Original subtitles

Life anecdotes-- I live by 'em, I swear by 'em.

These are gems for you to take home and use yourself.

Jeans cannot be worn

if your thighs don't do what they're supposed to.

At the end of the day, pick a seat.

(chuckles) It's your choice.

* *

Well, today's guest is a special one.

I know I say that a lot, but that's because I feel

that they all are special in their own different ways.

Today's guest is a rap legend, filmmaker--

I mean, the man has acted in over 40 films.

He is also a mogul.

How lucky am I to get to call this guy a brother and a friend?

I'm talking about none other than the legend himself--

Ice Cube.

-Okay, here I am, man. What's happening? -Yeah. Yeah.

-How you doing, man? Ah! -What's up with you? Yeah!

You hear that life, uh, that little life anecdote, man?

I didn't understand it.

-No, you understood it. -I'm still trying to break that down.

-No. If anybody got it... -Jeans shouldn't be worn

-unless you got, uh... -Yeah.

some 501s, what was it?

-Come on, brother, it's your thighs. -Oh, okay.

What I'm saying is, walk your walk but talk your talk.

-Ask yourself. -Man, that's been said before.

Well, no. Not like that.

-Nobody said it like this. -Yeah, I think just like that.

Not like this: Walk your walk,

(deep voice): talk your talk.

Yeah, that just sounded like my drunk uncle.

No, no, it doesn't.

-Cube, man, Cube, thank you for coming. -What's up, baby?

Let me give the world of where we are, right?

We're in my wine cellar.

Uh, I believe, Cube, that the best conversations happen

over a glass of wine. What you looking around for?

-It's just big. -Yeah, yeah, it's huge.

-Yeah. -It's huge but intimate at the same time.

With that being said-- brother, join me in a glass of wine,

'cause you and I are about to get deep.

-Okay. -I ain't talked to my brother in a minute.

-Yeah. -I got a... I got a, uh, um,

a so... a so... uh, savant, so...

-A what? -Goddamn it. What-what... what are you?

-Sommelier, Mr. Hart. -Sommelier. Goddamn it!

-Damn. -I-I had him for...

He been with me for, like, six days.

Som-Som-Sommelier.

-That's it, Mr. Hart. -Got it. You're damn right it is.

-Mr. Cube, how are you? -What's up, dude?

-DLYNN: Fantastic. -What are we drinking today?

Something with some age on it: 2013 Howell Mountain Cab.

-Not no High Mountain Cab! -What?

-You ain't got no, uh, Wild Irish Rose? -No, man.

It's off set. I'll be right back.

-No, man. -Some Mad Dog 20...?

-High Mountain Cab is what we're drinking today. -Okay.

-Okay. What year is that? -2013.

-Hot dog... -Oh, man, that was a terrible year,

-but go ahead. -2013 was a great year for me.

-I appreciate you, man. -Gentlemen, please enjoy.

We may go seconds and thirds on this one.

-I'll be right here. Thank you. -All right. What a gem.

My savant... my sav-on-ier.

I never had a 40-ounce of wine before.

This ain't a 40-ounce, man. It's an amazing glass, though.

Cheers. Brother, cheers! Don't you drink it.

-No, man. Cheers. -(chuckles): Oh, I'm thir... Cheers. What we cheering to?

You ain't even got nothing to cheer to.

-I do have something to cheers to. -What?

Reuniting.

-And it feels so good. Huh? -Reuniting and it feels so good.

-Come on, man. -Yep. Peaches & Herb.

Huh? Come on, now. Uh, Cube...

You're supposed to sip after you... cheer.

I mean, yeah, you're supposed to sip, homie.

It's, it's, uh, it's very disrespectful not to sip

after you cheer. Let me...

Cube, I don't know where to start, man.

I feel like you're responsible for...

a lot of the comedic-success-turned-to-movie-

box-office-success.

Your attachment to the stars of today,

when it was yesterday, is unbelievable, unreal.

And I believe it's been intentional over the years

with the way that you've done it.

-Mm-hmm. -Uh, I can just say some names here.

I'm gonna say, I'm gonna say Chris Tucker.

I'm gonna say Mike Epps. I'm gonna say Katt Williams.

I'm gonna say myself.

I'm gonna say John Witherspoon, rest in peace.

-Mm-hmm. -I'm gonna say Don "D.C." Curry.

-Hey. -I'm gonna say Rickey Smiley.

-Mm-hmm. -I mean, I can continue to go,

but your love for the craft of comedy and your outpour

of opportunity for the Black comic-- male or female,

it doesn't matter-- has always been unreal.

Where does that love for comedy come from, man?

Just, uh, loving to laugh, you know?

Growing up, all my friends was funny.

-Mm-hmm. -Like, the friends that I hung around the most,

they were all funny.

So, you know, um, looking at people,

seeing their greatness.

You know, these people you named were great

before I ever put them in a movie.

-Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. -See what I'm saying?

It was just about recognizing and saying,

"Damn, they'll be perfect for this part,"

or "This person'll be perfect for that part,"

and giving them the room to shine.

You know, I learned, too, that a lot of guys, you know,

get these great comedians on set and they do everything to,

you know, stifle them and-- so they can get all the laughs.

