Ice Cube has been around the block a few times. The rapper, who was part of N.W.A., is still going strong, which is an impressive feat for someone with so much experience in the industry. Despite the fact that Ice Cube’s life has been largely put on public display, there are still some things that many people don’t know about him. With that in mind, here we present our list of 15 things you probably didn’t know about Ice Cube. Check out part one below, and stay tuned for part two, coming soon!
Number Fifteen: He Has a Famous Cousin. Ice Cube’s cousin is actually the rapper Del tha Funkee Homosapien, otherwise known as Teren Delvon Jones. Del and Ice Cube have collaborated together, and Del wrote music for Da Lench Mob, a group to which Ice Cube belonged.
Number Fourteen: He Was the Only NWA Member Not Born in Compton. Though Ice Cube wrote nearly half of the lyrics to “Straight Outta Compton,” he was not actually born there! In reality, Ice Cube was born in the South Central part of Los Angeles.
Number Thirteen: His Older Sister Died When He Was 12 Years Old. Ice Cube lost his older sister before he was even a teenager. Beverley Jean Brown, his half-sister, was just 22 years old when her husband shot her in a murder-suicide.
Number Twelve: He Has a Fancy Degree. Ice Cube earned his degree in architectural drafting while NWA was at the peak of their success. Ice Cube got his degree because he was not confident that NWA would hit it big, so in 1987, he began attending the Phoenix Institute of Technology.
Number Eleven: He Can Act. Ice Cube starred in Boyz n the Hood in 1992, and the movie was wildly successful. Because of its success, Ice Cube was encouraged to begin screenwriting, and he ended up writing a screenplay for the film Friday, which was released in 1995. He has since developed his acting and screenwriting career even further.
Number Ten: He Converted to Islam. In the 1990s, Ice Cube converted to Islam. However, he never went to the mosque, and he focused on his relationship with God, rather than with organized religion. Since he started a family, he has cut his ties with the Islamic community.
Number Nine: His Son Played Him in a Movie. In the recent film Straight Outta Compton, Ice Cube’s son, O’Shea Jackson Jr., played the character of Ice Cube, his real-life father. The two bear a striking resemblance.