Hip-hop legend Ice Cube was born O'Shea Jackson in South Central Los Angeles, California, on June 15, 1969. His mother worked as a hospital janitor and clerk and his father was a groundskeeper on the campus of UCLA. Cube got an early start in the music industry, first connecting with the rising L.A. hip-hop star Dr. Dre at the age of 14. Dre, who was only 19 at the time, was already making waves in Los Angeles as part of the World Class Wreckin’ Cru and brought Cube in to help write and record with the group. After a brief stint with the hip-hop duo C.I.A., Cube was invited to join Dr. Dre, Eazy-E and DJ Yella in their new venture N.W.A. The group went on to become the defining act of the gangsta rap movement with albums like “Straight Outta Compton,” but Cube split in 1989 following financial disputes.While speaking with Spin magazine after leaving the group, Ice explained, “I wasn’t getting paid. When you contribute to the sale of three million albums you expect more than $32,000.”Ice Cube would go on to a successful solo career, starting with his 1990 solo debut, "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted."