Moviefone Editorial

Tag: ice-cube

  • Ice Cube’s Son O’Shea Jackson Jr on Police Brutality

    In 1986, Ice Cube and his rap group NWA lyrically exposed the abuse of power by police against black men. Nearly 30 years later, it’s a matter of history repeating.

    “The same problems that were happening back then are happening now, there’s just a bigger eye on them,” O’Shea Jackson Jr tells Made in Hollywood. The 23-year-old actor highlights the issue of police violence in urban communities while portraying his father, Ice Cube, in “Straight Outta Compton.”

    And with the advent of smartphone cameras and social media, the raw reality is undeniable. In the biopic, which follows Cube, Dr. Dre and the original lineup of the gangster rap group, their way of revealing the brutality of their streets was through their music. For Jackson, it’s a lesson that’s relevant today.

    “There’s always people that need to be inspired and people who need to a little more courage and a movie like this is a real life movie,” he says. “It speaks on things that us, as humanity, need to be refreshed on again.”

    “Straight Outta Compton” hits theaters Friday. Watch the trailer below.

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  • ‘Ride Along 2’ Trailer: Kevin Hart and Ice Cube Are Back to Catch the Bad Guys

    Ride Along 2Ready to “Ride Along” with Kevin Hart and Ice Cube again? Then, buckle up!

    The boys are back in the new trailer for “Ride Along 2,” the sequel to their hit buddy-cop comedy. This time around, Hart’s Ben has graduated from the police academy, and he’s partnered up with his soon-to-be brother-in-law, James (Cube).

    They hit the road to Miami to track a fugitive criminal (Ken Jeong), and there, they have to team up with Olivia Munn’s detective to take down one of the city’s biggest drug dealers (Benjamin Bratt).
    “Ride Along” was an out-of-nowhere mega-hit, raking in $153 million worldwide. The sequel looks like it hits all the same notes — Hart is bumbling and inexperienced, while Cube is foreboding and temperamental. The two play off of each other so well, and they’ve got great new ensemble members to add to the mix.

    “Ride Along” opens in theaters January 15.

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  • Ice Cube’s Five Favorite Movies Starring Rappers

    Ice Cube has been pulling double duty in Hollywood — rapping and acting — for years. In his new flick, “Straight Outta Compton,” he gets to combine both of his passions in one highly anticipated, high-profile project.

    To celebrate his new movie, Ice Cube tells us what his five favorite movies starring rappers are. (Spoiler alert: he’s in all of them.)

  • Does ‘Straight Outta Compton’ Get Street Cred from Critics?

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    “Straight Outta Compton” showcases the lives of a young Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, MC Ren and DJ Yella growing up on the gang-related streets of the L.A.-based city in the mid-’80s. This drama shows the rise and fall of their rap group N.W.A., which led them to becoming cultural phenomenons.

    According to critics, life at this time was depicted fairly accurate, with Rotten Tomatoes giving the F. Gary Gray-directed film a 92 percent. Although, the 2.5-hour movie – which stars Cube’s real-life son O’Shea Jackson, Jr., Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Aldis Hodge, Neil Brown Jr. and Paul Giamatti – apparently excelled in the first half more than the second.

    “The story of N.W.A. remains relatable as Dre puts the idea in E’s head to invest money in their music and ‘reality raps,’ as they call it. However … once N.W.A. is formed and the guys are signing with their first record label, Priority Records, the film devolves into a series of quickly shifting scenes woven in between a few too many montages that involve parties, half-naked (and some fully naked) dancing women, and clowning around making records. There’s a lot of story that needed to be pushed out in two-and-a-half hours, but rushing through the material leaves little opportunity to explore more emotionally charged moments in these men’s lives.” — Nick Romano, CinemaBlend.com

    “As a narrative, the back half of this movie is completely off the rails, but fans of the music will probably be more engaged. There are appearances of other stars that do little more than give the audience a chance to say ‘Hey, that’s Tupac!’ and ‘Hey that’s Snoop!’ Those who don’t bring outside knowledge to the film will find themselves clueless at a rousing final speech, in which the eventual name of Dr Dre’s record label is invoked. Worse, though, is how it loses all its edge to become hagiography for these men. It’s as if the cheesy second half doesn’t trust the more emotional and realistic first half.” — Jordan Hoffman, TheGuardian.com

    “‘Straight Outta Compton‘ is a whole lotta movie. Part gritty drama, part road movie, part statement, part ‘Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous’ and part ‘Behind the Music’ melodrama—this biopic of the three main members of the rap group N.W.A. is incredibly alive, entertaining, and, occasionally, incredibly relevant. It does hit some of the music biopic clichés of witnessing the a-ha moments when iconic lyrics arrive, when paths with future stars intersect, when excessive living heightens growing emptiness—but F. Gary Gray’s sprawling biopic mostly gets away with it. This is our first big rap biopic that’s larger than one personality: Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, and Eazy-E were the original ‘Empire.’” — Brian Formo, IGN.com

    “Straight Outta Compton” hits theaters Friday. Watch the trailer below!

