Get to know Ice Cube’s four kids: O’Shea Jr., Darrell, Kareema and Shareef
The Los Angeles-born rapper and actor — born O’Shea Jackson — became a dad for the first time in the early ‘90s, when his then-girlfriend Kimberly Woodruff gave birth to their son O’Shea Jr. Ice Cube told Access Hollywood that taking on parental duties turned him “from a boy into a man” and helped him “realize what’s important” in life.
Over the next decade, Ice Cube and Woodruff tied the knot and welcomed three more children. Although the rapper has joked that he became less “cool” after becoming a dad, he couldn’t be more proud of his family and the “good people” his children have become.
“They give you a reason to try harder. They make you focus in life on what you’re trying to build. If you’re trying to build a family, children are the glue,” Ice Cube said in 2007.
While his children are grown up now, he hopes that the foundation he built will help them lead successful lives — and that they will take all the opportunities presented to them.
“Always recognize opportunities. What you’re going to get in life is opportunity and you either take it or you don’t,” he said of the advice he’s offered his kids. “If you don’t take it, you can’t expect the same opportunity to come back to you. You have to take the initiative and seize the moment.”
Here’s everything to know about Ice Cube’s children: O’Shea Jr., Darrell, Kareema and Shareef.
O’Shea Jackson Jr., 33
Ice Cube and Woodruff’s first child, O’Shea Jackson Jr., was born in L.A. on Feb. 24, 1991. The couple named O’Shea after his father, although he didn’t really like his name growing up. It wasn’t until he was a teenager that he began to appreciate his name.
“I didn’t really like my name until I was like 17, you know. O’Shea isn’t really found on mugs or license plates. You know, the key chains that kids want,” he said on The Late Late Show in 2018. “I didn’t really like it until I realized how unique I was.”
After graduating from William Howard Taft High School in 2009, O’Shea enrolled at the University of Southern California. During his time at the school, O’Shea studied screenwriting but later dropped out to pursue his acting career — although he says he wouldn’t rule out returning to campus.
“USC has really developed my love for the cinema. … I know my first love is these movies. I want to pursue a career in film. I want to make a name for myself,” he told Entertainment Weekly in 2015, jokingly adding, “I want to go and get my diploma because it’s always better to go to college as a celebrity.”
While pursuing acting, O’Shea also launched a music career under the name OMG, though he’s since dropped the moniker. He was featured on several songs alongside his dad, including “Y’all Know How I Am” off of Ice Cube’s 2010 album I Am the West, and has joined him onstage to perform. In 2012, O’Shea released his own mixtape, Jackin’ for Beats.
O’Shea’s big break came shortly after his mixtape’s release when he was cast in Straight Outta Compton, a movie based on his father’s career. Despite the fact that he would be portraying his dad in the film, he says he still had to audition and rightfully earn the role.
“They put me through the wringer. For two years I was going to acting classes, learning techniques, going to auditions, callbacks, and things like that,” he told PEOPLE. “When you haven’t acted before, it’s a big dish. But I couldn’t sit in a theater and think someone is portraying my father the wrong way. If I was thinking ‘Oh, he wouldn’t have done that,’ it would’ve nauseated me.”
Since Straight Outta Compton, O’Shea has landed several other roles, including in Ingrid Goes West, Den of Thieves, Godzilla: King of the Monsters and, most recently, Cocaine Bear. He’s also made a name for himself in television on shows like The Now, Swagger and the Star Wars miniseries Obi-Wan Kenobi. He’s currently working on his next films, Den of Thieves 2: Pantera and American Sole.
As for those who believe O’Shea had an “unfair” advantage in the industry, he said he wears his “nepo baby” status “as a badge of honor.” “I’m forever grateful for everything that my dad had to do to give me the opportunities that I have,” he said on The Kelly Clarkson Show in 2023.
“If I were to run away from that or shy away from it in any way, in my eyes that’s disrespectful to everything he had to go through. He didn’t work as hard as he did for me to not accept and appreciate it,” he added.
He continued: “A lot of people, when they see me, naturally [they say], ‘Hey, you’re Ice Cube’s son.’ You’re damn right I am, 100%, that’s my hero. That’s my coach. At the same time, the door can be open but you gotta walk through.”
O’Shea has also achieved major milestones in his personal life. In August 2017, he welcomed his daughter, Jordan Reign — and he says she forced him to operate on “a different level.”
“It gives you a new purpose in life,” he told Essence. “It is game time. It is fourth quarter, and it makes you about your business. It makes you more calculated in how you handle yourself and the things that will represent your child going further in life.”
Darrell Jackson, 31
Ice Cube and Woodruff welcomed their second son, Darrell Jackson, on Dec. 3, 1992. Darrell also attended William Howard Taft High School in Woodland Hills, California, and graduated in 2010.
Like his father, Darrell has pursued a career in music, performing under the name Doughboy — which was taken from Ice Cube’s character in Boyz n the Hood (1991). He has collaborated with his dad and his brother O’Shea on several songs, including “Y’all Know How I Am” and “Here He Come” from the 2008 album Raw Footage.
According to his Instagram, Darrell works for Ice Cube’s Lench Mob Records. He also works with Cube Vision, his dad’s film and television production company, and served as an associate producer on Straight Outta Compton. Darrell is also involved with Big 3, a 3-on-3 pro basketball league founded by Ice Cube.
Darrell married his wife, Janet, in November 2022.
Kareema Jackson, 30
On Feb. 17, 1994, Ice Cube and Woodruff welcomed their daughter, Kareema. Although Kareema has stayed out of the spotlight, she has joined her father on several red carpets at movie premieres and awards ceremonies.
According to Kareema’s Instagram, she graduated from high school in 2012 — and her parents helped celebrate the milestone by gifting her a brand-new car. Although Kareema hasn’t updated her account in several years, it’s filled with photos of L.A. Kings hockey games and visits to various theme parks.
Kareema was most recently spotted supporting her brother O’Shea at an Obi-Wan Kenobi screening held during the annual Star Wars Celebration in May 2022.
Shareef Jackson, 23
Ice Cube and Woodruff’s youngest son, Shareef, was born on June 1, 2000. He’s spent the majority of his life out of the spotlight and has only made public appearances on rare occasions.
Shareef appears to be a big sports fan and has joined his father at football, basketball and baseball games through the years. He also stepped out with his family to celebrate Ice Cube getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2017.
He most recently accompanied his dad to meet race car driver Joey Logano in February 2022.
