Ice Cube FULL EPISODE | EPISODE 5 | CLUB SHAY SHAY

hello welcome to another edition of club. shay shay and my guest today. is father husband actor activist. rapper the og mr ice cube himself. all my life been grinding all my life. sacrifice. hustle pay the price wanna slice got the. roll of dice that's why. all my life i've been grinding all my. life all my life. been running all my life sacrifice plus. will pay the price. wanna slice.

[Music]. how you doing today yo what's up man how. you feeling shane. i'm good bro i mean are you getting. ready for do a remake of tom hanks the. black castaway what's going on. hey you know you know i had to let it. grow man you know that's that that's. that wisdom coming through. you know what i'm saying that's that. wisdom coming. there's wisdom coming through this chain. right here. bro i really appreciate you giving me a.

few moments of your time today i really. appreciate it i know you're very busy. but to give me a few minutes of your. time today i really appreciate it. now i appreciate you doing it man you. know i love you know what you're doing. tv you know to me you want to uh the. best personalities on tv talking. sports and just human uh. you know just get down you know i mean. just just telling it. like a ti is and and i love you on tv so. man i'm glad you got this show now you.

can keep it going. thank you i really appreciate it well. let's start cube uh. we'll get back to where you the origins. but let's start with the. basically the hot thing of what's going. on today and that was the murder of. george floyd and what's the tensions and. the uprising. the emotions that we're starting to see. spill out in the black communities. uh and a lot of people i think don't. realize where you got your start from. you were in a. group called nwa and so i think people. are a little surprised. shocked because they think you had.

gotten away from that. talk about your emotions and why you've. been so active. the the resurgence of the ice cube the. original og. well you know with my music uh i talk. about. uh and i've always talked about you know. the things that's happening in. our communities you know i call it. street knowledge. right and uh i've always been kicking. that from day one. but in my movies you know i feel like. when somebody spends. you know maybe a hundred dollars when it.

comes to them a woman getting something. to eat parking driving. you might want to have a good time and. it might not be about. uh just the struggles of uh being black. in america so my movies are usually fun. um but i've always had a passion for. our condition in this country and what. needs to be done. and to do it from you know my vantage. point you know which is. art but when this happened i felt like.

it was time for me to step up as an og. you know i felt like it's my. generation's. turn to take the manner when it comes to. not just civil rights but human rights. just human dignity. economical uh you know freedom. you know it's it's our time to step up. so i wanted to step out. outside of music and movies and just. speak as a as a man as a father.

you know now grandfather and i just. you know can't see this perpetuating. keep going on. another you know whatever years. why do you think the george floyd murder. hit us so different. because there was eric garner there was. philando castile there was. alton sterling there was walter scott. there was sandra bland there was tamir. rice there was a trayvon martin there. have been so many. why did this resonate so much not only. in the black community. but seemed to grip america.

well um you know we. as a people never accepted slavery. correct we we never went for that. you know i don't care what they tell you. that was never. cool with us and we were never down with. it we tolerated it. we lived under it but we didn't accept. it. no we had to you know to survive right. and so. when when one one of us would get out of. hand.

they would pull everybody around to. watch. the discipline take place and we've seen. that in movies countless of times. correct this was a replay of that. um seeing this man. uh um begging for his life. even to his mama um. and so to have a man on top of him. with his hand in his pocket looking. right at the camera.

let us all know that our life means. nothing. and that's unacceptable. in 2020 uh it was unacceptable back then. but we couldn't do nothing about it. now we can do something about it and. we're not going for it. and you know i always said the country. has got to change. or we will change it and that's what's. happening right now we're in the process. of changing it and um it's going to.

happen. and uh so you know that's why now is the. time why is it so hard. for those outside of our communities to. hear our cries. to to see us as human. not less than why is it so hard for. people to accept that there's something. wrong in america and we. want changes why is it so hard for them. to see that. well i mean it's not happening to them.

um you know usually people are really. concerned about. their own situation their own family um. it's not easy for the average white. american. today so he. maybe feels or she maybe feels like hey. this is part of it. you know this is part of of the struggle. of uh. pull yourself up by your bootstraps but. if they realize. we've never even had a pair of boots to.

pull ourselves up by so to speak. as a as a community and even when we. tried to prosper. it was stomped out in uh you know. different places across the country like. tulsa. and you know and hollywood rosewood. other communities that we know about and. hear about. and the ones that we haven't heard about. um. so you know our progress is sabotaged in.

a lot of ways. it's uh systematically um. fixed where you know. that's why they're so surprised when one. of us get through and get ahead. right and and don't count me and you we. we we go through the path that's of. least resistance which. is entertainment in sports right um. you know we got to look at you know how. many people. you know are not ice cube and shannon.

sharp and how can they get. through so um you know just to. end that i just think it's people just. look at their own situations. and if it's not happening to them it's. hard for them to understand. but as you mentioned i uh cube is that. when when people look at you and i. and they they think that all black. people well cube you made it. shannon sharp you made it oprah and you. got lebron and you got denzel. but we're the only race of people that. if you can succeed.

and they say well you did it everybody. else but that's not how white america. views it what america doesn't look and. say well jeff bezos has 183 billion. so everybody else is good they say it's. not we need to get everybody. up to get economic prosperity you look. at the asian community you look at the. jewish community. everybody is about pulling everybody. else up but in the black community say. well if you feel you get out you good. yeah. that's that's just not true and even. we've had help. you know i couldn't have made it without.

uh at the time a record company. just uh distributing the record and. putting it out. you know easy had the label but uh. he had to go through makola as a. distributor so. you had to you know play on the broncos. uh. and that don't make you a bad guy. and the ravens to you know to do your. thing you know what i'm saying. so but you but those organizations were. still in place so that's a form of help. and our communities we got businesses.

that if they could get a loan and we can. get some. uh just a little capital a little help. they can grow that business and hire. more people and. expand and and and have different. franchises and. but when we can't get that initial. um spot a capital to help us. jump start even a home loan uh right. you know we're shut out we only get. three percent.

of all the money in the bank loaned out. to black people in their businesses. now 97 go to other communities. with 13.5 percent of the country. if they just bump that to 13.5 percent. loan out and um you know where guys can. borrow not. not unqualified guys i'm talking about. prime. lending right you know um we we. uh it'll help us catch up. because the wealth gap is what's killing.

us right now. every for for uh every dollar a white. person is worth. a black person is worth 10. and that just can't stand right now we. we can't survive off of that wealth gap. and it's not getting smaller. it's growing it's growing and the thing. is is that you know look. i'm not saying and i think you're. echoing saying the same thing i'm saying. i'm not saying help me because i'm black. but please don't deny me because i'm.

black. thank you i mean just like you know. three trillion dollars was given to. to companies you know i mean 600. was given to some americans but for the. most part they bailed out. all these different uh companies and uh. and these different you know. billionaires. but how many black companies were bailed. out with that three trillion dollar. with 13.5 percent of the country we.

should at least got 13.5 percent of that. three trillion dollars to help. our companies 42 of black companies went. under. doing this covis situation and that's. that's a shame when they're helping. companies that's. that's been bailed out over and over and. over and over again. with the american people money and 13.5. percent of that money is ours so uh you. know of course the numbers shift here. and there. but you get my drift you get my point.

you had something uh. a contract with america you said you. want to address a. racial uh economic inequality. so in your contract how do you how does. america make it right with black america. man it's a lot of simple things they can. do um. you know just take government contracts. if we got 13. of the government contracts out there. that would give our communities a big. boost. um like i said with lending um.

you know lending money um you know other. things that we need to do. of course we need to reform policing. but also the justice system and the. prison system. you know if you don't reform all three. what. happened is you reform the police and. then. you know if you do get arrested you get. a bad da. or you know prosecutor that don't give. up the evidence and give up. all the the uh the discovery and do all.

