Ice Cube - O'Shea Jackson

Ice Cube




O'Shea Jackson (born June 15, 1969), better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American rapper, actor, screenwriter, film director, and producer. He began his career as a member of C.I.A and later joined the rap group N.W.A. After leaving N.W.A in 1989, he built a successful solo career in music, and also as a writer, director, actor and producer in cinema. In 2010 embarked upon a television production career with the TBS series Are We There Yet.


He married Kimberly Woodruff in 1992, with whom he has four children.From the 2000s onwards, Jackson focused on acting, and his musical output has slowed down considerably.







Biography


Jackson was born on June 15, 1969 in South Central Los Angeles, California, the son of Doris Jackson (née Benjamin), a hospital clerk and custodian, and Hosea Jackson, who worked as a groundskeeper at UCLA. His cousins are Teren Delvon Jones, also known as Del tha Funkee Homosapien, who is a part of the rap group Hieroglyphics and is best known for his work with the Gorillaz; and Kam of rap group The Warzone. At age sixteen, Jackson developed an interest in hip hop music, and began writing raps in Taft High School's keyboarding class. He attended the Phoenix Institute of Technology in the fall of 1987, and studied Architectural Drafting. With friend Sir Jinx, Jackson formed the C.I.A., and they performed at parties hosted by Dr. Dre.


In an interview with British newspaper The Guardian, Jackson stated that he is a Muslim, having converted sometime in the 1990s. He described his Muslim faith as a simple, personal one that does not involve attending prayer services or following rituals. Although he has spoken favorably of the Nation of Islam, he denied ever being in the organization.