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.
Once Upon a Time in the Projects
Ice Cube Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I damn near had to wreck a ho
I knocked on the door - "who is it?"
It's ice cube, come to pay a little visit to ya
And what's up with the niggas in the parking lot
She said fuck em, cause they get sparked alot
I sat on the couch but it wasn't stable
And then I put my nikes on the coffee table
Cause he walked up and said "what set you claimin"
I don't bang I write the good rhymes
The whole scenery reminded me of good times
I don't like to feel that I'm put in a rut
By a young nigga that needs to pull his pants up
He threw up a set and then he was gone
I'm thinkin' to myself, won't this bitch bring her ass on
Her mother came in with a joint in her mouth
And fired up the sess it was sess no doubt
She said please excuse my house and all that
I said yeah cause I was buzzed from the contact
Lookin' at a fucked up black and white
Her mom's bitchin' cause the county check wasn't right
She had another brother that was three years old
And had a bad case of the runny nose
He asked me who I was then I had to pause
It smelled like he took a shit in his little drawers
I saw her sister that needs get her ass kicked
Only thirteen and already pregnant
I grabbed the forty out the bag and took a swig
Cause I was getting overwhelmed by bebe kids
They were runnin and playin and cursin and yellin
And tellin and look at this young punk bailin
I heard a knock on the door without the password
And her mom's got the 12 guage mossberg
The nigga said "yo, what's for sale"
And the bitch came out with a bag of ya-yo
She made the drop and got the 20 dollars
From a smoked out fool with ring around the collar
The girl I was waiting for came out
I said bitch I didn't know this was a crack house
I got my coat and suddenly
The cop busted in and had a mac-10 pointed to my dome
And I said to myself once again it's on
He threw me on the carpet and wasn't cuttin no slack
Jumped on my head and put his knee in my back
First he tried to slap me up, wrap me up, rough me up
They couldn't do it so they cuffed me up
I said fuck how much abuse can a nigga take
Hey yo officer you're making a big mistake
Since I had on a shirt that said I was dope
He thought I was selling base and couldn't hear my case
He said get out my face and musta had a grudge
His reply tell that bullshit to the judge
The girl I was with wasn't sayin nothin
I said aiyyo bitch you better tell em somethin
She started draggin and all of a sudden
We all got tossed in the patty wagon
Now I beat the rap but that ain't the point
I had a warrant so I spent 2 weeks in the joint
Now the story you heard has one little object
Don't fuck with a bitch from the projects!
The lyrics of "Once Upon A Time In The Projects" by Ice Cube tell a story set in a ghetto neighborhood, depicting the danger and complexity of life in the projects. The narrative portrays Ice Cube's visit to a girl's house in the projects, and his experience meeting her family members and witnessing their everyday life. The girl's brother, who is into gangbanging, questions Cube about his affiliation, while her mother smokes marijuana and complains about her county check. Cube encounters the girl's thirteen-year-old pregnant sister and her little brother with a bad case of a runny nose. He also witnesses drug dealing, with the girls' mother selling "ya-yo" to a buyer with ring around the collar. As Cube prepares to leave, a cop raids the house, and the girl he is waiting for does not say anything to help him out, leading to Cube's arrest.
The lyrics of the song paint a picture of a difficult life in the projects, with poverty, crime, and drug abuse. Despite Ice Cube's calmness and intelligence in handling the situations, the story shows how easy it is for someone to get caught up in the environment's danger and complexity. The song's theme emphasizes the importance of being cautious and aware of one's surroundings, as well as the consequences of associating with the wrong people.
Line by Line Meaning
Once upon a time in the projects, yo
I'm about to tell you a story that happened in the projects
I damn near had to wreck a ho
I almost had to fight a girl
I knocked on the door - "who is it?"