these games now they done railroaded you. to prison. prison got their own games where if. they're not filled to the top. the prisoner have to pay money so. they're gonna make sure they feel to the. top. with guilty and innocent people so. it's a thing where this is a business. ran on. off off you know our pain not just black. people but brown people. um it's off our pain red people.

off our pain and these systems you know. continue to. to thrive and grow and people get. big money off them so all these things. got to be reformed. if we're treated fair you don't have to. defund the police if you just get good. guys. and and make the bad guys accountable. and get them off the force then we would. love the police like any other community. but when you keep the bad guys and they.

come. abuse us and beat our head in of course. we don't want them there. right and the thing is you mentioned. bank and finance reform. is that we play a higher lending we play. a higher rate on the loan but we're. quicker to get foreclosed on. all that you know every game in the book. is played off for us. um we pay more i mean we pay more in. taxes. property taxes uh for the police and the. nato ones come beat our head in.

uh so all these little games. that's being played on our backs. that's relegated us to the bottom of. this. economic pyramid um. we have to sniff them out. and cut them out and and things would. flow. and you won't see so much frustration. um you know people with. they could pay their bills and do they.

thing and and um. you know know where their next meal. coming from. don't think about going out in the. street looting. so that seems to be. it seems to me um uh dr king said riots. is the language of the unheard and it. sees. it seems to me that black people say the. only time you hear us is that when we're. burning stuff down. when we're busting out the windows we. were crying for 400 years.

and it seems to be when you get the 65. or watch riot or you get 92. or you get the uh uh uh ferguson. or you get baltimore or you got the uh. uh what we just had george floyd. he said that seems to be the only time. that you hear us why can't you hear. us before we burn down stuff why can't. you hear us before we. look and steal stuff why does it take. that to get your attention. i mean that's a good point i mean. these things that's in the contract with. black america.

they're not new concepts it's not like. we came up with something. that you know people haven't talked. about and study. people a lot smarter than us have put. their whole life around some of these. issues. and so it's the political will. it's it's uh you know people knowing. what they need to do but they don't want. to rock their own boat. right so we have to force people to have. the political will.

and um it's really. all these people are scared to not get. reelected. so right if we if we harness that energy. in harnessing our vote. and sniffing out people who don't want. to help us. that's in high places that's been there. and get them out of there. and replace them with people that's. better we'll you know we'll continue to. run into this problem. um we have to use our real power.

um and you know it's silent. but it's deadly um because. you get somebody out of there. and they know you're going to get them. out of there you're not going to vote. unless. if they unless they support your. platform or your agenda. right then that's that's where the real. power comes from that's where. real change in this country comes from. um. the the the looting and riding and all.

that will only get you so. far correct at the end of the day we've. got to change. policy legislation. hearts and minds you know and that's. that's that's when you know when it's. all said and done that's the only thing. that really. you know um gets people out of this pain. the one thing that we know about power. cube is that people in power. want to stay in power and power concedes. nothing without demand. nobody say you know what i've been in. power long enough i think i want to go.

i you know what i want to be fair about. this you have to demand it and you have. to take action. yes that's why you know the contract. with black america was a necessary. foundation of taking action of asking. for things that we need. you know as a whole you know i don't hit. everything. you know there's a section that i. believe that we need to do. on black women when it comes to the. contract with black america. that need to highlight the things that. you know.

our women are going through you know. when it comes to the workplace and in. america period. um so um you know it's room for. improvement. and i want suggestions you know i'm not. a legislator so i. really want the people who job it is to. do this. to grab this thing and run with it so. to me we have to you know first of all. spread the word make sure everybody. going to. see wba dot world.

you know we got a four page version of. the contract we got a 23 page. longer version of the contract make. yourself familiar with either version. and push forward because this is what we. can do to. to to make these candidates that's. running. in november um do. something and not just hold them take. our vote for granted. and you know leave us you know have you. ever uh. walked in in a club with some people and. they supposed to get you in.

and they forget to look back yeah they. get in themselves but they leave you. standing. yeah they forget to look back. i thought she was right behind me and. that's how they've been doing this. we get them in office um. and you know they get in and forget to. look back sometimes so. we'll make sure we grab about arm and. say hey man we with you. we going in with you and uh we need you. to do the things we need done. q why is it is that when we say we want.

this why does why they're like the black. community says okay. we want our we want our voices heard we. want our voting rights we want. we want economic equity we want economic. equality we want us. racial and social to justice why does it. if we fee. if does a certain demographic feel like. if we get those things. we take something from from you it's our. rights. we're not taking it's not like we get. you give. it it's supposed to be.

well i mean when you got people who've. been taking advantage. right they wanna they wanna keep getting. their extra. you know um decimals and dividends and. whatever they. you know really like get off on you know. and not. help people but let me tell you this. money don't trickle down no it doesn't. trickle up. it trickle up i mean everybody at the. bottom. of the pyramid when i say the bottom i. mean the bottom of the economic pyramid.

right if you gave them money today. they would go buy something they need. from somebody rich right who has it. right so the money trickles up it don't. it might not ever trickle down to the. bottom but it will trickle up to the top. so i don't understand why it's so hard. to understand that. if they supply our community. with the capital that is that that it's.

old. just a fair share of the money we put. into the kitty. then the money would still make its way. up to the. bezels and the d's and the back you know. we'll still make it up to them. it just might take a little longer and. it might make people a little happier. i mean what's wrong with that there's a. reason why jeff bezos and i don't. begrudge him. um i happen i've met him i know him um. there's a reason why he made 77 billion. dollars in five months.

because the stimulus money that you were. getting you needed things. you needed cleaning supplies you needed. things so that 1200 bucks that they were. sending you. guess what as soon as you got it guess. what you had to do you had to go buy. something. you had to go grocery shopping you had. to buy products so guess what. the money that you got it went right. back to him thank you. and but you still got your product that. you needed to sustain your family so. you don't mind that you know if but if. you never. see nothing at the bottom and he just.

making 78 billion at the top. um and you haven't gotten what you need. in your what your family need. you're pretty upset that somebody can. get. all that and and you have nothing. in a place like america it just. shouldn't happen this way. as you mentioned q people at the bottom. don't have what they call disposable. income. where you can invest when people say the. economy is good. it's good for people that can invest in. the economy if i don't have any money in.

stocks and bonds what good is the. economy rolling does mean. i'm trying to make ends meet i got to. pay rent. i got to put food on the table if i got. a car payment if i got if i got to catch. the bus. so how does the economy benefit me if i. can't if i can't reap the benefits. from it hey you know it. it's a thing where you know um. some people are are at the bottom. and um they're not gonna starve.

they're not gonna go hungry no because. survival. they're gonna survive and. hopefully they don't survive off. somebody who has a. investment in something or has you know. it's like. these you have to help you know what i. call. our you know weakest link. you know i mean the weakest link in our. chain.

is our people in poverty because. they are hurting and frustrated. and they can't get the basic things they. need. to thrive in this society. and there's plenty to go around. but the greed that's going on is keeping. people from. um thriving in this society and. it causes riots it causes frustrations.

it causes looting it causes things like. that. and you know you can call the black. community all kind of names for the. things that they have to do to survive. but i mean you would do the same thing. if you were in in our shoes um the same. thing. dude there's been a lot of uh the. monuments have been coming down. stonewall jackson robert if you leave. they're taking down the confederate flag. what's your thought on those do they go. far enough i say look the.

symbolic gestures are fine but tell me. get down to the meat get down to the. nitty-gritty what are you going to do. to help the minority community these. signs i don't care nobody i don't care. about no statue i don't. know about no flag yeah that's fine take. it down but i'm saying at the end of the. day. if you take that flag down if you take. those monuments down. and blacks are in the same position what. have you done. um you know i think every gesture. in this situation count you know we'll.