-Yeah. -So they can get the... the best,

uh, scenes or whatever, you know,

and I just thought that was counterproductive.

It hurts the movie.

You let everybody get off, but in their own, um, lane.

But you let them get off, you know?

If they can do it, you let them do it,

and you don't hold them back, and, um, you let them go.

-Yeah. -You know, um,

we've had small little parts for people,

and they killed it and their part just...

-Grew and grew and grew. -grew throughout the movie, yeah.

Uh, I left out a very special one, man: Bernie Mac.

-I can't leave out Bernie Mac. -Oh, yeah.

-KEVIN: R.I.P. to that legend. -Mm-hmm.

Um, dude, your creativity matches your love for comedy,

because your creativity,

it comes from a comedic space as well.

-Yeah. -You know, when you look at Ice Cube's résumé,

especially when you're talking about theatrical,

a lot of things that you have developed, produced,

been a part of the writing process in,

you know, these things all come with an amazing laugh,

which is what I love and respect the most.

I mean, I can go down, once again,

a list of titles, from "Barbershop," you know,

uh, I can go to "Janky Promoters,"

I can go to "All About the Benjamins."

I can, of course, go to "Friday" and the "Fridays" to follow.

Um, "Ride Along," which you had a producing part in as well,

being a part of that creative, getting to where it's...

where it had to get for us to get, you know,

-to part two, et cetera. -Yeah.

You've-you've always come from a space of,

"I want to make good content, but I want people to walk away

and have a good time."

-Yeah. -Uh, is that also intentional?

Yeah, it is, because my music is... is heavy, you know?

My music is talking about the good,

the bad and the ugly of our society.

And so I think, when you go to the movies,

you spend that money, you got your family,

um, you don't want to necessarily be hit over the head

with, you know, life's reality, you know?

You want to escape. You want to have some fun.

Was it a conscious effort of knowing:

I eventually want to go from music

and get to this space of film?

And if I can get into this space,

it's a space I'm going to find true joy in and longevity.

Because, you know, you've... you've went not just from film,

but TV, like I said.

You-You've tapped on all... all levels, on all different spaces.

Um, coming from music, like you said,

being so... so damn hard, you know?

-Yeah. -Such a... such a guy, like you said,

that... that presented a heavy tone.

To get from there and go to the lighter side of it,

that was calculated?

Or did you find yourself falling into something as it laid out?

Well, you know, we... we always tried

to put a little comedy in our music anyway.

Um, you know, if you listen to some of our skits

and some of the things that we did, it was, you know,

a little hint of comedy in there.

Uh, big fans of the best comedians, you know?

-Mm-hmm. -Um, you know, "Hollywood Shuffle,"

like, Robert Townsend is brilliant.

Um, you know, people like, you know...

You got to give credit to people like, uh,

-Russell Simmons, who put that "Def Comedy Jam" up. -Mm-hmm.

But, you know, with me, I was just trying to be

the best rapper in the world.

And John Singleton saw something in me and wanted me to be

in "Boyz n the Hood," which was a movie he wrote

off of one of my songs that I wrote for Eazy.

And so, um, I saw that opportunity, um,

to not only be in a movie but learn--

to, uh, to see what a young John Singleton--

rest in peace-- was doing.

Dude who was close to my age, commanding the set,

commanding the movie.

Um, and I wanted to create on that level. Put it that way.

I heard that the "Boyz n the Hood" shit was hard, though.

-I heard that it was... -Yeah.

I heard they were harder on you.

Not necessarily from a... from a way of, you know,

trying to bully a young actor

that isn't familiar with the territory,

but one of, like, making sure that you were right.

I heard it was, like, you took acting classes

-while doing "Boyz n the Hood." -Yeah. I took two days.

Who came up with the, "Hey, we want to...

-we got these classes..." -Oh, John, John.

He... he came, he said, "Man, you know,

"we're gonna send you to some classes

"and have you, you know, after you shoot,

you'll go there for two hours."

And then I said, "Damn."

You know, I'm like, you're on set for 12 hours,

and then I got to go somewhere for two hours

and then come back and, you know, and act?

And I'm like: But I'm-I'm-I'm acting all day,

and then I'm going to learn how to act at night--

-it should be the other way around. -Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

You know what I mean? So I'm like,

"It kind of don't make sense."

And I-I was frustrated 'cause I was tired,

and I really didn't want to go to no damn class.

So what was the, what was the, what was the "No"?

Was it just, "I'm not going,"

-and nobody ever brought it up again? -Um...

I was on my way, and Laurence Fishburne came to me

and he was like, uh-- well, he saw me about to leave,

and I just had that look on my face.

Frustration, you know?

And he was like, "What's up, Cube?"

I said, "Man, they got me going to this damn class."

He said, "Class? What class?"

Said, "It's an acting class."

He said, uh, he said...

"Acting class?"

He said, "Do you know who Doughboy is?"

I said, "Yeah, I know who Doughboy is."

He said, "No, Cube. Do you know who this dude is?"

-Mm-hmm. -"Inside and out?

You know what he would eat for breakfast?"

I'm like, "Yeah, yeah, I know all that."

He said, "Okay. You got everything you know.

"Stand and deliver.

Deliver... deliver Doughboy to the screen."

And so that... that locked me in.

