Ice Cube: Working with Dr. Dre, The TRUTH About Hollywood, & Inspiring Generations

30:57Or did you get a lot of support? I got a lot of support, but people did raise their eyebrow when I was doing Friday. And they were like, well, you do hardcore music. You do your movies that you've done have been dramas. Like, why do you think you can do a comedy? And that was weird for people. But I was used to it because I got the same flack when I did my biggest song, which was It Was A Good Day. You know, some of my guys was like, man, you do hardcore music. Why do you think you need to talk about a good day? And I was like, well, I don't do hardcore music. I do reality music. And the reality is if I'm having a good day, I should be able to do a song about it.

31:50You know, why should I, you know, just talk about the heart without talking about everything, you know? And it's my biggest song. Really? Talking about a positive thing. Yeah. Because it was from the heart. Wow. You know what I'm saying with NWA? You know, we didn't know we were going to be big stars with this kind of hip hop, like going that hard. We thought we was just going to be underground. L.A. scene. Yeah, yeah, you know, just, you know, neighborhood stars, you know what I'm saying, getting the girls in our neighborhood to pay attention to us. Right. We thought that was about as far as it was going to go, and we just came from the heart, and then it ends up being our ticket to success.

32:36Wow. And you met, I think I heard you talk about meeting Dr. Dre, or Dre, back when you were 12 or 13, isn't that right? 14. 14. Yeah, yeah. The synchronicities that you've had in your life are pretty amazing. Yeah. You know, from Dre to John for the movie. Like, he kept just pursuing you when you weren't even acting. Yes. Like, you've been, you know, maybe the environment wasn't perfect that you're in, but there were synchronicities that perfectly aligned for you to have opportunities to then take a chance, work hard, show up, and create what you've created. Yeah, I mean, it's been, you know, and looking back, it's just been right place at the right time.

33:22And also the courage to pursue things that you've never done. Like, go for it. How did you know to trust that courage as opposed to be like, I'm just going to stick to football. I'm just going to hang out, you know, ride my bike around. I'm not going to go pester Dr. Dre and be like, hey, let me learn from you. I mean, I was so interested in the creative process of making records. Like, first, I never thought I was going to meet anybody who made a record. And Dre had at that time. And Dre had made a single, you know, he made a song called Dr. Dre and Surgery. How old was he then when you were like 14?

34:04How old? He had to be 19. So why would a 19-year-old allow a 13, 14-year-old to even come hang out with him? Because I was dope. I was fresh. I could rhyme. I could write. So you had some talent. I had talent. That's the only reason he let me hang around. Because otherwise he'd be like, get out of here, little punk. Yeah, he's like, watch out, man. But I was helping him write rhymes. I was trying to, you know, he was in the world-class wrecking crew at the time, which was, they were more of a DJ party crew. who did, you know, do parties around the city, and then they were starting to dibble and dabble and make records.

34:46And I was a good writer, so I started to, you know, they wanted an L.A. hit. You know, they wanted to be played on K-Day, like the L.A. Dream Team and the Uncle Jam's Army, Egyptian Lover. So they, you know, they wanted to, you know, get in rotation. and they had a slow song, but it wasn't, you know, full-throated hip-hop. It was kind of like a slow jam with a girl singing, and then they had these slow I need love kind of raps. Right, right, like turn off the lights or something. Yeah, turn off the lights. So they wanted a hit, you know, so I would help. And you had talent. You had value you could provide.

35:30Yeah. You weren't just, like, sitting around doing nothing. You had something to contribute. Yeah. So that's a big thing to know. It's like you had the talent. They didn't have that at the time. I mean, a few of them did, but, you know, when you're trying to get on, it's like best idea win. Right, right. The more the merrier, you know, the more talent you can find, the more you have the opportunity to make a hit record. How did you have that confidence at 14 to be like, I'm going to hang out with these 19-year-olds who made a record or made songs that are, you know, DJing around, doing clubs and gigs around town.

