Ice Cube stays focused on music with other endeavours keeping him busy

LOS ANGELES (AP):

Ice Cube could have chased trends to keep up with today’s rap game for his latest release, but instead, he stayed loyal to the gritty West Coast gangsta sound that’s been his signature since his early NWA days and flourishing solo career.

Ice Cube stuck to his streetwise storytelling roots while inserting some west coast rap party vibes on his 11th studio album, Man Down, which was released on the same day as Kendrick Lamar’s surprise project late last month. Ice Cube’s new album cracked the top 10 of Billboard’s top rap albums chart — his first time in 14 years — debuting at No. 8.

The rap icon made Man Down to satisfy his loyal listeners. He’s known for churning out classic hip-hop jams such as It Was a Good Day, Check Yo Self, No Vaseline and Steady Mobbin.

“You have to serve your clientèle,” Ice Cube said about Man Down, which features Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, E-40, Killer Mike, Xzibit, and Cypress Hill’s B-Real. His latest project is his first since 2018’s Everythang’s Corrupt.

“The people that got you here are the people you’re making the music for so to speak,” said Ice Cube, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of NWA. in 2016. “Not always for the new fan or the new kid that’s just getting into music.”

In a recent interview, Ice Cube spoke with The Associated Press about his partnership with the NFL and the BIG3 basketball league.

Ice Cube first introduced the Contract with Black America (CWBA) to political leaders from both parties in 2020, and four years later, he’s still driving the conversation with the NFL.

He said CWBA’s partnership with the league has gained traction since joining forces in 2022, creating opportunities for black-owned businesses. The partnership between Cube’s initiative and the NFL focuses on identifying opportunities in finance, tech and production.

“When they have an opening, they’ll give our people that we’ve put in front of them a shot at getting a job,” said Ice Cube, whose CWBA aims to address the wealth gap between black and white Americans and economic inclusion.

The CWBA seeks to remove barriers and open doors. Ice Cube hopes the CWBA will extend beyond the NFL, encouraging other companies to adopt the initiative as well.

While Ice Cube has made a mark in music, he’s done the same in film too, and has chosen the independent route for his upcoming projects.

He starred in the late John Singleton ‘s Boyz in the Hood, Are We There Yet? and the Barbershop, Ride Along and Friday franchise films. He also wrote, starred in, produced and directed the 1998 film The Players Club.

Through his co-founded league, BIG3, he offered athletes who seemed to have left their pro basketball days behind a second shot — a sanctuary to keep their passion for the game alive.

His 3-on-3 basketball league is gearing up for its sixth straight year, with an expanded 11-week season kicking off in summer 2025. Since its launch in 2017, the league has evolved, transitioning to a traditional city-based model where teams host home games, moving away from its original road-game-only structure.

Earlier this year, BIG3 sold its first franchise in Los Angeles to a group of investors for $10 million. The games stream on CBS through Paramount+, and some stream on X.