Ice Cube is one of the founding artists of gangsta rap, and much of his musical output has contained harsh socio-political commentary. He was ranked number 8 on MTV's list of the 10 Greatest MCs of All Time, while fellow rapper Snoop Dogg ranked Ice Cube as one of the greatest MC of all time. AllMusic has called him one of hip-hop's best and most controversial artists, as well as "one of rap's greatest storytellers". In 2012, The Source ranked him number 14 on their list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time. In 2014, About.com ranked him number 11 on their list of the "50 Greatest MCs of All Time"
He released his solo debut album, "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted," in 1990 to critical and commercial success, although upon its release he was accused of racism and misogyny. He has since released 1991's "Death Certificate", 1992's "The Predator", 1993's "Lethal Injection", 1998's "War & Peace Vol 1 (The War Disc)", 2000's "War & Peace Vol 2 (The Peace Disc)", 2006's "Laugh Now, Cry Later", 2008's "Raw Footage", and 2010's "I Am the West."
Ice Cube was raised in South Central by his parents, both of whom were employed at UCLA. He began writing raps while attending George Washington Preparatory High School in Westmont, California, most notably "Boyz 'N Tha Hood", which later became famous when done by N.W.A in 1986. Cube finished his schooling at William Howard Taft Charter High School in Woodland Hills, a predominately white neighborhood in San Fernando Valley, some 40 miles from the high-crime neighborhood where his family stayed.
Cube and a friend, Sir Jinx, rapped as a partnership called C.I.A. at parties hosted by Dr. Dre. After a brief stint in a group called "HBO", Cube showed Eazy-E "Boyz 'N Da Hood," and the pair, plus Dr. Dre, DJ Yella, The Arabian Prince and MC Ren, formed N.W.A.
Cube took one year off to earn a degree in architectural drafting in Phoenix in 1987 but returned in time to participate in N.W.A's debut album, Straight Outta Compton. The album attracted much notoriety for the group, from the FBI and concerned citizen and parent groups. Cube did the lead verse for the album's infamous track "Fuck tha Police."
Ice Cube left N.W.A due to financial and personality conflicts in 1989. With Da Lench Mob and the Bomb Squad (Public Enemy's producers), Cube recorded his debut album in New York City. AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted was released in 1990 and was an instantaneous hit as rap's popularity increased in mainstream society.
His 1991 follow-up, Death Certificate, was even more controversial. A few songs in the album featured Cube's hate of Uncle Sam and his politics, and a bonus track named "No Vaseline" was a diss to his former N.W.A bandmates. Also that year, he converted to the Nation of Islam. The album was re-released in 2003 with the bonus track "How to Survive in South Central," originally from the 1991 "Boyz N the Hood" soundtrack.
Controversy stirred about racist lyrics in his material: "Black Korea" (a song against Korean shopowners), referring to a former boss as "white Jew" in "No Vaseline", and songs such as "Enemy and Cave Bitch" (songs against "devils", a popular derogatory term at the time for white people). Partially to help deflect criticisms, Cube appointed a female rapper named Yo-Yo (who guested on AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted) to the head of his own record label and helped produce her debut album, Make Way for the Motherlode.
That was followed by Cube's acting breakout as the grown-up version of Darrin "Doughboy" Baker in the 1991 coming of age crime drama "Boyz in the Hood." Writer and director John Singleton, another LA native, penned the role specifically Cube. Ice Cube was later named "Most Promising Actor" at the 4th Chicago Film Critics Association Awards in 1992, beating out his co-star Cuba Gooding Jr. and newcomer Brad Pitt from "Thelma and Louise."
Cube toured on Lollapalooza in 1992 and widened his fan base. He released The Predator in November (1992) which debuted at #1 on both the pop and rnb charts, the first album in history to do so. For that album, Cube decided to load some G-funk style beats which at that time was the big thing and some remix tunes which brought a new style to Cube, in which previously he had released some hardcore and extreme work. Singles from The Predator included "Today was a Good Day" and "Check Yo Self (remix)" which all had a 2 part music video.