That made me say: Okay, let me do what I got in my head

and not, you know, try to be this ac-tor,

-Yeah. but just be Doughboy.

* *

* *

You do "Boyz n the Hood." "Boyz n the Hood" is a smash.

-Yeah. Yeah. -Bam. Success.

At that point, at that point were you bit by the acting bug?

-Yeah, because it went to Cannes Film Festival. -Mm-hmm.

Like, I haven't been back to Cannes Film Festival

-since "Boyz n the Hood." -Since. Wow.

So this is the first movie...

it's not even playing in America yet,

but "We're gonna go show it in France and we want you to come."

-Wow. -So we go, and I get there,

and I'm like, "Oh, this is a big deal."

Like, Cannes is, like, crazy.

I didn't know nothing about it, you know what I mean? So...

And parallel, where are you in your music career at this point?

At the height of my solo career.

Like, just dropped "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted."

I think, uh...

either just dropped "Kill at Will"

-or about to drop my second EP. -Damn.

You know, it was rolling.

-Damn. -And I was working on my third--

I mean, working on "Death Certificate."

And so...

being there, and... we get there,

and then I'm like, "Damn, when we showing the movie?"

He's like, "We're gonna show it on Thursday."

Whatever. We get there on Monday.

And then I started thinking, I'm like...

these people speak French--

-like, how they gonna understand the movie? -Yeah.

Yeah, what's the translation?

They was like, "Subtitles."

I'm like, "Oh..."

-(laughing) -They are not gonna understand this movie.

-So I'm like, this shit about to be torture, right? -Mm-hmm.

We get there, it's Quincy Jones in the damn audience,

Eddie Murphy.

-Like... Yeah! -Biggest of the big!

You've got no idea. You don't know what Cannes is.

-I don't know. -You have no idea how massive this is.

I mean, it's like...

Gregory Hines and all these dudes was in there, like...

And they gave it a standing ovation

-after the movie was over, and... -Wow. Wow.

and so I was like, "Damn, if they love it here,

wait till they play this in the States. It's over."

Okay, now we're talking about Cube in Hollywood.

Before I go to the... the later transition

of the want for more, you know...

Now you're talking about at the height of your music career.

-Mm-hmm. -What's the conversation from the music side of you?

You know, you got partners, you got friends,

you got, you know, there-there's other people

that are with you on that music side,

-that are traveling with you, that's a part of that world. -Yeah.

What's their reception to what's going on now?

They was with it, you know?

It was, you know, playing Doughboy was kind of parallel

to the music we was doing,

-Mm-hmm. -so it didn't feel like it was...

it just felt like a natural progression, you know?

And then my next movie, after "Boyz n the Hood,"

was "Trespass," so playing Savon--

-which is another street dude... -Mm-hmm.

it kind of fell in, you know, into place.

But then, you know, I was offered...

I was offered, uh, to...

if I wanted to play O-Dog in "Menace II Society."

Get out of here. Why didn't you take it?

-I felt like I was playing the same character, you know? -Okay.

It was like, from...

from Doughboy to Savon to O-Dog...

I felt like I was going to be trapped in this....

you know, L.A. gang-bang...

How are you thinking like that, though, at that point? Like...

Well, I just knew about typecasting.

At this point, are offers... they're just coming in?

-They're coming in. Okay. -They're coming in pretty,

you know, pretty regularly.

Um, but, you know, I still wanted to do stuff

that was, you know, not-not...

-you know, just the normal hood movie. -Mm-hmm.

Um, because there were so many coming out, you know?

It was, like, was, like, from "Colors" to, you know,

-"Boyz n the Hood" to... -That was the thing back then.

"Menace II Society," the "South Centrals," like...

It was a cup of... that was the cup of tea.

-Yeah. -That's what... that's what got the volume.

That's what got the eyeballs, the attention.

Because at the time, the gang violence, et cetera,

-Yeah. -you know, it was extremely high.

It was on the news every day.

But that's why I wrote "Friday."

-Ah. -I wrote "Friday," because me and Pooh

was looking-- we would look at these movies and be like, "Damn,

was it that bad growing up around here?"

'Cause it seemed like it's terrible.

-Mm-hmm. -Like, war zone.

Was it, though?

I mean, sometimes. But we had fun, too.

-Yeah. -So I wanted to show that.

Like, let's show how we looked at this stuff,

-how we approached it, -Mm-hmm.

how we, uh, coped with it, you know,

and laughed at things that

I guess would make most people cry, you know?

-Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. -So we just figured out,

like, we're gonna do a movie that's...

-That people are gonna watch. -That's not like "South Central,"

that's not like "Menace," gonna have fun with it.

-Cube Vision is born, right? -Mm-hmm.

-You're... -Cube Vision isn't born until '99.

-So this is '95. -What is it that birthed Cube Vision?

Um, me just stepping off from the producers I was with

-and to my own thing. -And birthing your own.

-Yeah. -Realizing that you can just do your own,

-create your own, assemble your own. -Yeah.

I don't think people understand

how buttoned up and bottled up you are.

What you did that shocked me the most...

When we were, we were, we were going through a table read,

and after the table read, you had your notes, right?

-Yeah. -On the script. You made your notes.

And we show up on set for the first day of shooting.

