From New York’s KRS-One and Scott La Rock as part of Boogie Down Productions to Compton’s N.W.A, gangster rap was at its purest in the 1990s. As the East Coast versus West Coast War raged on, emcees such as Ice Cube and Ice-T were busy solidifying their status as gangster rap icons. Artists like Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G. lost their lives in the East Coast versus West Coast war. However, recently, Ice-T revealed a rare moment he captured on video with Ice Cube and Tupac Shakur from the ’90s.
Taking to Twitter, the rapper (real name Tracy Marrow) re-tweeted a 1993 LA studio session video. In it, Ice-T and Ice Cube can be seen working on a collaborative track while others observe. Another figure in the studio is the late hip-hop icon and legend Tupac Shakur. All three gangster rap stars are working on a song.
Knowledgeable hip-hop heads will recognise that Ice-T and Ice Cube are tweaking their verses for the Pac song on which the two LA rappers feature. The song, ‘Last Wordz’ was a 1993 single for Pac’s album, Strictly for my N*ggaz… In the caption for the video, Ice-T wrote, “Throwback: Super Rare. Me, Ice Cube, and 2Pac in the studio.”
Fans of West Coast rap, especially those with a passion for gangster rap were shocked by the footage and were quick to recat. One user wrote “O.M.G. Wow, that was amazing having [been] together in one room with 2pac and of course my other two favourites of all time Ice-T and Ice Cube. Wow. Wow!” Another user passionately posted, “It’s all about the music. You three are icons. [I] love you all.”
All three artists would also be accepted in the world of film. Ice-T’s breakout role was in the 1991 film, New Jack City, directed by Mario Van Peebles and co-starring Wesley Snipes. Ice Cube would have his big screen debut the same year with his debut role playing Dough Boy in John Singleton’s feature film, Boyz n the Hood. 2pac also got cast in the 1993 Poetic Justice. Below you can watch the footage of the three legends in the studio.
