O'Shea Jackson Sr. (born June 15, 1969), known professionally as Ice Cube, … Read Full Bio ↴O'Shea Jackson Sr. (born June 15, 1969), known professionally as Ice Cube, is an American rapper and actor. He began his career as a member of the hip-hop group C.I.A. and later joined the seminal rap group N.W.A (Niggaz Wit Attitudes). After leaving N.W.A in December 1989, he began both a successful solo music career and an acting career which included roles in films such as Boyz n the Hood (1991), Friday (1995), for which he also co-wrote the screenplay, and Barbershop (2002). 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 main character.

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.

Gotta Be Insanity
Ice Cube Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Uhh, gotta get it...uhhh....hmmm....get it, get it

Baby

Stab thru the neighborhood, these spinin'
Weez winin', scrap with the John Lennon
Head rests, TV's in 'em
Best in the nation, on this playstation

The Don Daata, gotta get you hotter
Been a buck naked nigga smokin' water
On a friday, the get high day
Blowin' at a hot date, findin' Shade
Black and bicantay, with ass everwhere, how you do that there?
A sight to behold, break the mold
Just tryin' to get some before the world explode
I see you tryin' to get caught
Well shake what your mama gave ya, plus what you bought
We fuck and we fought, we laugh and we cry
Told the truth and we lie

You be good to me, i'll be good to you
Anything you want, anything you do
I got my eyes on you, and i'm in to you
Give it all I got, and to keep it hot

Now what a freak like you, doin' with a fool like me?
Explain it to your family
It's got to be insanity --because I like what you're doing to me
You know you ain't right standin' at the light
Think it's chocolate with that shit too tight
And if I fuck around and get you in the car with me
Motherfuckers would think I had a star with me
Now see the haterism increase
They hate when you got a dime piece
And I got one shotgun, and I might catch a hot one
When i'm lookin' for love and niggas got none, uhh
If you let me handcuff your wrist
Bonnie and Clyde ain't got shit on this
Cuz Bonnie and Clyde had to take a risk
But most of my money see it's all legit baby
It's all about your state of mind
Now what would you do if I handed you a tech nine?
Are you feelin' me?
Would you stay down like Hillary?
Even if you thought about killin' me?

You be good to me, i'll be good to you
Anything you want, anything you do
I got my eyes on you, and i'm in to you
Give it all I got, and to keep it hot

Now what a freak like you, doin' with a fool like me?
Explain it to your family
It's got to be insanity --because I like what you're doing to me
Are you the type of girl that would call them folks
Have your man leave the house in chains and ropes
Don't need the kind of girl that'll have me in court
On lawsuits lyin' about demestic abuse
Have a bitch like Judge Judy cussin' me out
Garnish my cheques, reposses my lex
Cuz I come from a place in southern Californi
Where hoes rake niggas for tons of alimoni
But fuck the world don't aks me for shit
Unless you my boo, and i'm fuckin' you
The rest of these broads ain't knowin'
That i'm a have you bumpin' Lauryn, in somethin' foreign
Come thru blow the horn
Stick your wrists out the window
And wave to your kinfolks
Let 'em know who you with
And to your crazy ass daddy, let him know who to get

You be good to me, i'll be good to you
Anything you want, anything you do
I got my eyes on you, and i'm in to you
Give it all I got, and to keep it hot

Now what a freak like you, doin' with a fool like me?
Explain it to your family
It's got to be insanity --because I like what you're doing to me
Now what a freak like you, doin' with a fool like me?
Explain it to your family
It's got to be insanity --because I like what you're doing to me
Now what a freak like you, doin' with a fool like me?
Explain it to your family
It's got to be insanity --because I like what you're doing to me
Now what a freak like you, doin' with a fool like me?

Explain it to your family
It's got to be insanity --because I like what you're doing to me

Overall Meaning

In Ice Cube's "Gotta Be Insanity," the rapper discusses a variety of topics. He starts by boasting about driving around in his luxury car, complete with TVs in the headrests. Cube refers to himself as the "Don Daata," implying that he is the leader in his community. He then goes on to explain that he's a wild guy who enjoys smoking marijuana and having a good time on Fridays. The rapper also talks about love and relationships, and how he's willing to give his all to keep his significant other happy. Even though he acknowledges that he's not the best catch, he wonders why such a beautiful girl would be with him. He expresses his fear that if he were caught with her, other people might think he was a celebrity or something. Finally, he talks about how he's not interested in women who would try to trap him with lawsings or lawsuits.