You pull out your phone and your notes.

You said, "No, here I want glasses on.

"Down here is when I'm-a put them-- I'm-a take them off.

"And then, later on, when we get here, this scene is...

I'm gonna take them back off because it's better for me..."

You had a breakdown of wardrobe, of glasses,

of how you want to move. "No, it's best for me here.

I should have badge materials."

Like, you were so dialed in,

from costume to props, from everything else.

And that's when I was like, "Oh, my God."

Like, I've never looked at a script like that.

-And at this point, I'm some movies in. -Yeah.

I didn't know to look at the script like that.

I didn't know to approach material

with that type of energy, with that type of effort.

You're the first person to show me

that there's more to the character,

to breaking down the character.

-Mm-hmm. -Your guy was dialed in, and that...

it honestly blew me away.

'Cause that's the last thing I expected from Ice Cube.

Yeah, I appreciate it. You know, being a producer,

like, I've been an actor, wrote,

I've directed a movie, you know, "The Players Club."

But being a producer, to me, is the best spot.

You know, to me, that's where all the action is.

Because you get to, you know,

have some say in every aspect of the movie.

* *

* *

So, Cube Vision... Cube Vision now is rolling.

-Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. -You're rolling.

You're now producing movies left and right, back to back.

At this point, you've found a way to say:

Okay, I got music over here, but I also can do this,

and I can do this at a high level as well.

-Right? -Mm-hmm. Yeah.

That, to me, that's where you become interesting.

Because after meeting you, I expected one thing, you know?

I've heard stories. I didn't know what to expect.

But after you and I worked together, I'm on set,

the biggest thing for me was, I'm working with a guy

who's responsible for making some of the best classics ever.

Now I get to stand beside him on the big screen.

"Kev, come with your A-game. Make sure you know your shit."

-Like, "Let's be prepared." -Mm-hmm.

I'm listening to you guys talk about the things

that were necessary to our movie.

I kept saying, "Dude, I'm a student."

-And I'm happy with being a student. -Yeah, you did always say that.

I'm happy with sitting back.

That was... that was the biggest mind-blow.

'Cause I'm expecting Cube to show up: "Yo, leave Cube...

"Yo, Cube don't... Leave him alone.

Hey, when he do this, like..." You know, I'm expecting, like,

not walking on eggshells,

-but, yeah, like, all right, like, what... -Yeah.

How do I handle and manage this relationship, you know?

But, you know, I learned some things from you

about, um, taking care of your, your audience.

You know what I mean?

You... you know, you showed me a lot,

um, when it comes to social media,

you know, and what you really need to do.

-Mm-hmm. -Um...

I've always been impressed by how you have, um,

-kind of understood your brand -Mm-hmm.

and knew it was a brand before most people

even said that out their mouth.

-Mm-hmm. -Uh, that they actually could be a brand

and they should approach their career like that.

Um, and, you know, it's...

it made me button up some things, tighten up.

And to this day, one of the best...

one of the best promo tours I've ever been on.

-Fun. We had fun, man. -Our...

-our "Ride Along" promo tour, Cube, was fun. -Yeah. Yeah.

We shut down... we shut down South Street in Philadelphia.

-Yup. -Talking about audience, we were giving out cheesesteaks.

We-we did a stunt where we were giving out cheesesteaks--

I believe it was Pat's on South Street--

and I said "Yo, I'm just gonna blast it and say we're going."

-Yeah. It was... it was crazy. -I said, "I'm-a do a social media blast

and say we're going-- it's gonna be crazy, Cube."

-Yeah. -'Cause it's Philly. That's where I'm from.

But if it work, it's gonna be huge.

When I tell you me and Cube had so many damn people

-in the streets of Philadelphia... -Yeah.

-Yeah. -and we was in the back, we in the back

-Just... -passing out cheesesteaks, but having a blast.

Having a blast.

We made the most out of the title "Ride Along."

-Yeah, we did. We did. -We made the most out of it.

Uh, I got to tell you what else I'm envious of, man.

That I can only hope to experience

in some type of way, you know, as I get older.

-I got four kids now, right? -Mm-hmm.

And of course you wonder what your kids are going to do,

how your kids are gonna grow up.

What are they going to want to do with their careers,

-their lives, et cetera? -Yeah.

-Uh, O'Shea, man. -Ah, man.

-O'Shea. Like, you know... -Yeah.

-It's a little surreal... -It's crazy.

for a movie to be created based off of your life, right?

-Mm-hmm. -Your... your group,

your foundation,

and to tell a story about the good,

the bad and the disgustingly ugly.

-Yeah. Yeah. -Like, to tell that story

and to have your son casted

and knock the role out the park, man,

-I mean... -It's crazy.

I mean, Cube, what does that feel like?

What is that... what is that...

Give me a clear description of how that makes you feel.

I mean, you know, like... you done walked out one time

and you felt like your balls was, like...

-Huge. -Yeah.

-Yeah. Yeah. -That's what it felt like.

It felt like, you know, like...

I got basketballs right now.

-Hold on. -This is, this is...

And-and look, it's.... it's so cool, you know,

to have him,

you know, be in the movie and do a great job

and organically be the best person for the part.

