Ice Cube had an ugly break-up with N.W.A. in 1989, followed by his well-received solo debut, AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted in 1990. A year later, his Death Certificate dropped to even better reviews.
The release also generated a lot of controversy, with Ice Cube’s lyrics (deservedly) called out as misogynistic, racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic. Let’s just say the Oscars won’t be tapping him to host anytime soon.
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.