Ice Cube

Who is Ice Cube?

Widely regarded as the founding father of ‘gangsta rap,’ Ice Cube is one of the top ‘A list’ hip hop artists in the music industry. A controversial but versatile artist in the world of hip hop music, Cube has created a cultural phenomenon over the years. He is one of the iconic stars of 21st century hip hop music, whose hard-hitting gangsta rap songs are believed to be a reflection of the political scenario of his time. His songs often revolve around violent themes. Some of his bestselling albums include ‘AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted,’ ‘Kill at Will,’ ‘Death Certificate,’ ‘War & Peace Vol. 1,’ ‘War & Peace Volume 2,’ ‘Lethal Injection,’ and ‘I Am the West.’ Ice Cube developed a passion for rap from his high school days, and began writing rap songs. He quickly became one of the bestselling artists, whose albums have topped the music charts. With an estimated net worth of $160 million, Cube is one of the most established and influential artists in the American hip hop scene. He is also one of the most promising actors in Hollywood.

Career

On May 16, 1990, his debut solo hip hop album titled ‘AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted’ was released. The album was a commercial and critical success.

On December 1990, he released a seven track extended play (EP) titled ‘Kill at Will’ which turned out to be one of his acclaimed and bestselling works. The album featured the remixed single ‘Endangered Species.’

On July 1991, he starred in the Academy Award-nominated crime drama film ‘Boyz n the Hood,’ directed by John Singleton. The film was well-received and earned good reviews from film critics.

In 1991, his second studio album ‘Death Certificate’ was released. It was one of his bestselling albums, and received an advance sales order of more than one million copies.

In 1992, he came up with his third studio album ‘The Predator’ which was a commercial success, but did not receive critical acclaim. The album featured the hit single ‘It Was a Good Day.’

In 1993, his fourth studio album titled ‘Lethal Injection’ was released. The album was a commercial success and featured the hit singles, ‘You Know How We Do It’ and ‘Bop Gun.’

In 1997, he starred opposite Elizabeth Hurley in the thriller film ‘Dangerous Ground.’ The film was directed by Darrell Roodt and did not receive good reviews.

In 1998, his fifth studio album ‘War & Peace Vol. 1,’ also known as ‘The War Disc,’ was released. The album featured on many music charts and was also one among his bestselling albums.

In 2000, he came up with his sixth studio album ‘War & Peace Volume 2’ which became one of his most successful albums, featuring on several music charts. The album featured the club song ‘You Can Do It.’

In 2002, he starred in the comedy film ‘Barbershop’ which was directed by Tim Story. He played the role of ‘Calvin Palmer Jr.’ and the film was a box office hit.

In 2004, he reprised his role as ‘Calvin Palmer Jr.’ in the sequel of ‘Barbershop,’ ‘Barbershop 2: Back in Business.’ The film was a huge success at the box office.

In 2006, his seventh studio album ‘Laugh Now, Cry Later’ was released. This was regarded as his comeback album as he had concentrated more on his acting career since 2000.

In 2007, he starred in the family comedy film ‘Are We Done Yet?’ The film did not receive good reviews but did quite well commercially.

In 2008, his eighth studio album ‘Raw Footage’ was released. The album featured the singles, ‘Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It’ and ‘Do Ya Thang.’

On September 28, 2010, his ninth studio album ‘I Am the West’ was released. The album, which featured the singles ‘I Rep That West’ and ‘Drink the Kool-Aid,’ received positive reviews.

His next album titled ‘Everythang's Corrupt’ released in 2018. It is his first studio album in eight years since ‘I Am the West.’ The album was received positively by the critics. It included the controversial songs, ‘Arrest the President’ and ‘Good Cop, Bad Cop.’

Ice Cube focused more on movies in the 2010s. He was seen in the critically acclaimed movie ‘Rampart’ in 2011. He was later seen as ‘Captain Dickson’ in the blockbuster hit movies, ‘21 Jump Street’ (2012) and its sequel ‘22 Jump Street’ (2014).

He then acted alongside Kevin Hart in the Tim Story-directed buddy cop comedy movie ‘Ride Along’ (2014). He also appeared in its sequel ‘Ride Along 2’ (2016). Though both the movies did well commercially, they failed to impress the critics.

In 2014, he voiced a character in the animated movie ‘The Book of Life.’ In 2016, he reprised his role as ‘Calvin Palmer Jr.’ in the third installment of ‘Barbershop’ series, ‘Barbershop: The Next Cut.’

In 2017, he appeared as a hot-headed teacher in the comedy film ‘Fist Fight.’ The same year, he also played ‘Darius Stone’ in the action film ‘XXX: Return of Xander Cage.’ In 2019, Ice Cube stated that he would be appearing in the fourth and final installment of the popular ‘Friday’ film series, ‘Last Friday.’