Ice Cube

Ice Cube (born O'Shea Jackson on June 15, 1969 in Los Angeles, California) is an American rapper, actor and film director. He began his career as a founding member of the controversial rap group N.W.A. and later launched a successful solo career in music and cinema. In recent years, Cube has focused more on acting, and is spending less time rapping. He is one of the most well-known West Coast rappers, having helped originate gangsta rap. He is particularly well-known for angry raps on political and racial topics (such as the treatment of blacks in the United States).

= Ice cube was raised in South Central Los Angeles by his parents, who were employed at UCLA. At 14, he developed a huge interest in hip hop music and began writing raps while attending school at William Howard Taft High School. ¹ Cube and a friend, Sir Jinx, rapped as a partnership called C.I.A. at parties hosted by then-DJ and World Class Wreckin Cru member Dr. Dre.

He and Dre eventually made a mixtape called My Posse, which was released in 1987, with Cu...