Ice Cube’s Unlikely Career Path: The Architect Behind The Rapper

By Jane Reed | Apr 14, 2016 09:47 AM EDT

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O'Shea Jackson, or better known as Ice Cub, always dreamt of being an architectural designer. However, his life lead him to another path. The movie Straight Outta Compton was a representation of that life.

But did you know that he had a dream outside of the music world?

In his early life, he lived in a neighborhood that is rampant with drugs and guns. Cube used to be passionate about football and music. But through the violence he was determined to create a life that is better than his old neighborhood, as detailed in his Biography.

As a young black man, he was studying at the Phoenix Institute of Technology, where he learned architectural drafting. However, he didn't make the grade. He was close to finishing his career but, "I missed the deadline to register for my elective, and there were two open classes left: architectural drafting and cooking," Ice Cube explains.

Why didn't he push through with the two electives? He just didn't want to take cooking.

He explained that his architecture studies were just a back-up plan than a career choice. He still loved music and rapping but his studies provided him with an invaluable lesson. "The principle behind building anything starts with a plan," the rapper says.

He may not be able to design his own home. Which is why he paved the way to his own career, instead. "That helped me design a career for myself-it all happened with a plan," he tells Architectural Digest.

His future brought him fame and a family - a better life than what he saw in his old neighborhood. He made a rapping and producing career and even entered the film industry: Cube launched his movie career with Boyz n the Hood, Friday, Three Kings and Barbershop. All in all, he made his choices lead him to success. He may not be an architect now but he has certainly learned from his studies.

Now, he's working on the next installment of the "Barbershop" franchise: "The Next Cut."

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