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Conversations with Cube
Bakotopia goes one on one with Ice Cube backstage at The Fox on 8/27/08



By Matt Muñoz, Bakotopia Editor
Photos by Holly Carlyle

Bakersfield gave rapper Ice Cube a royal welcome this past August 27, and as promised in our last issue (9/4/08), Bakotopia did get some personal access to the star of stage and screen.

Hanging out with his crew backstage at The Fox, the scene was as mellow as the west coast flow he’s mastered since his days with NWA, as a solo artist, and as a member of Westside Connection.

And just like his character Craig from the movie “Friday,” Cube was more than happy to have a seat and give some insight into what’s really going on in the life of the Westside’s most wanted.

Q. The new album “Raw Footage” talks about the “Pyroclastic Flow,” explain that concept?
A. Every MC claims their flow is hot. I claim mine is hot, too. It’s hotter than fire, or hotter than anything they wanna spit, you know? It comes to hot and tearing up anything that’s stands in its way.

Q. One of the album’s tracks, “It Takes a Nation,” takes jabs at big radio - Clearchannel, Viacom, and the “sell-out” mentality. What’s your message behind the song?
A. I feel corporate influence has crippled the art that we put together in the ’80s and in the ’90s. In the 2000s it started to come apart. If you look back and see all the corporate influence on hip hop now - it’s the reason you have all this watered down rap.



Q. How independent of an artist are you?
A. As independent as it gets - if I don’t pay for it, it doesn’t get paid for.

Q. You recorded with KORN, and performed on The Family Values Tour in ’98. How was that experience?
A. That was cool. I got turned onto KORN, and had a chance to meet them. I thought what they were doing was real innovative - hard metal, with the hip hop undertones to me is what I like about them. They had these breakdown beats, and the fusion between rock and hip hop. I think they were the band who did it the best.


Above: WC & Ice Cube do the gangsta boogie on 8/27.

Q. You received hip hop awards, platinum records. Would you ever go after an Academy Award?
A. I don’t think you should try to get an Oscar. You should just try to make good movies. It’s like trying to go hit a home run. You just go out there and try to make contact and see what happens from there. I do usually make my movies geared towards the hood, but that won’t stop me from doing those films that may be considered “Oscar worthy.”

Q. How does it feel to look out into the audience and know that everyone has some of your works in their collection?
A. It feels good. I mean, that’s what you’re in it for - to gain love, respect, popularity, get a little money along the way. It just feels good that people respect what I do, and not just dismiss it - they’re true fans, who are into my career, what I’m into, what I’m doing, and paying attention. I cherish that.



Q. Your latest film “Longshots” was directed by Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit. How was it working with another musician behind the lens?
A. It’s just another way of showing the world what we’re all about. Working on a movie like that shows the world that we’re not all about just hard-core stuff - we can do well-rounded stuff that everybody can get into. We’re just true artists that are doing what we love to do - and taking it to the big screen.



Q. What are the chances of ever seeing an incarnation of NWA recording again?
A. You never know, it’s all 50/50 and really on the will of Dr. Dre. He has to produce a project like that for it to be a true NWA record.

Q. Barack Obama has clinched the Democratic nomination for president. If you had a one on one meeting, what would you ask him?
A. There’s nothing really to talk about right now - until he becomes president. He has his own way of doing things, I got mine.

Ice Cube’s latest CD, “Raw Footage,” is available now.


Also printed in Bakotopia magazine, issue 37, 8-19-08