Prior to the release of the Straight Outta Comptonmovie this year, Ice Cube revealed that a N.W.A biopic seemed like “an impossible task.”
According to West Coast lyricist Ice Cube, the idea for the Straight Outta Compton movie was something he had in mind for close to 20 years. During an interview with KCRW’s The Business, the rapper-turned-actor went on to explain that although the idea had been brewing for quite some time, the number of pieces needed for such a feat seemed too many.
“In my head, it’s been there for at least 15, 20 years,” Ice Cube said. “I’ve been wanting to do this movie, I just never thought I could. I just never thought all the pieces—It was just too many. A lot of moving parts. A lot of politics involved. A lot of people on the legal side and illegal side of things, so it just seemed like an impossible task.”
Cube also recalled the moment he met director John Singleton, and was asked to star in one of his films. He says he didn’t take Singleton, who was an intern for “The Arsenio Hall Show” at the time, serious at first, but two years later he did audition for a role in Singleton’s Boyz n the Hood film.
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“I never thought about the movie business at all,” he said. “I just wanted to be the best rapper in the world. I was just focused on at first N.W.A, and then my solo career. And then I met John Singleton. And he was an intern at ‘The Arsenio Hall Show.’ I was going up there cause I wanted to talk to Arsenio because he had had the 2 Live Crew on, but wouldn’t have any of our groups on. And then John was like ‘Yo man, you Ice Cube from N.W.A, right?’ And I’m like ‘Yeah, yeah.’ I was surprised people knew me then cause I was so immersed in the group…And he was like ‘I got this perfect movie for you’…’I wrote this movie and you perfect for it.’ I’m like damn near patting him on the head. ‘Yeah right, kid.’”
Video of Ice Cube discussing the Straight Outta Compton movie, and meeting John Singleton, can be found below.
For additional Ice Cube coverage, watch the following DX Daily:
