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Ice Cube Net Worth

ice cube net worth

Not many rappers have the legendary discography or reputation of Ice Cube. He’s a founding member of the most dangerous group in the world, NWA, had a stellar solo rap career, and continues an impressive acting career. Ice Cube is King Midas of the Hip-Hop game because everything he touches turns to gold… or platinum.

Ice Cube’s total net worth is up there with some of the richest famous rappers of all time. And, considering that he was successful at a time when rap barely reached the mainstream, it’s impressive. 

Sure, he is immensely wealthy. But he didn’t sell his soul and always kept his reputation and integrity intact. Let’s find out how much Ice Cube has made from rapping and acting, while also talking about his career and legacy in general.

Ice Cube Net Worth and Salary 

Ice Cube’s net worth is $160 million but is also listed close to $190 million by some sources. That puts him firmly in the Top 10 richest rappers of all time. This number puts him in the same category as LL Cool J ($120m), Snoop Dogg ($150m), Lil Wayne ($150m), Drake ($180m), Pharrell Williams ($200m), and Master P ($200m). 

The only rappers considerably richer than Ice Cube are Eminem ($230m), Dr. Dre ($780m), P-Diddy ($900m), Jay Z ($1.3bn), and Kanye West ($6.6bn).

Generally speaking, his vast net worth comes from music and his acting career. Although, album sales have been his biggest earner over the years. But, if he’d stayed with NWA, he might have bottomed out and never become the wealthy rapper he is today. 

Ice Cube Net Worth and Salary

N.W.A. Earnings

Ice Cube’s earnings in the music industry didn’t start too well. Even though he was a founding member of NWA along with Dr. Dre and Eazy E, he only got paid $32,000 from his time in the group. 

And, considering that their first album, Straight Outta Compton, is a classic that sold more than 500,000 copies in its first year, he got royally robbed by his so-called friends. At the time of writing in 2023, the album has sold close to four million copies globally.

If you take inflation into account… 

NWA was generating around $20 million per month at its peak. Cube even informed Dre that they were getting ripped off by Eazy E and their manager Jerry Heller. But it took Dre a bit longer than Cube to figure it out. 

Ice Cube wrote all the lyrics on that album for himself and also for Eazy E and Dr. Dre. He should’ve got the lion’s share of the publishing. But, in relative terms, he made virtually nothing from his time in NWA.

N.W.A. Earnings

Album Sale Earnings 

Ice Cube left NWA in December 1989 and wisely embarked on a solo career. From 1990 to 2023, Ice Cube has been involved in 28 album releases and has ten studio albums along with dozens of singles. 

He reportedly made a cool $1m from his first solo studio album, AmeriKKKas Most Wanted, in 1990. A stark contrast to the ridiculously low amount he made in NWA. It’s also believed that he made around $2m from his part in the soundtracks of Friday and Murder is The Case in the early 1990s.

Death Certificate and The Predator, released in 1991 and 1992, respectively, are his biggest albums to date. The latter reportedly sold 2.2 million copies in just a year or two and was home to the most famous Ice Cube track“It Was a Good Day”

In comparison to his acting career…

It’s unclear how much of Ice Cube’s net worth is from music. But, it’s believed that 70% to 80% of Ice Cube’s wealth came from album sales. He has sold almost ten million albums in his career. Quite impressive for an underground rapper of his ilk. 

Album Sale Earnings 

How Much Does Ice Cube Charge Per Concert?

Cube might not have the earning potential of Miley Cyrus, Ed Sheeran, or Tylor Swift when it comes to live performance fees. But it’s still pretty hefty. If you wanted Ice Cube to perform at your party or event, it could cost in the region of $150k to $299k, depending on the type of show and length of the performance. 

How Much Does Ice Cube Make from Acting?

Although Ice Cube has been constantly acting since the 1990s, he has made some serious cheddar starring in movies and TV shows. Some of his earlier most iconic acting roles were in Boyz N The Hood in 1991 and Friday in 1995. 

They were both massive financial successes at the box office… 

Friday grossed a gargantuan $120 million even though it only cost $2.3 million to make. He wrote Friday and the two sequels, Next Friday in 2000 and Friday After Next in 2002, along with DJ Pooh. Because Cube was heavily involved in the making and production of the Friday Trilogy, it’s difficult to ascertain how much he made from these movies. 