36:02It was fun. I'm just going to wrap it up. I'm from L.A. They from Compton. I'm from South Central. So it was fun. It was a whole new world. Being in Compton was a new world for me. You know what I'm saying? In a lot of ways, it was different in our neighborhood. But a lot of it was the same. And hanging out with dudes who I used to pay to get into the party. And now I can walk in with the DJs. Right. But, you know, we're carrying crates of records and we're moving Sarah and Vega speakers and we part of the party. You know what I'm saying? We in the DJ booth now. We actually part of the crew that makes the party happen instead of us going there and just the music already set up and, you know, it's already going on.

36:53You don't know who's who. You know, now, you know, I was part of the actual wrecking crew, you know, in a lot of ways. So it was exciting. It was different than what was happening in my neighborhood. And I just wanted to be a part of it. When did you know, like, you guys had something special? Was there a moment or was there, like, a gig you played where you're like, oh, people are actually, like, singing our stuff back to us? or there's a crowd here or, you know, we're in the studio. Something just feels like we're in the flow. When did you know, like, we got something here? Well, we, you know, I was hanging around Dre, but we had our own crew.

37:36His cousin is named Sir Jinx. That was your neighbor, right? Yeah, he lived down the street. This is why I was, you know, even close to Dre because his cousin lived down the street. Then Dre ended up moving in with them till he found his apartment. So, you know, I had better access to it. Sure, sure. So we had our own crew and we were trying to, you know, do cool stuff. We joined this contest called the Best Rappers in the West contest. And we came in second because, you know, they messed up our music. And, you know, back then it was a tape. It didn't start from the beginning. It started in the middle.

38:21And they had to rewind it. It just killed our momentum. And so we was upset. And then Dre, who had came to watch us do the finals, he was like, man, don't worry about it. You guys was good. Y 'all should come perform at Dudos where we DJ. Wow. Compton. Come perform one of your songs. Yeah, yeah, in front of the crowd. But you got to be good. Don't mess up like this. You got to, you know, I advise you guys to be funny or put a little fanny in there or something. And we was like, okay. We was thinking about, okay, we got an original song, but we need, you know, we want to do something that's going to really get the crowd going and be funny.

39:07And, you know, all the ingredients Dre told us that we should think about. What we did was like, you know how Weird Al Yankovic would take a song and flip it and make it, you know, funny or whatever. So we took a song called Roxanne Roxanne by UTFO. And we did a dirty, nasty version called Diane Diane. We was using their cadence, but we was changing the lyrics. And they just went over. People went crazy. Do you still have that recording? Nah, nah. We did it live. We never recorded it. Yeah, that'd be cool. It'd be cool to recreate that one day. You know, but we did a second version of that because we performed again and we flipped a few songs.

39:55So I think we made a record of that. That'd be cool to see that. Yeah, yeah. It doesn't have a label on it because Lonzo thought we would get sued for flipping all his music. Yeah, of course. It's just a white label. But that was where we was like, oh, you know, this is turning the crowd on. We should just make original songs. But, you know, we shouldn't worry if we're using profanity in that, because nobody going to play us on the radio anyway. Right. What's the greatest lesson? I know you and Dre had, like, some history at some point, because you left the group. But then I think you guys are friends now from what I've read.

40:40And what's the greatest lesson that Dre taught you when you were in that season of life or even now? Trust yourself. Trust yourself. And I think that's the biggest lesson there when I really think about it, that it's not about anybody but what's going on inside. You know, you can listen to all the noise and sometimes the noise can make you change direction. Sometimes the noise can get you off your position. And, you know, I look at it like you want to be the tree in the flood. The flood is so much. Everything is rushing past, going, you know, a million miles an hour. And the tree is just still there with its roots dug in, which is your conviction.

41:33And live or die with your convictions. and I think that's the greatest lesson because we argued a lot making that NWA record. Really? And the arguments was, what's dope, what's not? Should we use this or not? Should we do this or not? Should we say this or not? It was us trying to get to the best version of ourselves and sometimes he was standing on what he believed in. sometimes the best argument would move him so if you had something better or you know something that was more impressive you you know you would see him change his position so that was great too because it was like oh you can affect the record you just got to be better than what's already here interesting did you ever feel like i don't know intimidated though because you're like a late He's his mid-20s.

42:33You know, he's a little further, I guess, in success or when he's created, a little bit older. Like, did you feel intimidated ever or was it more you felt confident to express your argument? Or if he was like, no, then you felt like you needed to back down or. Well, you know, you wanted to argue your point. You know, you know, ultimately he's the producer. So what he say is going to go. So the intimidation factor was just you wanted him to like what you was presenting. Right. But if he didn't, that doesn't mean to be discouraged or even what he was saying was true. You had to fight for your position, argue your point.

43:15Best argument win, and sometimes you won it, sometimes you lost. Right. But you have to come in with conviction. You just can't have an idea that hasn't been thought out. So you just knew you had to come correct. And you knew if you wasn't great, you wasn't going to make the record. So that was something else that kept your quality. You know, he was quality control. So, you know, you had to get through him to get on the record. Yeah. I think that's a good piece of wisdom, trust yourself. And I'm curious, did you ever not trust yourself in the last 30 years of your career? Was there ever moments of doubt or insecurity?

43:56You know, yeah. Really? Just, you know, to be with all humans. I don't think anybody, I don't care how confident you portray to be, that you can walk into every situation and be totally confident about the outcome, you know. So self-doubt can always creep in. You know, I've noticed that the least I'm prepared, the more I doubt. But the more I'm prepared, the least I doubt. So when you know what you're talking about, you're very confident. When you don't quite know what you're talking about, kind of trying to fake it till you make it, then you're going to not be as confident and you're going to second guess.

44:48and you may make a big mistake because you didn't study. Like your first audition? Yeah. Right. That was a big mistake. You know, that could have been, that could have changed my whole life. Wow, isn't that crazy? You know, just think if it wasn't John Singleton, it was just some director, producer who wanted to try me out for a role, and I would have blew it that day. So, you know, you take your opportunities serious or don't take them at all. Right. You know, what I should have said was, I don't want to do no f***ing movie. You know, as I should have told my manager, I don't want to do no f***ing movie.

45:24But I tried to go out, go down there and just see what was up. Wing it. Yeah. And it could have been a fatal mistake. Wow. Which, you know, thank God that he gave me another shot. What do you think it was in John, what he saw in you? That he kept persisting you for a year and a half, two years. and you show up to the audition, you kind of bomb it, and he still says, I'm going to give you one more shot. What did he see in you for the role in Boys in the Hood? I mean, he knew I could do it. You know, he knew I could do it before I knew I could do it. Wow, really? How did he know that, though? It's like...

46:03Because he saw something in me or in an interview or in a... You know, it's what... You know, I've brought in a lot of different actors, you know, from Chris Tucker to Mike Epps. Cat Williams, Terry Cruz. You see something. You see something in a person and you're like, yo, I could set you up to win. I see you as something different than what you're doing bigger. I could see you as a character. And if you're looking, there's a lot of talent around here. And, you know, if you really think about John Singleton, he's helped me, Tupac, Busta Rhymes, Tyrese. You know, we were all ludicrous, fast and furious and hustle and flow.

47:00You know, so we we wasn't thinking about acting. You know, he he saw something in us. And say, hey, you know, what you're doing in music is cool, but you had a charisma. to be on the big screen. Wow. And we all are very appreciative of him for that because it opened up a whole new world for us. What is it that you wish people knew about success, fame, and money? Because you've had it all over the last 30-plus years. And I think a lot of people dream about having a career like yours or even a fraction of your career or having some of the success, the fame, the money. But what is it about those things that you really wish people knew before wanting to dive into having it all?

47:54It's hard to sustain it. Getting to the top is one level of struggle. Staying there is a whole different struggle. And look, nobody stays at the tip top. Everybody rolls down the mountain. But the difference is how far do you want to roll down before you stop and find your place? So, you know, you might get to the tip of the mountain and, you know, just know you're going to roll down. Just don't roll down all the way to the bottom, you know, just find a landing spot somewhere near the top and figure out how to maintain, you know, what got you there. You know, so it's a lot of hard work. It's like the duck in the pond, you know what I mean?

48:50If you look at him from the outside, everything is smooth. He's cruising along. Under the surface, it's going down. You know what I mean? That's where all the work is being put in. He just make it look smooth, but he putting in work down there. And it's the same thing with success. People see the finished product. They don't see the feet paddling to get there. And how have you stayed focused over the last three-plus decades? Because the whole idea about trusting yourself that Dre gave you early on or that wisdom or what you learned from him, it seems like it's worked for a long time for you. But also you get opportunities every day, I'm assuming, or you have for a long time.

