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.
I'm only out 4 1 thang
Ice Cube Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mother mother fuck it
You either Flavor Flav it
Or you Chuck Chuck Chuck it
Kiss my ass or suck a D.I.C.
K. stands for kill so don't fuck with me
I fucked that lady in the bed
I missed that pussy and I bust a spread
The bottom fell out and her ass started dragging
Tried it again and I failed to grasp
I missed that pussy and I bust my ass
Then I fucked this lady in the tree
The baby came out and said "Run-DMC"
I knew this girl who looked just like you
Light brown and a fly hair-do
I wanted to do her, screw her
So I stepped to her
On-key bitch had more ass than a donkey
I said you're the type of girl that I can't pass over
Give me one chance and I'll bend your ass over
Just call me the plumber at the end of the night
Cause a nigga like me'll lay plenty of pipe
She didn't get offended it was splendid to me
Cause mister nice guy is what I pretended to be
I guess I just wine her and dine her
And by the end of the night I'll be behind her
Waxing that ass like Rain Dance
On the bumper get the pussy then I dump her
Took her to the Comfort Inn
Tucked her in
Pulled out the third leg pumped it in
She said will you call me
Yeah I'll call you a bitch or a hoe after I ball ya
Naw I'm just playin' but it's still the same
Cause a nigga like Ice Cube is only out for one thing
The lyrics to Ice Cube Feat. Flavor Flav's song I'm Only Out For One Thang are explicit and offensive, highlighting a male perspective towards women that is misogynistic in nature. The song is about the male desire for sex and the ways they go about achieving this objective. The first verse can be interpreted as two men trying to get women to sleep with them but not caring about their feelings or well-being. They are willing to use force and violence, as evidenced by the line "K. stands for kill so don't fuck with me." There is no remorse or regret for the violence or vulgarity exhibited in their behavior towards women.
The second verse tells a story about a man who is interested in a woman because of her physical attributes. He is willing to pretend to be nice and caring towards her to achieve his goal of having sex with her. He objectifies her and refers to her as "ass" throughout the verse. Again, there is a lack of respect and consideration for the woman's feelings or desires. The overall message of the song is that women are objects to be conquered and used for male pleasure without any regard for their own individuality or autonomy.
Line by Line Meaning
Well two bees in a bucket
This is a common phrase that means 'two of a kind' and is often used when faced with tough choices
Mother mother fuck it
This is an expression of frustration used when things aren't going as planned
You either Flavor Flav it
Be yourself, be unique like Flavor Flav
Or you Chuck Chuck Chuck it
If you can't be unique, then you better follow the crowd like Chuck D
Kiss my ass or suck a D.I.C.
Either comply with me or face the consequences
K. stands for kill so don't fuck with me
Don't mess with me, I'm not someone you should mess around with
I fucked that lady in the bed
I had sex with a woman in bed
I missed that pussy and I bust a spread
I missed that woman's private parts and ejaculated outside
The bottom fell out and her ass started dragging
The bed or car broke while having sex and the woman's buttocks were dragging on the floor
Tried it again and I failed to grasp
I tried to have sex again but failed to perform properly
I missed that pussy and I bust my ass
I missed the target again and fell down
Then I fucked this lady in the tree
I had sex with a woman on a tree
The baby came out and said 'Run-DMC'
A child was unexpectedly born during sex and said something unrelated
I knew this girl who looked just like you
I knew a woman with similar physical features as you
Light brown and a fly hair-do
She had light brown skin and a cool hairstyle
I wanted to do her, screw her
I wanted to have sex with her
So I stepped to her
I approached her
On-key bitch had more ass than a donkey
She had a big buttocks
I said you're the type of girl that I can't pass over
I told her she was the type of woman that I couldn't overlook
Give me one chance and I'll bend your ass over
Give me a chance and I'll have sex with you
Just call me the plumber at the end of the night
I'll fix your pipes, referring to sexual intercourse
Cause a nigga like me'll lay plenty of pipe
I'm good at having sex
She didn't get offended it was splendid to me
She didn't take offense, and I enjoyed it
Mister nice guy is what I pretended to be
I pretended to be a nice guy to win her over
I guess I just wine her and dine her
I took her out to expensive dinners and drinks to win her over
And by the end of the night I'll be behind her
By the end of the night, we'll have had sex
Waxing that ass like Rain Dance
I'm having vigorous sex with her
On the bumper get the pussy then I dump her
I had sex with her then left her
Took her to the Comfort Inn
I took her to a hotel
Tucked her in
I put her to bed
Pulled out the third leg pumped it in
I had sex with her
She said will you call me
She asked if I would call her afterward
Yeah I'll call you a bitch or a hoe after I ball ya
Yes, I'll call you derogatory names after I have sex with you
Naw I'm just playin' but it's still the same
Just kidding, but the intention is the same
Cause a nigga like Ice Cube is only out for one thing
I'm only interested in one thing, sex
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JACKSON, MARASCALCO, PRICE, WHEATON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Meechy
Ayyyy!!! Cube and PE were unstoppable!!! Cube was always like a West Coast Chuck D!! He'll tell you himself that's his biggest influence! And he studied the East Coast Hip Hop scene a ton!!🔥🔥🔥🔥
TheDirtySouth404
They did this in one take! 🔥🔥🔥🔥
HACK BY FACK ASS BITCHES OVER A XBOX & LIES
STILL BUMP THIS CD IN MY TAHOE LOUD AS FUCK
Air Pegasus
Early Cube Was One Of The Untouchable Emcees. He Was In That Ultra Elite Of Hip-Hop .🧊🧊🧊
Mister Awesome
I miss real rap music, this is real.
Mike T Chauke
This is real Rap
Traverse
We still got real shit coming out today
TheCombs444
Yeah I’ll call you
Alton Prayer
At the crib chilling back lmao as I listen to this. This joint and that whole first album done by Ice Cube was off-the-chain and brings back so many good memories.
MR.TONY’S HIP HOP SCHOOL
This is when I liked Ice Cube his first 3 albums!!! Also when he was with NWA