Ice Cube has starred in leading roles in 19 films throughout his career. These roles grossed over $1 billion at the box office. It’s unsure how much money Ice Cube made from movies, but the figure is believed to be tens of millions of dollars. 

Business Ventures and Endorsements

A man of Ice Cube’s stature has always attracted lots of interest from businesses looking to piggyback on his urban popularity. This has given him some very lucrative endorsement deals over the years. 

In 2011, Ice Cube signed an endorsement deal with alcohol brand Coors Light. It was believed to be worth a “few” million dollars at the time. His other most lucrative endorsements include St. Ides Malt Liquor and his Solo by Cube deal.

He’s made a bit of cash from business ventures…

But probably not as much as he could have. Ice Cube is the co-founder of a company named Big3 that was formed in 2017. This business is essentially a 3-on-3 basketball league on a half-court that routinely gets some of the best basketballers to take part. It’s been very successful and is currently valued at approximately $1.5 billion. 

Cube also founded a labor of love non-profit clothing brand in 2017 called Autism Speaks to raise money for the condition. He didn’t make any cash from this business and used it solely as a charity. 

Early Life and Education

Ice Cube’s real name is O’Shea Jackson Sr., and he was born in Los Angeles on 15 June 1969. He grew up in the infamous South Central LA area that is known for gang warfare between two rival gangs, the Bloods and the Crips. He was never officially affiliated to a gang, even though his early music was some of the earliest gangsta rap songs ever created. 

Early Life and Education

Ice Cube started rapping at a very young age in the ninth grade of George Washington Preparatory High School. His half-sister was murdered by the time Cube was 12, and many believed that’s where his anger started. He picked up the rap moniker “Ice Cube” when his brother slammed him into a refrigerator during an argument and was told he had to stay there until he was an ice cube.

In many respects, Cube was the opposite of the gangsta rapper he portrayed in future years. He attended a very good high school called William Howard Taft, located 40 miles away from the gang-infested area he lived. By all accounts, he had a very good education and obviously was very intelligent. 

Ice Cube Career Overview

As you can see from the massive Ice Cube net worth figure, he’s had a startling career. After he was introduced to Dr. Dre in 1986 at just 16 years old, things began to take off. He started rapping in a local group called C.I.A. but quickly made the jump to NWA after meeting Dre. 

Cube even helped to write lyrics on “Cabbage Patch” by Dre’s former group, World Class Wrekin Cru. Then he went on to ghostwrite the lyrics for the majority of NWA’s debut album, Straight Outta Compton, in 1988.

Solo Music Career

After splitting with the group in 1989 because of the aforementioned shady financial dealings, he went solo. One of his most famous solo songs at the time, “No Vaseline”, is one of the most infamous dis tracks in rap history. 

The title was a euphemism for Jerry Heller and Eazy E bending over the NWA members and giving it to them without lube. It caused major controversy at the time but was hilariously funny to most rap fans. And, secretly, even to members of the group.

Since leaving NWA in the late 1980s…

Ice Cube has released ten studio albums. His first two albums, AmeriKKKas Most Wanted and Death Certificate, were produced by Hank Shoklee’s “Bomb Squad” production crew. Shoklee also made some of Public Enemy’s most famous songs. Ice Cube’s third album, The Predator, is still his biggest selling to date, with over five million units sold globally. 

Ice Cube Career Overview

His fourth studio album, Lethal Injection, from 1993, kind of signaled the end of Ice Cube’s recording career in his prime. His rap career wasn’t over, but his time as a game-changing artist was. It was a further five years until he released his fifth studio album, War & Peace Vol. 1, in 1998. His tenth and last studio album at the time of writing was Everything’s Corrupt in 2018.

Ice Cube’s Acting Career

Ice Cube has starred and been involved in 41 movies since his acting debut in 1991. He’s also appeared in or directed nine television shows during his career. 

This is a man of many talents…

His earlier performances in Friday and Boyz N The Hood are legendary. However, no one will forget his hilarious roles as Capt. Dickson in 21 Jump Street in 2012 and 22 Jump Street in 2014 alongside Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum. 

