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.
Wicked
Ice Cube Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And all double-oh-seven James Bond man 'e from de area (gunshot, gunshot)
Maximum respect to de man dem call Ice Cube (bo! bo!)
And a bust a deuce-deuce or trey-eight bout to get wicked!
One, two, three and I come with the wicked
Style and you know that I'm from, the wicked
Crew, act like you knew
Wicked, rhymes, picket, signs
While me and the Mob gotta trunk fulla 9's
Play ya and I'll slay ya
I got thug-made dough by the ha-ir
Ready to buck buck buck and it's a must
To duck duck duck before I bust
Lookin for the one that did it
But like En Vogue, no you're never gonna get it
Cos I'm the one with the fat mad skills
And I won't choke like the Buffalo Bills
Sittin' at the pad just chillin'
Cause Larry Wilkins just got two million, oh what a feelin
So shake that nigga and pass me the pill
And I'll slam dunk ya like Shaquille O'Neal
Like it, dig it, maybe and watch that ass get ???
Kick it cause I get wicked
Won't say nuttin', just listen
Got me a plan to break Tyson outta prison
Come my way and get served
Still got a duece that'll bunny hop the curb
Nappy head, nappy chest, nappy chin
Never seen with a happy grin
Show the fat foul cause I'm down
Take a look around
And all you see is big black boots steppin'
Use my steel toe as a weapon
Kick ya and flip ya, now they want to
Label this nigga, tape with the sticker
Kicki'n out girls that's nicety
Yo, I gotta body count like Ice-T
From here to New York
I get skins and ain't talkin bout pork
Swine, pig, dick
Listen to the flow of a so-called negro
Who didn't know I was funky as Wilson Pickett
Dig it cause I get wicked
People wanna know how come
I gotta gat and I'm lookin out the window like Malcolm
Ready to bring that noise
Kinda trigger happy like the Geto Boys
April 29th was power to the people
And we might just see a sequel
Cos police got equal pay
A horse is a pig that don't fly straight
Doin Darryl Gates but is Willie Williams
Down with the pilgrims
Just a super slave
We'll have to break his ass up like Super Dave
I'm wicked enough to board this
Cos now it's on to the fullest
Gorilla straight from the mist
But I don't miss when it comes to this
Bring the yellow tape
The white cape, cause I'm so straight
Thru with the picket signs, take his job and stick it
Bigot, 'cause I get wicked
Ice Cube's song "Wicked" is a celebration of his skills as a rapper and his willingness to be violent. The song opens with a tribute to MacGyver and James Bond, as well as Ice Cube himself. From there, Cube launches into a series of rhymes that celebrate his own lyrical prowess. He raps about his love of violence and his willingness to use his "thug-made dough" to fund his acts of aggression. Along the way, he also makes references to everything from football to civil rights protests to police brutality.
Line by Line Meaning
Now dis one dedicated to de man dem call MacGyver (bo!)
This song is for MacGyver.
And all double-oh-seven James Bond man 'e from de area (gunshot, gunshot)
Also, for James Bond and his associates in the area.
Maximum respect to de man dem call Ice Cube (bo! bo!)
Shoutout to Ice Cube.
And a bust a deuce-deuce or trey-eight bout to get wicked!
Preparing to get into some mischief.
One, two, three and I come with the wicked
Starting the song with a wicked style.
Style and you know that I'm from, the wicked
Establishing that the style is wicked.
Crew, act like you knew
The crew knows how to act.
Cause I got everybody jumpin' to the voodoo, kick it
Everyone is dancing along to the music.
Wicked, rhymes, picket, signs
The rhymes are wicked, and there are picket signs around.
While me and the Mob gotta trunk fulla 9's
Him and the Mob have guns in their trunk.
Play ya and I'll slay ya
Play with him, and he might kill you.
I got thug-made dough by the ha-ir
He has money made by thuggish means.
Ready to buck buck buck and it's a must
He's ready to shoot and it's necessary.
To duck duck duck before I bust
Duck before he shoots.
Lookin for the one that did it
Looking for the person who did something wrong.
But like En Vogue, no you're never gonna get it
Like En Vogue's song, you'll never get what you want.
Cos I'm the one with the fat mad skills
He's the one with the amazing skills.
And I won't choke like the Buffalo Bills
He won't fail like the Buffalo Bills.
Sittin' at the pad just chillin'
He's sitting at home, relaxing.
Cause Larry Wilkins just got two million, oh what a feelin
Feeling happy because Larry Wilkins made a lot of money.
So shake that nigga and pass me the pill
Get rid of someone who's annoying, and give him a pill.
And I'll slam dunk ya like Shaquille O'Neal
He'll beat you like Shaquille O'Neal playing basketball.
Like it, dig it, maybe and watch that ass get ???
He wants people to enjoy the music and dance along.
