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.

Nigga Of The Century
Ice Cube Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Say you little son of a bitch what choo tryin' to be

When I'm big I want to be a thug
You want to be a thug huh (Yeah yeah)
What choo know (About) a thug huh (Yeah yeah)
You want to see the bad guy
Look at Ice Cube (Yeah yeah) that's the bad guy
You need people like him can point cha fingas

Huh? (Yeah yeah) the fuck you know about this shit
You ready to die, OK a-why
Where is that, you ready
'Cause they ain't touch the bad guy, OK

I'm the nigga of the century
Oh, so choo a bad guy, c'mon prove it
C'mon, you think you bad
How bad you are

I'm the nigga of the century
C'mon lets see how bad you are
C'mon bad guy, see'moawnl

We the worsest, all purpose
You want murderers
Well you serve us, hattin' motherfuckers with curb dust
You heard us, don't shit make us nervous
Not even when these fuckin' feds try to serve us
Mention me, when you write it in your history
As a nigger with the key to the mystery
Grand motta ain word don't mean shit to me
Who gives a fuck what they think, and what they see
Live how I got to live
Give what I got to give
Teach my kids positive, as well as the negative
Hope to raise better kids
The world needs a sedative, pray to god that we let him live

[Chorus:]
'Cause you bad guy, I'm the nigga of the century
The diamond scruff, all you niggas better mention me
Me that's who, it ain't no mystery
Goin' down in history, niggas better mention me

You better mention me, I'm the nigga of the century
Ok a-why, all you niggas better mention me
Me that's who, it ain't no mystery
Goin' down in history, niggas better mention me

A nigga told me to keep hope alive
Survive, and 95 I'll get you paradise
So I tried, nigga had to swallow his pride
But look into my eyes, I'm too wise to cook fries
Twelfth grade graduation, summer vacation
Mama said get the facin' on them applications
Didn't know back then, I was too young
Public school made me dumb as a motherfucker
What should I do in my life
Reverend price, do you got some advice
Before I roll the dice
A nigga don't want to shoot craps, 'cause it ain't all fun and games
When you tryin' to get that money mang
Gangbang, maintain or slang cane
T.V. got a nigga where he can't use his brain
What the fuck you talkin' bout, choose or loose
Bitch I don't know the motherfuckin' rules (For real)

[Chorus]

Who am I when it's do or die
You can see a man's soul through the human eye
Can't spend all your lifetime gettin' high
'Cause you and I got to do, for you and I
Actin' wild as a juvenile
Now my whole life depends on the outcome of a trial
Wait-pow; these people ain't playin' now
Got to bring 85 percent of the time now
Fuck that, rather roll with the ruff pack
In the jet black, listenin' to ruff rap
See it's quite simple, you bitches ass niggas don't know
What I've been through, the weather's presidential
The warfare's mental, I sell my soul to the lord
For the perfect instrumental
And the number two pencil
And all the hustle found in chromosomes of my kinfolk

[Chorus]

Yeah, OK, OK, ok, OK, call loko take it easy mang, choo got it
Choo leave it the fuckin' illest nigga to fuckin' shit you
Dess no problem withs that, gawn'na fuck dat
June have a fuckin' heart attack
It's over, everybody knows now
It's no fuckin' secret
Choo know dis motherfucker, OK a-why
It's over, that's it, die
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang

I got that bomb, bomb, tit-tit...

Tity-tit, tity-tity, tity, bomb, bomb, bomb...
When I hit you, uhh, uhh, uhh...

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Ice Cube's song "Nigga of the Century" primarily narrate a conversation between Ice Cube and an unidentified youth who admires him for being a thug. The young person wants to know more about being a thug, and Ice Cube shows the youth that he is the true example of a bad guy. Ice Cube asserts that people like him are required as they can point the finger at others to insulate themselves from their guilty acts. He challenges the youth to prove his claim of being a bad guy, thereby provoking the youngster to test his mettle.

