O’Shea Jackson Sr., 53, better known as Ice Cube, has been in the entertainment business for quite some time. As an actor, singer, and filmmaker, he began his career rapping in 1986. He’s best known for being a member of the former rap group, N.W.A., and has continued to contribute to the rap game since his inception. His debut album Straight Outta Compton opened doors for hardcore gangster rap with its hard beats and point-blank lyrics. The album was also the first gangster rap album to be certified platinum by the RIAA.
Ice Cube separated from N.W.A. in 1989 due to a conflict of interest with the record label the group was signed to, Ruthless Records. He continued his solo career by creating political rap, a genre in hip-hop that reflects gang and cultural activism. His first solo album, AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted, generated some of the biggest rap influences to this day and has, among other solo albums of his, been certified platinum by the RIAA.
Continuing his rap career along the way, Ice Cube transitioned into acting in 1991 and has taken roles in about 40 films. He’s shifted from genre to genre and has most prominently acted in action and comedy. His demeanor in most acts is serious and to the point, reflecting his off-screen air well. His career has been exceptionally successful, and he continues to work in film by writing, producing, and acting. He has writing credits on the Friday film series and has produced movies like Are We There Yet? and Are We Done Yet? — all of which he had lead roles in.
10 The Longshots
The Longshots is a 2008 film featuring Curtis, played by Ice Cube, and his niece, Jasmine, played by Keke Palmer. The film is a true story about the first girl to play Pop Warner Football, who at the age of eleven, broke barriers for women in sports.
Curtis and Jasmine become close, as Jasmine is fatherless at home. Curtis may not have much going for him, but things start to turn around when he begins coaching the Pop Warner football team. Jasmine is the only girl on the team, but she outplays everyone, granting her a starting position as the quarterback. With the continued support of Curtis, her uncle, Jasmine leads the team to the championship game. Though they would lose, Jasmine learns of her football skill and Curtis regains respect for himself.
The film has good sentiment and the chemistry between Ice Cube and Palmer suits their character's portrayal well. Though it wouldn’t be the greatest success at the box office, making half of what the budget was, The Longshots reflects Ice Cube in a manner that not many of his films capture, making it a worthy one to watch.
9 First Sunday
First Sunday is all about finding ways to make money and neglecting working for it. Durrell had to come up with a way to fund his ex’s salon or else she’s taking their son and moving to Atlanta. He also has to come up with even more money to pay a loan shark. He and his friend, LeeJohn, played by Tracy Morgan, decide to hold up a church and rob it for all it has. To their dismay, someone already robbed the church. But Durell and LeeJohn already disrupted the peace of the people inside the church, causing them to elongate the hostage situation, as they still have hopes to steal money from them.
Eventually, emotions mesh between the good and the bad people, and guns get pulled back. The people of the church allow the two to escape through the back while police knock down the front doors. Though they would be caught while running away, Durell and LeeJohn are deemed not responsible for what was stolen from the church.
The film has just enough character charm to make this not only a solid film but a moving one as well. The film grossed $38.8 million at the box office, making it just an ok success for Ice Cube. However, First Sunday is definitely worth the watch.
8 Fist Fight
Fist Fight is a 2017 comedy starring Ice Cube, Charlie Day, and one of his recurring cast mates, Tracy Morgan. The film follows Ron, a history teacher, played by Ice Cube, and Andy, an English teacher, played by Day. The two find themselves in trouble with the principal, resulting in Ron losing his job at the school. Not happy with taking the heat, Ron challenges Andy to a fist fight after school.
When the much weaker Andy realized he would embarrassingly and easily lose in a fight, he found a way to get Rob his teaching job back. Rob becomes even more enraged by this, resulting in him still wanting to fight Andy. The two somehow end up in jail, but make their way out after being found not guilty.
Rob still declares the fight to be on, especially after Andy ordered someone to knock him out while in jail. The two meet on school grounds to face off, but Andy’s pregnant wife goes into labor. Rob ends up driving Andy to the hospital, resulting in the fight finally being called off. The two reconcile and continue working at the school, making for a happy ending to this rollercoaster of a ride film.
7 Are We There Yet?
Produced and starring Ice Cube, Are We There Yet?, followed by its sequel, Are We Done Yet?, serves as yet another franchise success for Ice Cube. Both films grossed under $100 million at the box office but can be streamed as popular films on multiple platforms.
The first film follows Nick, played by Ice Cube. Nick is quick to find his way into the heart of Suzanne, despite her having two kids that he is not fond of. Suzanne’s kids, Lindsey and Kevin, give Nick a run for his money when they become a nuisance along the way to their father’s house. When Lindsey and Kevin realize their father was cheating on their mom, they finally begin to warm up to her new boyfriend Nick.
The sequel follows Nick and Suzanne after they are married. Once the couple finds out they’ll be having twins, Nick sets out to find a new home for all six of them, Lindsey and Kevin included. Plenty of things go wrong while Nick attempts to fix up the house. Eventually, everything sizzles down towards the end of the film when Nick, Suzanne, and all the kids are able to settle in their new home — just not before everything that could go wrong, goes wrong.
6 All About the Benjamins
All About the Benjamins is written and produced by Ice Cube and stars him as well. Despite only making $26 million at the box office, the film serves as a classic success for Ice Cube and his recurring costar Mike Epps.
