Ice Cube Explains Staying “True To The Game” & Family-Friendly At Once (Video)
Ice Cube is the latest guest on Snoop Dogg’s GGN TV. The pair who would perform “The Next Episode” without its host, Dr. Dre during Coachella weekend enjoyed discussing music, film, and some items in between.
The segment opens with the “Only In California” collaborators discussing Cube’s 1991 Death Certificate single “True To The Game.” Snoop points out how that song remains hugely relevant nearly a quarter century later, and asks the MC-turned-media mogul how he analyzes the Sir Jinx-produced song today. “That record is always gonna have a place. It’ll always be a reminder to people to check yourself sometimes. We’re all guilty of it. I’m gonna say that I’m guilty of it sometimes too. Every pencil needs to be sharpened now and again.” Cube encourages all—including himself, to remain close to their “family and people,” and never turn their backs.
(3:00) The smoking-while-chatting conversation then moves to film. Cube explains how important he feels scriptwriting is in the movie-making process. Crediting John Singleton with mentorship, Cube says he realized that he wanted to play more than “Doughboy” characters his whole career. “Right after I did Boyz N’ The Hood, I started writing my own scripts. They was wack, when I started. But the third one was Friday, with DJ Pooh. That’s where it all started.” Friday, released through Priority Films (who was also the MC’s record label at the time) would launch Cube into production and writing stardom. In the years since, he’s appeared prominently in family-friendly franchises like Are We There Yet? and blockbusters like Barbershop, 21 Jump Street, and more.
Snoop asked Cube how he has managed to adapt to reach multiple age groups and demographics. “I can’t just worry about my generation all the time—and worry about my fans all the time. I’ve got to be able to touch the whole family. I want the youngsters to like me too, just as much as the parents. I want the kids to know who I am; I don’t want the parents to have to say, ‘Naw, hold on, Cube is cool—just wait!'”
Snoop points to the fact of how Ice Cube cautioned him, presumably in the late 1990s, about diluting the brand. Snoop says that like Cube, he wanted to master the craft of MC’ing, and then find new ventures in media, business, and otherwise.
(8:00) The two Southern California O.G.’s discuss O’Shea Jackson, Jr.’s growing up from childhood-rapping to an acclaimed performance in last year’s Straight Outta Compton biopic. Cube explains the risks his son took, and how difficult earning the part really was. Cube suggests that Junior gave up a pretty good set-up to step into his own spotlight. “He had a life just bein’ cool, and just spendin’ my money.”
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(12:00) The two men discuss how Barbershop: The Next Cut is more than just franchise-friendly laughs. Cube maintains that the Chicago, Illinois-set film draws on the real-life violence epidemic plaguing the Windy City.
(16:00) In closing, the two moguls discuss why Who’s The Man? is neither’s favorite film (and that’s putting it gently), favorite sneakers, and more.
For those interested, Cube also says his three desert island albums with be Curtis Mayfield’s Superfly soundtrack, Public Enemy’s It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back, and Parliament Funkadelic’s Greatest Hits.
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