take the small victories and the big. ones. um i don't think you should promote. traders of of you know what this country. is and what it's grown to be you know we. don't have any. you know um german soldiers. uh or you know we don't have any that i. know of. no japanese soldiers from world war. ii who fought against us around. um maybe i'm wrong and you know so i.

don't understand. the necessity for those. you know so i would love to see him go. you know do i have to see him go. i'm not worried about it i really would. like you said. see some real uh. systemic change right that's gonna. really help people. you know uh live a better life um. you know that's the most important thing. um. feeling good for a moment or.

you know that that don't do anything. it's really about. what can we do generational because. the situation that we're going through. the wealth gap is a generational thing. correct so we have to start to build. generational wealth. correct through ownership homeownership. business ownership lane getting over. past some land. correct being able to pass things down. um.

that is the true um. promised land if you notice cube. they only remove these statues they only. take down the confederate flag. after a tragedy if you look at the. confederate flag coming down in south. carolina what did it take. dylan ruth to go into the church and. kill nine parisians at mother. emanuel it took george floyd it takes. things you're not doing it out of the. kindness of your heart. see that's the thing yeah you can see. what they're hoping.

is that if we do this just a little bit. and then. they'll get distracted they'll start. talking about something else they're. thinking about a car or some. or or a bag or a band and they'll forget. all about it. yeah i mean that's that's the whole. that's been the game. uh is to to calm them down. hear them out right give them nothing. you know that's the. that's been the playbook um. you know i know you know you make a. living covering sports.

uh but me i didn't want sports to come. back you know. to me you know i want us to deal with. this. issue um on a wide basis. i understand it's a need it's a. necessity um. but i really wanted people to shut it. down because. until there's some kind of economic. threat they'll continue to do this same. um play which is calm us down hear us.

out. and give us little or nothing so. um until we figure out. economically to shut systems down and. don't want to cooperate. it will continue to happen because. nobody's doing anything out of the. kindness of their heart. it's all will political will. or you know the will of the almighty. dollar. right so you you don't believe that like.

the guys are in bubble the basketball. players and they're wearing the black. lives matter t-shirt and they say say. her name to keep mentioning brianna. taylor. the wnba uh do you believe that's had. an impact do you when they kneel for the. national anthem um do you believe that. like some. obviously there are a lot of people in. the black community understands why. they're kneeling. why they're wearing the t-shirts but do. you believe that that some of that is. uh uh trickled into the white community. and they're asking themselves we really. have a problem here in america that we.

really need to deal with. that we haven't adequately dealt with. before. well i think it's it's it's it's working. on a lot of levels yeah it is bringing a. lot of awareness. um you know it's a double-edged sword uh. in in a lot of ways because it is. you know keeping people um looking and. seeing it visually. you know uh in their face uh but at the. same time. it's also um.

you know kind of getting back to normal. and. you know back to normal is a bad word to. me. right because i don't want to go back to. before george floyd. right now i don't i'm not trying to go. back there. you know i just want to go forward i. want to go to the future. and back to normal ain't the future. so um that's what i. just don't get the back to normal feel.

of it. but it is you know um. creating more awareness um. and and you know we get frustrated. because things don't happen as fast as. we want them to. but i'm feeling that. a lot of people understand the need for. change. that didn't even want to hear it hear us. out. before george floyd they do now. understand that it's a need for change.

because. this protest went all over the world and. it's still going. it's still going and it's still growing. and up. in places where they thought it was. settled down. so you know they know. any little thing can have people back in. the streets. and have us back at uh square one. so to speak but. they had 400 years to try to figure this.

out. but see here's the thing the problem a. lot of problems that i have is this. is that they always well what do you. want us to do. you never you never ask the victim well. to tell the perpetrator now. this what what could i have done to so. make sure you don't harm me what could i. have done to make sure you don't. victimize me but that's what they ask us. shannon what do you want us to do right. you put us in this situation. go back to go back to 1619 when you. brought us here.

robbed of us our humanity robbed us of. our dignity robbed us of our name. robbed him for that of religion of our. of our language. treated us less than told us we were. less than gave. us nothing let's go back let's start. with that. treat us you say all men are created. equal. you you hanged on the bible you say oh. the bible say love that neighbor as thy. self. you you you you do all this stuff but. then when it comes to a black man. you treat him less than and you've.

always treated him less than. but now you want me to tell you how. what you can do to make it right. yeah i mean it's part of what i call a. star. game you know it's like keep stalling. keep figuring out a way. to perpetuate the same thing you know. keep the status quo. or whatever you give them take it back. systematically. you know in the years to come right so.

there's always been a trick there's. always been. um uh you know something where. they could really pull back on anything. they give. um because it's people who. want to perpetuate this system uh a. system of white supremacy. that you know has have them feeling. superior. and you know people give you a lot of. things. but it's hard for people to give you.

power um. and that's what they have to give up a. little bit of power. because we're not power hungry people. you know we're we're not people who just. want to run everything that we see. we're people who don't mind enjoying. uh sometimes when other people. run it as long as we get what we need. right and so. um i don't know if that's a worry.

but you know exploiting us. is lucrative um and so. a lot of people want to keep those. systems in place because it's lucrative. because here's the thing let's just say. for the next 400 years. black people rose to power and did to. white america. what they did to black and other. minorities the native american. communities. they're like oh they couldn't stomach it. you know it would never happen.

because it's not in our nature no. no no. people yeah it would never happen so. that's something that we couldn't we. couldn't conjure up something like that. to uh to do people like that. so that that's a worry that that they. can just. forget they can sleep good because if. you look at the situation where the the. female police officer i think it was. dallas. and she goes into the gentleman's house.

both of john and she kills him. and the brother at the trial walks over. and hugs her. says i forgive you do you believe if the. shoe was on the other foot. that would have happened to you um. you never know man you know some people. they break free of all this you know. this these. chains of racism so you never know um. but i know we are very forgiving people.

and um you know we just want a fair. shake you do something to be cute do i. have to forgive you tomorrow. can it take like six months can it take. a year. me you know somebody killed my people i. don't know if i'm gonna forget it. but it's some forgiving people out here. it is i know. i know um you know when it comes to us. as a people if you give us our fair. share. we're extremely loyal and you know. some some of us won't lead each other we.

stay on in 50 years if you keep us. um exactly and so um. that's just the kind of people we are. you treat us right we're very loyal and. you treat us wrong we're a problem. and so i don't understand why they. haven't figured this out. before we move on you mentioned police. reform. the police unions are very very powerful. that's the problem this and that but. these police unions are going to be hard. to break. and i believe that is the crooks of your. problem yes.

i mean i love unions. yeah until they abuse the system too. um you know people union up. so they can um you know. make sure they're being treated fair by. the company or the employer or whatever. but when they get the numbers if they. start doing the same thing. or if they start taking advantage. because they got the numbers. and uh you can't fire nobody and um.

these type of things or it just. defeats the purpose um. and you know they become the problem and. and so police unions. you know you play with a guy did you. play with bill romano i did play romo. romo when he was on your team you. probably loved him. i would we we had issues.

because i think and you know the thing. is i would talk i said and i would. i was like romo a lot of the things you. do are unnecessary. but it wasn't until the incident with jj. stoke. which was the breaking point for me and. although he did not do it to me. he did it to a man that looked like me. and i think. and so we had a conversation even if we. had a team meeting shooting we had a. team meeting because boy that thing was. fractured. i had to have a 20 30 minute combo with. romo outside of the team meeting. because i was so upset be maybe it just.

hit me differently. i think being from the south and having. a man spit in your face especially a. white man. it it it does something different to you. it does something yeah. that that crossed the line that crossing. line let's go to the games before that. incident. you know what he would do but. when you play with you you know he got. on the same helmet you got on. you can tolerate it a little bit yes. correct okay. now when you're on the other team you're.

right. it wasn't like i was yelling official. when romo was holding or grabbing. someone's face mask he on my teeth. it wasn't like i was living to the. official he's holding him he's grabbing. his face mask. so so it was just one incident where you. had. you had you you couldn't let that go. because it was correct football. correct now so i see you know. the police they're tall to win you know. the civil rights stuff and. i know my constitution all that they.

want to go home. at night right that's the that's winning. the game. right so if they got a couple of roman. nowskis that's going to help them go. home at night. they'll tolerate that right but. when you know not you know bills i don't. want to. drag his name but i'm just saying when. you got a guy that's playing. a little outside the lines right you'll. tolerate them when they're on your team. great and you won't tolerate it when. they're not on your team.

so what i'm saying is some time that. mentality goes into the. force and they see a guy doing a little. some but hey this guy helping me. make it home at night um. uh not to cut you off after that. conversation romo and i had a better. understanding and he and like i said i. don't. wanna i don't know what's in his heart. but i think our relationship. changed after he saw how upset. i was about that incident and and and.

the things that he was doing that i. thought was unnecessary. so he and i formed a friendship and a. relationship after that. was a lot better than before because i. think he got. he got the good stuff like you know what. i might have a problem with my own ranks. if i continue this type of behavior. there you go he got some understanding. yeah and it's nothing wrong with getting. some understanding right. you know that's what's trying to happen. here between the community. and the police department like we've had.

enough. i hope that they understand that and i. hope. they change and get the bad guys out the. ranks. and then come to us with the good guys. who can still do their job. and like every black person i know if. something happened to him. they don't want to call the police to. get it settled so. this is a situation where if they clean. up the guys that they send to us. it won't be an issue if they want these.

you know these. you know uh bullies you know these these. racists. uh these dudes who they know have no. love. for the community whatsoever in their. heart they keep sending those dudes. it's going to be pushback pushback. pushback. because if you think about it you look. at the police department as a team. you look at a football team i played on. a team if you had a bad apple. what did the team try to do q they try. to get them up out of there because.

they don't want that to you know to. infiltrate the team. and then you have especially if the. guy's a leader if the guy's a leader. and he's a bad person you really need to. get him out of there because what. he can influence others well if you. if you got officers that's been there 10. 15 years and they're bad. what can they do they become an. influence on the younger guys. and then when the younger guys get 10 15. years what they've been taught. the behavior now you keep a cycle going.

that's what happens um you know you made. a good example why you got to get a bad. a a player that won't play right. out the the off the team because. what is he going to do at a critical. moment. he's gonna cost you 15 yards. or more you know what i mean at a. critical moment. he's gonna cost the whole team and. that's what's happening. these bad apples are costing the whole.

team. you got good cops out there being called. names. and being harassed and and not respected. because of the bad guys. right well you know for me is that. james baldwin once said like the police. officer he said he might be a nice guy. but i ain't got time to figure that out. all i know is he got a badge and a gun. and he can take my freedom and he can. take my life so my job is to try to get. him on his way as quick as possible. but if you assume every black is a. threat why shouldn't i assume.

every cop is bad because you make that. assumption a threat. when we see you bring white guys in that. kill people that have ar-15s. we see our homes that shot up denver the. movie theater. they take him alive we see dylan root. they take him alive. we see these guys that kill up that uh. shoot people in these planned parenthood. they bring them in alive a guy they. think well he made a suspicious move. or he had a cell phone and you kill him. huh yeah it's it's uh.

it's the value on on our lives that's. why we got to walk around. you know with the slogan like black. lives matter you know it's it's. it's the devaluation of. black life from day one in america. that we're still trying to fight. i'm trying to figure out how you nervous. how are you on edge. you got a taser a baton a gun. a bulletproof vest and a flashlight but.

you view me as a threat in jeans and a. t-shirt. shouldn't i be the one that's on edge. yeah. you should be the one on edge but you. know when they. you know they got something called. qualified immunity. you give a you give a racist police. the uh the license to kill. with no repercussions right and they're. going to take that one day. yeah of course because because as you. mentioned qualified immunity because.

they said supreme court says you have to. put yourself in that man's shoes at that. moment. not right now at that moment. well anything that he beaut they say. anything that's viewed as a threat. real or imagined cube just imagine i'm. in the grocery store. oh you gave me a bad look i filed for. you well. i felt threatened you can't do that but. yes. for the police you can. yeah and it's it's ridiculous and it's.

getting a lot of people killed. yeah um because officers are quick on. the trigger because they know nothing is. gonna happen. um and they kill people they don't have. to. um and they know they're gonna walk home. and not get anything done to them so. you put that in the hands of um. a racist officer. you got a dangerous man a woman on your. hands. let's go back to the beginning you're. growing up in in.

you grew up in comp south uh south. central. yeah and as cube is growing up. what did you what did you want to be. when you became an adult. uh you know when you're young it's of. course football player. a little full back little outside. linebacker. so you know we wanted to play football. right um. and you know i really got into the music. young. about 13 14 you know we started to.

you know spray paint and pull out. cardboard and try to break dance and do. all the stuff. um that we've seen everybody else doing. and so i. i started getting into music real early. never thought i could make a living at. it. because all the professionals to me was. on the east coast it was. rather new york a new york driven game. back then. and so um you know i just thought.

you know i could um just get a regular. job if this don't. pay off um i went to school for. architectural drafting because i like. drafting when i was. when i was young in school i ended up. after high school ended up going. to a uh uh. trade school and so that was cool but. but music it started to take off and. that's really where my heart was and i. started to just run with it. so how old were you when you joined the. group and how did the nwa come about.

i was uh probably about 17. uh when i when i joined nwa um. we we were all in different groups. uh everybody everybody was out in a. different group everybody else was doing. their own thing. so how did you guys decide to come. together um. well group that that dre was in called. directing crew. dream yellow was in that group right and. they were kind of like.

they was making the most noise in l.a. okay. out of all of us the world class. world-class wrecking crew so. lonzo who ran the wrecking crew really. wouldn't let dre. do the hardcore records that he he. really started to want to do. right so so me and dre start doing. mixtapes. and i would do the hardcore wraps on the. mixtapes talking about the neighborhood. well easy which is dre's old friend.

got one of the tapes tracked dre down. and was like yo you know i've been. hustling on the street. i don't want to flip some of this money. so i want to start. i want to i want to have a label and i. want to call it ruthless records. okay and so he had these groups that he. was trying to get. on ruthless records but but he asked me. to write a song for him i wrote a song. called boys in the hood. and the group didn't want to do it.

because they was from new york. so drake convinced easy to do the song. so easy end up doing boys in the hood. the song. right and he was like we should do all. star. group this is what easy said we should. do all-star group we'll take the best. out of you know i'll be easy we take. dream yellow out of the wrecking crew. we'll take cube out of uh i had a group. called cia. take cube out of that and then we're. gonna. you know we just do the side group.

hardcore. records you know and then y'all can go. back and do you know. slow jams and whatever y'all was doing. so. we ended up doing that record and man it. just started to pick up momentum and it. was just sounding better and better and. better. so we all ended up quitting our groups. and just stayed. with our you know with us forming this. all-star group. and uh one day they came to pick me up. and easy was like what we gonna call you.

know he was saying what we're gonna call. the group. and uh i said what we're gonna call it. he said nwa. i'm like what that mean when he told me. what it meant. i was like uh yeah we're about to start. some. ish right now so you know from there. we just was tight and we just was just. figuring out what did we need to do. to start making noise in the hip-hop. scene.