-Mm. -That's, to me, what I'm proud of,

is: I got him ready, but he had to...

do it.

He had to get the job.

He had to have, you know, Donna Langley,

you know, give the stamp of approval.

Not me, you know what I'm saying?

So, uh, and there was other actors.

When you say you got him ready, what does that mean, though?

I approached him and, um...

and said, "Look, I think we're gonna do this N.W.A movie,

-Mm-hmm. -and I want you to play me."

Now, I had took him on tour.

We'd done, you know, he'd been onstage with me

doing the N.W.A songs.

I'd been, you know, I'd been watching him from there.

I'm like, "This kid got it."

And so...

he was like, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, that'd be cool."

But I thought he was, like...

You know, I was like, "Okay, I'm about to put your ass

"through the wringer, and if you don't want to play me,

you're gonna quit," like, you know what I'm saying?

"'Cause I don't want you to get there,

get on the screen and not be ready."

-Mm-hmm. -So I'm like...

I did send him to acting, uh, classes--

L.A., New York-- um, and he was...

you know, where I was thinking he was gonna be like,

"Man, I'm tired" or, you know, "I don't feel like going in,"

or, you know, trying to ditch the little classes,

he was like, "No, no, I got to get with my coach,

"you know what I mean?

Me and him are supposed to go through some stuff."

-And so he was, like, getting... -He embraced it.

-Yeah, he embraced it, and was, -Wow.

uh, and I'm like, "Oh, he working hard."

So then I had to tell Gary-- Gary Gray--

I'm like, "Gary, guess what, man.

I got something to tell you."

He said-- 'cause he's ready, you know?

We're in preproduction, we're getting ready.

You know, he's... he's hired, you know, Universal,

they greenlit it, it's ready.

And I'm like, "Dude, I got to tell you something."

I said... (clears throat)

-"I want my son to play me." -Mm.

He was like... (smacks lips)

"Damn, Cube.

Man, I thought we was making a real movie."

-Ooh. Ooh. -That's what he said to me.

-I was like, "We are making a real movie." -Ooh.

-Ooh. Ooh. -I said, "We are making a real movie."

-Ooh. -And I said, "And he gonna be great in it,

"and you're gonna help him be great,

-"just like John Singleton helped me be great. -Damn.

-You're gonna do the same thing he did for me." -Damn.

And, uh, he was like, "All right, all right.

Let me see what he got."

And so, you know, they went to, you know--

he put him through the wringer.

I mean, it's been, like, two years now,

-you know, of auditions... -Of-of prep.

-Of prep. Two years. -Two years of prep,

from Dad throwing you through it, and now we're doing more.

-Okay. -So, now it's the screen test time.

Um, it's five other Ice Cubes there, too, just in case.

-Mm-hmm. -And my son said when he saw that,

that's made... that made him more mad than anything.

-Like, "Oh, y'all think -Seeing other people.

-"y'all 'bout to take this out my mouth? -Play my dad.

-'Bout to play my dad. -Oh, nah." Yeah, so now he's thinking

of like: I got to do this for the family.

So he get in there and get the part, you know.

And then, you know, did what it...

what it took to be great,

you know, when the cameras start rolling.

You know, it's cool to be-- you know,

you had them actors who, they do everything great

until the damn camera start rolling,

and then they're frozen, so...

And the dopest thing is that he didn't just take the moment.

-He seized the opportunity. I mean, O'Shea is now... -Oh, yeah.

he's now a working actor in Hollywood.

-A respected... -He do bigger movies than me.

-a respected working actor. -He do bigger movies than me.

I mean, he do "Godzilla." He in "Star Wars."

-Yeah, he's in "Star Wars." Yes. Yes. -Yeah, man. I'm like...

He's a respected working actor in Hollywood.

-Yeah. Do his thing. -I think that's an amazing thing,

to have your son portray your life

and-and do an amazing job of it.

That's... Dude, I applaud it.

I... I'm envious of it.

I can only hope that, you know, my kids

in some way, shape or form do something that...

it's like, "Oh, God, that's the cadence of their father."

Or... You know what I mean? That's a, that's like a dream.

-It's a dream. -Look...

-That's a dream. -They're coming in here,

they should be able to do their thing if they want to.

-Mm-hmm. -You know what I'm saying?

And they should walk into it like,

"I'm second generation Hollywood."

-Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. -You know what I'm saying?

"I'm not new to this. I'm second gener..."

I told my son, "You're second generation Hollywood.

Don't walk in there like no new booty."

-No, no, no, he's, he's... he's crushing it. -You know what I'm saying?

If the Barrymores can walk in there and be...

(laughs): you know what I mean, fifth generation Hollywood...

I mean, you're starting it off.

-You're... you've told no lies. -Yeah.

* *

* *

Now let's get to the days where we are now.

-Let's get to current. -Mm-hmm.

-You're revisiting music again. -Yeah.

And now you're with Snoop,

-Yep, 40... -E-40,

-Too Short, yourself, right? -Yup. Mount Westmore.

-Yeah. Yeah. -Mount Westmore.

Basically a play on words, Mount Rushmore, right?

Yeah, they bit it from us, but okay.

Okay. I-I'm not gonna argue that.

What, who am I? Who am I to argue that?

Uh, whose idea?

