Since 1986, O’Shea Jackson Sr., better known as Ice Cube, has been tearing up the music scene since he was a member of the controversial rap group, NWA. In this time, Ice Cube has released a plethora of albums and has become one of the most popular hip-hop artists that has ever lived.
We would put him up there with Tupac, Biggie and Nas as far as influential people in the hip-hop game go.
This leads us to the topic of this post, Ice Cube tattoos. You’ve got to be a pretty big name to have your face or something that represents you tattooed on another person’s body. Not only is Ice Cube a well-known hip-hop artist but he has also been involved in many hit movies including Friday, Boyz n the Hood, Ride Along and Next Friday to name a few. There isn’t much this man hasn’t accomplished in this time on Earth and we want to celebrate him by talking a little more about Mr. O’Shea Jackson Sr.
In this post, we will talk about the history of Ice Cube and what makes him such a popular person and subject to be tattooed. We will go through his life and talk about how he got to where he is now and why people love him so much. We hope that by the end of this post, you feel more informed about Ice Cube and a bit more comfortable if you were thinking of getting an Ice Cube tattoo.
About Ice Cube
Ice Cube was born O’Shea Jackson and was born on June 15, 1969. He has been successful on both the big screen and on the music scene. He was one of the founders of the genre of hip-hop called gangsta rap.
He got his start in rap by writing and performing for a group called C.I.A. and then later moved on to the world-famous gangsta rap group, N.W.A. The group gained much attention, good and bad, for their controversial stances on social issues like police brutality and corruption. Their music pushed the boundaries and at one point, their song Fuck the Police, was so provocative, it caused the FBI to write a letter to N.W.A’s music label expressing their dislike of the song.
Ice Cube left N.W.A in 1989 and went on to have a successful solo career. He went platinum on two solo albums including AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted in 1990 and Death Certificate in 1991. One reason Ice Cube has been such an important person in hip hop is because most of the themes in his music revolve around socio-political issues.
Not only was he on a roll in the early 90’s with his music but then he got his first break into the movies with a starring role in John Singleton’s Boyz n the Hood. From there he wrote and starred in the Friday series. At this point, Ice Cube was becoming better known for his roles in movies. They even made a biographical movie about N.W.A. called Straight Outta Compton in which his son was cast to play him.
This should give you somewhat of an idea of why Ice Cube is such an important person in the African-American community and why he is the topic of this post. The Ice Cube tattoo is one that the majority of people will know. No longer is this man just a rapper. He is an icon.
Ice Cube Tattoo Variations
The Ice Cube tattoo is usually one that is recognizable but there are some ways we have seen it tattooed in which it looks different than you would expect. Fortunately, some creative people are out there and we love seeing the results. When creativity and tattooing combine, they make some pretty cool tattoos and we’ll go over some of the variations of the Ice Cube tattoo below.
Ice Cube Portrait
The Ice Cube portrait is one of the main tattoos you will see involving this man. Generally, we see this tattoo as a more current version of Ice Cube wearing a hat of some sort. He usually has short hair in the tattoo with a gnarled look on his face. This facial expression is a big part of who this man was. With his controversial music groups and lyrics, Ice Cube has earned the right to look any way he wants.
We would suggest doing your research before getting a portrait tattoo of Ice Cube. Portrait tattooing is extremely specialized, and you need to find an artist who has a lot of portraits in their portfolio. Take your time because the artist you choose will have to capture the personality of Ice Cube in your next tattoo.
NWA Ice Cube Portrait
The other version of the Ice Cube tattoo portrait is when he was in the group N.W.A. He had a very distinct look at this time with his hair long and curled and usually sporting a Raiders or White Sox hat. There will be no confusion about the time period of this portrait.
Incorporating an Ice Cube Tattoo
We have seen some really creative Ice Cube tattoos that actually incorporate ice cubes and the rapper, Ice Cube. You might see an ice cube with his face on it wearing a hat. This kind of creativity is the stuff we love to see because then others can get an idea of the directions that are possible, and we get to talk about it. Some might even just get an ice cube tattooed on their body, so people will have to ask them about it.
The best part about getting a tattoo is getting a conversation going about when, where and why you got what you got. The Ice Cube tattoo is the perfect tattoo for anyone who is a fan of gangsta rap. If you decide to get a tattoo of Ice Cube, make sure you find an artist you are comfortable with and if you are having trouble with that, we can make a recommendation for you.