did you know that when you joined this. group. you guys were going to become what you. became. and that you guys are really the. originators of the gangster rap the. hardcore. did you know that at the time. not at all um at the time you know we. thought those records were gonna be. they had a section in the record store. where they would play all the dirty. comedy records like richard pryor right.

uh you could get a eddie murphy record. over there. red fox it was this dirty rapper by the. name of blowfly. dolomite you can get all them kind of. records so. we thought our record was going to be. over there in that. dirty section so when they started to. put it. out front where all the regular hip-hop. was. and people just started buying it we. knew we had. a style that that was unique. that was different um but you know there.

was other people who. who was dibbling and dabbling in in what. i would call. gangsta rap you know you had iced tea. out there right. um schooly d uh he had a song called psk. uh and then you had you know boogie down. production since i did a record called. criminal minded. that he's loved that record so. it was a few people who had doubled and. dabbled in that style.

right i mean that became ice-t signature. style thing ice-t in nwa. were the first two real jump offs and. then the ghetto boys came through. right you know and it was other groups. but. but yeah you know that's kind of how it. jumped off and that's how it started. so when you're in a group how do you. determine. who's going to be the lead on a. particular song or is it like. you know like teddy pendergrass when he. was with you know the blue notes yeah. like teddy was always out there with it.

you know harold melvin featured teddy. pendergrass and then teddy got bigger. than hal. and then he wanted to put him out so how. do you determine who's going to be lead. on a song um i mean you got a producer. like dr dre. who you know usually arranges. who's going where you know what rhyme is. gonna go where. and so you know just kind of leaving it. up to him you know he was a master at it. on who was gonna leak some records i. would go first some records.

easy was on he would go first um. and it was just really on him sometimes. it determined who wrote the rap. right you know uh you know i wrote a few. songs that i was so long. and then we would just have easy on at. the end like i did a song called. gangster gangster and he's. just comes in at the end so we was just. being real experimental but. you know dre was the lead producer he. would kick you off that joint if you. didn't. you didn't come with the right lyrics. you he'd be like you ain't on this song.

you are. oh so so dre was really like dre. way back then yeah yeah without a doubt. you know him. and dj yeller were. they was like mad scientist with it and. dre. he was a perfectionist so if you didn't. come with dope. lyrics if you didn't come with a dope. delivery he would kick you off the. record. if you're like getting out on this. record so you so you had to break so. basically you had the brain heat you had.

to bring five. every time you hear the record right yes. so the record is heated and then you. know. so a few a few times he sent us back to. the drawing board you know he was like. man. you know i like the first half of that. rhyme but the second half you got to do. a little. say something you got to talk about. something different so right you know he. was a real. he was a great producer and he just got. better and better with each album. you know that he would do he would just.

get better and better you know. now he's you know the man. so anytime you have success and there's. a group. eventually they're gonna be some. bickering they're going to be some. fighting they're going to be some issues. who's getting what who's doing what why. did nwa. break down fall apart um. i think it's really because you know. jerry heller. who was the manager at the time was.

really. uh loyal to easy you know easy was his. guy. you know we were like uh you know just. kind of the group. you know you know and and so. i just think he underestimated what we. really meant. to the whole you know. uh success of ruthless records right. so he just was and easy. you know um was learning the business. basically at the same time.

we were when it comes to me him and wren. we're all learning at the same time even. though he's older. and dre and yellow knew the business a. little bit more but nobody was experts. you know. right right people leaned on jerry. to you know make things right and. it just was a uh you know one or two. things that just didn't smell right. and you know when somebody starts to.

you know lie and there's no reason to. it just makes you suspicious okay and. then you know the more you look the more. you find. and um you know i confronted them and. they. they'd rather you know make me the enemy. and uh instead of rectifying the. situation. and so i left so when you you confronted. jerry heller. the rest of the group turned against you.

well. jerry talk to easy. right and easy you know he was the head. of everything so. once easy was against me you know jerry. convinced easy i was a troublemaker. so they easily started to talk to. everybody and then you know pretty soon. i was the iron man out at the end of the. day. but they didn't kick you out and he left. real fast i left. i left because i was like this ain't. gonna work.

they're not gonna fix it you know all he. had to do was fix it. and you wait what did jerry heller need. to do to make it right by cube. um i i think he was you know at the end. of the day. uh he was trying to get me to sign a. contract that my lawyer. never read okay so to me that's. bad business and it's a bad contract. right you don't want my lawyer to even. look at it and you know i have a lawyer.

he kept ducking me and saying you know. i've sent it i've sent it i sent. it uh before i had the lawyer before i. told him i had the lawyer i had the. lawyer but i didn't tell you. i was just trying to get the contract so. i told him. i said just send it to my mama i thought. he was gonna think. all right send it to her shane i know. what you're looking at. they're gonna sign it and i'm gonna get. it back but he wouldn't even send it to. her. i'm like man damn you won't even send it.

to her right you know. um so we knew something was fishy like. he came if he can't send us the. contracts. he definitely can't sign nothing were. you the only one in the group. that had a lawyer outside of ruthless. record lawyer. i think so but i had offered. that whatever my lawyer tell me i'mma. tell you guys. and you know so y'all my lawyers like. y'all though y'all don't have to get a.

lawyer if you don't want to. i would advise you to right but but. um i'll tell y'all what he's telling me. so i would you know talk with ren a lot. me and ren the same age. we would talk a lot who's the youngest. in the group. right and uh so ryan knew everything. that uh. and my lawyer was telling me which was. don't sign nothing. don't sign nothing and so. when it was time to sign i was like i.

can't sign that. and it was best move i ever did. you leave the group you strike out on. your own. the diss track did they dish you first. or did. you write no vaseline because. they ditched me first they dissed you. first yeah they dissed me on a record. card. a hundred miles and running it was like. an ep. that they released after straight out of. compton.

it was a it was a dis but it wasn't. it wasn't like heavy hand it was like a. line like a little line. so okay i gave it back to him i gave it. back to him a little bit on jacket for. beats. right at the end of jacket for beats. it's one line where i mentioned. um a hundred miles around i have you a. hundred miles in running. right and so when they did uh. their next record they dissed me real.

good you know what i mean. they call me benedict arnold. all kind of all kind of names. uh so i don't know. okay they dissed you on the line you. kind of dissed them back online. did you think it was over okay you said. george i said mine i'm done. let's move on you thought it was over. yeah cause i still like them dudes you. know they were still. you know i had a problem with easy and. jerry but. i still i'm still cool with dre and.

yella and ryan ryan and dlc. and um lady love and autumn dudes that. was still hanging around. so i was just surprised that they would. like take it to you. so they dissed you heavy i mean they. came with it. you like i got to come back hard how. long did it take you to write no. vaseline. it took me 90 minutes 90 minutes. 90 minutes so that so another word that.

been brewing you knew you knew they were. gonna come back if it only took you 90. minutes. you knew they were going to come back so. you've been plotting you've been lying. and waiting oh. no it wasn't like that it was uh i was. i was mad and i had build-up right um. i was on a boat the the. one of the heads of priority records. um he took me on a boat. because you know i had went in the air. with a bat.

and and like tore up the company. like right so um. we was trying to smooth things out so. he was saying i want to play this for. you. i want to be the first one to play it. for you. uh and he played me the disc that they. did to me. but we still had two or three hours on. this boat which i didn't want to be on. no more i was like man take me back.

i'm ready to ride a ride take me back. so i had like two or three hours of. build up. so by the time i got to my room. to my equipment panning pad. it just all came out and i got. interrupted a few times so it probably. would. i probably would have wrote it faster my. sister didn't. interrupt me a few times. so how was your style different than. easy.

