i-am (4)
Video After The Jump
Ice Cube seemingly has done it all. From his beginning as a member of legendary West Coast hip hop group along with Dr Dre, Eazy E, MC Ren & DJ Yella. To his successful solo career that has seen him release nine solo albums. In addition he's dropped two albums with Mack 10 and WC as Westside Connection.
Cube, real name O'shea Jackson is also a bonified movie star, having starred in 25 films, most notably the 'Friday' series, 'Boyz In The Hood', 'Barbershop' and 'Are We There Yet?'.
Having accomplished so much you might wonder what Cube has up his sleeve next and what motivates him.
Angie Martinez, Stephen A. Smith and Harry Allen pick Cube's brain on the BET show 'Food For Thought: Conversations With Ice Cube' to see what he's up to.
Stephen A. gets the ball rolling by asking, "What was the defining moment that really shaped Ice Cube?"
"You know it happened way before I started rapping. I was fortunate, my father was right there in the house with me," Cube tells him. "When the father stays with the son, even with the daughter it gives them a better chance to navigate this world."
Angie asks Cube how he's managed to keep his 18 year marriage and family together when so many marriages end in divorce after a few years.
"You know that's the first career, the family, you know what I mean? You gotta make that work," he explains. " If you don't make that work then everything else could suffer. That is the foundation that keeps you focused. It keeps my priorities in line, it's got me where I am. A lot of people worry about a lot of things, but you're responsible for your kids you know. That's your project, that's what you're the God of in a way. So if you can't do that right, everything else you try is probably gonna fail."
Cube goes on to talk about he avoided getting the shaft from Jerry Heller by not taking the $75,000 he was being offered to sign a contract when all the other members of NWA were more than happy to take the money. And how he got his introduction to the Bomb Squad who produced his first solo album.
A question a lot of hip hop fans want the answer to is how Cube got into acting initially.
"You know I never wanted to be an actor, I never thought I could even be an actor. At that time I wanted to be the best rapper in the world and that's all I cared about," he tells Stephen A. " I went up to the Arsenio Hall Show [in 1989]. I wanted to ask Arsenio 'why you aint have NWA and Eazy E on your show'. And this intern come up, John Singleton, he said 'what up man, you Cube huh? I'm at USC, I'm a student at film school right now. I'm writing a movie I want you to be in it.' Cube says of meeting the future director of his first movie 'Boyz In the Hood'.
"I'm like aight dude, If you aint Spike Lee watch out. Fast forward, another year go by it's '90. My manager say 'yo somebody want you to be in a movie, these pages came in'. he's like 'just go'. I go and when I walk in it's John. He done graduated, he done put his movie together. He's like 'remember me? I told you I was gonna have you do it.'"
Cube went on to star as Dough Boy in the film 'Boyz In Da Hood' and the rest is history.
Cube said he's ready make another 'Friday' movie if he can get Chris Tucker to reprise his role as Smokey.
"I got a petition I want you to sign. We need him [Chris Tucker] back. Wouldn't you want a fourth one with Chris, Mike Epps, Katt [Williams], Terry Crews in there, get Tiny [Lister]. You know bring everybody back."
Check out the rest of the interview below, Cube is one hell of a good role model and someone people should respect for how he's conducted himself on stage and off.
Follow Me @ChasinMoPaper
Check out the rest of the interview below, Cube is one hell of a good role model and someone people should respect for how he's conducted himself on stage and off.
Follow Me @ChasinMoPaper
}