--- title: Ice Cube Explains How to Rap About Being Poor When You’re Rich as Heck description: Also discusses how to get kids to clean up their language. canonical: https://time.com/2861391/ice-cube-explains-how-to-rap-about-being-poor-when-youre-rich-as-heck/ author: Belinda Luscombe article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-06-12T10:20:57.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:45:27.803Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: Ice Cube Explains How to Rap About Being Poor When You’re Rich as Heck og:description: Also discusses how to get kids to clean up their language. og:url: https://time.com/2861391/ice-cube-explains-how-to-rap-about-being-poor-when-youre-rich-as-heck/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4be20da3e3820ed7/6986973af983e78bad04e5d4/long_640.png?branch=production&width=640&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 640 og:image:height: 360 og:image:alt: 10 Questions with Ice Cube og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Ice Cube Explains How to Rap About Being Poor When You’re Rich as Heck twitter:description: Also discusses how to get kids to clean up their language. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4be20da3e3820ed7/6986973af983e78bad04e5d4/long_640.png?branch=production&width=640&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Ice Cube Explains How to Rap About Being Poor When You're Rich as Heck > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. ## Video: 10 Questions with Ice Cube [Watch (HLS stream): 10 Questions with Ice Cube](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/AjkWTLZg.m3u8) (4:00)  _Published 2014-06-11. Rapper, writer, actor and producer Ice Cube talks to TIME's Belinda Luscombe about the upcoming film 22 Jump Street, why he raps, and why his name suits him._  by [Belinda Luscombe](https://time.com/author/belinda-luscombe/)  ## Belinda Luscombe Editor at Large Jun 12, 2014 10:20 AM UTC  TIME  by [Belinda Luscombe](https://time.com/author/belinda-luscombe/)  ## Belinda Luscombe Editor at Large Jun 12, 2014 10:20 AM UTC Rapper-actor-producer Ice Cube, one of the stars of this weekend’s _22 Jump Street_, has a new album in the works, _Everthang’s Corrupt_. When Cube visited Time for our 10 Questions page, we asked how the N.W.A. alum managed to rap about what it’s like to be poor when clearly he’s so successful. While Cube, as he likes to be called, doesn’t give much money to political campaigns — “politicians not going to do more with my money than I can to help whatever cause or whatever situation I want to help”—he uses his music to do his own form of campaigning. He’s an Obama voter, too, and is happy with the President, despite the fact that Obama “reminds me of the black kid at a white school that don’t nobody want to play with. That’s fine—he goes in there and does his thing, does what he can.” A longer version of the interview, in which Cube discusses some geometry and gives parenting tips, is below. ## Transcript O'Shea Jackson is better known as Ice Cube. He's a rapper, he's a writer, he's an actor, he's a producer. He's here with us at Time to talk, among other things, about his new movie 22 Jump Street. Mister Cube, welcome. Thank you. So, 22 Jump Street is the second of two movies this year in which you play a cop. Mm- hm How do you research your cop roles? Just think about all the cops that messed with me and my friends growing up. And think about all the stupid stuff they said to us and put it in a movie. When did you first introduce your music to your kids? Man my kids was listening to my music young. You know, as young as they can sit in a car and roll with me and I'm, if I'm listening to my demo, they listening to my demo. Okay, so that's my kids too. And now my kids have terrible language. Do your kids have terrible language? Sometimes, but, you know, all kids got crazy language. You know, they talk a different language. You know, as long as they can get it together when it's time. I'm fine with that. So, you are, you are fine with whatever they want to say in the house, you don't say. No, no, no. No bad words in the house. My thing is, you know, I know kids cuss. You know, they do their thing, but I tell my kids, don't do it in earshot of any adults or you are in trouble. So do, does your scary face work on your kids? Do you start with a, yeah. And they, and they really listen? Yeah. So I want to talk a little bit about your upcoming album, Everythang is Corrupt. Yes. You sing, I think I'm gonna get this line wrong, but it's something like, I'm squeezing Lincoln so hard that boogers come out of his nose. Right? [ LAUGH ] I'm, I'm squeezing the penny so hard. A booger came out of Lincoln's nose. How can you, how can you sing that song? Easy. And be so. But you're so wealthy, you're so successful. I've never just sung for me. I never just rap for me. If I just rap for me, then I would be off somewhere on a island somewhere, you know, just happy with myself. You know, but I, I rap for people who can't rap, and people who can't say these things, people who goin through it. So, you know, I'm rapping as much for the people that's still goin through it even more than I am for myself. I'm Time Magazine, so I have to ask a political question. How do you think the Obama presidency is going? I think it's great with all the obstacles. You know, I mean, you couldn't ask for more. You know, Obama reminds me of, you know, the, the black kid at a white school that don't nobody want to play with, you know, and that's fine. You know, he's going there and he do his thing and do what he can. And I think he's, to me, done the best job a, a man in his position could do under the circumstances. You're a wealthy and connected guy, you get hit up for political donations a lot? Sometimes, but you know, I'm not really into, I'm not into the political game, you know, as far as paying politicians and stuff like that. I'm not into, into that. You know, I'm into, you know, you do your job and I'll do mine. What was your first car? My first car was a 1969 Bug Volkswagen. So, you were actually born. I was born in '69. Best year, best position. [ LAUGH ]. And was it a quality car, did it last for you? Man, I loved that car. I loved it. It got wrecked though. A lady hit me in, in Phoenix. But. It was cool up until then. Do you ever wish you could go back and choose a warmer name? Nu- uh. Nah, nah, nah, Ice Cube is who I am. You know, that's, I'm cool as ice cubes, so, it's a perfect name. What about a less square name? No, no. Ice sphere. I'm not really a square, I'm a cube. Now you do know a cube is a square in three dimensions, right? Three dimension is the key. I'm coming at you in 3D. I've just been schooled. Mm- hm. Mr. Cube, thank you so much. 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