There was a time when Ice Cube defined rap.
In the late '80s, the debut of his N.W.A. crew, “Straight Outta Compton,” effectively launched the gangsta rap genre and shined a spotlight on West Coast hip-hop.
Throughout the next decade, after a nasty split with N.W.A., Cube, born O'Shea Jackson, expanded his empire as a solo artist, landing his biggest seller with 1992’s “The Predator,” which spawned the hit "Check Yo Self."
But Cube was itching to sample new creative outlets, having co-starred a year earlier in “Boyz n the Hood.” Since then, the man who helped pioneer gangsta rap has carved a steady film career, from goofy roles in “Friday,” the “BarberShop”series and “Are We There Yet?”, which he’s parlayed into a TBS show, to the brawny action-dramas “Three Kings” and “State of the Union.”
Now he’s back to playing funny – brash funny, anyway – in “21 Jump Street,” the Jonah Hill-Channing Tatum action-comedy based on the '80s TV show that introduced Johnny Depp to Middle America.
Cube, 42, plays Capt. Dickson, a hotheaded, bellowing police dictator in charge of the youthful-looking troublemaker cops who are sent undercover in high schools and colleges. Their headquarters? A dumpy-looking Korean church at…21 Jump Street.
Cube recently phoned to talk about the movie, his relationship with Tyler Perry and when we can expect his next album.
Q: How did you get involved in the film?
A: [Film producer] Neal Moritz, this is my third time working with him, he called me up and said Jonah had this crazy take on ‘21 Jump Street' and to take a look at the script. Once I saw how mean and nasty Captain Dickson was, I said I gotta throw my hat into this to play a clichéd, stereotypical, black, mad cop.
Q: Do you think Capt. Dickson is really a nice guy or is he just someone who likes to yell?
A: I think he’s mad at his situation, the fact that it seems like a demotion. Look, he’s got a Korean church as headquarters, he’s dealing with baby-faced cops and most of them are weak and won’t get the job done.
Q: What do you think Jonah and Channing bring to the story, years after it was on TV?
A: Jonah is high comedy. But you know what else it is? It seems like these guys [in the movie] are better friends than the guys in the TV series. Those guys were awkward friends, but at the end of this movie, you truly believe that Jonah and Channing’s characters care about each other and it’s a genuine friendship.
Q: Are you doing a lot of marketing to younger audiences who might not know about the show?
A: We actually don’t care if you know the show or not. The movie is light years from the show. The show was serious drama. The movie is crazy, silly, good and different. All we did was take the premise and run with it.
Q: Were you a fan of the show?
A: I liked the show, I wouldn’t say I was a fan. I was too busy trying to build my career [at the time]. But I would catch episodes and I remember how hot the TV show was and I loved the premise at the time. I’m glad we didn’t try to do drama. Who cares about a narc? Let’s just have fun with it.
Q: The TV show that you produce [“Are We There Yet?”] airs on TBS, and you’ve mentioned that Tyler Perry was instrumental in getting the show on the air. How did you become friends?
A: I know him, but I wouldn’t say we’re good friends. He was real nice to us, welcoming us up to his studio and seeing his operation and how he pulled off what he did for TBS. He showed us how to pull it off and we were able to take that formula.
Q: And the show has been picked up for six seasons?
A: Kind of. They bought 10 episodes, they tested them and they hit the mark so they bought 90 more. We just completed the whole 100 and are just waiting for the rest of them to air.
Q: With all of the other stuff you’ve got going on, have you had time to think about your next album?
A: I’ve been working on music the last three months and I’ll put it out in July. I’m either going to call it “So Far, So Good” or “Consequences and Repercussions.” It’s a great record. It’s got that West Coast flavor that I’m known for and I’ve got a lot of things to say about what’s going on politically and socially, but I’m also having fun with it.
Q: Do you think hip-hop is as visceral and meaningful as when you were first coming up?
A: There’s still people pushing it forward with a message, but it’s just not promoted over the airwaves. They’re so stuck on the booty, they don’t want to play the meaningful stuff. It’s all about the booty, the club, the drank. It’s not about what’s really going on. A lot of people, if you listen to their songs that aren’t the singles, they’re trying to push the message. People like Common and Kanye [West], if you really listen to most rappers, they don’t only have the crazy music. I don’t want my record to feel like a college course, but I want to sprinkle in what needs to be said.
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