Ice Cube’s urban comedy jackpot
By Kenya Vaughn of The St. Louis American
“I had fun playing Mr. Washington. It feels good to evolve,” rapper, actor, producer Ice Cube said about his upcoming film The Lottery Ticket as he reflected on a film career that now spans 20 years.
“And a lot of youngsters look up to my career and what I’ve done.”
When the former front man of pioneering rap group NWA made his debut in John Singleton’s film Boyz in the Hood, his character reflected the street life illustrated in his lyrics.
But Ice Cube has officially gone from boy in the hood to man with a bankable, reputable brand with respect to movies – urban comedies, in particular – over the course of his acting career.
“It’s funny, because it kind of reminds me of Laurence Fishburne,” Cube said. “You know, the kind of roles he was doing up to the point when he did Boyz in the Hood. And now I’m in this film – I’ve gone from my character in that film to playing Mr. Washington. ”
After his breakthrough performance alongside then relatively unknown comedian Chris Tucker in the ’hood comedy Friday, he found his niche and never looked back.
Next Friday, he will return to what made him a household name to a new generation through the Friday film franchise, Barbershop 1 and 2, Are We There Yet and others.
Lottery Ticket, a film that he executive-produced with himself as a featured performer, will hit the big screens starring Bow Wow – a man Cube believes could fill his shoes in the next class of raptors (rappers turned actors).
“It was dope seeing the new, young Hollywood out front doing their thang,” Cube said. “Bow Wow is taking the range thing and running with it. I see a steady growth on him, and it looks good from here.”
The film also stars newcomers Brandon T. Jackson, Naturi Naughton along with Loretta Devine, Charlie Murphy and Mike Epps.
Cube’s production company Cube Vision financed the film. It was one of many ideas pitched to him on the regular because of his track record in the industry.
“People know that we can do the ‘hood comedies well,” Cube said. “So they contacted Cube Vision. We read it, and they had a good script, a good young director, and so we went for it.”
The film tells the story of Kevin Carson (Bow Wow), a young man living in the projects, who wins $370 million in the Mondo Millions Lottery. The lottery claim office is closed for the long Fourth of July weekend. Before he can collect his winnings, he must make it through a weekend of adventures as he sees the true colors of people in his neighborhood interested in staking their claim in his newfound fortune.
“I wanted people to have a good time, to laugh and dream how it would be if they won that much money – and see how the problems could stack up,” Cube said.
“It’s one of those cautionary tales, but it’s not one of those ‘change the world’ type of things. I didn’t want it to turn into an After School Special.”
Cube’s own experiences with fame and fortune allowed him to relate to the project in a special way.
“It’s everybody dream. Maybe not hitting the lottery, but being a star, being rich, being famous,” Cube said.
“With a lotto it can happen overnight. And for some of us it did happen overnight. When you become famous, you become on an island in a certain way. It’s a trip. And this movie gives people understanding of how that can be – but in a fun way.”
What he calls fun, others may call capitalizing on coonery. The film takes place in the projects and features baby mamas, thugs and other trademarks of the ‘hood.
“Yes, the stereotypes are there, but the fact is there’s truth in a lot of ‘em,” Cube said.
“It’s not a serious drama. It’s about having fun and it’s who we are in some ways. We should stop being ashamed and understand who we are. And if we are so ashamed about what’s going on in our communities, then we should do something about it.”
In the meantime, he hopes to influence generation next of Black Hollywood and continue to provide a platform for them to hone their skills and, like his character in his upcoming film, offer nuggets of wisdom to help them along their journey.
“A lot of people – especially rappers – look at what I’ve done and say, ‘Let me get some of this movie money,’” Cube said.
“But I have a passion for movies. I grew up loving, watching and going to them. To Bow Wow and anyone else, I would say, ‘Look at the project and how you can make it better. Don’t overlook the work for the reward, because if you do it right the reward will come.’”
The Lottery Ticket opens in theaters nationwide on Friday, August 20. The film is rated PG-13 with a running time of 95 minutes.
