Ice Cube Net Worth

O’Shea Jackson Sr, famously known as Ice Cube, is worth an impressive $160 million. He has made a name for himself as an American rapper turned actor turned business tycoon. He has a lot of successful business ventures that have made him a fortune over the years. 

Ice Cube Early Life

Ice Cube’s real name is O’Shea Jackson. He was born in South Central Los Angeles on June 15, 1969. His mother, Doris Jackson, was a custodian and hospital clerk while his father, Hosea Jackson, worked as the groundskeeper at UCLA. His parents raised him, his older brother, and his half-sister, who unfortunately was tragically killed when he was only 12 years old.

Growing up in Van Wick Street, Los Angeles inspired him to start writing hip-hop music and gangster rap when he was still a young boy. His stage name came from an altercation that he had with his older brother when he was 14.

Apparently, the name Ice Cube came to him when his older brother Clyde threatened to slam him inside the freezer to let him out when he was nothing but an ice cube, and that’s how the name stuck out for him. He attended High School in Woodlands, California. At William Howard Taft High School he would later meet future members of the popular N.W.A hip-hop group.

In fact, while in high school, he sold his first song to Eazy-E, who later became a member of his rap group. After graduating from high school, Ice Cube enrolled for an architectural drafting diploma. He completed it within a year and moved back to Los Angeles to focus on his music full-time. 

Early Career

With his friend Sir Jinx, Ice Cube decided to form the group C.I.A, where they performed at parties hosted by Dr. Dre all over L.A. By 1987, they had released a song titled My Posse that was produced by Dr. Dre. Ice Cube decided to share some of his lyrics with him. The main rap song that he had written was titled Boyz-n-the-Hood, which he initially hated.

However, he didn’t know that Eazy-E would make a success out of it. This was the remarkable birth of N.W.A, which later gained extreme notoriety and dominated reality rap. The group also included Dj Yella, and MC Ren. The group’s debut album, Straight Outta Compton, which was released in 1988, was mostly written by Ice Cube. But, there were issues with how much he was paid, and due to unresolved conflicts, Ice Cube explained it was best to leave the group. 

Solo Career

When Ice Cube left the group, he decided to focus on his soon-to-be successful solo career. In 1990, Ice Cube released his solo album titled AmeriKKK’a Most Wanted.  His instant success was due to the wave of hip-hop influence around that time and his rap style. In the same year, he released his EP Kill At Will, which broke records and became the first-ever hip-hop EP to reach platinum status.

In 1991, he decided to take it a step further and Ice Cube started acting. Everyone was surprised by his exceptional performance in John Singleton’s Boyz n the Hood. In the same year, he released his second album, Death Certificate. In 1992, he was sitting on his third album, The Predator, which sold over three million copies and topped the Billboard charts. After the mixed views and diminished interest in his fourth album, Ice Cube thought a hiatus would be better for his improvement.

He came back into the music scene with the much acclaimed Up In Smoke Tour in 2000, where he was performing alongside Eminem, Dr. Dre, and Snoop Dog. Throughout the 2000s, Ice Cube tried out different elements for his music. He even partnered up with David Bowie and Trent Reznor. 

Acting Career 

Ice Cube made his big-screen debut in 1990. In 1995, he starred in Friday, which he wrote and produced himself, and achieved critical and commercial success. He’s made appearances in Anaconda, The Players Club, Are We There Yet, Fist Fight, 21 Jump Street, and many other blockbuster movies. 

Other Ventures

In 1996, he formed Westside Connection where he collaborated with Mack 10 and WC. His solo albums and an additional two albums were released under this label. Ice Cube also owns a clothing line called Solo by Cube that sells sweatshirt hoodies and headphones. He’s a spokesperson for Coors Light beer and has a project, Big3, that features NBA legends.

Personal Life

In 1992, Ice Cube married his high school sweetheart, Kimberly Woodruff. They have four children together. The eldest son, O’Shea Jr, played Ice Cube in the Straight Outta Compton biopic in 2015. Darrell, Kaereema, and Shareef are his other children. He believes in instilling respect in his children and that includes ensuring that they don’t consume certain types of material. 

Real Estate 

He bought a home from famous actor Jean-Claude Van Damme in Marina Del Rey, CA as a brand new spec mansion. He lives with his wife in their mansion in Encino, CA, which was bought in 1996. 

Interesting Facts about Ice Cube

• If his rap career didn’t work out, Ice Cube says he would’ve become a very successful architectural draftsman. He was always determined to have a better life for himself and that’s why he enrolled at the Phoenix Institute of Technology. 
• He was one of the people who helped make Chris Tucker’s career successful. With his love for comedy, Ice Cube wrote his first-ever movie, Friday, which became an unexpected phenomenal success. 
• Even though he had a fallout with his high school friend Eazy-E, shortly before his passing, Ice Cube reached out to him for reconciliation. They even spoke of reuniting the group for one last time. 
• He attended high school with people who also became the richest rappers, such as Everlast from House of Pain. His mom decided that it would be better for him to avoid going to school in his neighborhood because she was concerned about the high crime levels. 
• He was the only member of N.W.A who wasn’t from Compton. This is interesting when you think of the fact that he wrote most of their lyrics. 

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