It's just not true. I came into hip-hop at a point where when you had a beef, you put it on a record. You got it out there. I just didn't like the way the industry people--not really the artists, but the writers, the magazine editors, the radio program directors--were squashing the West Coast. They were dissing the West Coast and praising the East Coast rappers for doing virtually the same thing. I just got tired of it, man. I just felt the music was being snatched away from us, and we didn't have no unity on the West Coast. No pride. Nobody to stick up for us. So I just took it upon myself--me and my team--to just go for it.
LAUNCH:
Explain the concept of War & Peace, the new CD. It's being released in two parts.
ICE CUBE:
That's a takeoff from my Death Certificate concept. With Death Certificate, I have a Life side and a Death side. With this new record, which I've been working on for four years, we had so much material that I decided we needed a War disc and a Peace disc. The War disc chronicles what's going on now, what's going on in the world today, and the problems we face. The Peace disc is more of a visionary record--how it should be.
LAUNCH:
You seem to have a more intelligent approach to your art than a lot of new artists today.
ICE CUBE:
I wanna tell stories. Hip-hoppers sometimes and rappers routinely will throw a rap on there, throw a hook on there, and it's done. I really want to do songs--songs that people feel, that they feel in their gut. When you hear a great singer sing a song, you can feel it. When you hear a great rapper rap, you should feel it too. Emotionally. Not just "I wanna dance to this beat." I've been trying to come up with songs that are true, true songs.
LAUNCH:
Are you trying to get away from hardcore rap with the Peace record?
ICE CUBE:
I think after the Malcolm X movie was released, the consciousness in rap had kind of died. People had kind of been working to get a movie about this great leader made and after that movie came out, people felt there was nothing else to be said and it went hardcore. But now, it's coming back around, and those are the albums that are getting people to look at where we are going. That's what Peace does. Here's how it is, we know that, and now how do we get out of it? What do we do? That's what that record is all about.
LAUNCH:
You're a rap star, a cultural figure, an actor, a father. Is it challenging to put all of those personalities into one?
ICE CUBE:
It's not hard at all, because I'm always me. That's a part of who I am, you know? Sometimes, you know, Ice Cube is who I am to the fullest on issues. And sometimes, I kind of back off from things, you know? But it hasn't been hard at all, because I've never done anything I didn't want to do or said anything I didn't want to say. I would never do anything that would make me feel uncomfortable.
LAUNCH:
How did you hook up with the band Korn? A lot of people were surprised by the collaboration. You're on their record, Follow The Leader, and they're on yours.
ICE CUBE:
My team and I were in the studio working on a remake of the Clash's "Should I Stay Or Should I Go?" Korn was in the same studio. We met in the lobby and they was talking about some stuff of mine that they liked, and I knew about their records. They come on kind of aggressive; I've got my style. We decided to see if we could do something together, and hopefully it will snowball and create a whole new kind of music. They're doing the tracks hard, and I'm rapping hard on top of it. We've kind of been experimenting. I was on the "Children Of The Korn" record, they were on my record. It's all good.
LAUNCH:
And you're managed by the same company, right?
ICE CUBE:
Before I got these new managers, the Firm, I managed myself for a year-and-a-half. I didn't like it. I felt I missed a couple of opportunities. People are scared to approach you sometimes. I knew I needed some representation. I ran into these dudes; they have their act together. It just so happened that they had Korn, too.
LAUNCH:
I saw the Family Values tour. How'd you like gigging with Rammstein?
ICE CUBE:
It was shocking, man. I love their fire show. We were blown away by the fire show. They do a scene with a dildo, man, that kind of turned my stomach. It was a trip, man. They didn't pull no punches on that tour. When they tour, they didn't pull no punches.
LAUNCH:
So, do you think we'll be seeing you get into hard rock music?
ICE CUBE:
Not yet. I've got to make sure the Peace album goes the way it's supposed to. But in the future, you never know. Me and Korn have been talking about trying to create a new type of music. You never know.
LAUNCH:
Do you ever stop to ponder the fact that hip-hop has gone mainstream? Something that used to be so underground, so dangerous, is now a major commodity? Is this a good thing or a bad thing?
ICE CUBE:
Well, it's good and bad. There's pros and cons. The good side of it is exposure. You know, Barbie has a hip-hop CD now. That just shows you how far hip-hop has come: from the streets to Mattel. That kind of stuff is cool. But the people being dedicated to the art of it is the only thing that fails nowadays. Kids know there's money in it. That's what they're going for. When I got into it, I never knew I would make a dime. I was just happy to rap. There's a different mentality to it now. A lot of people fall off when they come in with that money mentality. They might blow up and then they're out of it. The people who are into it for the art are the ones who stick around.
LAUNCH:
Are you ever overwhelmed by the role you've played in creating modern music? N.W.A. was such a watershed group.
ICE CUBE:
Just looking back and reflecting, sometimes when you're doing it, you don't realize what you've done. Just now, I'm looking back at my stuff. Like the movie Friday, I haven't seen that movie since the premiere. It's a trip. I just turned around and said, "Look what I've done, look what I'm responsible for." Looking at the nature of the beast now: looking at rap, at gangsta rap. It's way out of control. I couldn't control it if I wanted to.
LAUNCH:
You mentioned Friday. What's up for you in the movies these days?
ICE CUBE:
I'm working on a movie right now called Three Kings with Mark Wahlberg and George Clooney. It's about three soldiers in the Gulf War. We find out where Saddam hid everything he stole from Kuwait. So we're gonna go try to steal it. I just finished writing Next Friday, the sequel to Friday. It's funny as hell. So when I'm done with Three Kings I'll start working on that. '99's gonna be busy.
LAUNCH:
You've been lucky to make the transition from music star to movie star. What's the secret?
ICE CUBE:
I take it real serious. I think the reason I've been successful in the transition is because I've taken it seriously since Boyz 'N The Hood. I wanted to do good. Now, I want to have even more control over movies--writing them, directing them. It parallels my rap career. At first I was just rapping as something to do on the side, but now, it's to where each year I have to do a couple of movies and a record. I like to do them side by side.
LAUNCH:
Earlier you mentioned that people are afraid to approach you. Has your reputation as a gangster rapper ever put you in a funny position?
ICE CUBE:
I don't know. People are just intimidated by me in one way or another. When you get a chance to know me, there's no reason to feel intimidated by me, unless you do something to me. Like every person. I go through that with teachers and principals. I tell them to call me if there's a problem, and I'll deal with it like a parent.
LAUNCH:
Do your kids ever get confused between your role as Daddy and your role as rap star?
ICE CUBE:
Never. They never get confused. They're the only ones who are not scared of me at all. Record? Whatever. I'm Daddy to them. They're little superstars in their school and stuff because they're Ice Cube's kids. They're really good kids and I don't get no problems out of them.
LAUNCH:
To what do you attribute your longevity? This business can be cruel.
ICE CUBE:
Just being a fan of the music and paying attention to what my fans want of me. Sometimes I deliver; sometimes I give them something new. I haven't been afraid to change. I think that contributes to my longevity, because you never know what you're going to get from Ice Cube. Each year, you might get something new.
