Ice Cube
Ice Cube
Ice Cube is back with not just one, but two records--War & Peace. He's spent 1998 working like a man possessed, and with the November release of the first volume , War, he once again plants his flag at rap's summit. "War & Peace is my best record in years, " says Cube. Peace is due out in 1999, and with it he'll mark over a decade of lyrical dominance. Ice Cube burst on the scene in the late '80's as a founding member of N.W.A., one of the most important rap groups of all time. Ice Cube launched his solo career in 1990 when he joined forces with Public Enemy's Chuck D in the recording of AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted. Called a "journey on a hell bound train" by Pulse Magazine, it turned gold in ten days and went on to become Ice Cube's first Platinum album. The EP Kill At Will, which featured the ground breaking track "Dead Homiez," was also certified gold shortly after release. In 1991, Cube made his acting debut with a much-lauded performance in John Singleton's Oscar-nominated "Boyz-In-The-Hood." His 1991 album, Death Certificate, presaged much of the rage that erupted later in the 1992 L.A. uprising. The tracks "No Vaseline" and "Black Korea" sparked more controversy with calls to boycott the album. Even Billboard Magazine weighed in, condemning Ice Cube on its editorial page. But Cube was unbowed. Death Certificate was a platinum smash. He followed it with 1993's The Predator, labeled "essential listening" by The Los Angeles Times. The album made history by debuting at #1 on both Billboard's Pop and R&B charts and turning platinum in just four days. It went on to sell more than two million copies and spawned a #1 radio hit, "It Was A Good Day." The single threw Cube's critics another curve ball with its sunny portrayal of a day of peace in war-torn South Central. Cube next co-starred in Walter Hill's Trespass, contributing to the film's soundtrack and performing the title track with Ice-T. He later co-starred in John Singelton's Higher Learning and Glass Shield. Cube wrote and starred in the enormously successful and critically acclaimed comedy, Friday, for which he compiled the soundtrack, as well. Ever branching out, Cube launched a directing career, as well, having helmed videos for rap artist, Kam, his own "Check Yo Self," and a single by Color Me Badd, titled "Time and Chance." A proud artist with an incomparable body of work, Ice Cube is eager to tackle the any artistic challenges ahead. "When I really get down, nobody puts a record together better than me," Cube says. "So I'ma always be here. Long as I stay consistent and keep my heart in it, I'ma be here."
