Ice Cube

Emerging from the Los Angeles hip-hop scene, Ice Cube, born O'Shea Jackson in 1969, came to prominence in the late 1980s with C.I.A. and especially with the group N.W.A., where his writing helped shape West Coast gangsta rap. After leaving N.W.A. in 1989, Ice Cube launched a solo career marked by a series of albums addressing social and political themes, beginning with "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted" (1990), followed by "Death Certificate" (1991) and "The Predator" (1992). These records established a style that combined urban storytelling, forthright social commentary and dark humor over productions strongly influenced by funk and soul. With "Lethal Injection" (1993) and later the two-part "War & Peace Vol. 1 (The War Disc)" (1998) and "War & Peace Vol. 2 (The Peace Disc)" (2000), his rap moved toward more synthetic sounds and at times a more introspective tone. At the same time he joined the trio Westside Connection in the 1990s and expanded his collaborations within the American rap scene. Active on record with "Laugh Now, Cry Later" (2006), "Raw Footage" (2008), "I Am the West" (2010) and "Everythang's Corrupt" (2018), Ice Cube has continued a career divided between music and film, while remaining connected to Los Angeles' hip-hop circles and international touring.