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  • Ice Cube Gives His Son ‘Ammunition’ to Play Him in ‘Straight Outta Compton’

    Not many people can convincingly look like, sound like and think like a fresh-faced Ice Cube on the big screen. That’s why his mini-me son O’Shea Jackson Jr. was the best choice to bring to life his story as a founding member of the ‘90s gangster rap group NWA in “Straight Outta Compton.”

    Even so, the 46-year-old rapper-actor tells Made in Hollywood that he equipped his son with intimate details about his past as an aspiring musician on the tough streets of Los Angeles’ South Central area.

    “I gave him notes more about what I was thinking, what I was feeling, how did I perceive this guy or that guy or this situation,” he says. “And I just gave him all the ammunition he needed so that when he did say something, he knew where it was coming from and he could just be.”

    After a two-year audition process, Jackson, 23, was locked in to portray the younger version of his “21 Jump Street” star father. “It was a long process just to cement my family in history,” he recalls.

    For the budding actor, the casting choice was a no-brainer.

    “(You) could have somebody study him, look him up on YouTube—do all that type of stuff—or somebody who has been watching him for over 20 years,” Jackson says. “I’ve been doing my research since before I could walk, so it was really about taking my family’s legacy and making sure it was in my hands because I know I’m going to treat it right.”

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  • Best of Late Night TV: Kristen Stewart’s Awkward ‘Word Blurt,’ Ice Cube’s Christmas Card

    If you’re like us and value your sleep, you probably nodded off into your Ambien dreamland before the party started on post-prime time TV. Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered. Here’s the best of what happened last night on late night.

    “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” Tuesday night and showed she is still not comfortable in the spotlight. She and Jimmy played a game of “Word Blurt” and it should’ve been light and fun, but instead it was painfully awkward and ended with KStew thinking it was probably a mistake to come on the show. Sometimes Jimmy laughs a little too hard when he’s trying to force the fun and he did that again with Kristen.

    However, in her sit-down interview, Kristen insisted she does smile on occasion. She’s asked about being smiley vs. being sullen all the time and it’s probably not helping her mood. She seems OK, though, just not a natural charmer — which is fine. She’s like most of us. It’s just odd that she’s also a celebrity, since she seems to dislike it so much.
    Ice Cube and son O’Shea Jackson Jr. were on “Conan” to promote “Straight Outta Compton” and they discussed police brutality then vs. now. More than 25 years ago, Ice Cube wrote “F–k Tha Police” and he said it doesn’t feel good that it’s still relevant. On a lighter note, “The Cubes” also shared their family Christmas card — complete with trademark scowling. (They should invite Kristen Stewart next time!) Donald Trump is pretty much all anyone can talk about these days — and everyone has a Trump impression — and Seth Meyers definitely had a lot to say Tuesday night during his (desk-bound) monologue. Anderson Cooper was also a guest and he and Seth discussed making an enemy of The Trump. Trump has never forgiven Seth for the Washington Correspondents Dinner.

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  • 5 Rappers Who Became Movie Stars

    50 Cent in "Southpaw"
    Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson in “Southpaw”

    His dramatic turn as a boxing promoter opposite Jake Gyllenhaal and Rachel McAdams in “Southpaw” earned Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson raves from critics, but the multiplatinum rapper is hardly the first hip-hop artist to conquer Hollywood.

    Here are five double threats who successfully made the foray into feature films.


    Will Smith
    Newsweek once called him “the most powerful actor in Hollywood” but Smith actually began his career as one half of the hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince. He went on to star in the ’90s sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” before making the leap to movie stardom in 1995’s “Bad Boys” and a year later solidified himself as an action star in the hit “Independence Day.” However it’s his performances in drama that earned him the most acclaim of his career, scoring two Best Actor Oscar nods for 2001’s “Ali” and 2006’s “The Pursuit of Happyness.”


    Ice Cube
    No stranger to the spotlight, Cube silenced his naysayers with a standout performance in the 1991 drama “Boyz n the Hood.” Since then, the N.W.A. frontman has proven his acting chops trading barbs opposite Kevin Hart in “Ride Along” and instilling fear as a biker gang leader in “Torque.” He also held his own opposite Anthony Anderson and Cedric the Entertainer in the “Barbershop” movies. When his beginnings as a rapper are are chronicled in the NWA biopic “Straight Outta Compton,” it is his son O’Shea Jackson Jr. who will portray him when the film hits theaters Aug. 14.