Uh, 40. E-40 idea.

-Approached you guys? -He approached me.

He called me, and he was like, "You know what, Cube?

We should do a big-ass group together."

I said, "What you mean by big? Like, who else?"

"Like," he says, "Snoop and Short.

Me, you, Snoop and Short."

And I'm like, "Yeah, that's big."

'Cause you got L.A., Bay, California sewed up.

-That's huge. -Legendary.

-We all been in the game over 25, 30 years, -Huge.

and we all got our own followings, and...

we did an incredible...

I mean, we got, like, 50 tracks.

So we got three albums' worth of shit, you know?

So it was just, uh, the right thing to do

at the right time, you know?

Coming to the table, though, you know,

you got some of the biggest careers ever.

-Yeah. -You got... you got people

who have been successful, who are successful,

who know success.

-Mm-hmm. -You got a bunch of individuals who can say,

"I know how to do this. I know how to get it done."

Uh, you know, it's a lot of... that's a lot of alpha.

-Mm-hmm. -You know, at any point, at any point, is there headbutting?

At any point, is there, "No, we don't do it like that.

-We got to do it like this"? -(laughs) Yeah, I mean, it's some shit-talking.

You know? I mean, to be honest, you know, we, uh...

What's cool is we've always had a great rapport.

We've been on tour with each other.

-Mm-hmm. -You know, I've toured with Snoop.

Me and Too Short done toured early in our career,

late in our career, you know?

We connected at the hip.

We done did records. We, you know...

we just did a record on my last album together.

-Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. -So, um...

And 40, you know, it's always been love.

You know, he's, to me, you know,

one of the most clever, um, MCs in the game.

-Always has been. -So, um, it's just right.

When we get together, it's family, it's respect, it's love.

Understanding.

But we also, um, you know, we talk a little shit,

-bicker, fight, you know, fuss a little bit. -Mm-hmm.

But it's all love, and it's all trying to get,

you know, to the right spot with the group.

I... Literally at this point,

the world wants to know, people want to know--

just put it to rest

or-or-or keep the hope in the air--

is there a possibility for another "Friday"?

Or is it, or is it just done?

-I mean... -Are the conversations over?

Or are they pending? Where are we at with it right now?

I'm gonna keep hope alive.

Uh, I've been trying to get this movie done for years.

I mean, I've given them... I wrote a script.

First script I wrote, they said...

First script I wrote, it was about...

it was before, it was before cannabis was legal,

so it was just-- it was legal, but it was, like, marijuana--

-I mean, medical, it had to be medical. -Okay. Okay.

So I wrote a script where Craig and Day-Day had a dispensary,

and they...

a flash mob came in there and fucked their dispensary up

and then... but they end up going to jail

'cause of how they was trying to deal with the kids.

So they in jail,

and in jail they're dealing with, you know, they see Deebo,

-they see the Joker brothers, they see everybody... -Everybody's there.

-Everybody's there. -Everybody there.

-It'll be epic. -Yeah.

If we can get all those people to come to the table,

-it'll be epic. -They will come to the table.

* *

* *

Now, I would do you a disservice,

myself a disservice at all,

if I didn't tap into the other side of now, you know?

You've always been vocal about the Black community.

-Yeah. -You've always been vocal about the unfair treatment.

You've always been vocal about the injustices.

You've always been vocal from the standpoint of defining

what the "Fuck tha Police" and all of that stuff

has come from, and over the years,

where the animosity is, and the treatment--

-Mm-hmm, yeah. -more in general-- I want to make sure

that I say that word correctly,

because that's what it's been about from you.

Uh, you had a public...

you know, this is a, it's a public,

a public back-and-forth between your community,

between, uh, political figures...

-Yeah. -as to where your side of loyalty actually lies.

-Uh-huh. -Uh, for the first time, Cube's loyalty to the Black community

was questioned by Black people.

Just give me your breakdown

of-of all that's taken place.

Well, you know, um,

after the whole George Floyd incident, um...

I was actually supposed to go on "Good Morning America" that day,

and, um, I canceled.

It was, like, I saw the George Floyd thing

early that morning, and then I... I canceled,

um, with a tweet of, you know, I canceled "Good Morning America"

because I don't feel like telling America good morning,

-you know? -Mm.

And, um...

so from there, you know, it was a lot of protests,

and we all remember, you know, the summer of 2020.

Um, and so I heard a lot of yelling,

a lot of, uh, "Defund the police"

and "Police reform," and we need this, we need that.

And I was like, well, where is the one comprehensive,

like, ask?

Like, what do we actually need, across the board, top to bottom?

Because the country feels like it's ready to make a change.

I want to be specific.

I don't want to be just yelling slogans, you know?

So I got with a lot of smart people, um,

economists and people who've been looking at this problem

from different angles,

and we came up with what's called

the "Contract with Black America."

And it's basically pointing out all the issues

and why we're at the bottom of this, uh, pyramid.

And, you know, basically saying, you know,

we're 14% of the country, 13 1/2%,

and we only own .5% of the wealth.

So you got 13% trying to live off half a point.

Uh, that's the problem.

And so a lot of people asked to speak to me,

you know, when they saw the contract.

Uh, the Democratic Party asked to speak to me,

and I did a Zoom call with...

with a lot of different top-level, um...

