Ice Cube helped pioneer the gangster rap movement as both a solo artist and a member of seminal hip-hop crew N.W.A. before forging a successful Hollywood career thanks to franchise-spawning hits such as "Friday" (1995), "Barbershop" (2002) and "Ride Along" (2014). Born O'Shea Jackson in the South Central Los Angeles area of Baldwin Hills in 1969, Ice Cube developed a passion for hip-hop at high school where he adopted a stage name inspired by a threat issued by his older brother. After studying architectural drafting at the Phoenix Institute of Technology, Cube resumed his musical ambitions, forming The C.I.A. with Sir Jinx and collaborating with Dr. Dre on side project Stereo Crew. Dre was so impressed with Cube's talents that he was invited to join MC Ren, DJ Yella, Eazy-E and himself in the line-up of N.W.A., the controversial Compton-based crew credited with popularizing the sound of gangster rap. Cube reportedly wrote half of their seminal 1988 sophomore Straight Outta Compton but just a year later left the group following a contract dispute with manager Jerry Heller. Cube proved to be just as uncompromising on AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted, the 1990 solo debut which drew accusations of racism and misogyny. 1991 sophomore Death Certificate continued to court controversy in the same way before Cube showcased his acting talents for the first time as Crip gang member Doughboy in John Singleton's ground-breaking "Boyz n the Hood" (1991). Spawning his first Top 20 single, "It Was a Good Day," 1992's The Predator topped the Billboard 200 on its way to domestic sales of 3 million. Cont'd after the playlist below...
After joining fellow gangster rapper Ice T in neo-noir "Trespass" (1992), Cube embraced the burgeoning G-funk scene on 1993's Lethal Injection. Over the next five years, Cube put his solo career on hold, teaming up with WC and Mack 10 to form Westside Connection, guiding the careers of Da Lench Mob and Mr. Short Khop and contributing to tracks by Tupac, Del the Funky Homosapien and Kan. He also further established his acting credentials, appearing as a crime suspect in "The Glass Shield" (1994), reuniting with Singleton to play an Afrocentric student in "Higher Learning" (1995) and impressively writing, producing and starring alongside Chris Tucker in stoner classic "Friday" (1995). The promotional cube above (and below) was released in 2001 and also includes shots of Friday and Next Friday. Today marks Ice Cube's 52nd birthday, so give the man his flowers for having one of the most - if not thee most - successful runs of solo releases, ever. Honestly, the playlist up above is kinda phoned in -- I'm tired today -- but it's definitely got some of my favorite Ice Cube joints nonetheless. Check it out and Happy Born Day, Ice Cube! Peace...