different than dre's how what was your. style i mean. who did you draw inspiration from. yeah i used to like hardcore rhymers you. know i would like. nelly male like uh iced tea keras. one um chuck d. uh run from run dmc you know the. ferocious rappers the wrestlers that. that really kind of came at you um. you know it was a style that.

you know it was different styles. floating around you know uh. rock him and epmd yeah ushered in that's. that that calm you know style of rhyming. we didn't have to be as ferocious on the. mic. um and you know then you had the rappers. who were smooth you know the heavy ds of. the world. um you know uh salt and peppers. you know people who were you know just a.

little more. style you know slick ribs of the world. who were. and dana danes were super creative right. um. so you know um. so that that would be my style you know. that that. karis one chuck d you know. ferocious in your face kind of hip-hop. who are you who are your top five. greatest rappers of all time. and i just named them on i got you know.

it's hard to put them in the. greatest of all time you know but. but like my favorite emcees in the world. are nelly male um. because he ushered in you know. a serious you know. commentary about the neighborhood right. um. iced tea you know a dude from la. who put la on the map uh when it comes.

to. being you know top-notch. pro-mc like like there was all through. new york. chuck d uh because of subject matter. writing. delivery uh krs one. um you know once again style. delivery flow subject matter. um you know ll cool j. just to me the young phenom you know he.

was all lebron. right yeah yeah you know i mean he was. on lebron just. you know 16 17 18 years old. just at the height of rock you know so. and and has sustained it his whole. career as far as. you know just being able to. you know transcend errors and. you know you're still the man on tv now. you know and still.

can you know we did uh just little see. kings of the mic back here. you know that was you know ll headline. me uh public enemy and de la. souls so you know that's that's like. the cream of the crap when it comes to. hip-hop how different. is it writing a song as opposed to. writing a movie. i mean you said it how long did it take. you to write fridays for instance.

it took me about three months to write. friday. you know i had uh i had help of course. from dj pool. uh but i also had had a lot of help from. from a manager i had named pat. charbonnet. she's also a producer on the movie you. know. between uh cool and her. uh you know about three months of us. you know me writing sending them pages. then.

giving me feedback um and. you know the process took about three. months till we had something we felt. okay this is a movie we can go shoot. so how long so it takes you three months. to write friday how long would it take. you to write uh. an album a complete album not just a. song an album. um you know. i don't really put a time limit on right. now okay. you know i i don't i don't i just kind. of go with the inspiration.

you know when you've been in the game as. long as i've been in the game. you don't really want to reach for. inspiration you want it to just come to. you. right and um and then you do songs as. the inspiration comes so. so you might write a song so it might. take so i write one song one day and. then take. two or three days off write another or. you might go half a song. so it's not like you're just sitting. down every single day pinning putting. pen to pad. no no i think that's forcing it and i.

think. you know a song will come to you and. to me the best songs are the fastest. that you write. you know if it take it could take you a. long time to write the song. it's probably not as good as a song that. you can write like that. okay because you know it's just to me. that's just how the inspiration come. when you got a good song. it just pours out when you're forcing it. you have to you know dig it out.

and i don't like digging out songs i. like to i like to. write a song let it flow and then go. record it you know find the music for it. go record it. and then i might sit on that song i. might sit on the side for a year. two three years what yeah. yeah because it marinated well you know. put it on when it's right or when the. time is right or when the out you know. make that part of the album uh you know.

i don't even just. throw songs out every time i finish them. right sometimes i like to keep them and. make sure that they. first of all i like to make sure they're. gonna stand the test. a time for me you know and then then. i'll put them out. um so i got different different. styles and different techniques but. always let it flow. how different is the rap game that you. came up in compared to the rap game. today. um well when i first came up there was.

you know people who would usher you into. the game. okay um there was certain avenues that. you. felt like you had to go through to even. be. taken serious okay so you know um. people wasn't walking around pressing. records up you know just. without without uh really thinking long. hard pressing you on the record making. sure the record is.

is good enough to press and just really. running you through the ringer before. you could do a record. right you know as hip-hop came. and more independent labels came out. that became a little looser right. so that was the game back then now. you know you could be in your room you. think the track. and you can put it out all over the. world that night. so there's really nothing holding an.

artist back from being creative uh. it might hold you back from from chasing. the money and finding the money but. being a creative person and putting. something out in the world. nothing is holding you back and and when. we were. coming up it would be obstacles. that if you didn't cross those. thresholds you didn't. you didn't uh cross you wasn't going to. be heard or seen you're just going to.

have a demo. so it's just a new game man you know. anybody can. to be creative and put on music so do. you need a record label do you need a. deal or can you do all of that on your. own. um you know everything is promotion. and you can do it on your own. but if you don't really have the money. to promote it. it's going to be a a big uphill battle. which is fine.

you know someone just got to do what. they got to do right um. most artists want to be discovered by a. label and. and a lot of a little of the dirty work. is done for you. right and you kind of come in on a. different plateau. right and so you could try to go up from. there so. but to me it's no magic formula man. soldier boy became a star from. creating a you know superman in his room. right you know.

and so there's nothing that that can. hold you back if you're super creative. and people just gotta hear your stuff. you know you got that time. make yourself known you obviously you've. been in the game and you understand the. game but it seems to be now. that the rappers and the artists today. like. realize that owning your masters is. where it's at. and it seems to me that they're trying. to incorporate that. whereas before guys just i just want i.

just want to produce i just want to sing. i want to do music i want to get an. album out. and they forgot about that is that where. is that where it's heading now. well i mean you know if you really look. back. and think about it you know most people. come in the game. and not even think about masters or. thinking of thinking about they just. want to be on the radio they want right. being at the cancer they want to do a. video you know do. do those things and once you're in the. game a little while you realize.

you know why is everybody getting money. except me. and then you realize if you don't own. the masters or the publishing. um the money's gonna go elsewhere but i. think artists have discovered that. from the beginning of time you know you. have. artists going all the way back fighting. for their masters. um you know you have artists you know. they come in the game owning their. masters you know like. the uh masterpiece of the world and uh.

uh luke you know luke skywalker luke. campbell. luther campbell uh owning his masters. easy. you know owned his master so um. you know death row um and and. you know i believe james brown owned a. lot of his masters so. artists have fought for this from the. beginning of the time. but it's just you know you they have the. leverage to. to get it or you don't um if you.

you know are doing something on your own. and they come to you. and need to get it from you like they. had to do a masterpiece who was doing. his own thing. then you can walk in there only your. masters from day one. you know if you go sign with a label. um they're gonna own the masters because. they're putting up all the risks so. it depends on you know independent. there's a hard way but you you start off. on. and that's the key uh only ownership.

so i think it's something artists can. always fight for. um you know to end it in the music. so what who do you like today if you're. in your car you riding around who you. listening to. man you know thank god i got the eye uh. you know that. the ipad so i can listen to oh. i'm listening to everything that's. what's cool you know i can listen to. everything right now. and you know i'm still you know bumping. that is brother's greatest hit.

so you know i ain't really worried about. the new artists right now that's how i. am i listen to the grooves i listen to. the old stuff man. i i ain't got it in me anymore cube i. ain't gonna lie. don't worry about it man you know you. know what you like and. as long as you're still around then then. you're a happy man. okay you're doing the music you're good. in the music. when did you know you wanted to do. acting. i didn't know you know i i was. discovered by john singleton.

okay he really saw me. you know as doughboy and he saw me like. yo i'm doing this movie and you perfect. for it. and that's how he came at me and um. for two years i i kind of didn't take. him serious. until he finally sent a script and. um and when i walked in and saw that he. was. actually shooting this movie that's the. first time i. said okay okay damn i i i guess i'm.

