Bio
Ice Cube is an American rapper, record producer, actor, screenwriter, film producer and director who began his career as a member of the hip hop group C.I.A. and later joined the rap group N.W.A (Niggas With Attitudes).
After leaving N.W.A in December 1989, he built a successful solo career in music, and also as a writer, director, actor and producer in cinema.
Additionally, he has served as one of the producers of the Showtime television series Barbershop and the TBS series Are We There Yet?, both of which are based upon films in which he portrayed the lead character.
Ice Cube has been looking at untouched topics since his emergence with N.W.A in the late 1980s. As the lyrical mastermind behind N.W.A., the group's Straight Outta Compton launched the gangster rap revolution, and Ice Cube's solo material, including undeniably early 1990s classic albums AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted and Death Certificate, solidified his place as rap's most important and socially aware artist.
Soon after, Ice Cube became a major Hollywood force. He is the star, producer and catalyst for the Friday and Barbershop film franchises.
He has become one of the most bankable actors, thanks to his charismatic turns in box-office hits such as First Sunday, Are We There Yet?, Are We Done Yet?, Boyz'N the Hood and Three Kings, to name a few.
As his stature in the film world increased, Ice Cube has remained prolific in music, with 14 releases as a solo artist and as a member of the group Da Lench Mob, Westside Connection.
His hits include the blockbuster 2006 release Laugh Now, Cry Later, the first album Ice Cube released on his own Lench Mob Records and the most successful independent hip-hop release of 2006.
In 2007, Ice Cube partnered with the prestigious McNally Smith College of Music in St. Paul, Minn., to establish an annual music scholarship. The Ice Cube Scholarship is awarded to one student annually in the music technology department.
Ice Cube personally selects each winner judged on the creativity, talent and skill in developing a song based on elements he provides.