He most recently starred as a voice actor for the character “Superfly” in the 2023 motion picture Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. Some of his other most famous acting roles are in The Players Club (1998), Anaconda (1997), Barbershop (2002), and Ride Along (2014). Cube also has several production and director roles, especially in the 2016 NWA biopic Straight Outta Compton

Personal Life

Ice Cube is quite a private man who doesn’t pimp out his kids for TV shows like Will Smith or Kim Kardashian. He might be a controversial or outspoken figure in the music industry, but he has generally led a steady personal life throughout the years. 

There were some controversial moments early in his career when he was accused of anti-Semitic slurs. But, at that time, his raps were very militant and anti-government. 

Ice Cube married Kim Woodruff on 26 April 1992, and the couple are still married all these years later. They have five kids together and have now been an item for over 33 years. Their kids are: 

  • O’Shea (31).
  • Darrell (30).
  • Karima (29).
  • Deja (28).
  • Shareef (27).

Real Estate

There have been some ups and downs regarding Ice Cube’s property portfolio and real estate holdings over the years. He currently lives in a Californian mansion in Marina Del Rey that cost him around $7.5 million in 2016. 

Real Estate

A cool little tidbit is that Cube brought that mansion from the former action movie star Jean-Claude Van Damme. Cube lives there with his wife and all his kids, although there is limited info on the property.

There is a rumor that Ice Cube lost a boatload of money and his 800 property portfolio over the past ten years, but news of his losses is very sparse.

Want To Know How Much Money Other Rappers Have Made?

If so, check out our breakdowns on Nicki Minaj Net Worth, Lil Wayne Net WorthNBA Youngboy Net WorthASAP Rocky Net WorthTravis Scott Net Worth, and Tyler, the Creator Net Worth for more information on the net worth of famous rappers.

Also, you might be curious about where the rich and famous live. So, have a look at our guides on the Celebrities that live in Nashville, the Celebrities that live in The Hamptons, the Celebrities who live in Beverly Hills, the Biggest Celebrities Who Live in Miami, the 15 Biggest Celebrities who live in NYC, and the Richest Neighborhoods in America in 2023.

Final Thoughts

The net worth of Ice Cube might be gargantuan, but his legacy is one of integrity. He is famous for never selling out as a rapper and always keeping true to his roots and beliefs. And, if you are known more for that, even when you are super-rich, you’ve done very well for yourself. 

In the eyes of older fans, Ice Cube is one of the greatest rappers ever. One with a reputation for controversial and politically charged lyrics that fight against the system.

Over the past 20 years, he might be more known for acting than rapping. But either way, he has been immensely successful. Ice Cube has a massive net worth, an amazing career, and a reputation that is highly sought after. Here is a rare precious stone in a sea of imitation diamonds. Kudos to Cube and his dedication to keeping it real while bagging a vast wealth in doing so.

Until next time, may you find your success story.

Frequently Asked Questions

1 What is Ice Cube’s most successful album?

Ice Cube’s most successful album to date is his 1992 release “The Predator,” which sold over 3 million copies and featured hit singles like “It Was a Good Day” and “Check Yo Self.”

2 Does Ice Cube have any endorsement deals?

While Ice Cube is not known for having many endorsement deals, he has partnered with companies like Coors Light and Boost Mobile in the past for promotional campaigns.

3 What is Ice Cube’s connection to the BIG3 basketball league?

Ice Cube co-founded the BIG3 basketball league in 2017, which features retired NBA players competing in a 3-on-3 format. He has been heavily involved in the league’s operations and has even coached one of the teams.

4 Has Ice Cube ever won any major awards?

Over the course of his career, Ice Cube has won a variety of awards, including an NAACP Image Award, a BET Hip Hop Award, and a Grammy.

5 What is Ice Cube’s opinion on the current state of hip-hop music?

While Ice Cube has been critical of some aspects of modern hip-hop, he has also spoken positively about the genre’s continued evolution and the importance of new voices and perspectives.

6 Does Ice Cube plan on retiring from music and entertainment anytime soon?

While Ice Cube has hinted at potential retirement from music in the past, he has not announced any definitive plans to step away from entertainment entirely.

7 What is Ice Cube’s involvement in the politics of Los Angeles?

Ice Cube has been involved in a number of political initiatives in Los Angeles over the years, including supporting clean energy initiatives and advocating for the rights of low-income communities.

8 Does Ice Cube have any upcoming film or television projects?

As of this writing, Ice Cube does not have any confirmed film or television projects in the works, though he has expressed interest in continuing to pursue acting and producing opportunities.

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