“Just wakin up in the morning gotta thank God”
Early life
O’Shea Jackson aka Ice Cube, born in South Central Los Angeles, California on June 15, 1969. Raised in a rough neighborhood by his mother Doris who was a hospital clerk and his father Hosea, a groundskeeper at the University of California, Los Angeles. Although raised in a neighborhood filled with gun, drugs, and violence O’Shea was a great student who loved music and football. As he got a little bit older like around his teen years he was pulled out of his school by his parents and went to San Fernando Valley, a highschool in the suburbs. He saw opportunity given to him that others couldn’t have, so he took it and continued his studies and then enrolled to Phoenix Institute of Technology and got his 2 year degree in drafting. This is the time where he started to make a music career and wanted to rap.
Career
Ice Cube started writing raps in highschool and started a little group called CIA. This group caught the attention of up-and-coming rapper/producer Andre Romelle aka Dr. Dre. Later on they joined Eazy-E, Dj Yella, and MC Ren to form the group known as N.W.A. His career with the rap group rocketed and they were becoming very popular. Later around 1989 he left the group because he felt that his pay was little and felt unjust due to the fact that he wrote most of the lyrics for their music. He went on to release successfull albums and tracks and worked with other artists. The time of his solo career was also when he began his acting career one of many successful movies he was in was “Boyz n the Hood” (1992) and took some major roles in movies such as “Barbershop” (2002) and “Friday” (1995). He later on started a clothing line, Solo, by Cube and started a 3 on 3 basketball league that featured retired NBA players.
Success
1990: released his album “AmeriKKKa’s most Wanted” went on to become a platinum record
1991: released “Death Certificate” another one of his albums that went on to become a platinum record
2000: Blockbuster Entertainment Award: Favorite Action Team (for Three Kings)
2002: MECCA Movie Award: Acting Award
2006: VH1 Hip Hop Honors
2009: BET Hip-Hop Awards
Impacts
Ice Cube was also considered a pioneer of rap. He influenced many other artists and also the music of hip hop. After his success he gave back to his people, the people from the hood. He has been a role model that people from the hood can look up to. His brutally honest lyrics has also struck people at the time to stand up for what’s right and to open their eyes. He said he believes that NWA opened a door for other artists such as Eminem to be themselves and to express their music in their own way. Ice Cube is really a popular African American figure in the entertainment industry.
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