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Ice Cube tickets will not only introduce you to a legend of the hip hop genre, but to an icon of pop culture. Ice Cube has made his mark as a rapper, songwriter, actor, producer and director. His artistic talents span several disciplines, and a look at his life will help explain how he achieved his current status.

Early Life and Career

O'Shea Jackson was born on June 15, 1969 in Los Angeles, and he was raised in South Central Los Angeles, one of the roughest neighborhoods in the area. Jackson took an early interest in rap, and by the time he was 14, he had befriended others at William Howard Taft High School who would eventually form his first group, N.W.A.

The group was notorious with the mainstream listening audience, as their lyrics were considered way over the top and provocative. Some of the members of the band had checkered pasts, and these street-inspired experiences made their way into N.W.A.'s songs. They were seen as the defining group for 'West Coast' rap, and in their five years together, they garnered a large following despite very little play on the radio.

The group released four highly-successful albums, but disagreements between Ice Cube, Dr. Dre and Eazy-E led to the ultimate demise of N.W.A. Despite their success, each artist went out on his own.

Solo Career and Other Pursuits

Cube went on to record his first solo album in 1990 entitled AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted, and it was an instant smash hit, even though the album's notice was partially due to controversy. Many decried the lyrics that were seen as carrying a message of violence and anti-white racism, but the album did gain a lot of play on the radio, making it one of the first hard-core rap cuts to gain a mainstream audience.

At this point, Ice Cube had an opportunity to expand his interests, and he did so by landing a role in John Singleton's critically-acclaimed move, 'Boyz N the Hood,' where he played 'Doughboy' with much success. Critics were highly supportive of his first big-time foray into acting, and this role and the movie's success paved the way for future ventures.

After the movie role, Cube got back into music, and he once again released an album that was highly controversial. Death Certificate was widely panned by critics as extremely racist, and there was also a school of thought that labeled the album as anti-women as well. Cube took it in stride, and continued to widen his fan base.

He joined the Lollapalooza tour in 1992, which exposed him to a different set of listeners, and it was then that Ice Cube began to make a name for himself within the mainstream media with a degree of acceptance. Ice Cube tickets were now a known commodity to a wider audience.

This acceptance led to another breakthrough movie role in the successful comedy Friday in 1995. The film was so successful that it spawned two sequels, and led to many other roles for Cube in different genres.

Overall Impact

Overall, Ice Cube has met success everywhere he's gone. His eight solo albums all either went platinum or charted in a meaningful way, and he's won several awards for both his music and his acting, including a Blockbuster Entertainment Award, a MECCA Movie Award, a Soul Train Music Award and a Hip Hop Music Award.

His records have sold in the millions, and his movies have been successful. Ice Cube tickets are a chance to see an artist who has truly risen from nothing to become a star.