dogg), Busta Rhymes, E-40, Killer Mike, Xzibit, and [Cypress Hill](https://www.edgepedia.org/cypress-hill)'s B-Real.[6](https://apnews.com/article/db3b74c4d3d127302a871bc5a85304a3)\n\n## Film career\n\nCube moved into acting around the time of his departure from N.W.A, with a praised performance in [John Singleton](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-singleton)'s coming-of-age film *Boyz n the Hood*.[1](https://www.biography.com/musicians/ice-cube) He went on to major roles in *Friday* (1995), for which he also co-wrote the screenplay, *Three Kings* (1999), *Barbershop* (2002), and *21 Jump Street* (2012), reprising his role as Captain Dickson in *22 Jump Street* (2014).[1](https://www.biography.com/musicians/ice-cube) He starred in and helped build the *Friday*, *Barbershop*, *Ride Along*, and *Are We There Yet?* franchises.[6](https://apnews.com/article/db3b74c4d3d127302a871bc5a85304a3)\n\nIn 1998 he debuted as a director with *The Players Club*, which he also wrote, produced, and starred in; he said at the time that he hoped his path would inspire new directors and writers who had never attended film school.[5](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-apr-05-ca-36066-story.html) In 2015 his early career returned to the screen in *[Straight Outta Compton](https://www.edgepedia.org/straight-outta-compton-film)*, a biopic about N.W.A's rise, in which his son [O'Shea Jackson Jr.](https://www.edgepedia.org/oshea-jackson-jr) played him after a two-year audition process.[8](https://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn85042482/2015-08-12/ed-1/seq-8.pdf)\n\n## Business ventures and advocacy\n\n**BIG3.** Cube co-founded the BIG3, a 3-on-3 basketball league for former professional players, in 2017. The league has starred former NBA players including Joe Johnson, Rashard Lewis, Stephen Jackson, and [Corey Maggette](https://www.edgepedia.org/corey-maggette), moved from a road-game-only model to a city-based one with home games, sold its first franchise in Los Angeles to investors for $10 million, and streams on CBS through [Paramount+](https://www.edgepedia.org/paramount) and on X.[6](https://apnews.com/article/db3b74c4d3d127302a871bc5a85304a3)\n\n**Contract with Black America.** In 2020 Cube introduced the Contract with Black America, a proposal aimed at addressing the wealth gap between Black and white Americans, presenting it to leaders of both major parties, including Donald Trump's campaign, a move that drew criticism he rejected, saying he would work with whichever party showed an appetite for it. Since 2022 the initiative has partnered with the NFL to identify opportunities in finance, tech, and production for Black-owned businesses, several of which have won NFL contracts.[6](https://apnews.com/article/db3b74c4d3d127302a871bc5a85304a3)\n\n## Recent work\n\nCube has shifted his film work toward independent production, saying that after the strikes and the pandemic he prefers projects \"not sterilized by the studio.\"[6](https://apnews.com/article/db3b74c4d3d127302a871bc5a85304a3) In 2025, following an immortalization ceremony at the TCL Chinese Theatre, he announced the \"Truth To Power: 4 Decades of Attitude\" tour, his first coast-to-coast U.S. tour in more than ten years.[9](https://icecube.com/news/) A new *[Friday](https://www.edgepedia.org/friday-franchise)* film, \"Last Friday,\" has been confirmed as in development.[10](https://allhiphop.com/tag/ice-cube/)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Ice Cube - Age, Movies & NWA, Biography.com](https://www.biography.com/musicians/ice-cube)\n2. [Ice Cube - Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001084/bio/)\n3. [Ice Cube Explains Why Leaving N.W.A. Was His Biggest Career Risk, Complex](https://www.complex.com/music/a/b-blanchet/ice-cube-explains-leaving-nwa-career-risk)\n4. [Ice Cube - Biography, Discography, Albums & Expert Reviews, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p48/biography)\n5. [ICE CUBE / ACTOR-WRITER-DIRECTOR, Los Angeles Times (1998)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-apr-05-ca-36066-story.html)\n6. [Ice Cube's mind stays on music with other endeavors from BIG3 to NFL partnership keeping him busy, AP News (2024)](https://apnews.com/article/db3b74c4d3d127302a871bc5a85304a3)\n7. [GROUP DYNAMICS: N.W.A SPAWNS SOLO SUCCESSES, Billboard (January 30, 1993)](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/90s/1993/BB-1993-01-30.pdf)\n8. [Arts & Entertainment, Oregon Digital Newspaper Program (2015)](https://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn85042482/2015-08-12/ed-1/seq-8.pdf)\n9. [News, Ice Cube official site](https://icecube.com/news/)\n10. [ice cube: News, Rumors & More, AllHipHop](https://allhiphop.com/tag/ice-cube/)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Music scenes › Transnational genre scenes › Hip hop scenes worldwide › Artists, groups, and people: Hip hop scenes worldwide › West Coast rap (Bay Area and Los Angeles) › Los Angeles and Southern California rappers*\n\n*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/ice-cube-epydmd3gk3", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/ice-cube-epydmd3gk3.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Ice Cube\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/ice-cube-epydmd3gk3. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Ice Cube](https://www.edgepedia.org/ice-cube-epydmd3gk3)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/ice-cube-epydmd3gk3](https://www.edgepedia.org/ice-cube-epydmd3gk3). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Ice Cube\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/ice-cube-epydmd3gk3. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Ice Cube is an American rapper, actor, and filmmaker, a founding N.W.A member, solo platinum artist, star of Friday and Barbershop, and BIG3 co-founder." }