49:42You should do this or try this, which could be great opportunities or big distractions. Yeah. How do you know to stay the course and what the course is when you have so many cool opportunities at this level now? Well, know your wheelhouse. Know what you do best. Know what's outside of your wheelhouse. know what's going to take you reaching and the extra effort and you could fall over trying to get to it. And, you know, it's like a hitter waiting for his pitch. You know what I'm saying? You got to know what's outside your strike zone or what's outside your wheelhouse. and don't swing at things that's too far outside of your wheelhouse.

50:35When it comes in your arranged wheelhouse, take advantage of it. So all money is not good money. So know what you can deliver. Don't accept it if you can't deliver. Have you turned down some big money before? Yeah. Really? Yeah. What's the most you've been offered that you turned down because you didn't feel like it was in your wheelhouse? Well, it was a different situation, but I turned down, I mean, I've turned down plenty of movie roles. You know, I wouldn't even go audition because I just felt like this wasn't my kind of thing. But, you know, I just turned down a$9 million movie because I didn't want to get vaccinated.

51:18Wow. So, you know, that's not in my wheelhouse. Right, right. And so they said you couldn't, unless you want to do this movie, you got to get vaccinated. Yeah, that was the requirement from the producers that everybody on the movie has to be vaccinated. So I'm like, nah. It's not for you right now. I don't need it. And I'll get tested every day. Right, right, right. But I'm not going to take something I don't need. Right. Wow. So he turned down$9 million. I remember I had Matthew McConaughey on and he said he turned down, I think it was$14 or$42.5 million for another romantic comedy role. when he wanted to get out of romantic comedies and do other things.

52:00And he was like, first they gave me, they offered me something like eight or nine. I turned it down. Then it was 11. Turned it down. Then it was 15. And he goes, let me read that script one more time. Maybe it's a little funnier, a little better script. Yeah, without a doubt. But then he said, you know, if I really want to transform into a new evolution of myself and reinvent myself, I can't keep doing the things that I've always done. and I want to start getting into these more dramatic roles. Yeah. And, you know, he did that and it really took off. He won the Oscar and all these different things from that.

52:36But from him, he was like, I had to take a few years off, essentially, and risk being forgotten and not working again. Yeah. You have to make that decision. Yeah. You know when you need to pivot. You know when it's time, when you kind of do like, we don't went to the well so many times on the same thing. It's time to pivot. We shouldn't do nothing until we pivot. Interesting. And sometimes it's better to not do anything than to do the wrong thing for the wrong reasons at the wrong time. Yeah. Do you feel like, you mentioned this idea of like getting to the top and staying at the top. Do you feel like you've hit your top of the mountain yet?

53:20If so, when was that, if you have? And if not, what do you think you need to become in order to get there? Well, you know, I believe I've done a lot of cool stuff. You know, I'm in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. That's amazing. I'm on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. That's amazing. And now we're going to have something in the Basketball Hall of Fame. So music, movie, sports is what I've been pushing. And, you know, I've made it to the Hall of Fame in all three. So I feel like, you know, I have been to the mountaintop. But I still got, you know, there's higher mountains out there to climb. So you might hit the top, come down a little bit, then go to the next one.

54:08Yeah, go to the next mountain and get to the top of that. So, you know, I feel like I still got a lot of great work to deliver and do. explore. This is, I mean, this is something I'm really curious about is, because you mentioned this a little bit, like sometimes it's really hard to get to the top, right? As an artist, like get your voice out there and, you know, pop in an industry, get to the top of the charts or a movie hits number one or whatever it is. It's really hard to make that happen. It's hard to sustain that, right? It's really hard to sustain that level of success. How do you stay confident and what advice would you give to others who have first made to the top of their world, whatever that might be, their industry, their town, their whatever, their sports dreams, things like that.

