Jermaine Dupri had to take some time this week to break down why Ice Cube‘s rap name is what it is to his perplexed 12-year-old daughter.
The adorable moment was shared on the Atlanta legend’s Instagram on Tuesday night (July 4) following his performance at this year’s Essence Fest over the weekend. In the backstage clip, JD’s daughter asks why Cube goes by a name that represents something cold when being “hot” is what someone should aspire to be.
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“I’m just trying to figure out why is his name Ice Cube,” she began. “Because he’s cold? But you’re supposed to be hot. Like the new hottest thing. That’s what you supposed to be. You not supposed to be cold. That don’t make no sense. What is you cold for? That means ain’t nobody listening to you.”
“No he cold. It means he cold. Cold means the same thing as hot,” Jermaine Dupri replied, to which his daughter responded: “That is the opposite.”
“It’s the opposite but cold means hot,” JD clarified. “If you cold, that means you really hot.”
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She then asked: “So what about freezing? Ice cubes don’t freeze.”
“Yeah, ice cubes do freeze,” JD said. “That’s how they become an ice cube. He really cold. When you cold, you really hot.”
This still wasn’t enough. “But ice cube is water so that means he’s wet,” she then said.
Finally, JD was able to bring the point home with a sports reference: “You know in basketball when you make the shot, what they call it? Splash. Why they call it splash? Because it’s wet. Wet means he really got game.”
Aside from being an incredibly talented producer, Jermaine Dupri a reputation for bringing out the best in the artists he works with — but he recently revealed the project he had the most difficulty working on in his career.
Last month, the Atlanta MC took to Instagram to post the cover art of Da Brat’s 1994 debut album, Funkdafied. Produced entirely by him, the nine-track LP topped the Rap and R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts in addition to reaching No. 11 on the Billboard 200 upon its release.
As per the post’s caption, this wasn’t an easy accomplishment. “29 years ago today, out of all the albums that I made this was the most difficult, female rap wasn’t the wave, but I was determined,” he wrote.
“I knew how amazing @sosobrat was, so we worked and worked till we found it and the rest is history, platinum, and all that shit.”
Dupri has settled into his role as a behind-the-scenes talent in recent years. Though his name doesn’t always come up in discussions about Hip Hop and R&B’s greatest artists, participants of the culture always recognize his significance.
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Earlier this month, during an interview with the Rap Radar podcast, Tyler, The Creator shared how learning about Dupri’s extensive songwriting background only made him respect him more.
