From the start of notorious gangsta rap group N.W.A to founding his own production studio, O'Shea Jackson has risen through the ranks of music and
Hollywood with a prolific, freewheeling career.
The 46-year-old actor, rapper, and producer, known as Ice Cube, penned many of the controversial, political raps N.W.A was known for. Songs such as "F--- the Police" earned the watchful eye of the FBI, but the group only became more popular.
But after royalty disputes, Ice Cube left and started his own successful music career.
He made his film debut in "Boyz N the Hood," which launched him to an acting career that has included horror films, comedies, and even family films.
Last year, he produced critically-acclaimed "Straight Outta Compton," a biopic about N.W.A that's nominated for an Oscar.
As of last year, Ice Cube is estimated to be worth $140 million. His newest film, "Ride Along 2," came out Friday.
Here's a look at Ice Cube's Hollywood rise:
O'Shea Jackson was born June 15, 1969, in South Central Los Angeles to Hosea and Doris Jackson. He has an older brother and a half-sister who was killed when he was 12.
Source: The Huffington Post
He got the nickname Ice Cube after trying to hit on his older brother's girlfriends. He told Entertainment Weekly that he would stay on the phone with them when they called to talk to his brother.
"And my brother kept saying, 'You're trying to be too cool. Stop trying to be so cool all the time. You ain't no damn ice cube.' And I was like, 'Yes I am.' And that's how I got my name," he said.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
He first started rapping when he was 14 years old after a classmate challenged him to write a rap and was immediately immersed in the rap/hip-hop culture.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