I knocked on the door and she asked who it was
It's ice cube, come to pay a little visit to ya
I told her it's me, Ice Cube, and that I'm there to visit
And what's up with the niggas in the parking lot
I asked about the guys in the parking lot
She said fuck em, cause they get sparked alot
She said she doesn't care about them because they often get into trouble
I sat on the couch but it wasn't stable
I sat on the couch but it was shaky
And then I put my nikes on the coffee table
I put my Nike shoes on the coffee table
Her brother came in he's into gangbangin'
Her brother came in and he's part of a gang
Cause he walked up and said "what set you claimin"
He came up to me and asked which gang I belong to
I don't bang I write the good rhymes
I don't belong to a gang, I write good rap lyrics
The whole scenery reminded me of good times
The whole environment reminded me of better times
I don't like to feel that I'm put in a rut
I don't like feeling stuck or trapped
By a young nigga that needs to pull his pants up
I don't want to be held back by a young guy who needs to act more mature
He threw up a set and then he was gone
He showed his gang's hand signal and then left
I'm thinkin' to myself, won't this bitch bring her ass on
I'm thinking to myself, when will this girl come back
Her mother came in with a joint in her mouth
Her mother walked in with a marijuana joint
And fired up the sess it was sess no doubt
She started smoking the weed without any hesitation
She said please excuse my house and all that
She apologized for the condition of her house
I said yeah cause I was buzzed from the contact
I said okay, because I was feeling the effects of the weed smoke in the air
Lookin' at a fucked up black and white
Watching a damaged black and white TV
Her mom's bitchin' cause the county check wasn't right
Her mom was complaining about the government assistance check not being correct
She had another brother that was three years old
She had a three-year-old brother
And had a bad case of the runny nose
The three-year-old had a bad, runny nose
He asked me who I was then I had to pause
The three-year-old asked me who I was, causing me to hesitate
It smelled like he took a shit in his little drawers
It smelled like the three-year-old had defecated in his diaper
I saw her sister that needs get her ass kicked
I saw her sister who needs to be disciplined
Only thirteen and already pregnant
Her sister was only thirteen years old but already pregnant
I grabbed the forty out the bag and took a swig
I took a swig of beer from the 40-ounce bottle
Cause I was getting overwhelmed by bebe kids
I was feeling overwhelmed by the misbehaving children
They were runnin and playin and cursin and yellin
The kids were running, playing, cursing, and yelling
And tellin and look at this young punk bailin
The kids were also telling on each other and making fun of a younger child who was leaving
I heard a knock on the door without the password
I heard a knock on the door, but the person didn't say the password
And her mom's got the 12 guage mossberg
Her mother got the shotgun
The nigga said "yo, what's for sale"
The person at the door asked, "what drugs are for sale?"
And the bitch came out with a bag of ya-yo
The girl came out with a bag of cocaine
She made the drop and got the 20 dollars
She gave him the drugs and received $20 in return
From a smoked out fool with ring around the collar
The buyer had smoked so much that he had a ring of stains around his collar
The girl I was waiting for came out
The girl I was waiting for finally came outside
I said bitch I didn't know this was a crack house
I told her I didn't know this was a drug house
I got my coat and suddenly
I grabbed my coat and all of a sudden
The cop busted in and had a mac-10 pointed to my dome
The police officer entered with a gun pointed at my head
And I said to myself once again it's on
I thought to myself, here we go again
He threw me on the carpet and wasn't cuttin no slack
The officer threw me on the carpet and wasn't being lenient
Jumped on my head and put his knee in my back
The police officer jumped on my head and used his knee to restrain my back
First he tried to slap me up, wrap me up, rough me up
At first, the officer tried to physically assault me
They couldn't do it so they cuffed me up
But they eventually handcuffed me
I said fuck how much abuse can a nigga take
I thought to myself, I can't take much more abuse
Hey yo officer you're making a big mistake
I told the officer that he was making a big mistake
Since I had on a shirt that said I was dope
Because I was wearing a shirt that said I'm great at rapping
He thought I was selling base and couldn't hear my case
The officer assumed I was selling drugs and didn't listen to my argument
He said get out my face and musta had a grudge
He told me to leave and seemed to be holding a grudge against me
His reply tell that bullshit to the judge
He told me to take it up with the judge
The girl I was with wasn't sayin nothin
The girl I was with remained silent
I said aiyyo bitch you better tell em somethin
I told her she better say something to help me out
She started draggin and all of a sudden
She started hesitating and then all of a sudden
We all got tossed in the patty wagon
We were all thrown into the police van
Now I beat the rap but that ain't the point
I was eventually found innocent, but that's beside the point
I had a warrant so I spent 2 weeks in the joint
I had a warrant out for my arrest, so I spent two weeks in jail
Now the story you heard has one little object
This story I told you has one important lesson
Don't fuck with a bitch from the projects!
Don't mess with girls from the projects!
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: ANTHONY D WHEATON, O'SHEA JACKSON, BETTY MABRY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
KUWUL
This tha type of song that doesn't need a music video . . Cube paints the picture for you . .
K G
His attention to detail is incredible.
Nacquia Johnson
Yes.I am using visual imagery. He is so hard.
Carlton Smith
KUWUL A True M.C
DreTheWriter
I agree.
Ren Salute
Cube one of the greatest storytellers in the game
Hank Span
@T Mac al
JOHNSON DAILY SPORTS
Facts
Gregroy Campbele
Ice cube Scarface and spice 1
E Derrell
One of the reasons he went into the movies he got too many visual songs