Democrats.

Uh, but what surprised me was,

the Republicans saw the contract, too,

and they wanted to talk to me about it.

And I felt like if I really want change,

I need to talk to both sides.

Because this is a... this is a bipartisan issue.

This is an issue that the Republicans need to help solve

-and the Democrats need to help solve. -Mm-hmm.

I didn't have a problem with speaking to them.

I knew... I knew I would get backlash from it.

And it was a lot of backlash, but at the end of the day, um,

I think people were really upset because I didn't pick a side.

Um, and I was, uh...

you know, neutral.

I'm still an Independent,

and, um, I didn't vote for any candidate,

so I didn't vote for Biden or Trump.

-Mm-hmm. -People was upset at that position, you know?

A lot of people were very passionate

on who they wanted to win,

and if you wasn't with their guy,

they was, you know, gonna attack you, and...

But that's every election, you know?

-I'm a big boy. I knew what was gonna happen. -Mm-hmm.

But, you know, I-I-I don't put my...

-trust behind any politician. -Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

You know, I know politicians, you know,

usually are servicing the people that got 'em elected,

um, who spent the big bucks.

So, uh, the key is to get them to...

to make promises on the record.

So you hold them accountable for when they are elected.

If you never get the promise before the election,

then anything they do after the election,

they're gonna say, "Well, see, I did something."

-Mm-hmm. -And it's not a kind of an itemized list of things

that you say, "Hey, will you promise this?"

Uh, so, you know, not holding the politicians accountable

before the election, to me,

is a mistake that we continue to make.

And, um, until we correct that,

we're gonna have the same outcome.

Well, I mean, look, you know, I'm definitely not gonna be one

to have any conversation of negativity,

because I understand it's not many

that are taking the opportunity to input or implement action.

Right? You know, like you said, there's a lot of people

that talk, and there's very few that do.

So, uh, it just takes a lot to-to...

attempt anything in this time.

There's... there's a lot of backlash

-that comes with any effort or attempt, -Yeah.

especially in the world of politics,

because it's divisive.

You-you... There is no right, you know?

Everybody's going to find a wrong.

You're always going to be in a conversation of opinion.

Uh, which makes it a tough space to be in.

But for you to stand in that,

and be okay while standing in that,

and still saying,

"I'm gonna continue to stand behind what I feel.

"It's not only my truth but what's...

"what's best for my people, my culture.

I know the fight that I'm fighting."

I think that's, uh, that's a pretty dope thing.

Yeah, you know, I just look at it like this, Kevin.

You know, everybody got to do what they feel is right,

um, even if, you know, they feel like not jumping in it is right.

Um, I'm cool with that, you know?

I think, you know,

fans are gonna do what they do.

People gonna do what they do.

When people really love you,

-you can do no wrong, you know what I'm saying? -Mm-hmm.

And when people really hate you, you can do nothing right.

So that's just it, no matter what.

You know, whether we was talking about politics

or, you know, the Laker game or, you know, Doritos.

I mean, it's like, you know, people, you know,

when they, when they, when they want to be down with you,

they'll be down, and when people don't want to,

they'll find a reason not to.

And that's cool, too.

What was the household stance?

The wife, the kids, how did they feel

about what was going on when it was going on?

-I mean, they... they're better soldiers than me, you know? -Really?

'Cause they're always with it.

They always stand behind me,

um, and...

you know, support,

and, um...

you know, they're soldiers.

They've been through everything,

so they don't bat an eye at none of this.

-They know... -How long, how long you been married now, Cube?

Man, I've been married, uh...

-it's gonna be 27, 28 years in November. -Goddamn.

But we've been together since '89.

So we've been together for, like, 32 years.

-Sheez! Congrats, man. -Yeah.

-Thank you, man. -Real, real inspiration.

Kim... Kim is a wonderful woman.

You know, I wouldn't be here without her.

She, um...

you know, she's everything about me that y'all don't see.

-Wow. That's strong. Strong. -Yeah.

* *

* *

Where-where is Cube today?

What-what are your wants today?

Like, you know, we've... we've covered so much, right?

But at this stage in your career,

at this stage in your life, what is the...

what's the expectations

that-that you have at this point, from you?

You know, I mean, just doing things, you know...

I mean, you know, I got a basketball league.

-The Big3. -Yes, you do. The Big3.

You know, just making sure that continue to grow

and, you know, um,

I want that to be around a hundred years, so...

You know, it's still work to do.

Still, you know, finding the right films I want to do.

Um, you know, everybody keeps bringing me,

you know, two-hander comedies, you know what I'm saying?

And I'm like, "Look, you know,

"you probably won't top the ones I've already done,

-Yeah. -"you know, with the...

"you know, some of the best comedians on earth.

So let's figure out something else."

So, you know, just figuring out the right roles.

Uh, you know, music, um, touring.

Um, you know, I did, uh,

"War of the Worlds,"

-so that's a big movie for Universal, which is cool. -Mm-hmm.

-Um... -Is there... is there a retirement?

-Is there a... -Shit.

-Damn. No? -Hell nah. I'm...

I'm-a be, uh, George Burns around this motherfucker.

-You say no. No shot. -No. I ain't going nowhere.

