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Ice Cube might have started out in the world of music. But the rapper has also become quit the established actor over the years, appearing in more than two dozen movies. In fact, Ice Cube reportedly carries a net worth of $160 million. However, early on, the rapper never thought he had a chance at landing a role in his film debut, the Oscar-nominated drama Boyz n the Hood.

‘Boyz n the Hood’ was Ice Cube’s first major breakthrough movie

The 1995 film Friday arguably established Ice Cube as a big-screen leading man. After all, he carried top billing on that hit comedy, which also catapulted Chris Tucker to stardom. And since then, he’s appeared in countless hits, including two Friday sequels, the Barbershop franchise, 21 Jump Street and its sequel, Ride Along and its sequel, and most recently, 2020’s The High Note.

But 1991’s Boyz n the Hood was something special. The movie – which follows a group of young Black men living in South Central Los Angeles – became one of the year’s most acclaimed films. Along with Ice Cube, the cast includes Cuba Gooding Jr., Morris Chestnut, Laurence Fishburne, Nia Long, Regina King, and Angela Bassett. Boyz n the Hood remains a stone-cold ’90s classic.

Ice Cube didn’t think the director would really cast him

ice cube boyz n the hood
(L-R): Actor and rapper Ice Cube and John Singleton, director of the film ‘Boyz n the Hood’ at Cannes in May 1991 in Cannes, France. |

Ice Cube plays Darrin “Doughboy” Baker, one of the three main characters in the film. According to the New York Post, director John Singleton told Ice Cube he was inspired in part by the “lifestyle and ethos” of the rapper’s music with iconic hip hop group N.W.A.

“He was just adamant about the group, NWA, the kind of music that we were doing,” Ice Cube told the Post. “His whole thing was like ‘the film version of what you are doing, and nobody is showing that. … They got the East Coast versions of what this is, but nobody’s done our version like our Do the Right Thing. So he just kept saying, ‘Man, you Doughboy, you Doughboy, man. I could see it.'”

Until then, Ice Cube thought Singleton would probably hire a trained actor in the end. But the director shocked him by selecting him to play Doughboy with no previous acting experience. Given the career Ice Cube has led, Singleton’s instincts appear to have been accurate.

Ice Cube has also stepped behind the scenes in Hollywood 

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In addition to his onscreen work since Boyz n the Hood, Ice Cube has gotten way more involved behind the scenes. In fact, just a few years after the movie’s release, he co-wrote and produced Friday. That film’s success opened the door for Ice Cube to continue producing many of his own hit movies, including All About the Benjamins, Are We There Yet? and First Sunday.

In 1998, Ice Cube made his own directorial debut with The Players Club. The movie features an ensemble cast that includes not only Ice Cube but also Bernie Mac, Jamie Foxx, John Amos, A. J. Johnson, Charlie Murphy, Terrence Howard, Faizon Love and LisaRaye McCoy. Ice Cube also produced the Oscar-nominated N.W.A biopic, 2015’s Straight Outta Compton.

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