With the release of the upcoming film, Straight Outta Compton, Ice Cube and Dr. Dre have once again shown their ability to turn their story into a monetary success. The movie, based on their highly successful rap group N.W.A., is likely to be a huge hit, and will only add to their already long list of accomplishments.
While Ice Cube made his debut rapping for the group C.I.A., his collaboration with Dr. Dre, Easy-E, DJ Yella, and MC Ren and the formation of N.W.A. was the thing that really launched his career. In fact, the group is considered one of the most groundbreaking and controversial groups in the history of gangster rap.
“I think we really were in love with the music,” Ice Cube revealed after a screening of the new movie. “We weren’t in love with what people had to say; people were dissing us about all different kinds of stuff, not just tour music. If you’re in love with the music, you can always have fun, you can always be creative, you can always do something constructive and not destructive.”
While Ice Cube eventually left N.W.A. to pursue a solo rap career, his success followed him into his other ventures. Working as a solo artist, Ice Cube has sold over 10 million albums since his days with N.W.A., and even expanded his career to include a solid resume in Hollywood.
Along with his rapping, Ice Cube has acted in numerous films, including Barbershop, 21 Jump Street, and XXX: State of the Union. He has also helped produce a few television series such as Barbershop and Are We There Yet? Expanding his career into the film industry has enabled Ice Cube to compile a net worth of over $140 million.
But despite Ice Cube’s accumulation of a considerable amount of fame and fortune, he doesn’t quite reach the status of his fellow N.W.A. alum, Dr. Dre. In fact, just like Ice Cube, Dr. Dre has managed to launch a successful career as a solo artist, and has even become a highly profitable entrepreneur and business mogul.
Although Dr. Dre stuck around with N.W.A. until the group officially broke up, he managed to release a number of hit solo albums, including The Chronic, and entered the ’90s as one of rap’s most influential singer and producer. With that in mind, Dr. Dre has produced for the likes of Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Xzibit, 50 Cent, The Gam, and Kendrick Lamar.
Dr. Dre may have made his first millions in the music industry, but it was actually his business sense that has made the most money for the iconic rapper. In fact, back in 2008, Dr. Dre created his own brand of headphones, titled Beats by Dre. While the headphones proved to be a hit for Dr. Dre, he made the most profit from the venture a year ago when he decided to sell his company.
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In 2014, Apple bought the Beats brand for over $3 billion. It was the largest deal Dr. Dre had ever made in his life, and it quickly shot his net worth to over $700 million. The only thing that prevented Dr. Dre from becoming a billionaire from the deal were the taxes he had to pay from the profits. With all this money, it’s little wonder why he’s able to afford his $40 million mansion he recently bought from Tom Brady in Brentwood, California.
Former N.W.A. Member Dr. Dre’s Mansion in Brentwood
Along with his business and music ventures, Dr. Dre has appeared in a few movies of his own, including The Wash and Training Day. Additionally, Dr. Dre has just released his first album in over 16 years, titled Compton.
Although their careers have seen Ice Cube and Dr. Dre reach out beyond their rap spheres, the release of Straight Outta Compton will bring it all back to where they both started. In speaking of what people can expect to learn from the movie and how N.W.A. has managed to impact so many lives, Ice Cube stated that it’s all about history.
“They’ll get to know the brotherhood of N.W.A.,” he explained. “They’ll get to know some of our deepest feelings and exactly what happened with us. A lot of people have blown up off of the NWA family tree…and we enjoy them today but a lot of people don’t know where it all comes from.”
Ice Cube added that he believes the issues N.W.A. rapped about are still relevant in today’s world.
“We did a movie that is timeless. A lot of stuff we went through back then, youngsters are going through now…the police situation and AIDS are still a big problem in our community,” he stated. “This movie is about hope, it’s a movie about being creative with your frustration and not destructive with your frustration.”
Straight Outta Compton Movie Trailer
Straight Outta Compton is set to premiere in theaters on August 14.