One interpretation of these lyrics might be that Ice Cube is portraying himself as a confident bad boy who is willing to take risks for the things he wants. His bravado makes him attractive to women, but he's aware that he's not really worth all the attention he's getting. Despite that, he's willing to do whatever it takes to keep the relationship going. On the other hand, he's also portrayed as a shrewd businessman who doesn't want any trouble from anyone, especially not women who might try to trap him with children or legal feuds. This interpretation is consistent with Cube's reputation as a rapper who was known for his hard-hitting lyrics and aggressive demeanor.

Line by Line Meaning

Stab thru the neighborhood, these spinin'
Driving through the neighborhood with great speed

Weez winin', scrap with the John Lennon
Celebrating and fighting with the same passion as John Lennon

Head rests, TV's in 'em
Cars with headrests that have TVs in them

Best in the nation, on this playstation
Playing video games and being the best at it

The Don Daata, gotta get you hotter
Wanting to be hot and successful like Don Daata

Been a buck naked nigga smokin' water
Being naked and smoking water, a metaphor for being broke and not having anything else to smoke

On a friday, the get high day
Friday is a day to get high and enjoy oneself

Blowin' at a hot date, findin' Shade
Smoking weed with a hot date, finding peace

Black and bicantay, with ass everwhere, how you do that there?
Wondering how women with big butts get that way

A sight to behold, break the mold
Seeing something amazing, breaking away from the norm

Just tryin' to get some before the world explode
Trying to enjoy life before it's too late

I see you tryin' to get caught
Seeing someone trying to be noticed

Well shake what your mama gave ya, plus what you bought
Dancing and showing off what they naturally have plus what they bought

We fuck and we fought, we laugh and we cry
Having a complicated relationship with someone

Told the truth and we lie
Being honest and dishonest at the same time

You be good to me, i'll be good to you
Being good to each other to create a mutually beneficial relationship

Anything you want, anything you do
Being willing to do anything for the other person

I got my eyes on you, and i'm in to you
Being interested and attracted to the other person

Give it all I got, and to keep it hot
Giving everything to keep the relationship exciting

Now what a freak like you, doin' with a fool like me?
Asking why someone amazing is with someone like themselves

Explain it to your family
Wanting someone to explain to their family why they are with the artist

It's got to be insanity --because I like what you're doing to me
Admitting that the feeling of being with the other person is crazy but enjoyable

Are you the type of girl that would call them folks
Asking if the other person is willing to involve authorities in their personal affairs

Have your man leave the house in chains and ropes
Being controlling of a romantic partner

Don't need the kind of girl that'll have me in court
Not wanting someone who is quick to take legal action

On lawsuits lyin' about demestic abuse
Being falsely accused of domestic abuse in a court of law

Have a bitch like Judge Judy cussin' me out
Being berated by a judge like Judge Judy

Garnish my cheques, reposses my lex
Having financial difficulties due to a legal dispute

Cuz I come from a place in southern Californi
Being from a certain place in southern California

Where hoes rake niggas for tons of alimoni
A place where women take men for a lot of money in alimony

But fuck the world don't aks me for shit
Having a disinterest in the rest of the world and others' problems

Unless you my boo, and i'm fuckin' you
Being willing to help only someone who is a romantic interest

The rest of these broads ain't knowin'
Other women don't understand

That i'm a have you bumpin' Lauryn, in somethin' foreign
Being able to make a romantic partner excited and happy

Come thru blow the horn
Beep the car horn to signal arrival

Stick your wrists out the window
Extending wrists out the car window

And wave to your kinfolks
Waving to family members

Let 'em know who you with
Letting family members know who the singer is with

And to your crazy ass daddy, let him know who to get
Letting a protective father know who the singer is with and that they are not to be messed with

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LARRY ERNEST BLACKMON, SEAN COMBS, O'SHEA JACKSON, ANTHONY LOCKETT, MARIO WINANS, MARIO MENDELL WINANS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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