After The Predator, Cube's audience began to diminish. Lethal Injection (1993) was not very well-liked by critics, and Dr. Dre and the West Coast G-Funk sound was dominating hip-hop. It wasn't until later that the album became popular. Taking a break from his own albums, Cube assisted on debuts from Da Lench Mob (Guerillas in the Mist) and Kam (Neva Again). He later dueted with Dr. Dre on "Natural Born Killaz."
Around this time in 1993, Ice Cube also worked with soon-to-be-acclaimed rapper Tupac Shakur with his album Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. and appeared on a track with 2pac.
In 1994 Ice Cube released Bootlegs & B-Sides.
During this time, hip-hop started making a transition from the West Coast Funk Hip-Hop to a more gritty East Coast hip-hop. With Mack 10 and WC, Cube formed the Westside Connection in 1996, releasing their debut album Bow Down later that year. This album was in due to Ice Cube's theory that the East Coast lacked respect for West Coast hip-hop. Songs like "Bow Down", and "Gangstas Make The World Go 'Round" make reference to this. Sales were brisk, but it did not establish a large audience. This album was later perceived as a classic, especially on the West Coast. Cube released several more solo albums; however, he is now known more for his movies than his music.
In 1998 Ice Cube released War & Peace Vol 1: The War Disc
In 2000 Ice Cube released War & Peace Vol 2: The Peace Disc
In 2003 Ice Cube along with W.C. & Mack 10 released Terrorist Threats as the West Side Connection.
In December 2004, after a long break from recording, he reached #2 in the UK singles chart with the club favourite, "You Can Do It" (featuring Mack 10 and Ms Toi), released as a single 5 years after it was first included on movie soundtracks such as
Ice Cube was influenced by and took his name from African American pimp-turned-author Iceberg Slim, who published his autobiography Pimp in 1969. At one point, Ice Cube was scheduled to play the lead role in a movie adaptation of Pimp, but the project appears to be halted.
Cube's oldest son, O'Shea Jackson Jr., made his feature film debut in the 2015 N.W.A biopic "Straight Outta Compton," portraying his father.
Doing Dumb S**t
Ice Cube Lyrics
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Get your ass in here boy
You hear me calling you?
O'Shea!
When I was young I used to hang with the seventh graders
Little bad motherfucker playing Space Invaders
Fucking with the girls in the fourth grade
Walking with the schoolhouse bully
By doing that I had a lot of pull G
Cheating on tests making a mess
Cussing like a sailor at recess
It must a been a half moon
Cause you'll catch me running out the little girls' bathroom
Chewing on Good and Plenties
Got my gamble on at lunch pitching pennies
Yo I was living like the class clown
Pulling all the hokes, making all the jokes man
When you young it's hard to see
That it's wrong throwing rocks at the RTD
Popping out your window with a BB gun
Better yet knocking on your door and run
Playing hide-and-go-get-it for a little stank
Even though I was still shooting blanks
As soon as the dark hit
I was stealing candy out the corner market
Until I got my ass whipped
Cause I was ten years old, doing dumb shit
Thirteen, that's how old I was
When my jimmy started getting a little peach fuzz
And I was looking at any butt and ass
Me and my homies started cutting class
Going up to the high school
Looking for any bitch I could lie to
Tell em I was older than I really was
Smoked my first joint and got really buzzed
That's what a mack's made of
But when I got my first piece of pussy I fell in love
Hard as a rock the long way
And then I put the rubber on the wrong way
But I still gotta have it
Overexcited and fucking like a jackrabbit
Goddamn I was hot
A virgin but I still knew how to lay pipe
Even though the hoe worked me
I still knocked the boots from here to Albuquerque
Then the shit got strange money
I started shaking and jimmy felt funny
Then the nut came gushing
I jumped up got dressed and start pushing
Cause I thought the bitch broke my dick
Cause I was still young doing dumb shit
At 17 got my first Volkswagon
And mastered the life-long art of dragging
To the women in college
Hung out with the OG's and got some street knowledge
Breaking in cars and all that
Hitting punk fools with a baseball bat
Fucking at a real fast rate
Til they said that I might not graduate
Then I said fuck the dumb shit
Cause Pops'll fuck me up quick
If things continued
So I start rapping about shit I been through
And I got real good
Now I look at all the kids in the neighborhood
Trying to be baby macks
Doing shit that I did seven years back
Going through a stage
But before they can grow up they on the front page
And they mommas is having a fit
Cause they died young doing dumb shit
In Ice Cube's song Doing Dumb S**t, he reflects on his youthful indiscretions and mistakes as a young boy and teenager. He begins by reminiscing about how he used to hang out with older kids and play Space Invaders, and then transitioned to fooling around with girls in lower grades. He also talks about cheating on tests, being a class clown, and causing trouble during recess. As he got older, he started smoking and drinking, lied about his age to girls, and had sex for the first time. He even made the mistake of putting a condom on backward. He also got involved in more serious activities such as breaking into cars, stealing from corner stores, and hitting people with a baseball bat.
