Ice Cube performing at United Center in Chicago, IL on Monday October 6, 2025 for Chicago stop of current, Truth to Power: 4 Decades of Attitude Tour. Photo courtesy of Bill Smith and the United Center Four decades into his legendary and iconic career across Hip-Hop, Ice Cube, showed and proved on Monday night, October 6, 2025 at the United Center in Chicago for his legendary, Truth to Power: 4 Decades of Attitude Tour, why no matter whether acting, writing movies or running his BIG3 basketball league. His first love is still Hip-Hop and he is still one of not only the greatest emcees to ever touch a mic, but one of its best performers too. The diverse range of fans ranging from young and old to every race of Latino, Black, white, Asian, and everything else in between you can think of. Rocking current as while as old Ice Cube tour merch and peripheral, as well as Chicago White Sox, Oakland Raiders fitted caps and jersey’s, BIG3 merch and other Westcoast related fits. Shows the influence has had in not only Hip-Hop culture, but pop culture over his four decades-plus career.
Ice Cube’s most recent video for his latest single, Before Hip Hop, playing on the United Center monitor on stage, showing no matter how many things he has hands in, Hip-Hop is still the core of his foundation. One of several videos throughout the night in between small change breaks then starting to play that gave Cube’s history from when his parents conceived him on his Dad’s birthday to the wildness of the 60’s. That ranged from JFK lying about going to the moon, his assassination a few years later, Malcolm X’s assassination just two more years later, the 65 Watts Riots, MLK and RFK both being murdered the year Cube was born, the emergence of the Black Panthers. Him being born on Father’s Day June 15, 1969 as the youngest of four on a street called Van Wick in South Central Los Angeles. His teenage siblings exposing him to everything in the 70’s under the sun. Which included influences from the likes of Muhammad Ali, O.J. Simpson, Superfly, Shaft, Pam Grier, Jane Kennedy, Parliament-Funkadelic, Bootsy Collins, James Brown, the Jackson 5, Hank Aaron, Reggie Jackson, Good Times, The Jeffersons, Welcome Back Carter, Pimp’s and playas, prostitutes, Al Capone’s and police brutality among several things. Ice Cube then in a black Ice Cube jersey with matching all blackpants, black Raiders fitted and black shades emerging from under neath the stage to the main stage and going straight into a very energetic performance of N.W.A.’s classic groundbreaking single, F**k tha Police. Everyone young, old and everything in between of the several generations of Ice Cube fans singing and rapping along the controversial chorus and lyrics. Cube showing his command of the stage as he then went into his first hit single with N.W.A. Dope Man. Ice Cube then talking about his influences from the late great Eazy-E and how Eazy rapped and sang the first hit track that he wrote, Boyz-n-the-Hood. Cube then saying about how Eazy-E was unfortunately no longer with us, but his actual son, Lil Eazy-E, was and came out to perform the track. Lil Eazy commanding the stage just as charismatically as his late father and Gangsta Rap pioneer, did along Cube in the 80’s. As Lil Eazy left the stage, Ice Cube staying in that N.W.A. pocket with the groups very banging hit, Gangsta Gangsta. Then giving a speech about everyone being witnesses to this very dope and historic concert before going into N.W.A.’s groundbreaking classic hit single, Straight Outta Compton. Everyone enthusiastically rapping and singing along.
Ice Cube would then go off stage for a video to play on the monitor about him leaving N.W.A. and the doubts everyone had once he decided to go solo. As well as getting to work with his favorite group of all-time Public Enemy and their production duo, The Bomb Squad, for his solo debut album. As well as how everyone laughed at that idea and now they weren’t. Cube then emerging back out to go into his 90’s catalog starting with his groundbreaking classic debut solo album, AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted and one of the album’s deeper cuts he usually doesn’t perform, The N***a Ya Love to Hate. Cube then saying how a lot of performers today don’t actually perform and just hold the mic out. Saying, “Cot damn I got to pay my money and sing the fvcking songs. Shit I could have stayed home and did that. So we got some really emceeing going on tonight and since this is such a great occasion. We celebrating. What I love about a show like this is I go into my catalog. I get to dig into my crates. I get to do songs you don’t normally see me do.” Then performing Jackin’ for Beats. Ice Cube then saying about how his former group N.W.A. dissed him throughout their second album, Elil4zaggin. Saying how, “You know I got to diss you back then. And when I diss you back I give it to you good. And I am going to give it with, No Vaseline!” Before going into still one of the greatest diss tracks of all-time, No Vaseline. Cube continuing to go into more deeper album cuts of his like My Summer Vacation and Ghetto Bird. Then leaving the stage and a video on screen of the verdict of, Rodney King playing before Ice Cube emerged back out on top of the stage with fire on the screen backdrops as he went into his classic single, Check Yo’ Self. Also going into such tracks as, Pushin’ Weight and his single, Friday, from the classic Friday soundtrack. Cube saying about, “Wanting to light the temperature a little bit. So I wrote this little movie called, ‘Friday’. Right. Yeah I wrote this little movie called, Friday.” Asking the crowd, “Is today Friday?” My friend Tim and others in the crowd saying how, “Everyday is Friday.” Cube responding by saying, “What I can’t hear y’all are talking at the same time. Friday. Let me tell y’all something. Whenever you see Ice Cube in person, it is a motherfvcking Friday! And y’all know what we do on Friday’s, right?” Chris Tucker’s classic saying about smoking from Friday before Ice Cube then screaming, “Chicago! Lets get this party going. Chicago!” As Cube then going into his classic first lines from, Friday. Then saying about how, “This party so wide you can’t get around it. It is so low you can’t get under it. Y’all so high, you can’t get over it.” Asking the crowd, “Y’all understand what I am saying, right?” Me, Tim and everyone in the crowd responding, “Yeah!” Before Cube himself then responding, “Y’all might not understand what I am saying, man. Can y’all explain to them the words that is coming out of my mouth now.” The classic opening and chorus from the iconic and legendary George Clinton of one of Ice Cube’s still most popular singles, Bop Gun (One Nation), playing over the speakers. As Cube asked everyone in the crowd to clap and sing along. Keeping things and the party in the 90’s. As everyone in the crowd sang, rapped and grooved in such unity together. Ice Cube thanking Chicago for all the love throughout the years and letting him film his classic Barbershop movies about the community in Chicago. Saying, “I love coming here. I love how y’all do it here. I done worked with them all from Bernie Mac. Ya know what I am sayin, Lisa Raye. I have worked with Deon Cole. All of em, man. Much love, much respect from your home boy Ice Cube. I love how y’all do it out here. My man George Daniels been holding me down for the longest, ya know. Day 1 since I been coming out here. George Daniels been holding me down. Like a big brother. Much love, much respect. I love how y’all do it out here and why I am going to do this next song right here. You know how we do it.” Then going into his classic single, You Know How We Do It. Ice Cube then as he got ready to go backstage again asking if it was alright for him to bring out a special guest before bringing out his longtime collaborator and fellow Westside Connection member, WC. Who came out and said, “Chi-Town. I said Chi-Town! I go by the name of WC and anytime you see me on stage with the home boy, Ice Cube! Y’all just know I do this in the name of the motherfvcking streets!” Fellow Lench Mob emcee, Young Maylay, following WC out onto the front of the UC stage. As he started performing his classic single, The Streets featuring Snoop Dogg and the late great, Nate Dogg on the hook. WC and Maylay bringing all the energy of the streets while performing the track. As me, my friend Tim and everyone in the crowd rapped along with WC and Maylay.
Once the performance got to the three fourths mark, a video on screen playing about the Westside and Westcoast’s domination of Hip-Hop with a message before Ice Cube in his classic all-white matching outfit from the Westside Connection days emerged back on the top of the stage with WC still out. A flag of Westside Connection on the screen behind them and a low rider next to them on stage as they went into their classic Westside Connection single, Bow Down. Ice Cube and WC then coming down to the main stage to perform their more deeper Westside Connection cut, The Gangsta, the Killa and the Dope Dealer. That they usually don’t always perform and then go into their classic straight up Westcoast banger single, Gangsta Nation, featuring the late great Nate Dogg. The front of the stage they were performing on elevating up and then down. As the very diverse crowd then loudly sang the classic Westside chorus and rapping along WC and Ice Cube’s classic verses from the track. Cube going like he was about to leave before him and WC then emerged back on stage. Fire on screen as they performed Cube and Dr. Dre’s classic 1994 single, Natural Born Killaz, from the classic, Murder Was the Case, soundtrack. Then bringing thing into the 2000’s by going into Ice Cube’s other classic Dr. Dre-produced single, Hello, which featured Dre and other fellow former N.W.A. member, MC Ren. WC then leaving the stage, as Ice Cube, still at the front of the United Center stage went into his classic single, Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It. That me, my friend and everyone rapped and sang along to every word. WC then emerging back to the front of the stage with Cube as he stayed in his mid 2000’s bag with his classic Laugh Now, Cry Later, singles, Why We Thugs and the Lil Jon-produced and featured banger, Go to Church. An image of a church on the screen onstage as me and many others in the crowd rapped and sang with such conviction. Cube then summoning all the ladies to come up and, “Get up and hurry up.” Before him and WC kept the party going with Ice Cube’s classic early 2000’s single, You Can Do It. WC then leaving the stage again as Cube gave a message about haters. Saying if you focus on those who give you love. “That is who you focus on. That is who you put your attention and time and energy on. If somebody hating on you. That is their problem. You ain’t got to make it your problem. Unless they come up in your space. You know what I am saying. So if you do that and you stay on the move. You stay on the grind. You do what you are supposed to do. All the haters, they fall off. They get tired. People stop believing them. Some of them even die on your ass, you know. We ain’t going to worry about the haters though. ‘Cause if you look up. 40 years later you will be like your boy Ice Cube. And when I look around, ‘I ain’t got no haters.” Ice Cube then going into his very classic and timeless dedication to haters, Ain’t Got No Haters. Me, Tim and everyone else in the crowd singing and rapping with such enthusiasm along with Ice Cube to all our haters. As a clip of Cube and Too $hort’s classic video for the track played on the monitor on stage too.
Getting towards the end of the performance Ice Cube then asking the crowd if it was alright if he brought another surprise guest out. With an animation of Scarface, playing on the screen onstage. Before fellow Hip-Hop icon and pioneer, Scarface, rocking a Chicago White Sox and all-black outfit, emerged to the stage. Kicking things off with his classic debut solo single, Mr. Scarface before then also going into such classics of his as, Mary Jane, and Smile featuring the late great 2Pac and Chicago’s very own late great, Johnny P, on the hook. Me, Tim and the rest of the crowd so surprised, but happy to see Scarface come out as a surprise from, Cube. As we soaked it all in and he went into a couple of his other classics with, On My Block and the Geto Boys classic, Mind Playing Tricks on Me. Scarface getting ready to leave the stage and give Cube thanks for 40 year’s of attitude and bringing him on stage at the historic United Center in Chicago to help celebrate. As Ice Cube came back out on stage. Cube asking Scarface if he could stay out so they can perform for among the first times their most recent standout collaboration, Act My Age, from Cube’s most recently released album, Man Up. Both Ice Cube and Scarface giving a very stellar performance of the track together to show why they are still both among not only the best emcees to ever touch a mic, but among some of the genres best performers as well with the way they are both able to truly control the crowd like any true emcee should be able to. Cube and Scarface then shaking hands before both leaving the stage and Cube throwing up a peace sign. As he said, “Love y’all Chicago. Love you. Goodnight.” Scarface adding, “One more time for Ice Cube, cot damn. Fvcking three hours in this shit. 40 year’s.” As some of the crowd started to leave, you know Ice Cube couldn’t end such a historic night, performance and concert without coming back out for an encore and to perform what is still his most popular and timeless single and track ever, It Was a Good Day. A lot in the crowd who already started to leave unfortunately missing out on what is always one of the highlights whenever you go to any Ice Cube concert or show. Me, Tim and the rest of the crowd that was still left in the UC singing and rapping along with such positive vibes. Throwing our peace signs along with Cube, as he and then later WC coming back out on stage with Ice Cube. Asking everyone left in the crowd to throw up their peace signs and to wave them back and forth. “From side to side.” One of the best things about Ice Cube’s performance of the track being that he had an actual, Goodyear blimp, in the air flying around him at the front of the stage that read, ‘Ice Cube’s a Pimp!” Like how he raps about for that classic line on the track. Just when you thought Cube was done too and WC left the stage again. Ice Cube closing out the very historic, classic and timeless performance and concert with a very energetic performance of one of his most recent singles, It’s My Ego. As the stage elevated up and down with him performing the track to end such a classic, timeless and historic night of Hip-Hop in the building that another legendary figure, Michael Jordan, helped build and have so many historic nights here in Chicago. Ice Cube adding to the historic performances in the United Center throughout its also storied just over three decades history that is almost as long as Ice Cube’s historic career.
