Ice Cube's career has taken many surprising turns. After shocking the world as a member of N.W.A. and going on to have an illustrious solo career, the rapper began to try his hand at acting. Classic films like Friday and Boyz n The Hood would have suffered dearly without Ice Cube's performances. The Compton rapper was one of the first examples of the mainstream crossover power of hip-hop and the versatility of its artists. Now, Ice Cube's story has been memorialized in the wildly successful biopic Straight Outta Compton. In a new interview, Ice Cube discusses the film, his plans for the upcoming year, and the possibility of a sequel to the massive box office hit.
Ice Cube has acted in over 75 films since 1990 according to XXL. The rapper sat down with the magazine to discuss his career and the plans that he has for 2016.
When asked about the possibility of a sequel to Straight Outta Compton, Cube responded, "Not at all. We're not even thinking about the sequel or considering on one. I don't know who's calling it a sequel or working on one. They can't really call it that though technically to Straight Outta Compton. So, I really don't know exactly what's going on with that project but anybody that's working on that is welcomed to give me a call."
The rapper went on to discuss the state of gangsta rap in 2015.
"I mean, it's still to me could be needed, powerful music if it's coming from a real place," he said. "People have made it into whatever they wanted it to be. Whether they want it to be believable or fantasy or whatever but to me, it's still is some of the most powerful music out there. It's really in the hands of the artist to make it great again and not make it feel so much, a bunch of lies. But when they do it right, they make an impact, you know, how we did. And that's what it's all about. And that's what it's like with every form of music. I like Kendrick Lamar. I don't know if J. Cole calls his music gangsta rap, but it definitely do what it's supposed to do. Kanye [West] is always interesting even though I know he don't call his gangsta rap. He get a little gangsta on them records. So, it's music, it either moves you or it don't."
Ice Cube's contribution to the genre cannot be understated. His advocacy of "realistic rap," songs of protest about the brutality of police officers, rhythm, flow, cadence, style and message all completely transformed the genre from an innocuous backyard fad to a hard-hitting, socially aware force. It is, thus, understandable that the Compton rapper would like to see a return to form in the ever-popularizing genre.