54:57But then they keep going and they're not hitting the top anymore. They've fallen down and maybe they keep falling down. How do they stay confident on the way down when they're not the talk of the town, getting the big offers, the one people are calling up for the best roles anymore. How do you stay confident and not doubt yourself and go back to what you said, trust yourself when you're going down? Well, I think it's, you got to understand that it's not personal. It's not you. It's the Edmond, Florida industry. It's a law of nature. What goes up must come down. And you got to really understand your fan base, what they may want from you, what they expect from you.

55:42And then you got to decide if you want to deliver on that or do you want to give them new different things that you may have churning inside of you, you know. So I think, you know, when an artist first comes out, he's searching for the biggest fan base. He can get, you know, but then there's a point where These fans that you've accumulated are like Like clientele like your customers you got to serve them you have to yes You don't always need to be searching for the new fan The new fan needs to find you So it keeps you from reaching outside your wheelhouse and you stay doing the things that you should be doing, you know, in a creative, updated way.

56:44But you got to serve your fans if you've been in the game. You know, to me, you've been in the game more than 10 years. You have a fan base that you need to focus on, satisfy, and cultivate. And nothing else needs to matter. everybody else got to get it on the back end yeah you know I mean so kind of get in where you fit in but these are my folks these are who I'm gonna please with my art you know and everybody else gotta kind of if you like it great if you don't right great right you know we're still gonna have our you know our party you know I mean so I think you have to really you know understand why people like you why you know people have invested 10 or more years into you and figure out a way to to touch those people and let those people know that you see them you understand them you appreciate them and you're going to continue to do cool just for them.

58:00Wow. I want to talk about this, you know, third mountain you've been climbing here in a minute with the Basketball Hall of Fame. I want to ask you a few questions on that. But this just brought something up for me when you were talking about this with the fans because someone on my team, Sammy, she, you met her beforehand. I guess she's a millennial. Maybe she's Gen Z. I'm not sure of the exact age range. But she's a big fan of your music. but your, you know, music you made 30 years ago. And she was like, for five years, this is what I was listening to, you know, my early 20s and it's something I still love.

58:36How do you as an artist make something that is timeless for your current generation but lasts for generations to come and it's still fresh for people 10, 20, 30 years later? How did you create something like that? But, you know, it's kind of like a turn of events that happened that created this unique cycle when it comes to my fans and what they're interested in. When I did the movie Are We There Yet? Which a lot of people gave me because they like you. You do gangster rap. How are you going to do? They call it a Disney movie, but I've never been in a Disney movie. It was actually Revolution Studios.

59:24But we did a great kids movie called Are We There Yet? Uh-huh. And the reason I did it is because, look, guys told me not to do an R-rated comedy. We did Friday. It blew up. We was like, okay, what if we go PG-13? So we did Barbershop. Blew up. it's like okay what if we can we can we get to pg big audience and so i wouldn't go down to g but pg i felt okay this is great i did this movie because i knew my fans were having kids now and i didn't want to be smart the kind of artist where the parents say you see how he's cute boy he used to be. You just don't know. Boy, you know, he was, man, I didn't want to be that guy.

1:00:22You know, I wanted the kids to know who I was. Interesting. Doing this movie, my fans would put their kids in front of this movie, and their kids would fall in love with Nick, you know, the guy I'm playing in the movie. Know nothing about my music. And as they start to get a certain age, you know, people showing that movie seven eight years old but then as they get 11 12 13 somebody might slide them barbershop somebody might slide them friday so now they're like oh this is my guy interesting and he's a little more edgy you know he's like doing stuff that i'm not even supposed to hear you know i'm saying so you You know, they love Craig.

1:01:07Interesting. You know, and then as they get a little older, somebody was like, do you know he rapped? Wow. So they would slide him my music. And then, so now they're like, oh, wow, yo, this is, oh, he's talking some real stuff on this. You know, I'm ready for the real stuff. I'm matured enough now. 15, 16, 17. and what put the cherry on top of all this was the Straight Outta Compton movie because now they can actually see okay this is how Ice Cube became Ice Cube so now it's like this so now these kids in their 20s they've been through the R.O.A.R.E.R. yet they've been through the Fridays they've been through my music They saw straight out of Compton.

