Ice Cube’s Son Memorized ‘Straight Outta Compton’ — But Not the Swear Words
Legendary rapper/actor Ice Cube has a few tricks up his sleeve regarding parenthood. Combining old-school wisdom with a practical approach, Cube has figured out how to sidestep the occasional landmine— like a son who learned to perform one of his profanity-laden masterpieces. Read on to learn more about Ice Cube’s family life, why he calls himself the “coolest dad in America,” and how his son O’Shea Jackson Jr. managed to step into his shoes at the perfect age.
Ice Cube wouldn’t let his son swear while rapping his own song
The best-edited version of the landmark N.W.A. track “Straight Outta Compton” definitely came from within Ice Cube’s own household. As a child, Ice Cube’s son was able to rap all the words to the 1988 gangster rap classic—with only one catch.
As Ice Cube said on Conan, his son was able to edit himself from saying the innumerable swear words that constitute a significant part of N.W.A.’s arsenal. Though Ice Cube didn’t specify which of his three sons it was, the likely candidate was his eldest son, O’Shea Jackson Jr., who eventually followed his dad into the family business of rapping and acting.
Although Ice Cube often drops an f-bomb or three, he institutes a strict policy of no swearing from his kids. He also conceded it was not feasible to stop kids from swearing completely. Instead of trying the impossible, the Friday actor went with a different approach.
“They’re gonna do it anyway,” he explained to a laughing Conan O’Brien, “so you might as well tell ’em how to do it, where to do it, when to do it, and when not to do it.” Ice Cube’s kids understood that swearing near an adult was unacceptable. But he knew they would say what they wanted around their friends anyway. Soon after explaining his swearing strategy, Cube concluded he was the “coolest dad in America.”
Ice Cube has four kids with his wife of 30 years
Born O’Shea Jackson in South Central Los Angeles, Ice Cube got his famous nickname mostly by chance. When he was either 12 or 13, he interfered with his older brother’s efforts to talk to girls. This prompted his brother to threaten to shove him into a freezer. Although his brother never actually turned him into an ice cube, as promised, a new nickname was born. It even gave Jackson a memorable moniker when he started performing alongside aspiring rappers Easy E and Dr. Dre, who would form the nucleus of N.W.A. a few years later.
After turning the corner on his rap career and impressing on the big screen, Ice Cube started a family with Kimberly Woodruff. Although some websites list Cube and Woodruff as having five total children together, the U.S. Sun and many other outlets insist they have four in total: three sons and a daughter, all born between 1991 and 1995. Aside from Jackson Jr., Ice Cube’s kids have stayed out of the limelight.
O’Shea Jackson Jr. was a perfect fit for ‘Straight Outta Compton’
Straight Outta Compton was a huge critical and commercial hit in 2015. Telling the story of N.W.A.’s rise to fame, the movie was even popular enough to send the titular track back onto the Billboard charts for the first time in almost three decades, according to Time.
The role for Jackson Jr. also couldn’t have been a better fit. While Ice Cube was 19 when “Straight Outta Compton” debuted, Jackson Jr. was only a couple of years older when the biopic’s production began. And Jackson Jr. was 23 when Straight Outta Compton hit theaters, while Ice Cube was 22 when he co-starred in Boyz n the Hood.
As detailed by Vibes, Ice Cube gushed over the experience of watching his son on the big screen. “I describe it as watching your son win the Super Bowl for the same team you won the Super Bowl with,” Ice Cube told Dr. Dre. “That’s the feeling I got watching him work, knowing that he was in great hands.”
Just like his dad, Ice Cube’s son isn’t a one-hit-wonder. Following the success of Straight Outta Compton, Jackson Jr. has had roles in various TV and film roles. He’ll soon appear in Disney+’s Obi-Wan Kenobi.
