Ice Cube: From Tha Hood To Hollywood

Ice Cube has been a fixture on the hip-hop scene for almost 20 years now. Many watched in awe as a group of N##### With Attitudes burst on to the hip-hop scene and changed the landscape of the game’s terrain. After a split from NWA due to money, a consciouss awakening through religion and politics, […]

Ice Cube has been

a fixture on the hip-hop scene for almost 20 years now. Many watched in awe

as a group of N##### With Attitudes burst on to the hip-hop scene and changed

the landscape of the game’s terrain.

After a split from

NWA due to money, a consciouss awakening through religion and politics, a film

career that ranks among the most successful of hip-hoppers who have jumped to

the silver screen, Cube’s back with Dre and things seemed to have come 360 for

the man who helped usher in "Gangsta Rap."

AllHipHop.com:

Is the hood flick dead? Is that genre dead now? You know boys in the hood, Menace

To Society, that gritty urban drama? Ice Cube: I don’t think so. I think it

just has to be presented in a different way. There’s a million stories out there

to be told. I think the over sensationalized version of those movies are done.

But a real story that kind of sucks you into that world, there will always be

room for that. I think in many ways, a movie like Barbershop, even though it’s

not an urban drama, it’s like damn, I didn’t think that story would ever get

told.

AllHipHop.com:

I really enjoyed that movie. At the end of the day everybody is skeptical, because

a lot of time black movies are really….

I: They want to

show the real, but they don’t really want to show the real deal, so it’s kind

of glossed over. Like your grandma trying to sweep something under the rug.

It aint done in a way we let it all hang out and say this is us.

AllHipHop.com:

That’s why I aint have a problem with the controversy of Cedric The Entertainer,

because…….

I: That’s how n*ggas

talk in a barbershop!

AllHipHop.com:

Right!

I: When it comes

down to it, that’s the reason why the barbershop is the place to go for that,

because aint nobody going to judge you on what you say about another motherf*cker.

I was like we must of hit this right on the money!

AllHipHop.com:

Any plans for that NWA reunion or is that a wrap?

I: I don’t think

its a wrap. I don’t think we gonna talk about it. I just think by me being over

there at Aftermath, just the opportunity for it to happen is gonna be more and

more realistic.

AllHipHop.com:

How do you feel about working with Dre again? Clearly he is one of the best

producers to ever hit rap.

I: This is where

I started and I haven’t been able to work with Dre 11 or 12 years on one project.

We’ve done singles, one record here, one record there. We haven’t be able to

marinate, we’ll see what we can conjure up.

AllHipHop.com:

To this day I play your albums, especially the first two. Those are my favorites

and of course some NWA stuff. Being that your a veteran now, how do you feel

about the rap game and the music out here that’s really getting major play when

you guys really kicked the door in for that?

I: It’s all good

man. I always liken it to the NFL or something. The youngsters that come up

in the game that’s fresh out, they gonna get all the love. That’s just the nature

of the business. That’s how it was when I came out. Everybody’s gonna get their

three, four years of sunshine. And then it’s all about, in those three, four

years, have you developed a fan base that will be able to follow you when your

the Emmett Smith of the world. Smith is still the baddest running back as far

as legends go, but as far as physical play, there might be a couple guys out

there that’s faster and stronger and bigger. They still can’t hold Emmett’s

jock strap, even though this Sunday they might get more yards than him. That’s

how the rap game goes.

AllHipHop.com:

Was acting a way for you to stay in the entertainment game even though the rap

career might have not been doing as well as you wanted it to do?

I: Well its kind

of like one thing didn’t kick off the other. What happened was I got turned

on by the movie business. I wanted to devote some energy to making sure it worked.

Priority as a label was getting weaker and weaker, so it was a combination of

thing. What I did was say I been in this game a long time and in rap years,

this is forever. I do need to establish another career for myself because I

couldn’t vision at the time any 40 year old rappers. I knew I could envision

some 40 year old actors so.

AllHipHop.com:

What about Cubevision and what are your upcoming projects either rap or film?

I: Well you know

the rap project but we also trying to get this new Westside Connection album

done. As far as the movie projects, it’s like we’ve done so much this year.

We kind of want to take some time to clear our heads and then we’ll jump back

in it. We haven’t really dug in with what we’re going to do next as a company!

AllHipHop.com:

As an actor you’ve done your share of comedy. Do you’ll do dramatic roles anymore?

I: I want you to

know it’s just kinda like only if the opportunity present itself in the right

way. I’m not out to prove nothing to nobody. I’m not going to jump at a dramatic

role just because I want to show people that I’m a good actor on that level.

I just want to do good movies and if the script is good and I’m supposed to

be dramatic in it and I can help the movie I’ll jump at it.

AllHipHop.com:

Do you think, is hip-hop getting to violent in terms of reality? It seems like

there is a merger between the worst part of the street and the music and there

is no line anymore.

I: In a way its

always been like that. I think what happens with rap music is that more street

elements can get into the game quicker, just because its rap music. Rapping

and singing is two different things and damn near anyone could be a rapper,

so to speak. just think A whole lot of people with no talent are trying to capitalize

off our people with talent. That to me is where the bad forces come into the

music. If you talk to any rapper, the last thing they want to do is shoot somebody

or get shot by somebody. They want to get on their mic and make their paper.

They want to do their shows, they want to do the hip-hop thing. It’s all them

wanna be motherf*ckers around. It’s all the hanger on’s. Those people with no

talent just trying to get a crumb off the table. Those are the people who cause

the trouble.

AllHipHop.com:

Did you ever had any encounter like that with NWA being portrayed as a gang?

Did you ever have any encounters with street beef?

I: All the time

man, all the time! That group was a magnet for every tough guy in world to come

up. Through the years, you learn how to deflect all the negative energy and

you realize who is with you and who is not. You learn how to shake em without

them even getting close enough to cause you any problems or any pains. I just

learn how to shake those kind of people that I know who are kinda like wolves

in sheep clothing.

AllHipHop.com:

Dub C said something funny, that you won’t let him in any of your movies. Is

that true?

I: He was in the

first Friday. They always talk sh*t about that, but I tell him this. Why put

you in a movie if you can’t use that role to do other movie? I aint have nothing

that was right for Dub. If it’s something that’s perfect for Dub, where I know

damn I give him this movie, he’s gonna shine. This will set off a career for

him cause that’s what they want. They just don’t want to be in some movie. They

want a move to set off to a career. I haven’t had that opportunity yet for them,

so instead of just putting them into any old role, doing any old thing that

aint going to get notice, it’s better for them to just wait until I’ve got something

that’s just perfect for them.