The song highlights the foolish things that young people often do, but also serves as a warning to those who may be going down a similar path. Ice Cube laments how many young people today are getting into trouble and ending up on the front page of the newspaper. He reminds us that life is precious and that we must be wise in the choices that we make.
Line by Line Meaning
O'Shea! O'Shea! Get your ass in here boy You hear me calling you? O'Shea!
Ice Cube is recalling his past and calling himself by his real name, O'Shea, to bring himself back to reality.
When I was young I used to hang with the seventh graders Little bad motherfucker playing Space Invaders Fucking with the girls in the fourth grade Either feeling on they butts or pulling on they braids Walking with the schoolhouse bully By doing that I had a lot of pull G Cheating on tests making a mess Cussing like a sailor at recess It must a been a half moon Cause you'll catch me running out the little girls' bathroom Chewing on Good and Plenties Got my gamble on at lunch pitching pennies Yo I was living like the class clown Pulling all the hokes, making all the jokes man When you young it's hard to see That it's wrong throwing rocks at the RTD Popping out your window with a BB gun Better yet knocking on your door and run Playing hide-and-go-get-it for a little stank Even though I was still shooting blanks As soon as the dark hit I was stealing candy out the corner market Until I got my ass whipped Cause I was ten years old, doing dumb shit
During his elementary and middle school years, Ice Cube was misbehaving constantly such as cheating in tests, bullying, gambling, stealing, as well as finding joy in harassing girls his own age. He did not realize how poor his behavior was at the time.
Thirteen, that's how old I was When my jimmy started getting a little peach fuzz And I was looking at any butt and ass Me and my homies started cutting class Going up to the high school Looking for any bitch I could lie to Tell em I was older than I really was Smoked my first joint and got really buzzed That's what a mack's made of But when I got my first piece of pussy I fell in love Hard as a rock the long way And then I put the rubber on the wrong way But I still gotta have it Overexcited and fucking like a jackrabbit Goddamn I was hot A virgin but I still knew how to lay pipe Even though the hoe worked me I still knocked the boots from here to Albuquerque Then the shit got strange money I started shaking and jimmy felt funny Then the nut came gushing I jumped up got dressed and start pushing Cause I thought the bitch broke my dick Cause I was still young doing dumb shit
As a teenager, Ice Cube started engaging in sexual activity, smoking weed, and playing hooky. He was inexperienced with sex and made mistakes such as not wearing a condom correctly. During sexual intercourse, he felt his body go numb and he thought his partner broke his penis.
At 17 got my first Volkswagon And mastered the life-long art of dragging To the women in college Hung out with the OG's and got some street knowledge Breaking in cars and all that Hitting punk fools with a baseball bat Fucking at a real fast rate Til they said that I might not graduate Then I said fuck the dumb shit Cause Pops'll fuck me up quick If things continued So I start rapping about shit I been through And I got real good Now I look at all the kids in the neighborhood Trying to be baby macks Doing shit that I did seven years back Going through a stage But before they can grow up they on the front page And they mommas is having a fit Cause they died young doing dumb shit
As a high schooler, Ice Cube started hanging with older men, committing crimes, and being promiscuous. However, he realized that his behavior could ruin his future and began to focus on his career as a rapper. Nowadays, he sees many young people repeating the same mistakes he made and wishes they could stop before it's too late.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, A SIDE MUSIC LLC D/B/A MODERN WORKS MUSIC PUBLISHING
Written by: GEORGE CLINTON, WILLIAM BOOTSY COLLINS, O' JACKSON, BERNIE WORRELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind