Ice Cube still shook Good Day is his most popular song after ultra-explicit hits

The rapper, 54, first rose to prominence in gangster rap group NWA n the 1980s, alongside Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, DJ Yella, Arabian Prince and MC Ren.

Together they produced massive tracks still heard today – though maybe not on the radio or before the watershed.

Their furious song F*** Tha Police spread like wildfire, becoming incredibly popular, and is a staple of raunchier TV and movies (plus that one brilliant scene in Jordan Peele horror Us). The vast majority of Cube’s back catalogue features similar lyrics and themes.

But it was the 1993 surprisingly wholesome song about the rapper having a good day which became a mainstream international success, reaching the top 10 in charts around the world, and his highest-charting track to date.

The musician and actor is preparing to come to the UK for a major tour with Cypress Hill and The Ganme later this year, and sat down with Metro.co.uk to reflect on his career so far.

Asked if there is a particular song in his portfolio that means the most to him, he insists he ‘doesn’t look at them like that’ and ‘they’re all my babies.’

That said, he went on: ‘I think a song that changed my career was It Was A Good Day.

‘I think for a hardcore rapper who started off doing songs like F*** Tha Police and A B***h Iz A B***h, for A Good Day to be my biggest song is just extremely ironic to me. And I love it, it’s cool to show that everybody can have a good day.’

It Was A Good Day talks about everything going right for a then-24-year-old Cube, from the dog not barking to his mom making breakfast, playing basketball with mates, getting drunk without feeling sick after, and going home with a girl (this, obviously, is the PG version.)

But 30 years later, has Cube’s definition of a good day changed? At this he laughs, and answers instantly: ‘Yes.’

‘[A good day now is] a peaceful day. Where nothing bad happens to me or my family or friends. That’s a good day.’

Cube – real name O’Shea Jackson – has well over 30 years of experience under his belt, but insists it doesn’t feel that long – everything is still ‘exhilarating.’

‘I feel like I’m on a rollercoaster that never ends. That’s what it’s all about as an artist – you want ebb and flow. You want people to love what you do at some times, and for people to be p****d off. I’m that kind of artist.

‘I like to provoke thoughts, conversation. I like to go against the grain. I don’t like to conform.’

What he wants, he explains, is to be a ‘generational artist,’ admitting it would be a nightmare if somebody met him and introduced their child to him as ‘Do you know who this is? This is Ice Cube man, he used to be the s***.’

‘You want the kid to come up with an Ice Cube shirt on,’ he says – which is, luckily, exactly what happens.

‘You know you’re dealing with a real fan when you see a guy or a lady [at a show] with their kids. ‘I turned them on the Cube and now we at the concert together!’ It’s real cool.

‘You’re seeing guys my age with their sons in their 30s and 20s, and that’s the kind of artist you want to be: you want to make an impact on the whole family … You want to be a meaningful generational artist. Lie Bob Marley or something. You want to have that impact on people that remember for generations.’

This December will see Cube perform in the UK for the first time since 2011, and what he’s most looking forward to is ‘the energy level’ from British crowds, which he is always ‘amazed’ by.

‘It’s exciting for a performer because the more energy the crowd gives you, the more you want to just make sure they have a good time.

‘Sometimes when you tour you can get fatigued. But the energy always helps you get through the show in a powerful way. It’s an adrenaline rush, too.’

Outside of music and acting, Cube is also the founder of basketball league Big 3, which features major players including former NBA players and international stars.

The three-on-three league was created in 2017, and six years later, out of his entire stellar career, counts it as the achievement he’s ‘proudest’ of – but also ‘the hardest thing I’ve ever done.’

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