Royce da 5’9”, hip hop artist famous for his work with Eminem and his work as a part of the rap group Slaughterhouse, took to Twitter to express his appreciation for the effect the protests are having on one of his favorite rappers. The tweet reads:
Dear White People… Thank you for reactivating Ice Cube…. On behalf of the culture, we are extremely grateful.
The tweet takes a humorous tone as it pokes fun at Ice Cube. The rapper has cultivated for himself a very likable public persona, appearing in many family movies, starring in the “Are We There Yet” film franchise. He has also established himself as a businessman, as CEO of the BIG3 basketball league. The Ice Cube today’s media knows is not the same Ice Cube that existed at the dawn of his stardom.
Ice Cube of days past was a threatening gangster rapper, whose lyrical rhetoric mirrored his image. As a founding member of the famous hip hop group N.W.A., Ice Cube popularized anti-police rhetoric and proudly donned his gangster persona as a badge of honor.
It seems as though the recent wave of political unrest has “reactivated” the hip hop star as Royce da 5’9” said.
The rapper is now posting a string of highly political content on his Twitter. The feed contains a mixture of memes, political cartoons, hard truths about race, and historical pictures. The rapper does not seem to be daunted by the restraints that are typical of Hollywood or the music industry.
The rapper used his platform to make a powerful statement in relation to the racial justice movement. The statement reads:
Message to the Protesters:
If you go back to normal & start spending money, you will NEVER get justice. They have no intentions on treating us fair. Never did. IF you start spending money, the movement will pass like the wind & the state will continue to abuse people daily.
The tweets carry both a racial justice goal, but do so with the same viciousness that Ice Cube raps with. There is a sense of brutal gruffness. Every post is wildly intense and does not mince words with where Cube’s allegiances lie. The use of the platform in this manner by hip hop’s most enduring legends is both inspiring and entertaining. Ice Cube has used his platform to promote these ideas to his 5.3 million followers. The rhetoric will continue as Ice Cube seems intent on dissenting from the White House and the man that occupies it.
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