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.
Jackin' for Beats
Ice Cube Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Whassup nigga?
Get over there shit
Ya lil punk ass nigga
C'mere, c'mere, c'mere boy
God damnit you stop that shit now
Take him to jail and get him the hell from in front of this house
Now wait a minute, wait a minute, hey man
Whassup?
Wait a minute?
There are police, go!
Give me that beat fool, it's a full time jack move
Chilly Chill, yo homie mack the track move
And I'll jack any Tom, Dick and Hank
That's the name of the suckers I done ganked
I get away from a copper
Drop a dime, I'll break you off somethin' proper
With the L-E-N-C-H-M-O-B
T-Bone and that's J.D.
And here's how we'll greet ya
Stop fool, come off that beat ya
Feel dumb cause you're caught in the dark
(Ya lil' nuttin' ass mark)
Raise up, cause you cant' have it back
You said "I ain't never got gaffled like that"
Off the end of the gat you choke
Short Dog's in the house "Whattup loc?"
Nuttin' but a come up
Gimme that bass, and don't try to run up
Cause you'll get banked somethin' sweet
Ice Cube and the Lench Mob, is jackin' for beats
Huh, and even if you're down with my crew
Yo Chuck man, I dodn't understand this man
You got to slow down*
I jack them too
And then we'll freak it
Kick that bass, and look what we did
Fade the grade, played, and made a few mil
And I keep stealin
Ice Cube'll make it funk
But right about now let's get up in the hump
But I don't party and shake my butt
I leave that to the brothers with the funny haircurs
And it'll drive you nuts
Steal your beat, and give it that gangsta touch
Like jackin' at night
Say hi to the three fifty-seven I'm packin'
And it sounds so sweet
Ice Cube and the Lench Mob, is jackin' for beats
Ice Cube, will take a funky beat and reshape it
Locate a dope break, and then I break it
And give it that gangsta lean
Dead in your face as I turn up the bass
I make punk suckers run and duck because
I don't try to hide cause you know that I love to
Jack a fool for his beat and then I'm Audi
So when I come to your town don't crowd me
'Cause I know, you're gonna wanna kick it with me
But I know, none of y'all can get with me
So you think you're protected
Well you are til you put a funky beat on a record
Then I have to show and prove and use your groove
'Cause suckers can't fade the Cube
And if I jack you and you keep comin'
I'll have you marks a 100 Miles and Running!
Stop stop stop stop stop!
Surprise, niggaz
The lyrics to Ice Cube's song Jacking For Beats describes the act of taking other artists' beats and using them for his own music. The song opens with a skit involving a police officer trying to arrest someone in front of Ice Cube's house, causing the rapper to tell the person to run because the police are present. The rest of the song discusses Cube and his crew's skills in stealing and using beats from other artists in order to create their own music. The lyrics illustrate the attitude that many rappers had towards sampling and borrowing from other artists during the Golden Age of hip-hop in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The song highlights Ice Cube's talent for taking pre-existing beats and turning them into something new and fresh. He boasts about his ability to take any beat from "Tom, Dick, and Hank" and make it his own. The use of the skit at the beginning and the end of the song to bookend the lyrics creates a sense of narrative and implies that the song is an extension of the life that Ice Cube was living at the time.
Line by Line Meaning
Wait a minute, hold on, get your ass up
Pause, pay attention, get ready
Whassup nigga?
What's going on, my friend?
Get over there shit
Move quickly
Ya lil punk ass nigga
You're acting like a coward
C'mere, c'mere, c'mere boy
Come here, listen closely
God damnit you stop that shit now
Stop that behavior immediately
Take him to jail and get him the hell from in front of this house
Arrest him and remove him from this location
Now wait a minute, wait a minute, hey man
Hold on a second, hey
Whassup?
What do you want?
There are police, go!
Get out of here, the police are coming
Give me that beat fool, it's a full time jack move
I want that music, I'm taking it
Chilly Chill, yo homie mack the track move
My friend Chilly Chill is skilled in manipulating music
And I'll jack any Tom, Dick and Hank
I'll take music from anyone
That's the name of the suckers I done ganked
Those are the names of the people I've stolen from
I get away from a copper
I escape from police
Drop a dime, I'll break you off somethin' proper
Give me a call and I'll give you something great
With the L-E-N-C-H-M-O-B
With my music group Lench Mob
T-Bone and that's J.D.
