Ice Cube facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ice Cube
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Ice Cube in 2024
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| Born |
O'Shea Jackson
June 15, 1969 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Education | Taft High School Phoenix Institute Of Technology |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1986–present |
| Organization | Lench Mob Records Cube Vision Big3 |
| Spouse(s) |
Kimberly Woodruff
(m. 1992) |
| Children | 4, including O'Shea Jr. |
| Relatives | Del tha Funky Homosapien (cousin) Kam (cousin) |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
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O'Shea Jackson Sr. (born June 15, 1969), known as Ice Cube, is a famous American rapper, songwriter, actor, and film producer. He became well-known for his powerful lyrics on the 1988 album Straight Outta Compton with the group N.W.A. His solo albums like AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted (1990) and Death Certificate (1991) were also very popular.
Ice Cube was part of N.W.A when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016. Besides music, he has had a successful career in movies. He starred in films like Boyz n the Hood (1991) and co-wrote and starred in the comedy Friday (1995). He has appeared in about 40 films and also works as a film producer.
Contents
Early Life and Beginnings
Ice Cube was born O'Shea Jackson in Los Angeles, California, on June 15, 1969. His father was a machinist and his mother worked at a hospital. He has an older brother.
When he was in ninth grade, Ice Cube started writing rap songs. A friend dared him in typewriting class, and Ice Cube won! His older brother gave him the stage name "Ice Cube." He said his brother joked about putting him in a freezer until he became an "ice cube."
He went to Taft High School and later studied architectural drafting at the Phoenix Institute of Technology. Even after becoming famous in music, he kept architectural drafting as a backup plan.
Music Journey
Ice Cube started his music career in 1986 at age 16. He was part of a trio called C.I.A. before joining the famous group N.W.A.
Joining N.W.A
In 1987, Ice Cube helped form the rap group N.W.A with Eazy-E and Dr. Dre. He was the main rapper and wrote many of the lyrics for their first album, Straight Outta Compton, released in 1988. This album was very important for West Coast hip hop.
Ice Cube left N.W.A in late 1989 because of a disagreement about money and how the group was managed. After he left, the other N.W.A members released songs that criticized him.
Solo Success
In 1990, Ice Cube released his first solo album, AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted. It was a big hit and helped bring rap music to more people. The album showed his interest in black nationalism and the struggles of black people.
His second album, Death Certificate, came out in 1991. It was very popular but also caused some controversy. In 1992, he toured with the music festival Lollapalooza.
Ice Cube's third album, The Predator, was released in 1992. It became his most successful album, selling over three million copies in the U.S. It included popular songs like "It Was a Good Day" and "Check Yo Self".
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After The Predator, Ice Cube's rap music became less popular with his audience. He started to focus more on movies and producing music for other artists.
Westside Connection
In 1995, Ice Cube formed a new group called Westside Connection with rappers Mack 10 and WC. They wanted to show pride in West Coast rap music. Their first album, Bow Down (1996), was very successful. The group broke up in 2005.
Later Albums
Ice Cube continued to release solo albums. His seventh album, Laugh Now, Cry Later, came out in 2006. He also went on a global tour.
In 2008, he released his eighth album, Raw Footage. His ninth album, I Am the West, came out in 2010. In 2020, Ice Cube joined a supergroup called Mount Westmore with Snoop Dogg, E-40, and Too Short. Their first album was released in 2022.
His latest album, Man Down, was released on November 22, 2024.
Film and TV Career
Since 1991, Ice Cube has acted in almost 40 movies. Many of his films are comedies, like the Friday series and the Barbershop series.
Acting Roles
Ice Cube's first movie role was as Doughboy in the 1991 film Boyz n the Hood. He also starred in the thriller Trespass (1992).
He helped write and starred in the 1995 comedy Friday with Chris Tucker. This movie was very successful and led to two sequels: Next Friday (2000) and Friday After Next (2002).
In 1998, Ice Cube directed his first movie, The Players Club. He also starred in the war comedy Three Kings (1999) alongside George Clooney.
He is known for his roles in family comedies like Are We There Yet? (2005) and its sequel Are We Done Yet? (2007). He also appeared in buddy cop comedies like 21 Jump Street (2012) and Ride Along (2014).
In 2015, he was an executive producer for the movie Straight Outta Compton, which told the story of N.W.A.
TV Shows and Documentaries
In 2005, Ice Cube helped create a documentary series called Black. White. for the FX channel.
He also directed a documentary for ESPN in 2010 called Straight Outta L.A.. This film looked at how Los Angeles, hip hop, and the Raiders football team were connected in the 1980s and 1990s.
Ice Cube's TV series Are We There Yet? started on TBS in 2010. He also appeared on the children's show Sesame Street in 2014.
Personal Life and Interests
Ice Cube married Kimberly Woodruff on April 26, 1992. They have four children. Their oldest son, O'Shea Jackson Jr., played Ice Cube in the movie Straight Outta Compton. Ice Cube has taught his children to think about the violence they see in movies and music. He is also a grandfather.
In 2017, he started Big3, a 3-on-3 basketball league that features former NBA players.