gonna be an actor. and so uh you know thank god. for john singleton rest in peace that he. uh you know he pursued me you know. um and he did that with a lot of dudes. you know. busting rhymes uh he put him in the. movie. uh and uh you know he worked a lot with. two. pack um so he he was. always going to the artist and you know.

he put janet jackson in the movie. he always saw an artist. movie stars and you know thank god even. tyrese. you know you put tyrese in the movie who. came from music. um so this dude just saw something in us. as entertainers and. stepped up and made us movie stars. so once you got cast in that movie. the acting bug hit it bit yes.

yeah man i mean boys in the head this is. my first movie. the movie went to the cannes film. festival in the south of france. right so you know we young. and i got my wife with me she my. girlfriend at the time but. in the south of france. you man life you're loving life right. now man i'm like oh man i'm a movie star. you know it's like paparazzi uh. and we did a screening i was nervous at.

the screening because. here we were showing a movie that i. wasn't sure that america would get you. know boys in the hood. right here it was about to be shown with. subtitles. in french right so i'm like oh you know. these people ain't gonna understand what. this movie is really trying to say. um eddie murphy was there uh quincy. jones was there. uh and they showed a movie and. we get a standing innovation man and so.

i was like okay this the movie has. power that the music has it has the. power to. to show people a world that that they. have. never seen before so from then on i. wanted to do movies. but one is through words the others. through picture. yeah but there's you know i do music but. when it comes to movies there's no. bigger canvas the artist can. can paint on than.

you say you took it took you three. months to write friday did you know. friday. was gonna be friday. i was hoping it would um you know when. you grow up in the hood you got your. classics you got your. yeah you know your uptown saturday. nights you got your coulee highs. yeah you know what i mean you got you. got car wash movies. car wash these movies are closing. that's just staples yeah in your.

in your household you know you know. these are movies that. that your family love you love you can. watch. over and over again right so right when. i started getting into movies i said man. we need a hood classic yeah. we need one of the movies that they love. us for like we love. car washing right we love. you know ryan o'neill right i did. superfly he was a king. you know to us you know so so we was. like man we got to have one of those you.

know. i felt boys in the hood was a good a. good one. but i wanted one that was a comedy that. that people could laugh and have fun. with so we went out to write friday. for it to be that hood classic we never. knew. that it'd be so many people around the. world that would love. at that that real hood classic you know. bruh friday is the godfather of the hood. classics. it's in everybody's top five i mean it.

doesn't matter. that's in the top when you say okay give. me your top five you know when we talk. amongst ourselves. friday is in there friday's in there. people like. a friday and house party i love players. club. i mean but you gotta you gotta have. let's talk about some of the people that. you've cast you've casted some great. comedians. you had bernie mac you had uh uh with us. john witherspoon. when you did you and this was before. bernie mac became bernie mac.

yeah uh i mean i love. to put people in a position. to win um and so they can. showcase their talent right um you know. russell simmons was doing it with death. comedy jam. right you know introducing a lot of. people who. you probably would never see unless you. went to a black comedy club you know so. um i saw bernie on. on and chris tucker on that depth comedy.

gym and i'm like man these dudes. need to be in the motion picture if i. ever have. power to do a movie i'm putting these. dudes in the movie. and uh i saw the same thing with jamie. foxx with players club you know right. and i'm one of the first guys to put. jamie in the movie um. so you know i just would see these. you know hilarious people that i thought. like yo. i'm not a comedian so i'm gonna surround.

myself by these. top comedians and let them go off right. and let them do their thing. see that's the key like if i was a. comedian. i would feel intimidated by. how many laughs this one is getting and. that one was getting so i would suppress. that. make sure i was getting all the laughs. right but by me. not worrying about that i let these guys. shine. you know for cat williams my gaps yeah. you know. just let them go and blow.

and do their thing and you know they've. gone on to to have great careers man and. i'm real. proud but the thing about a comedian is. that they really at their best when. their ad lib will be improvisational so. how much do you let them go. as opposed to what you've actually. written. i always you know think you got to start. with a great script. you know if the script is not making you. laugh out loud. you should keep writing because a.

comedian a great comedian and not only. take that line you wrote. but he'll piggyback off that and. continue to. to ride with the ad-lib so if you give. them a great jump off point. then they'll start running with the ad. libs and. then they'll come back to the script. right and so that's the. that's the key to my movies and so i. would say. about 70 of it is. written but 30 is.

you know letting guys do what they do. because when i look at when i look at. bernie mac and. playing dollar bill in the player club. yeah. and jamie foxx playing blue it's. unbelievable. you know that's one of the most. underrated performances. of bernie mac in the players club he. went off. he went off you know and uh so. i wrote the movie with him in mind you. know i didn't i didn't have nobody else.

in my head. but uh but right. yeah and i'm glad he took it and he ran. with it. and uh you know i'm just proud. just proud to be a part of their career. and proud to show people you know what. they got. you mentioned you put a lot of guys from. jamie foxx to bernie mac the cat. williams. john witherspoon michael clark duncan. megan good. uh uh tj johnson i mean there's so.

many i mean i'm thinking back that might. have been their first. taste in the movie business is when you. put them on. yeah i mean we was uh learning together. you know. it's their talent really they put them. on you know i'm. just thank god i was in a position to. showcase it and you know and. you know i look at them and i see them. doing their thing. you know and i'm i'm extremely proud. that.

they were able to take that and run with. it. the only thing i hate cube is that uh. chris tucker got so big he didn't come. back for. number two but that dude the one. i don't know i don't know if somebody's. gonna ever come out with a hood classic. better than friday. i don't know if i don't know how they do. it i really don't hey. you know um like i said we did that. movie in 20 days. and it was magic every day like every. day. we felt like damn this is special.

you know it's like because everybody. everybody is. funny in the movie from from from smokey. to you to to dad to a big worm. to uh smokey's mom everybody is. funny yeah everybody got a chance to do. their thing. and and it was beautiful to do and and. to see it. you know this is the first movie that i. ever wrote and produced. so it was it was new to us.

and so we were we were really just. having fun. and and you know luckily we had somebody. as good as gary gray. to capture it and shoot it and direct it. um. and you know we was just like man this. is this is a movie we want people to. watch. every friday if they want to. you know kick back and this is just. going to be one of those movies that you. got to keep in your rotation if it comes. on tv i'm watching.

it if it comes on i don't care i can't. be flipping the channels and all of a. sudden that movie is on. because i'm gonna stay there i mean it's. a special movie in a lot of ways you. know um. it's a movie that most people don't. detect but it's. it's the day that bully gets beat up. right and everybody. remembers and loves that day when the. bully gets. finally get it what he deserves so that. movie has a lot of. special specialness to it just on other.

tips that people don't even really. detect most of the time. oh yeah and um regina king was in the. movie the alarm was in the movie. yeah but cube let me ask you a question. when you have such great success. um and you write friday and it's. it's beloved do you run into other. things like. i gotta write another friday because a. lot of people say what happened to. michael is that when he wrote thriller. he was always looking for the next album. to sell 25 million.

and that's not always the case sometimes. you have a you have you write something. you do something. that you're never going to be recreate. and you have to be okay with that. that doesn't mean you stop trying but. that means you have to be okay with that. yeah you know sometimes it's a moment in. time right now. you catch lightning in the bottle as. they say um. you know i had vowed not to even do. another friday. but the fans had loved it so much right. that i said well if i'm an entertainer.

my job is to give the people what they. want. entertain the people not just what i. want to give them. but what they want right so i worked. hard at work. writing them you know the next friday. which. introduced my gaps um you know. and and uh you know pinky yeah you know. all the other. you know characters that you end up. loving so. you know um but i never felt that i was.

