Ice Cube broke onto the scene in 1989 as part of the controversial rap outlet N.W.A. N.W.A. brought real-life street stories of crack deals, gang banging and broken homes from south central Los Angeles into the homes of suburban America. Their '89 hit "Straight Outta Compton," marks the birth of a budding gangsta rap genre. Cube broke off from N.W.A. to launch a solo career in the early '90s. His hardcore raps proved extremely successful in the commercial music world with explicit rhymes that boosted record sales. With classics like "It Was a Good Day" and "Check Yo Self," Ice Cube is easily one of the '90's biggest rap artists, and he's made a break from the mean streets of Compton to easy street.