My friends T-Bone and J.D. are with me
And here's how we'll greet ya
This is how we'll treat you
Stop fool, come off that beat ya
Stop, give me your music
Feel dumb cause you're caught in the dark
You feel foolish because you got caught
(Ya lil' nuttin' ass mark)
(You're worthless)
Raise up, cause you cant' have it back
Stand up, you can't have it back
You said "I ain't never got gaffled like that"
You've never been robbed like this
Off the end of the gat you choke
Facing the barrel of a gun scares you
Short Dog's in the house "Whattup loc?"
My friend Short Dog is here, what's happening?
Nuttin' but a come up
Just an opportunity
Gimme that bass, and don't try to run up
Give me the music, don't try to retaliate
Cause you'll get banked somethin' sweet
You'll get hit hard
Ice Cube and the Lench Mob, is jackin' for beats
Me and my music group are stealing music
Huh, and even if you're down with my crew
Even if you're a part of my group
Yo Chuck man, I dodn't understand this man
Hey Chuck, I don't comprehend this
You got to slow down*
You need to calm down
I jack them too
I steal from them as well
And then we'll freak it
Then we'll modify it and make it our own
Kick that bass, and look what we did
Alter the music, see how great it sounds
Fade the grade, played, and made a few mil
We've modified the music and made lots of money
And I keep stealin
I continue to steal music
Ice Cube'll make it funk
I'll make it sound good
But right about now let's get up in the hump
Let's get to work
But I don't party and shake my butt
I don't dance and engage in silly behavior
I leave that to the brothers with the funny haircurs
I let others with strange haircuts do that
And it'll drive you nuts
It will make you crazy
Steal your beat, and give it that gangsta touch
Steal your music and add our own style
Like jackin' at night
Like stealing in the dark
Say hi to the three fifty-seven I'm packin'
Greet my gun that I have with me
And it sounds so sweet
And it sounds so good
Ice Cube and the Lench Mob, is jackin' for beats
Me and my music group are stealing music
Ice Cube, will take a funky beat and reshape it
I'll take music and make it my own
Locate a dope break, and then I break it
Find a great part of the music and change it
And give it that gangsta lean
Add a gangster vibe to it
Dead in your face as I turn up the bass
In your face as I make the bass louder
I make punk suckers run and duck because
I make foolish people run and hide
I don't try to hide cause you know that I love to
I don't try to conceal my actions because I enjoy it
Jack a fool for his beat and then I'm Audi
Take someone's music and then leave the scene
So when I come to your town don't crowd me
Don't surround me when I come to your location
'Cause I know, you're gonna wanna kick it with me
I'm aware that you'll want to spend time with me
But I know, none of y'all can get with me
But I know none of you can handle me
So you think you're protected
You believe you're safe
Well you are til you put a funky beat on a record
You're safe until your music is on a record
Then I have to show and prove and use your groove
Then I have to demonstrate my ability and use your music
'Cause suckers can't fade the Cube
Because I'm too good for my competition
And if I jack you and you keep comin'
If I take your music and you try to fight back
I'll have you marks a 100 Miles and Running!
I'll make you run away in fear
Stop stop stop stop stop!
Stop, stop, stop!
Surprise, niggaz
It's a surprise, my friends
Lyrics ยฉ A SIDE MUSIC LLC D/B/A MODERN WORKS MUSIC PUBLISHING, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: O'SHEA JACKSON, TEREN JONES, DERRICK BAKER, ANTHONY WHEATON, JOHN BARBATA, HOWARD KAYLAN, JIM PONS, MARK VOLMAN, AL NICHOL, ROGER TROUTMAN, GEORGE CLINTON, JR., GARRY SHIDER, WALTER MORRISON, WILLIAM NICHOLS, ALLEN WILLIAMS, WILLIAM EARL COLLINS, PARRISH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@xxdantheman1681
The dislikes are from the people that got their beats jacked
@owenwu-pac5418
Yeah LL Cool J, Rakim, Public Enemy, EPMD, Digital Underground. and others.
@19Tube70
๐คฃ๐คฃ๐คฃ๐คฃ
@shanettacane7101
๐๐
@darrylpowell8247
๐
@phily78
B-Real a few years later ๐
@KAs619
There were 14 beats sampled to make this classic (including the ones in the chorus). The arrangement of production on this song was not only perfect, but creative. Especially the hook. They even used parts of a classical record for it. This is definitely a top 10 best Hip Hop track of all time.
@fivetimesten495
prolly costed a fortune to make
@patkelly3966
Cube knew how to flip a sample and I reckon this shit is near perfect, lyric, beat n humour wise. Sorry, forgot Knowledge. That too!
@mlaws11291
Rashad Supreme cats didnโt come at you for clearances for rap samples back then. Someone would have to ask Cube but Iโm sure he got these on the strength