No shot. There's-there's no end?

-Retire and do what, go fishing? -I don't know. I think...

why-why is it... Am I the only one

that's thinking, like, about a deadline?

-Like, "Okay..." -Why?

I mean, there-there has... doesn't...

What's... what you gonna do that's gonna be more fun

and exciting than what you're doing?

I need some more wine.

-You want some more? Hold on, bruh. -Yeah, man.

I got a, I got a so... I got a somm-somm...

Damn it.

-Shit. -Look, see? That's...

See? You have really changed.

-You have really changed. -D, what is...

Pronounce it for me again?

-A sava... -Sommelier.

-Sommal... Goddamn it. -Sommelier.

Can we write it down somewhere so I can see it?

Sommelier, sommelier, somm.

Somm! Somm is my word.

-ICE CUBE: That's cheating. -I got a somm.

-No. You got to learn that. Sommelier. -No, I got a somm.

-I got a somm, too, man. What-what we got over here? -A sommelier. I got a somm.

-I got something for you, too. -Thank you, D.

-DLYNN: Very welcome. -Appreciate you. -You know what I mean?

-I-I come with gifts. -You got me something?

Look, I know you don't get high.

-What is it? -Look, I know this.

-Come on, Cube! You... -But I brought you some...

I brought you some Fryday Kush.

Oh, wait a second, brother.

And then I brought you some Good-- it's legal in L.A.

No, it's legal, but my kids--

-I don't smoke this, kids! -And then I brought you some Good Day Kush.

I brought you some Good Day Kush.

-Dawg, wait a minute, man. -Yeah.

Now, I don't, I don't smoke it, Cube, but if I did,

which is the upper and what's the downer?

-Uh, both of them will have you... -Yeah, not for me.

-I'm saying if I were to use it... -Yeah.

-So you're saying both of these... -Yeah, both will have you up.

Both of these are pure... they're functional, right?

Man, they do what they supposed to do.

Boy, just when you think he's doing enough...

-Hey, man, you know. -he show you that he, that he's got more.

-Ain't this... ain't this something. -Look...

-It's called Good Day. -I don't touch the stuff. Now, I don't touch the stuff.

-I don't touch it. -Well, that's a lie,

'cause when we was on promo tour,

you used to do it all the time.

-I mean, I smoke it, but I don't touch it. -Oh, okay.

(crew laughing)

You want the ATF kicking in my goddamn door, boy?

Yeah, "Dude, hey, Kevin, shut up, Kevin.

You just doing too much. Now you're not doing enough."

Uh, no, the only reason why I say-- thank you, by the way.

Uh, very thoughtful gift. The only reason why I ask you

just about the endgame is 'cause, you know,

I-I truly do believe, at some point,

figuring out the way to... to exit while as close to the top,

if not on top, uh, that you possibly can.

-Like, before you have to. -Like "Seinfeld" or some shit?

"Seinfeld" is... that's an anomaly.

-What he did... -I mean, what is he doing now?

He's... he's bored out his damn mind.

-No, Seinfeld is, he's... -Driving around, doing, like...

He goes up onstage, man. He tours.

-He just doesn't want to do TV no more. -Oh, so that's not retiring.

He does it as his... at his leisure.

-Right? -Like you do your movies at your leisure.

Yeah. I guess maybe it's just me.

May-Maybe it's just me. Nobody else...

Nobody else has a button. Nobody else has an endgame.

-For what? -One.

Why? Have you seen Morgan Freeman?

-I have seen Morgan Freeman. -Do you know Morgan Freeman

been acting since about 1942?

-Yes. I think everybody knows that. Morgan... -Okay.

-Morgan Freeman... -Maybe '32.

-Morgan Freeman is the one person... -But... but listen...

he's the one person-- it's not a secret.

Everybody goes, "Morgan is still in this business.

-Still in this game. -Yeah, Morgan's... Morgan's 96.

-Everybody knows that. -Okay.

-So you think you can go that long? -Kevin, you can go to 97.

You could be a hundred.

-How old are you now, Cube? -Don't worry about that part.

-Oh, that boy got that product in. -How old do I look?

-Oh, he got that product in. He got that product. -You know me. Come on, baby.

-Nah, this is natural. You know the secret... -No, no, no.

-It's el natural. -Hey, boy, you keep it together.

Are you...?

(quietly): What, are you 62?

-Motherfucker, what? -What, you 62?

-62 what? -57?

-What? -56?

Man. Boy, we about to move furniture in here.

All right, all right, that means...

-I'm gonna run your ass all the way down... -That's code...

-That's code word for fighting. -I'm-a run you all the way down

-and hang you off one of these damn... -For all of our listeners,

that's code word for fighting. I don't want to fight Cube.

-We're gonna move furniture. -Okay? He's threatened me like that a couple times.

-Yeah. -Uh, dude, I appreciate you.

I love you. I genuinely mean that.

-Love you, too, man. -Toast to you.

-Toast. -Not only being my friend but being a brother,

but goddamn it, being a role model, man.

-Yay-yay. -I learn a lot from you.

I continue to, uh... I'm only wishing you the best, man.

And since you're not retiring,

I'm looking forward to doing "Ride Along 5."

We're gonna do it, baby. Let's go, let's go.

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