    Ludacris
    Chris “Ludacris” Bridges first gained notoriety as a rapper selling 3 million copies of his debut major label album in 2000. But it was his follow-up performance for years later in “Hustle & Flow” that really got people talking. In addition to regular appearances in the “Fast and Furious” franchise, the Atlanta native plays will be seen next as a musician in the basketball drama “Sweetwater,” about the first African-American contracted to play in the NBA.


    Queen Latifah
    It’s true that she’s been nicknamed “The First Lady of Hip-Hop” but Queen Latifah is equally revered in Hollywood. She was the first female rapper to be nominated for an Academy Award (for 2002’s “Chicago”), has her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and has gone on to star in everything from the big screen adaptation of the Broadway musical “Hairspray” to lending her voice to the animated film “Ice Age.”


    Mark Wahlberg
    He may be a major player in Hollywood now but, a few decades ago, Mark Wahlberg was best known as the frontman for ’90s hip-hop act Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. Luckily, he made the transition from teen idol to respected actor seem painless, winning countless accolades for performances in “Boogie Nights,” “The Departed” and “Planet of the Apes.”

    “Southpaw” is in theaters now. Watch the trailer below.

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  • How Ice Cube’s Son Worked the Frown to Play His Dad ‘Straight Outta Compton’

    Rapper/actor Ice Cube and his son O'Shea Jackson Jr.
    Rapper/actor Ice Cube and his son O’Shea Jackson Jr.

    As Ice Cube’s son, O’Shea Jackson Jr already had an advantage in portraying him on screen in “Straight Outta Compton,” a biopic about the rise and fall of the 1980s-90s gangster rap group his father founded, NWA.

    Still, the 23-year-old was committed to mastering the actor-rapper’s every nuance.

    “I’d go around frowning for no reason,” the budding actor tells the Associated Press of how he prepared for his audition.

    No doubt his acting ability and nearly-identical looks that he shares with the “21 Jump Street” star helped him land the part. It probably didn’t hurt that the 46-year-old serves as producer on the drama.

    “He just owned it,” Cube shares. “I’m just proud of the production. I have never been this happy for any project that I’ve ever done.”

    “Straight Outta Compton” follows the true journey of Cube, Dr. Dre (also the film’s producer), and NWA’s original lineup, as they formed the platinum-selling hip hop group that exposed the gritty horror of their South Central Los Angeles streets. Police brutality, gang violence and the objectification of women were subjects of the music that reflected their life experience.

    “Straight Outta Compton” hits theaters Aug. 14. Watch the trailer below.

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  • Best of Late Night TV: Ice Cube’s N.W.A Meanings and Michael B. Jordan’s ‘Friday Night Lights’ Flashback

    If you’re like us and value your sleep, you probably nodded off into your Ambien dreamland before the party started on post-prime time TV. Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered. Here’s the best of what happened last night on late night.

    The Tonight Show” to chat about “Straight Outta Compton,” and while he couldn’t say what N.W.A stands for, he did reveal what it doesn’t stand for. Nine White Accountants, for example. Or, even more hilarious, Nickleback Was Awesome.

    Meryl Streep and her daughter, Mamie Gummer, worked together on “Ricki and the Flash,” but apparently Streep totally ignored her kid on set. Look, she didn’t win all those awards by being nice.

    Over on “Late Night,” Jason Segel mused on what it was like to costar in a movie with dogs. Apparently, he had to “stuff his pants with salmon” to get the pups to be interested in him, which sounds completely horrifying.

    Remember when your entire life revolved around “Friday Night Lights”? Well, Michael B. Jordan is in “The Fantastic Four,” which means we finally have a reason to get up in the morning. And speaking of reasons to wake up, watch this interview of him talking about his time at Dillon High School.
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  • Ice Cube Says Biopic ‘Straight Outta Compton’ Exposes ‘Dirty Hood’

    At the height of gangster culture and crime in South Central Los Angeles, a group of “kids from Compton” channeled their frustration through music. Those “kids” became NWA—a platinum-selling hip hop group that exposed the brutality of their streets.

    “We were rapping about what was going on the hood because it was dirty,” founding member turned actor Ice Cube explains in a new featurette released this week for “Straight Outta Compton,” a biopic about the rise and fall of the gangster rap group. “We took the music and it became our weapon.”

    In the forthcoming drama, he is portrayed by his son, O’Shea Jackson Jr. “They shed light on things people needed to know,” the budding actor-rapper says.

    Along with Ice Cube, the original NWA lineup in 1988 consisted of Arabian Prince, DJ Yella, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E and MC Ren. One year later, their debut album—which shares the same name of the movie title—proved to be a hit. “We were just guys from the hood that made something incredible happen,” Dr. Dre says.

    Though popular until they split in 1991, their music was banned from many mainstream stations for its explicit lyrics, women bashing and glorification of violence against police. Director F. Gary Gray says NWA “tapped into the rebel in all of us.”

    “Straight Outta Compton” hits theaters on Aug. 14.

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