Ice Cube

[The Streets Don't Love You Back]

Ice Cube, in an interview for On The Record aired last night (July 13) at 8PM, with Award-winning music journalist Toure, talks about his relation with gang life and how he managed to stay away from becoming involved in the South Central Crips or in the Inglewood Bloods.

Critics and fans have always assumed that Ice Cube was involved in gang life because of his gang-related lyrical content of songs released with N.W.A. or as a solo artist. However, he claims that he had never had anything to do with gangs.

The West Coast-based rapper asserts that his father played a big role in his life, due to him being very disciplinarian and tough.

Toure related Ice Cube’s success, both in the music and film industry, to the present paternal figure that the rapper had, saying: “We definitely know that the lack of Black fathers is a big reason why many young Black men go astray in life. Here's a concrete example of a guy whose father kept him on the straight-and-narrow so he could rep the gangsta mentality and make money and become a wealthy individual -- and not actually go into the gangs and end up the only two ways that ends up," said Toure.

Ice Cube is currently busy with his new album, I Am The West, which has been postponed to September 24. Originally, the album was supposed to come out on July 13th, but the West Coast legend announced on his website, IceCube.com, that “I've been working my ass off trying to get it done for you but I ran out of time. The music is right but the paperwork isn't and since I'm working with a few new producers the contracts are taking a little longer than usual, so I missed my turn-in date.THINK