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LOS ANGELES — Ice Dice may have chased developments to maintain up with at present’s rap sport for his newest launch, however as a substitute, he stayed loyal to the gritty West Coast gangsta sound that’s been his signature since his early N.W.A. days and flourishing solo profession.
Ice Dice caught to his streetwise storytelling roots whereas inserting some West Coast rap celebration vibes on his 11th studio album “Man Down,” which was launched on the identical day as Kendrick Lamar’s shock undertaking late final month. Ice Dice’s new album cracked the highest 10 of Billboard’s high rap albums chart — his first time in 14 years — debuting at No. 8.
The rap icon made “Man Down” to fulfill his loyal listeners. He is identified for churning out basic hip-hop jams equivalent to “It Was a Good Day,” “Test Yo Self,” “No Vaseline” and “Regular Mobbin.”
“It’s important to serve your clientele,” Ice Dice stated about “Man Down,” which options Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, E-40, Killer Mike, Xzibit, and Cypress Hill’s B-Actual. His newest undertaking is his first since 2018’s “Everythang’s Corrupt.”
“The people who bought you listed below are the individuals you’re making the music for thus to talk,” stated Ice Dice, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Corridor of Fame as a member of N.W.A. in 2016. “Not at all times for the brand new fan or the brand new child that’s simply stepping into music. That’s not who you have to be reaching for in the event you’ve been within the sport for nearly 4 many years.”
In a latest interview, Ice Dice spoke with The Related Press about his partnership with the NFL, the BIG3 basketball league and his ideas after the U.S. presidential election.
Ice Dice first launched the Contract with Black America to political leaders from each events in 2020, and 4 years later, he’s nonetheless driving the dialog with the NFL.
He stated CWBA’s partnership with the league has gained traction since becoming a member of forces in 2022, creating alternatives for Black-owned companies. The partnership between Dice’s initiative and the NFL focuses on figuring out alternatives in finance, tech and manufacturing.
“After they have a gap, they’ll give our people who we’ve put in entrance of them a shot at getting a job,” stated Ice Dice, whose CWBA goals to handle the wealth hole between Black and white Individuals and financial inclusion.
The CWBA seeks to take away limitations and open doorways.
“All we wish is a shot,” he stated. “All firms must step up and earn that job. We simply say ‘Hey, tell us if you bought a gap in tech. … and allow us to put a number of firms in entrance of you. And let the most effective firm win. They’ve picked a number of of our firms and now they’ve gotten contracts with the NFL, which is nice.”
Ice Dice hopes the CWBA will prolong past the NFL, encouraging different firms to undertake the initiative as effectively. In 2020, he introduced his proposal to each foremost political events, together with Donald Trump’s marketing campaign, a transfer that sparked criticism from those that thought he was supporting Trump on the time.
However that wasn’t the case, Ice Dice stated. Whichever celebration helps CWBA, he’ll hear.
“Politically, they must present me an urge for food for working with me,” he stated. “I am not a politician. I by no means went to those political events and requested them for something. I am nonetheless down to assist.”
Whereas Ice Dice has made a mark in music, he is achieved the identical in movie too.
However with Hollywood grappling with challenges just like the aftermath of two main strikes and the lingering results of the pandemic, Ice Dice has chosen the impartial route for his upcoming tasks. For now, he is not being reliant on main studios.
“It might be higher to make impartial motion pictures and never undergo the studio system,” stated Ice Dice, who starred within the late John Singleton ‘s “Boyz within the Hood,” “Are We There But?“ and the ” Barbershop,” “ Experience Alongside ” and “Friday” franchise movies. He additionally wrote, starred in, produced and directed the 1998 movie “The Gamers Membership.”
“With impartial motion pictures, I can do some nice work that’s not sterilized by the studio,” he stated. “After they make an enormous film, they spend some huge cash. After they make a low funds film, they wish to reduce it at each little nook and cranny to the place generally they reduce out the most effective components. It’s important to fight that.”
Ice Dice created a haven for athletes who appeared to have left their professional basketball days behind. Via his co-founded league, BIG3, he supplied them a second shot — a sanctuary to maintain their ardour for the sport alive.
His 3-on-Three basketball league is gearing up for its sixth straight 12 months, with an expanded 11-week season kicking off in summer season 2025. Since its launch in 2017, the league has developed, transitioning to a conventional city-based mannequin the place groups host residence video games, shifting away from its authentic road-game-only construction.
Earlier this 12 months, BIG3 bought its first franchise in Los Angeles to a bunch of traders for $10 million. The video games stream on CBS by Paramount , and a few stream on X.
“It’s rising day by day. We do have some nice new homeowners and determining with them the path of the league, the place ought to we be and planting our flag,” Ice Dice stated about BIG3, which has starred former NBA gamers like Joe Johnson, Rashard Lewis, Stephen Jackson and Corey Maggette. Final 12 months, Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown grew to become the primary lively NBA participant to take part in a BIG3 sport.
“You’re stepping into the nuts and bolts of a big-time sports activities on the highest degree,” Ice Dice stated. “It’s thrilling to be there and it’s a problem day by day. It’s no place I’d moderately be. To have an effect on sports activities on that degree, it’s fairly cool from any individual who needed to sneak within the Discussion board to see my first Laker sport.”
If the post-presidential election blues nonetheless have you ever in a funk heading into the inauguration on Jan. 20, Ice Dice has a bit of recommendation: Cease stressing.
Worrying will not change the end result, he stated.
“Cease excited about the longer term a lot,” he stated. “The longer term is unknown. The longer term is nervousness, the previous is melancholy. … You bought to consider sooner or later. No matter made you sturdy sufficient to get thus far, you will be sturdy sufficient to get you thru regardless of the future could convey. The secret is to cease worrying about what’s going to occur and listen to what’s occurring. Work accordingly.”
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