1:02:04They're locked in. And now they have kids and they put their kids in front of them. The whole cycle again. And the whole cycle starts to repeat. Was this strategic for you or was this just kind of? No, it's just happenstance. But it's something I realized that when we did Are We There Yet, that we put this cycle in motion that could continue to churn, you know? One thing feeds the next thing, feeds the next thing, and it just keeps... Yeah, and it keeps coming around because people love Are We There Yet? Wow. And there's not a lot of black kid movies out there. So, you know, my fan base really puts their kids in front of that.

1:02:48And then we did Are We Done Yet? You know, we did a few of them. so I think it's the movies and then they get turned on to the music after the movies and then that kind of just locks them in and they just become lifelong fans and hopefully we can just keep this cycle going you know that's why I did Ninja Turtles you know and keep doing that because you're you know the parents don't have to say do you know who that is? The kids are saying And did you know Ice Cube rap? Did you know Ice Cube rap? Yeah, we do. Oh, man, that's amazing. Yeah, it's been an amazing set of events that's kind of, it's like creating its own weather in a way.

1:03:38That's incredible, man. I want to respect your time and get to a final few questions for you. Before I get to that, I want to talk about the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame that recently established the Ice Cube Impact Award, which is pretty cool. Congrats on that, man. Thank you. And this award will honor those who work to improve their community by using basketball as a tool to help kids. And I'm curious, you know, what does this actually mean for you? What is – I grew up playing basketball, the neighborhood gym, at the park, and it really helped educate me. It really helped give me a safe space.

1:04:15You know, there were some fights here and there, but it was no like no one's getting stabbed it was just kind of some fists every now and then but it was a place i could go after school be on a team play with other guys compete and go until essentially my mom called me home you know until dark and for years i did that and it was a part of my community and my experience going up so why is this this award uh this impact award from basketball hall of fame so important for you and what do you hope it will do for communities Well, I grew up loving basketball. Ever since, you know, I couldn't play with my brothers.

1:04:54You know, they were bigger and stronger. And I was, you know, I used to go cry to my mother looking out the kitchen window. Yeah. I can't play. She's like, you're going to, you'll get big enough one day, you'll be able to play. And I'm like, hey, Ben Little, you know what I'm saying? And then one day I got big enough, you know, they let me actually play. And, you know, I scored a couple baskets. So now I was invited to play all the time, and we used to have some epic battles in my backyard. Like, that was back when it was a physical, physical game. You're not calling fouls. Darryl Dawkins and Moses Malone and, you know, watching those dudes, and we was immolating that.

1:05:39You know, it was very physical games, and I always remembered that, you know. Grew up playing local YMCA and after school and tried out for my high school team. But the coach was hating on me because I played football, so I came to camp late. Late, yeah. So it's just a game that I love. I even played in the NBA Entertainment League. They had a weekend warrior thing at Crossroads High School. They would invite people in the industry to come. And wear NBA uniforms, have NBA refs. That's cool. Just kind of live out that fantasy. And so we started the Big 3 in 2017. We saw that, for one, a lot of guys were leaving the NBA before we were ready to see them leave.

1:06:39We still knew they had a game. And the three-on-three game has been a cousin of five-on-five. It's been right there under the surface. So when you start a league like that. I played so many three-on-three tournaments growing up in the summers. Yeah. I can't remember what they were called, but like these tournaments that were around the country. Yeah. Three-on-three tournaments. Without a doubt. And I was like, why isn't it professional three-on-three? Like, what are we waiting on? And so it was, to me, a void in the industry, you know. and for fans. So when you start in something like that, you want to start with as much credibility as you can because everybody thinks it's a joke.

1:07:22It's like, what the hell are you doing, QB? Sports, like basketball, what are you doing? Stick to movies, stick to music. Yeah, you know, stay in your lane. And so you want to start off with as much credibility to let people know this is the real deal. So, you know, getting Hall of Famers to coach our guys like Dr. J and Iceman and Rick Berry and Gary Payton and Lisa Leslie and Nancy Lieberman, like starting off with these Hall of Famers, we knew that would get us instant credibility. And we've been fighting to become, you know, credible in people's psyche. So being recognized by the Basketball Hall of Fame is as big as it gets when it comes to credibility.

