Instagram/@icecubeThere was a massive show last Saturday at Desert Diamond Arena, marking Ice Cube‘s presence for 40 years in the hip-hop industry while sealing it loud in Glendale, Arizona. He had been teasing his followers on social media about not missing this historic event. This concert was a recipe for brilliance, with a set-list spanning every era in his career, and the audience would talk about it days after the last note was played.
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The anticipation-building rhetoric was fitting Ice Cube style: “Lockin’ in on AZ tonight. Glendale, to be specific. At 8:30pm we turn Desert Diamond into a movie. 40 years in the making. Don’t let them have to tell you about it. Beat me there.”
Perfectly replicating and fueling this impetus, the crowd members described this as the best hip-hop event ever. The production values were worthy of this big historical event, with another concertgoer claiming, “lit, the production was on point.” This was no ordinary city stop on some list of cities-that-would-have-sorted-it-front-for-which-the-band-was-currently-on-tour-but-this-was-a-living-retrospective-of-West-Coast-rap-history-that-was-explosively-alive.
Immediate reactions started pouring in, the audience flooding Ice Cube’s show with praises about his giant catalog. One user said, “Best concert I’ve been to since the up in smoke tour,” referring to the legendary hip-hop package tour of 2000. “2+ hours nonstop and that’s still not enough time for Ice Cube to perform all his songs.” Another ¬sound of approval went up from fans, particularly from those who had been down with Cube from the road of N.W.A to Hollywood.
The pure connection tapped full force for those early days fans. “This was the best gift my wife got me,” shares another. “I saw him Sunday here in L.A. I sang every song and knew every word cuz I’ve been down with him since day one!!!” That kind of lifetime commitment is what keeps Cube in a space where he has transcended the actual music and is now a generational touchstone.
International comments poured in, proving Cube’s worldwide influence. One of his fans wrote, “Love Love my Dreams from Brazil,” and one rendered “Um salve do Brasil,” a shoutout from Brazil. These comments bear testimony to the fact that Cube’s message transcends the borders of America that connect with audiences worldwide by way of raw lyricism and cutthroat authenticity.
Some of them did venture to make credible critiques, albeit some of them were a little too misplaced. One reviewer gave a very odd rendition of “War of the Worlds”, a film that Cube was not involved with, while another questioned Cube’s authenticity, an argument tiredly dismissed shortly by hardcore fans. The sporadic negative responses almost seemed stood ironically amidst the flurry of positive ones, especially regarding the tour.
Among the most memorable compliments were those who called the Cube concert essential hip-hop education. “Best show around,” one in the crowd commented. “A history lesson and an amazing concert.” The host-historian role should maybe be the focus on what Cube is doing on tour for right now: he’s performing the history of the last 40 years of impact, not just performing a set of hits.
Those unable to grab show tickets were equally excited. “A Redskin doesn’t have the means to be a part of the audience, unfortunately,” remarked one Native American commenter. “Pero, you’ve a whole Tribe of Natives who’re PROUD TO HAVE YOU IN AZ!!! To 4 Decades of Attitude, Mr. Cube; and to 4 Decades More.” The honey pot emoji was the cherry on top of a message that captured the spirit of the event in its deepest communal sense.
Understanding the concert’s placement in his journey from start to finish is an affirmation of Ice Cube’s institution status in hip-hop. Four decades later and an artist of Cube’s caliber can still deliver shows that endear him to the present, again proving his relevance for his generation and the generations that have and will follow. For those lucky enough to attend, it was far removed from ‘just another concert,’ it was a living, breathing history book.
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Minecraft has been another recent venture for the artist, showing his diverse interests. Meanwhile, O’Shea Jackson Jr. continues to make his own mark in entertainment. Cube also recently appeared in a viral video that surprised fans.
