Actor/rapper Ice Cube, who comes to Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica on Tuesday as part of the Kings of the Mic tour that features old school acts LL Cool J, Public Enemy and Tribe Called Quest, says he wasn’t incredibly disappointed when N.W.A. wasn’t inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum this year. He was encouraged simply by the group’s nomination. (Public Enemy, also nominated, was inducted).
“It’s hard to say if we’ll get in because we don’t have a lot of albums,” he says when asked if he thinks N.W.A. will be inducted sometime down the road. “We really only have one album together. I don’t know. It’s just something that being mentioned and having the chance to get in there was very exciting and we had our fingers crossed but we knew Public Enemy had more history and they’re still together. They’re a hard, hard group to beat.”
Still, N.W.A.’s legacy is undeniable. The group basically invented the gangsta rap genre. Even though it essentially only delivered one album — 1988’s Straight Outta Compton — the band had a huge influence. You could argue N.W.A. is to rap as the Sex Pistols are to punk.
“The legacy of NWA to me is that we were the world’s most dangerous group for a lot of reasons,” says Cube. “We made artists, especially in the music industry, really be themselves and drop the façade and we showed that you can be yourself and say what you want and be a true artist and be just as famous as the popcorn artist who wanted to be squeaky clean. We opened that door and showed that you can be a true artist and be just as influential as anyone.”