Kick it cause I get wicked
Continue the song because the style is wicked.
Won't say nuttin', just listen
He won't say anything, but listen.
Got me a plan to break Tyson outta prison
He has a plan to break Mike Tyson out of prison.
Come my way and get served
Come towards him and he'll take care of you.
Still got a duece that'll bunny hop the curb
He still has a gun that can jump over curbs.
Nappy head, nappy chest, nappy chin
Describing himself as having nappy hair and chest.
Never seen with a happy grin
He's never seen being happy.
Show the fat foul cause I'm down
He's upset about something.
Take a look around
Look at the surroundings.
And all you see is big black boots steppin'
All you see are big black boots walking.
Use my steel toe as a weapon
He'll use his steel-toed boots as a weapon.
Kick ya and flip ya, now they want to
Kick and flip someone, and now they're scared.
Label this nigga, tape with the sticker
They'll label him with a sticker.
Kicki'n out girls that's nicety
He's kicking out nice girls.
Yo, I gotta body count like Ice-T
He has killed many like Ice-T.
From here to New York
From here to New York city.
I get skins and ain't talkin bout pork
He has sex with girls and pork has nothing to do with it.
Swine, pig, dick
Calling someone a swine and pig, implying that they have a small penis.
Listen to the flow of a so-called negro
Listen to the music from a black man.
Who didn't know I was funky as Wilson Pickett
He's as funky as Wilson Pickett, but didn't know it.
Dig it cause I get wicked
Enjoy the music because it's wicked.
People wanna know how come
People want to know why.
I gotta gat and I'm lookin out the window like Malcolm
He has a gun and looks out the window like Malcolm X.
Ready to bring that noise
He's ready to make some noise.
Kinda trigger happy like the Geto Boys
He's trigger happy like the Geto Boys.
April 29th was power to the people
April 29th was an important day for the people.
And we might just see a sequel
We could see a continuation.
Cos police got equal pay
Police officers make the same amount of money.
A horse is a pig that don't fly straight
Saying horses are similar to pigs.
Doin Darryl Gates but is Willie Williams
Comparing Darryl Gates to Willie Williams.
Down with the pilgrims
He's with the pilgrims.
Just a super slave
He's like a super slave.
We'll have to break his ass up like Super Dave
They'll have to break someone up like Super Dave.
I'm wicked enough to board this
He's able to do mischief.
Cos now it's on to the fullest
Because now he's ready to do what he wants to the fullest.
Gorilla straight from the mist
He's strong like a gorilla.
But I don't miss when it comes to this
He's good at what he does and won't fail.
Bring the yellow tape
Bring the caution tape.
The white cape, cause I'm so straight
He's wearing a white cape because he's straight.
Thru with the picket signs, take his job and stick it
Done with protests and ready to get a job.
Bigot, 'cause I get wicked
People think he's a bigot because he's wicked, but he's not.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Angelo Trotter, Anthony Holmes, Clarence Satchell, Derek Francisco Lynch, Edward Goodman, Gregory A. Webster, Jesse Lars Jr., Leroy Bonner, Marvin R. Pierce, Norman Bruc, O'shea Jackson, Stanley Jones
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Popu _GTB
Samples:
Sly And the Family Stone - You Can Make It If You Can (Drums) 0:11
Ohio Players - Funky Worm (Synthesizer)
P. E. - Can’t Truss It (Vocals) 0:12
P. E. - Welcome To the Terrordome (Vocals) 0:15
En Vogue - My Lovin’ (Lyrics) 0:45
Das EFX - Looseys (Vocals)1:14
Laura Olsher - The Unsafe Bridge
Miguel Lara
When I listen to Ice Cube's Wicked it makes me want to listen to Korn's version and when I'm listening to Korn's version it makes me want to listen to Ice Cube's original... and that's how it is for several minutes listening to both songs... in an almost eternal loop
Juno
I just found your comment on the Korn version of this song. I'm now stuck in the loop.
Jimmy1982*Playlists
A great place to find oneself stuck!
🥰😍🤩
technelligence
u brought me here
Jack 3
Ssme.... lol... I love this comment..... so true
Paul Manweller1
I so so miss these days when Hip hop was hard and raw.
Garry Perkins
+manweller1 Come on, you do not enjoy seeing semi-literate trash shake fist-fulls of dollar bills around?
James Clark
+manweller1 Agreed 100%. You really have to look hard and long to find a rapper who really has something to say.
Brandi Ray
Soo fuccin true
craig strachan
+manweller1 no argument on that 1. miss the good ol days when hip hop was raw,uncensored and was bringing a message.nowadays it's all that pop garbage. there are some underground artists that still stay true to the roots of hip hop(NECRO,ILL BILL,JEDI MIND TRICKS,PARIS,PUBLIC ENEMY still rock it.)but agree with you.peace.