When Tyson, played by Ice Cube, becomes sick of his low-paying job as a bounty hunter, he befriends Reggie, played by Epps, who is a con artist that Tyson is supposed to arrest. The two team up when Reggie loses his wallet with a winning lottery ticket in it, as Tyson hopes to become part of its winnings. Copious amounts of fights are had with drawn guns while Tyson attempts to collect his bounties.
Eventually, the two become close, as Reggie helps Tyson make arrests along the way. Though Reggie would have to be arrested in the end, Tyson shows up for him after Reggie serves his jail time. Both of them and their girlfriends then settle into their new-found riches from the winning lottery ticket, making for an adventurous and taxing journey to freedom.
5 Ride Along
Starring both Ice Cube and Kevin Hart, Ride Along was one of Ice Cube’s most successful films for his production company, Cube Vision. The film follows James, an undercover police officer, played by Ice Cube, and Ben, the boyfriend of James’ sister, played by Hart. James has an assignment he needs to do detective work on, but when his pesky soon-to-be brother-in-law asks for his sister's hand in marriage, James proposes that Ben proves his worthiness by joining him while on duty. The two share in hilarious banter, as any Hart movie would. Ice Cube also does extremely well at keeping up with the comedic side of the film, giving fans some of his best work yet.
Ride Along 2 would prove to be just as successful as its first film both reception and box office wise. Both films grossed over $120 million worldwide, causing Cube Vision to move forward with making the franchise a trilogy. A third Ride Along film is currently in development. Though there is no release date, fans should expect another comedic success from Ice Cube.
4 21 Jump Street
In 21 Jump Street, Ice Cube plays detective Captain Dickson. Dickson sends two youthful agents undercover into a high school to find who is distributing a drug that is killing students. Ice Cube was perfect for the role, as he was able to portray the necessary dry humor for his role exceptionally. The film also has a sequel, 22 Jump Street, where Dickson’s daughter becomes romantically involved with one of his undercover agents, making for some very funny commentary between everyone involved.
The film had a budget of roughly $50 million and grossed $201.6 million at the box office, making this a solid success for Ice Cube. However, 22 Jump Street proved to be even more successful, grossing $331.3 million with a budget between $50 and $80 million. There’s talk of a third movie for the franchise, as it would likely do just as well, being that the cast is quality and the storyline is a good lighthearted comedy.
3 Boyz N The Hood
Boyz N The Hood is a popular '90s film and serves as Ice Cube’s first role in acting. The movie was titled after a song from former N.W.A. member, Eazy E, and continues to be a classic hip hop related film. It had a small budget of $6 million and grossed $57.5 million with its North American debut, making it a decent success for what was put into it. The film also had a greater reception, earning two Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay.
The film follows 17-year-old Darrin “Doughboy” Baker, who is played by Ice Cube. Doughboy finds himself in trouble at school, so his mom sends him to live with his father in hopes of setting him straight. Doughboy falls victim to more crime, causing him to be arrested for seven years. His family and friends hold a welcome home party for him after his sentence, but Doughboy became a Crips gang member while in jail, making him unsafe to be around. Both Crips and Bloods battle with gun violence and unfortunate deaths become a reality. Ice Cube’s character eventually comes to a demise, making this a one-film series perfect for fans of hip hop.
2 Friday
Friday is another film where Ice Cube is more than in his element. It has two sequels and was one of Ice Cube’s first films he not only took an acting role in, but assisted in writing as well. The franchise features Ice Cube as Craig Jones, a stoner who was recently fired and is now unemployed. He spends the Friday afternoon with his friend, Smokey, who instead of selling the marijuana he needed to output, smoked it instead. The pair have to come up with the money to replace what they’ve used, resulting in some pretty funny shenanigans.
The second film to the trilogy, which was the most successful at the box office, is Next Friday. Ice Cube not only reprised his role as Craig Jones, he also wrote and produced the film. The third and final film of the franchise is Friday After Next. Though there’s been discussion of a fourth film, Ice Cube has been very particular about what it would be about, resulting in even more time fans will have to wait for another sequel to the popular series.
1 Barbershop
Producing and starring in Barbershop, Ice Cube was right in his element for this film and its sequels Barbershop 2: Back in Business and Barbershop: The Next Cut. He played the role of Calvin, the shop owner. Calvin sells his barbershop without telling his community and employees who held the shop in high regard. In an attempt to get it back, he has to come up with double what he sold it for. Guns are drawn and arrests are made, but in the end, Calvin regains ownership of his barbershop and his community thrives even more afterward.
The film only had a $12 million budget and grossed $77 million at the box office, making it a success. The film also has an all-star cast, including Eve, Cedric the Entertainer, Anthony Anderson, and more. Both its sequels were moderately successful and serve as popular films on streaming networks.
As for what’s next for Ice Cube, he made a multi-picture production deal with Luminosity Entertainment in 2022. The deal will allow Ice Cube to produce multiple films and television series, one of which is the upcoming film, Cube in My Head. Ice Cube’s Ride Along 3 is also set to release soon, as it is currently being developed. And though there is talk about a fourth Friday movie, there is no definite production date.