O'Shea Jackson, Sr. (born June 15, 1969), known by his stage name
Ice Cube, is an American rapper, record producer, actor, and filmmaker. He began his career as a member of the hip-hop group
C.I.A. and later joined the seminal
gangster rap group
N.W.A (Niggaz Wit Attitudes). After leaving N.W.A in December 1989, he built a successful solo career in music and films. Additionally, he has served as one of the producers of the
Showtime television series
Barbershop and the
TBS series
Are We There Yet?, both of which are based upon films in which he portrayed the main character.