One of the most anticipated moments at this year’s Coachella surrounded the performance of Ice Cube. Over the past 15 years, Cube has focused more on movies than music so many believed the West Coast rapper had something special up his sleeve.
With the success of the film Straight Outta Compton and the group’s recent induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Coachella seemed like the perfect stage for a legitimate N.W.A reunion and Cube would seem like the perfect guy to deliver.
Cube’s performance began with a hint of old-school West Coast audacity as he was elevated on to the stage while sitting in a gold thrown, which was shaped in the form of the “Westside” hand symbol. He opened with the 2006 release “Why We Thugs” before going into his verse on “Natural Born Killaz.”
Cube eventually told the production engineers to lower the lights before introducing “The World’s Most Dangerous Group.” Cellphones were raised in the air as thousands of attendees positioned themselves to capture history. After more than 25 years, N.W.A was finally reuniting for a special night. Cube called DJ Yella and MC Ren to the stage as festivalgoers screamed with excitement. However, Dr. Dre. was a no-show and his absence put somewhat of a damper on the comeback.
However, the show must go on and Cube, Ren and Yella performed “Straight Outta Compton,” and “F— tha Police.” Cube’s son, O’Shea Jackson Jr., also performed “Dope Man” with the group. Cube also brought out his one-time nemesis, Common, who performed “Real People,” which is featured in the new film Barbershop: The Next Cut.
But Cube’s best surprise of the evening came when Snoop entered the stage on a Schwinn tricycle wearing a blue bath robe a la Hugh Hefner. Snoop rapped his verse on “Go to Church” and “The Next Episode.”
Once Snoop left the stage to resounding applause and cheers, Cube closed out his set with the undeniable hit “Good Day.” Overall, Cube had a good day while connecting to a slew of fans who could probably be his kids. But Cube’s good day could have been an epic day had Dre decided to join in on the Coachella fun.
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Photos: A.R. Shaw