1:08:18Because everybody knows the Hall of Fame is ultimately where an athlete wants to be when they're all said and done. So being recognized by an institution like that gives us all the credibility we've been looking for the last seven years. And so extremely honored, you know what I mean? Extremely humbled to even be, you know, mentioned, let alone to have an award named after me. and we're going to give it out every year. Make it a big deal, make it a big thing. It's just as cool as it can be, you know, for a basketball fan who started this league, you know, not as a businessman, but as a fan too.

1:09:13I want to see more hoops. Yeah, yeah. And to get rewarded by the recognition of, you know, You know, it's very publicized how the NBA is not really liking what we're doing. Really? Because they didn't think of it, you know. Ah. It's like it's not their idea. I'm an outsider. Right. You know, they kind of want me to go away. They don't like it, huh? No. Really? No. They don't like because we changed the game. We were the first to embrace mental health. You know, we were the first to let our athletes get off the opioids and take CBD if they wanted to. Wow. You know, so we've, you know, we got the four-point shot.

1:09:56You know, we got our one-on-one, end game, you know, foul challenge called Bring the Fire, where if you don't like a foul, the coach can be like, let them go one-on-one. That's cool. See if it was really a fire or not. So these are innovations that we've done, not to diss the NBA or show them up, but this is what we needed to do to make our game interesting and make our game special. Wow. And have little wrinkles that you can't see anywhere else. That's cool, man. And so to make a long-winded answer short, man, it's just amazed and very grateful. Wow, that's exciting, man. So how can people get involved in this if they want to, you know, can someone nominate someone every year?

1:10:48How is that working? Where can they go to learn more about this? Well, you know, we're going to really set up a committee. You know, we'll be able to have a lot of information on that, you know, if they just stay in tune with me. I'm the first recipient. That's cool. So we're going to spend this whole year looking for the next guy. So we want people to nominate, you know, people that they know. Can they go online and nominate or where's the website? Right now they can go to the Basketball Hall of Fame. Okay, cool. You know, but we're going to set something up where they can really, you know, dial in.

1:11:22That's cool. And, you know, kind of get their suggestions and videos. That's great, man. Videos, and we're looking for great nominees. So if people follow you on IceCube.com or IceCube on Instagram or Facebook, social media, they'll stay up to date on it there. Yeah, and we're supposed to do the ceremony on January 15th. Wow, that's exciting, man. You'll see more and more as we get closer to that day. Yeah, we'll have this out, I think, right around then. We'll put this out to announce it for sure as well. That's exciting, man. It is. Congrats on that. Thank you. Three things around that. One, where can people go watch games live?

1:11:58Is there a schedule online where they can watch games live, or is it on TV to watch? You can watch us on CBS. Our games are on CBS every Saturday or Sunday. Season starts June 15th, and the schedule is going to come out as soon as we finalize it. We're still locking in a few different cities. But once we lock in the whole schedule, We're going to make it public. That's exciting. Guys, you know, we're going to be all over the country. You guys playing in L.A. too or no? Anaheim. Anaheim. Yeah, so you can see us live. I got to come to a live game. Yeah, come check us out live. You know, once you see us live, you'll be hooked.

1:12:38That's fun, man. Seeing seven-footers play three-on-three is pretty fun. That's exciting, man. Exciting, yeah. If you guys ever do an amateur tournament, let me know so I can jump in. No problem. If you ever do an amateur tournament. We just had, you know, this thing. I saw it with the shoe surgeon. Shoe surgeon. Yeah, yeah. You could have balled in. Oh, man. Next time we do it. Let me know, man. Yeah, I'll connect with your team and see when I come next. That's fun, man. There's so many things I would love to ask you about, Ice Cube, but I want to respect your time and ask you three final questions if that's cool.

1:13:06All right. But this is, you know, really inspiring just hearing some of your life lessons and the way you think and the way you analyze life and hearing you talk about marriage and love and relationships. Like, all these things are really cool. Thank you. I hope people have heard a different side of you that maybe they haven't seen before. One of these questions is about what it's like raising your kids, and especially your son who got to play you in Straight Outta Compton, which I thought was really cool. I know you made it harder for him. You didn't just throw him a layup or an alley-oop to get the part, but he had to really kind of prove himself.

1:13:44What is it like for you being able to raise your kids and be a great mentor and empower them for opportunities in their life as well. What has that been like for you to see them thrive? I think it's what's been great. And I think it's one of the most important things that I have to do in life is to show them the way and be there to support their dreams. They don't have to go into the family business, But if they did, you know, we have a path. You know, I told my son, everybody talk about this Nepo baby. I'm like, dude, you second generation Hollywood. Act like it. You know what I'm saying? Right, right.

1:14:32Like, don't pretend. You ain't got to go in there like you brand new. Go in there like, yo, my family do this. Wow. You know, we make movies. We've been making classics. You've been around movies since you were a little baby. You've been on set for a long time. Yeah. And so, you know, act like you know, you know what I mean? Don't go in there like a rookie and tell them they got a vet and that, you know, all aspects of this business, you know, not only acting, directing, editing, you know, marketing, you know how to sell a movie, you know how to sell yourself. So it was great. And, you know, my other son, you know, just got married and just had a baby.

1:15:14Grandpa. Yeah, yeah. So it's amazing that he's, you know, he manages my studios. That's cool. He helped me produce Straight Out Compton. So he's kind of like my Swiss Army knife. You know, he do it all. And just very proud of my kids, man. They're just good people. And I think that's the most important thing. You know, whether they get into the business or they follow any of this, It's not as important that they're just good people. And, you know, I'm just proud of them. Wow, man. I saw a video clip online of some billionaire. And the interviewer was asking him what his measure of success was.

1:16:01And he said that at this stage in my life, my adult children want to hang out with me. Not because I'm rich or have money or whatever it is, because they just like my company. And it sounds like, and I want to acknowledge you for being a great example for not only your kids, but a lot of people. I mean, being married for 30 plus years, having four great kids, providing opportunities for communities with this Impact Award. Like so many things that you've done, you've paved a path for so many people to be inspired by. So I want to acknowledge you, Cube, for your way of life. I'm not saying you've had a perfect life by any means, but you continue to show up.

1:16:43You're consistent. You add value. And you give with your heart. So I really acknowledge you for how you've done this for so long when a lot of people could treat people poorly in your position. So I really acknowledge you for the man you are, the father you are, the grandfather you are now, and all the great things you're doing in the world. Appreciate that, man. Thank you. This question is called The Three Truths. And so I ask this to all my guests at the very end. and it's a hypothetical question. So imagine you get to live as long as you want to live, but it's your last day on earth, many years away.

1:17:18And you get to create and accomplish everything else you want, all your dreams from here to the end of your life, they all come true. Personal, professional, everything. But for whatever reason in this hypothetical scenario, you've got to take all of your contents, your music, your movies, this interview, it's all going to go with you to the next place. So we don't have access to your message anymore. But you did get to leave behind on this final day three truths, three lessons that you know to be true to you, and this is all we would have to remember you by. What would be those three lessons or three truths for you?

1:17:58Always believe in yourself.

1:18:04always be yourself and always be grateful. I love it. Powerful. Believe in self, be yourself, be grateful. Final question. And I'm curious if you, if there's any lyrics that you've written before, if you want to answer them with lyrics, feel free to, or feel free to just answer what's on the top of your mind. Final question. What is your definition of greatness? My definition of greatness is always doing what it takes in real time. That's my definition of greatness. And whatever it takes depends on the situation, but always do what it takes in real time. I hope today's episode inspired you on your journey towards greatness.

1:18:58Make sure to check out the show notes in the description for a rundown of today's show with all the important links. And if you want weekly exclusive bonus episodes with me as well as ad-free listening experience, make sure to subscribe to our Greatness Plus channel on Apple Podcast. If you enjoyed this, please share it with a friend over on social media or text a friend. Leave us a review over on Apple Podcast and let me know what you learned over on our social media channels at Lewis Howes. I really love hearing the feedback from you, and it helps us continue to make the show better. And if you want more inspiration from our world-class guests and content to learn how to improve the quality of your life, then make sure to sign up for the Greatness newsletter and get it delivered right to your inbox over at greatness.com slash newsletter.

1:19:42And if no one has told you today, I want to remind you that you are loved, you are worthy, and you matter. And now it's time to go out there and do something great. I'll talk soon.