Ice Cube is a big fan of sports teams from Los Angeles, including the Las Vegas Raiders (who used to be in Los Angeles), the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team, and the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team.
Discography
- Studio albums
- AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted (1990)
- Death Certificate (1991)
- The Predator (1992)
- Lethal Injection (1993)
- War & Peace Vol. 1 (The War Disc) (1998)
- War & Peace Vol. 2 (The Peace Disc) (2000)
- Laugh Now, Cry Later (2006)
- Raw Footage (2008)
- I Am the West (2010)
- Everythang's Corrupt (2018)
- Man Down (2024)
- Collaboration albums
- Straight Outta Compton (with N.W.A) (1988)
- Bow Down (with Westside Connection) (1996)
- Terrorist Threats (with Westside Connection) (2003)
- Snoop Cube 40 $hort (with Mount Westmore) (2022)
Filmography
Films
| Year | Film | Functioned as | Role | |||
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| 1991 | Boyz n the Hood |  |
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Darin "Doughboy" Baker |
| 1992 | Trespass | |
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Savon |
| 1993 | CB4 | |
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Himself (cameo) |
| 1994 | The Glass Shield | |
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Teddy Woods |
| 1995 | Higher Learning | |
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Fudge |
| Friday | |
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Craig Jones | |
| 1997 | Dangerous Ground | |
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Vusi Madlazi |
| Anaconda | |
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Danny Rich | |
| 1998 | The Players Club | |
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Reggie |
| I Got the Hook Up | |
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Gun runner | |
| 1999 | Three Kings | |
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Sgt. Chief Elgin |
| Thicker Than Water | |
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Slink | |
| 2000 | Next Friday | |
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Craig Jones |
| 2001 | Ghosts of Mars | |
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James 'Desolation' Williams |
| 2002 | All About The Benjamins | |
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Bucum |
| Barbershop | |
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Calvin Palmer | |
| Friday After Next | |
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Craig Jones | |
| 2004 | Torque | |
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Trey Wallace |
| The N-Word | |
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Himself | |
| Barbershop 2: Back in Business | |
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Calvin Palmer | |
| 2005 | Are We There Yet? | |
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Nick Persons |
| Beauty Shop | |
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N/A | |
| Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars | |
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N/A | |
| XXX: State of the Union | |
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Darius Stone / XXX | |
| 2007 | Are We Done Yet? | |
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Nick Persons |
| 2008 | First Sunday | |
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Durell Washington |
| The Longshots | |
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Curtis Plummer | |
| 2009 | Janky Promoters | |
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Russell Redds |
| 2010 | Lottery Ticket | |
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Jerome "Thump" Washington |
| 2011 | Rampart | |
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Kyle Timkins |
| 2012 | 21 Jump Street | |
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Capt. Dickson |
| 2014 | Ride Along | |
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Detective James Payton |
| 22 Jump Street | |
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Capt. Dickson | |
| The Book of Life | |
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The Candle Maker (voice) | |
| 2015 | Straight Outta Compton | |
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N/A |
| 2016 | Ride Along 2 | |
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Detective James Payton |
| Barbershop: The Next Cut | |
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Calvin Palmer | |
| 2017 | XXX: Return of Xander Cage | |
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Darius Stone / XXX |
| Fist Fight | |
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Strickland | |
| 2020 | The High Note | |
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Jack Robertson |
| 2023 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem | |
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Superfly (voice) |
Television
| Year | Film | Functioned as | Role | Notes | |||
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| 1994 | The Sinbad Show | |
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Himself | Episode: "The Mr. Science Show" |
| 2002 | The Bernie Mac Show | |
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Himself | Episode: "Goodbye Dolly" |
| 2005 | BarberShop: The Series | |
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| WrestleMania 21 | |
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Himself | ||
| 2006 | Black. White. | |
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| 2007 | Friday: The Animated Series | |
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| 2010 | 30 for 30 | |
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Episode: "Straight Outta L.A." | |
| 2010–2013 | Are We There Yet? | |
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Terrence Kingston | Recurring role (20 episodes) |
| 2017 | The Defiant Ones | |
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Himself | Documentary |
Video games
| Title | Year | Role | Other notes | Ref. |
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| Call of Duty: Black Ops | 2010 | Chief Petty Officer Joseph Bowman / SOG multiplayer announcer | Voice and likeness actor |
Awards and Honors
Ice Cube has won several awards for his work in film and music.
Film Awards
- 2000: Blockbuster Entertainment Award: Favorite Action Team (for Three Kings)
- 2002: MECCA Movie Award: Acting Award
Music and Other Honors
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
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| 2006 | Himself | Honoree | Won |
| 2009 | Himself | I Am Hip Hop award | Won |
| 2014 | Himself | Entertainer Award | Won |
| 2024 | Himself (as a member of N.W.A.) | Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award | Won |
- Hollywood Walk of Fame star 2017
- The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Member Of N.W.A. 2016
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Ice Cube Impact Award 2023
Images for kids
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Ice Cube performing in October 2010
See also
In Spanish: Ice Cube para niños
