I like the idea of second careers in show business. I don’t mean second acts, like the one Mickey Rourke is entering, or the one Pulp Fiction gave to John Travolta, but entire second careers in a field or medium different from the one in which somebody originally found fame.
An obvious example would be someone like child actor turned Oscar-winning director Ron Howard, who went from Opie to Richie to helming Apollo 13. Then there’s Mark McGrath, who first found fame as the lead singer of pop group Sugar Ray before becoming a full-time anchor on TV’s Extra. Henry Rollins went from a frightening hard rock band leader to a frightening host of a film-focused talk show on IFC.
I’ve seen former NFL player Tiki Barber offering political commentary on NBC and MSNBC in recent months. The site of Barber trading insights with Dan Rather was surreal, let me tell you. But who knows, in 20 years I might be telling the youngsters that the man they know as the NBC Nightly News’ anchor once carried the ball for the Giants.
I say all this, of course, because today’s featured artist is Ice Cube, a man who started his career as a gangsta rapper in the controversial band N.W.A. and is now a successful film actor best known for his roles in family films. He first showed his acting chops in Boyz N the Hood — in an award-worthy portrayal of a doomed young man in South Central Los Angeles — and went on to star in the cult classic Friday and the excellent Three Kings before appearing in such films as Are We There Yet? and The Longshot.
In between N.W.A. and that film career, Ice Cube put out a couple of well-received solo albums, including one that featured today’s song, his biggest hit.
I don’t know but today seems kinda odd
No barking from the dog, no smog
And momma cooked a breakfast with no hog
I got my grub on, but didn’t pig out
Finally got a call from a girl wanna dig out
Hooked it up for later as I hit the do’
Thinking will i live, another twenty-fo’
I gotta go cause I got me a drop top
And if I hit the switch, I can make the ass drop
Had to stop at a red light
Looking in my mirror not a jacker in sight
And everything is alright
I got a beep from Kim and she can fuck all night
Called up the homies and I’m askin y’all
Which park, are y’all playin basketball?
Get me on the court and I’m trouble
Last week fuck around and got a triple double
Freaking niggaz every way like M.J.
I can’t believe, today was a good day
Drove to the pad and hit the showers
Didn’t even get no static from the cowards
Cause just yesterday them fools tried to blast me
Saw the police and they rolled right past me
No flexin, didn’t even look in a niggaz direction
as I ran the intersection
Went to Short Dog’s house, they was watchin YO! MTV Raps
What’s the haps on the craps
Shake em up, shake em up, shake em up, shake em
Roll em in a circle of niggaz and watch me break em
With the seven, seven-eleven, seven-eleven
Seven even back do’ little Joe
I picked up the cash flow
Then we played bones, and I’m yellin domino
Plus nobody I know got killed in South Central L.A.
Today was a good day
Left my niggaz house paid
Picked up a girl been tryin to do since the twelfth grade
It’s ironic, I had the blunt she had the chronic
The Lakers beat the Supersonics
I felt on the big fat fanny
Pulled out the jammy, and killed the punanny
And my dick runs deep, so deep, so deep
put her ass to sleep
Woke her up around one
she didn’t hesitate, to call Ice Cube the top gun
Drove her to the pad and I’m coasting
Took another sip of the potion hit the three-wheel motion
I was glad everything had worked out
Dropped her ass off, then I chirped out
Today was like one of those fly dreams
Didn’t even see a berry flashing those high beams
No helicopter looking for a murder
Two in the morning got the Fatburger
Even saw the lights of the Goodyear Blimp
And it read Ice Cube’s a pimp
Drunk as hell but no throwing up
Half way home and my pager still blowing up
Today I didn’t even have to use my A.K.
I got to say it was a good day.
Meet Me In Montauk 
You left out some of the biggest 2nd career converts–Will Smith, who started as a rapper before becoming one of the biggest movie stars of this generation. Then there is Arnold, a body building Mr. Universe before also becoming a huge movie star. In a similar way, you have Jesse Ventura–wrester turned politician, and more recently Al Franken, comedian turned politician (if they ever let him in the Senate!). We heard Francis Ford Copalla interviewed recently, saying that he makes far more money from his wine company than his movies. Anyway, the list goes on and one, and it is intriguing to see these transitions.
As for Ice Cube, I far prefer watching him act than listening to his music. I find this song a bit plodding and boring.
I’m also intrigued by artists who virtually reinvent their careers (whether in music or film) by changing genres. You mention Ice Cube doing that by going from tough, adult films like Boyz N the Hood and Three Kings to “family fare,” such as Are We There Yet? and The Longshot.
Having just watched Eddie Murphy’s latest family film, Imagine That, I see a trend here. I remember listening to his comedy album and watching his HBO videos and laughing for hours on end. Some (Howard Stern, for instance) have given him much criticism for ‘selling out” and leaving his hardcore comedy roots behind in order to cash a pay check. I’d like to think that people want to explore different aspects of their talents as they go through their careers. Just because you’re good at one thing, doens’t necessarily mean you want to be stuck doing it your entire life.
Which comedian was it who talked about getting the comedy “kit”? I think it was Seinfeld. Anyway, the kit included an HBO special, a sitcom with you as the star, a book. I don’t think the talk show was part of the package (though Rosie O’Donnell and Ellen Degeneres clearly upgraded their kits). What suggests that Ellen will be a good film actress (she wasn’t, at least not in human form) or television star (again, not so much) just because she was a great comedian. However, the talk show is obviously a good fit for her.
Anyway, the risk these artists is taking is obvious. As I watch the above video, I find myself smiling at Ice Cube when he’s likely hoping I’m feeling intimidated. Hard to maintain your street cred when you’ve been playing straight man to the cute kiddie actors in Hollywood. Same problem Al Franken had to deal with in a campaign where his opponent kept throwing Stuart Smalley in his face. Or that the governor of California needs to deal with each time someone quips, “I’ll be back.”
I give them all a lot of credit for going for it. (Hey, is today’s entry a subtle nod to your career changing wife? 😉
In Arnold’s case, I think he thrives on it. I believe he tries to work in an “I’ll be back” or “Hasta la vista, baby” in every stump speech! 🙂
Dana’s Will Smith example is a good one, though he was acting pretty much out of the gate (on TV and in his videos). But I doubt anybody would have predicted multiple Best Actor nods in dramatic roles.
Speaking of Franken, shouldn’t they add an extra 6 months to his inevitable Senate term for having to go through all this??
I don’t think anyone would have predicted that the man who was in The Terminator would become governor of California. Also, how is Will Smith acting in a music video so different than Ice Cube in a music video?
As for Eddie Murphy, Howard Stern wasn’t criticizing Murphy for making family movies. He was criticizing all of the promotional appearances on talk shows where Eddie was so damn serious and boring, showing no semblence of his younger, edgier or even funny self.
I suppose it’s not all that different (Will Smith and Ice Cube in their videos) but I believe Smith had the Fresh Prince TV show almost immediately after his first hit song.