In the second verse, the lyrics explain the struggles of the Black community to survive and provide a better life for their children. The words portray the socioeconomic and educational disparities faced by Black youth, such as poor public schooling and limited job opportunities. Ice Cube demonstrates his wisdom and maturity by highlighting the importance of positive education and raising better children. The chorus repeats Ice Cube's self-proclamation as the "nigga of the century," insisting that he is the greatest bad guy in the game.

In summary, the lyrics of "Nigga of the Century" portray the difficulties faced by Black communities and the glorification of being a "bad guy." Ice Cube uses his experience to talk about the importance of education, taking care of one's family, and leaving a positive legacy while still maintaining a "tough guy" image.

Line by Line Meaning

Say you little son of a bitch what choo tryin' to be
When I'm big I want to be a thug

You want to be a thug huh (Yeah yeah)
What choo know about a thug huh (Yeah yeah)

You want to see the bad guy
Look at Ice Cube (Yeah yeah) that's the bad guy

You need people like him can point cha fingas
Huh? (Yeah yeah) the fuck you know about this shit

You ready to die, OK a-why
Where is that, you ready

'Cause they ain't touch the bad guy, OK
They haven't touched me yet, so it's fine

I'm the nigga of the century
I am the most notorious black man of this century

Oh, so choo a bad guy, c'mon prove it
Are you also a notorious black man? Come and prove it

C'mon, you think you bad How bad you are
If you think you are notorious, let's see how notorious you really are

We the worsest, all purpose You want murderers Well you serve us, hattin' motherfuckers with curb dust You heard us, don't shit make us nervous Not even when these fuckin' feds try to serve us Mention me, when you write it in your history As a nigger with the key to the mystery Grand motta ain word don't mean shit to me Who gives a fuck what they think, and what they see Live how I got to live Give what I got to give Teach my kids positive, as well as the negative Hope to raise better kids The world needs a sedative, pray to god that we let him live
We are the most dangerous group and people who want to murder hire us because we are fearless in our pursuit of revenge. We are people of action and not afraid of the government. History should remember me as the one who has solved this mystery. I am not scared of what people think of me or what they see. I have lived my life my way and given what I have. I teach my kids to be both positive and negative. I hope they will be better people than I am. Our world needs a calmative, and I hope we will save it with God's grace.

Chorus
The chorus just repeats the main idea of the song. Ice Cube is the most notorious and deserves to be mentioned in history.

Who am I when it's do or die You can see a man's soul through the human eye Can't spend all your lifetime gettin' high 'Cause you and I got to do, for you and I Actin' wild as a juvenile Now my whole life depends on the outcome of a trial Wait-pow; these people ain't playin' now Got to bring 85 percent of the time now Fuck that, rather roll with the ruff pack In the jet black, listenin' to ruff rap See it's quite simple, you bitches ass niggas don't know What I've been through, the weather's presidential The warfare's mental, I sell my soul to the lord For the perfect instrumental And the number two pencil And all the hustle found in chromosomes of my kinfolk
In this life or death situation, who am I? One's soul is uncovered in their eyes. You can't waste your life getting high because you need to do something meaningful with it. Being wild as a youth has consequences, and now my entire life is up to the outcome of a trial. These people are not playing around, together they bring 85 percent of the penalty. I'd rather run with tough people in a black car, listening to heavy rap. It is easy to see that fake people don't know what I've been through; the weather is harsh, and we're in a mental war. For the perfect beat, I will sell my soul to the lord and use it with my family's strength and determination.

Yeah, OK, OK, ok, OK, call loko take it easy mang, choo got it Choo leave it the fuckin' illest nigga to fuckin' shit you Dess no problem withs that, gawn'na fuck dat June have a fuckin' heart attack It's over, everybody knows now It's no fuckin' secret Choo know dis motherfucker, OK a-why It's over, that's it, die Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang I got that bomb, bomb, tit-tit... Tity-tit, tity-tity, tity, bomb, bomb, bomb... When I hit you, uhh, uhh, uhh...
This chorus is unrelated to the main song; it is just Ice Cube making sounds and saying obscene words.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHARLY CHARLES, O'SHEA JACKSON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS