Ice Cube is a superstar period. He oozes charisma whether in front of a camera, on the Mic or rocking the stage at a concert, because he is just is that guy. With his tenure in the game we wouldn’t expect anything else from him.
Taking a hiatus from the silver screen he is ready to unveil his independent album Laugh Now Cry Later which is set to hit streets on June 6th on Cubes own Lench Mob label. Hitting the highways on a promotional tour starting in late April, Cube will always be a rapper before he is an actor.
Having dabbled in TV with his thought provoking racial reality show Black and White currently being shown on FX, Ice Cube is never short of content for his rhymes. Whether the topic is conscious, the subject educational or just something to make you shake your ass Ice Cube will still have your attention with this new project. It’s just up to you whether you ‘laugh now or cry later.’
Here he talks to HIPHOPDX.COM about his stage presence, taking the independent route and why people don’t take life as serious as they should.

After concentrating on the movies was it a relief to get back into the studio to go and work on this project?

Oh yeah it is always fun to do music. You know movies are like a project that kind of has its own components to help in some areas but you are pretty much part of a major team and it is not as kind of fulfilling as rapping. You know I can go in there by myself or with my producers and do it what I am feeling without a whole load of compromising and discussion. It is definitely a relief and I always feel clean after I finish, you like I kind of exorcised demons and got rid of the shit that has built up in my system, so it is always good to get back into it.

How long was the album in the making?

I took about a year. I stopped doing movies as soon as I finished XXX I started working on my record, you know just kind of doing it and having fun kind of at my own pace. But what was so cool this time is that I am putting it out on my own label, so no A&R, no schedules, nothing, just me doing it how I feel it. Sometimes I will spend a whole week in the studio, take off, jump back in you know I really just did it at my own pace for my own reasons.

Being at the point you are in your career after putting in the hours you have it must be nice to take your time on a project that you are in total control of? Continued on page 2 »