chasing the first one. um even with you know the barber shops. right you know we did that the first one. the entertainer. yeah it was it was you know a home run. epic in in a lot of ways but with two or. three i never thought i was chasing it. i always felt like i need to do a. stand-alone movie. right so if one never existed. two has to stand alone and be a. comprehensive. its own thing and not just borrow.

off of the jokes from the first one. right and. so that's what i really worked at doing. is. making each movie staring on its own. funny. and not just regurgitate jokes. from the last one uh you know the only. thing you're going to see. in all of them is you got knocked. out you know what i mean you'll see that. in all of them right but. for the most part you can watch three.

and never seen two or one or you can. watch two and never seen either of them. to steal. and still enjoy the movie as as its own. thing. i love rolly santa claus too ricky. smiley. yeah you know oh ricky. you know he a comedian he wasn't used to. doing all that physical comedy. right so by the end of me whipping him. with that christmas tree. ricky was about done with my ass he was. like man.

man how many more times you got to hit. me with this trick. we gotta get another angle man a couple. more angles. and we'll let you go man yeah but he was. the man. and you put ted cruz in yeah terry crews. um i had met him on next friday he was. doing security. right outside my trailer and we just. talked. and uh he was good dude and i was like. you know what if i ever need a big. i ever need a a debo part two.

i'm i'm uh i'm gonna get this dude so. when we. when we thought of damon as you know. the landlord's son who just oh man. you know it was like yeah yeah he's. perfect. he's perfect so. what's what's next i know the pandemic. is going and so. there's not a whole lot of production. going on so what's next. for for cube is it is it a record is it. a movie. what do you have on the horizon got a.

couple things you know up. under my under my sleeve uh working on. something i can't really talk about it. right now but it's okay it's real cool. um and it's on the music tip. but as far as movies um we we was. in the middle of a movie uh called flint. flint strong you know about the clarissa. shields who's uh you know boxing. champion. olympic ball female black detail was her. story. uh and i was playing uh jason.

clutchfield. who uh who's our trainer okay and so. we was in the middle of that or just. starting so. you know hopefully we'll be able to jump. back on that song. finish that movie up uh i'm talking to. dj caruso about doing another movie. called the killers game but we'll see. how that come. come about so you know. that that is like what i'm doing on the. professional tip but. personally it's really all about you.

know fighting with this contract with. black america and trying to get. trying to get some freedom and equality. for our people here. and um you know i'm just fighting back. with all my heart. a few more things before i let you go. cube your son follows your footsteps i. think a part of us all want our sons. if you you know to do what we did if. you're a lawyer you want your son to be. a lawyer. you're a doctor you want to be a doctor. you're a professional athlete you would. like to see him. fall in your footsteps did you ever. think your son would follow in your.

footsteps. i never thought that you know um i've. never pushed my kids. to be a part of entertainment. you know i think that's something that. you it's a dream that you have your own. you're on your own and and then you do. what it takes to get. it um you know with this situation. you know we had an opportunity to do the. straight outta compton movie. right uh i knew they were casting it i. knew i had took my son on.

on a lot of tours with me and maybe jump. on stage and he can. he can write my songs you know not as. good as me. but damn near and so i knew he had. the chops and the personality to do it. but would he take it serious. and so i put him through the ringer man. you know. um two years of of training. and you know acting coaches here. in la and in new york and just getting.

him ready. and he came through and he did a great. job in the movie. i mean he look he looks like you i mean. i mean people they actually thought it. was you he sounds like you. i mean he did a great job and he showed. me he was serious. right which is most important because. you know. to see a finished movie is cool but to. see what somebody has to go through. right actually do the movie it's.

grueling and um and so he ran. the full marathon with a smile on his. face. and and happy to be a part of the. business. so as a family we was just real proud of. him. and then he started to get more movies. right off of what he did was straight. out of compton so. you know he's a bona fide actor he. worked more than me nowadays yeah. i saw him. thank you yeah he was great now you know.

that movie is a little tough to watch. for me because you got these these fake. fake police. but but uh but you know in the end you. know he's the man so. i'm proud of him you know where the. whole family is you you say that cube is. that. people look at the finished product they. see the movie and that's what i tell. them. all you do is see the people that with. an athlete winning the game. but you don't understand the off-season. you don't understand the practices you. don't understand the meetings.

what led to the winning of the game. man most you know most athletes i play. the game for free. you're paying them for all that other. stuff you got to do. and uh you know dealing with all the. bull the bs is that's what he's. taking the money for but right you know. most you know most of the time. you know we enjoy to do the finished. product you know we. we enjoy show time game time right now. that's when we know. it's time to give the people what they.

paid for. and and when you got that mentality you. always. do your best and give 110 percent and so. that's the most important thing is is. uh we don't take the work for granted. that's why the finished product comes. out the way it does. cube i had a coach and we were in. meetings and he said what i love about. shark. is that shark would play the game for. free and i said yep coach you're right. but i need to know if he playing for.

free. cuz i ain't the only one playing for. free that's what i'm saying you know we. all. playing for free i love i love uh. i love some freedom but if we all pay. for pay i love some payday check. exactly before i let you go cube i want. to get you out get uh. on this one you know uh i don't know how. well you know. kanye uh i i think he's a great writer. he's a great. his songs i love his music or maybe. should i say i loved his music. but now he's running for president what. do you make of kanye running for.

president. um you know i think he you know started. off a little too late. you know for people to really take him. uh all the way serious. um and you know. i just hope that that you know he's not. being used. um you know and that is his decision if. it's his decision you know this is a. free country. you can do what you want to do but if. you know people are. pushing him to do it you know i don't.

think that part is cool. but you know i just think he started off. too late to really. get in the game for real and so you know. i think it's a moment that's gonna. end up passing him by yeah what are the. lakers gonna do. everybody's bullish on the clippers. everybody say clippers got this clippers. lakers gonna go out in the first round. if they play portland everybody's saying. the lakers are going out in the first. round. nah the lakers won't go out in the first. round we're not worried about the. zippers. you know the zippers you know they they.

try to steal the thunder. they try to uh you know uh. pretend like they got a squad that could. really go to home. i've never seen them do it so you know. they got to show me something lakers. don't show me that they can make it to. the top of the map. so i'm believing in that old purple and. gold. your team is no longer in california the. team that you root for. that you admired as a kid that you go to. the game you have. uh silver and black you have hats you.

have jacket you have. all the power all the paraphernalia now. they're in vegas. what are you what's your rating is going. to do this season um you know i hope. they you know at least make it to the. playoffs. i mean that's what you want no good. where you talking about the play i'll. stop playing. i'm gonna stop we're gonna stop us. them horses out there well first of all. you know you got that. that guy they got a young quarterback in. kansas city but homeboy. people we win that's okay we will be a. wild card. no no we'll be there yeah we are don't.

worry. y'all i'm not going to win nine games. y'all might y'all might. guys when we really didn't have even a. good team last year imagine we gonna be. better this year. hey when y'all come in that new stadium. i'm gonna try to wipe your damn feet off.

none of that horse stuff on your feet. when you step into that new stadium. okay well first of all look i mean y'all. should be used to playing. in front of with no fans because there. wasn't a whole lot of people showing up. anyway. y'all keep moving you move to l.a move. to oakland move back to l.a move back to. oakland same thing. so and we still got more fans than. broncos. we move everywhere they still love us. they still love you man we can't do no. wrong. thank you man i appreciate it all the.

best moving forward. thank you for giving me a few moments of. your time today enjoy bro. hey man double s man you the man man. much love appreciate. you appreciate you bro yeah all my life. been grinding all my life sacrifice i. still pay the price. wanna slice got to roll the dice that's. why all my life i've been grinding all. my life look. all my life been running all my life. sacrifice. hustle pay the price wanna slice got to. roll the dice that's why.

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