THE INQUISITION

Have you met any cops who like “Fuck Tha Police”? No, but in ¹⁹⁸⁹, we did a show in Detroit and were told by the police not to perform that because they had a city ordinance against us doing that song. We were so mad we did it the second song into our set. The police rushed us offstage, and when they got us to the station, they said, “We ain’t gonna take you to jail, but just give us some autographs for our kids, because they love N. W. A.” I was like, “Man, y’all fucked up our show for some autographs?”

You performed on the 1992 Lollapalooza tour between Soundgarden and Ministry. Were you just like, What the hell is this? No, I actually dug it, because it was my first time being close to music that wasn’t hip-hop. I dug Ministry. Except the fucking cow heads and animal parts. All that shit they had stunk.

In “Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It,” the sarcastic single off your new album, you’re saying that music like yours has been made the scapegoat for the world’s problems. Do you really think that? I just wanted to show how ridiculous it is for someone like Don Imus to say, “I called her a nappy-headed ho because rappers do it.” Mainstream media pointing the finger at gangsta rap and saying it’s the cause of a lot of our problems is like blaming the mirror for being ugly. So I just say, it’s simple, man—anytime you do something fucked-up, blame it on gangsta rap! Cheat on your wife? Gangsta rap made me do it. Fuck up the ozone layer? Gangsta rap made me do it.

Ice Cube

Did gangsta rap make you do Anaconda? You know, people ask me why I did Anaconda. I did Anaconda simply because the black man didn’t die in the fuckin’ movie. Damn, it’s a revolution! You know what I’m saying?

How in hell’s name did Fred Durst come to direct you in The Longshots? He had directed an independent movie that was pretty good, and he showed that he knew how to get a good performance. He let me know how passionate he was about making movies and that he didn’t want to be a rock star anymore. It’s like, if nobody told you Fred Durst directed the movie, I don’t think it would even be a factor, ’cause the film speaks for itself.

Ice Cube’s street cred may have taken a hit when he coproduced and starred in the ²⁰⁰⁵ family comedy Are We There Yet? and its equally saccharine 2007 sequel, Are We Done Yet? But the rapper turned entertainment mogul was just thinking about his future. “Those movies were a way to connect with my fans’ kids,” the ³⁹-year-old explains. “After ²⁰ years, you have to reach back and make sure you’re not just an old story that their fathers talk about.” Maybe this new generation of Ice Cube fans will join their parents in picking up Raw Footage (Lench Mob), his eighth solo album since leaving N. W.A in ¹⁹⁸⁹.

Should I call you Mr. Cube, or do you prefer Ice?
You can just call me Cube. Ice sounds a little funny.

You were still living at home when N. W.A got big. What did your mom think of “A Bitch Iz a Bitch”? She didn’t understand why I had to rap like that. But to me, doing that song was ten times more positive than what some of the other dudes in my neighborhood were doing. Once I explained that to her, she got more comfortable with it. She was just happy I wasn’t hanging out in the street all the time.

Now you’re working on a movie version of Welcome Back, Kotter. Which is good, because I’ve always wanted to say this to you: Up your nose with a rubber hose. [Laughs] You won’t see that line in the movie, trust me. It’s not going to be what people think. You know how the new Batman is a little cooler than the old Batman That’s kind of how we’re going to flip this.

Ever rocked a ’fro as big as Gabe Kaplan’s? Hell, yeah. Gabe’s shit was little compared with mine when I was about eight. But his was impressive. He just rocked it without no shame. All he needed was an afro pick with the Star of David at the top of it.

Wouldn’t the 19-year-old kid who wrote that song bust on you for doing Are We There Yet? Nah. What’s strange is people can’t separate a movie from who I am. It’s crazy for people to think that if you do a family-friendly movie, you’re family-friendly. So, if I do a slasher movie, I’m a serial killer now?

Speaking of questionable hairdos, do you miss the Jheri curl?

Never. Jheri curls are high-maintenance. As a guy,
you don’t want to motherfuckin’ waste five minutes
on your hair. And man, the stains. Pillowcases,
car-seat headrests, sofas—all of them were victims.

BY JOHN SELLERS