ABOVE PHOTO: Ice Cube addresses crowds at the Coors Light “Coldest” MC in America search at Philly’s Electric Factory last week.
(Photo by Brandon Wyche)
By Kiarra Solomon
Legendary West Coast rapper and actor, Ice Cube, is on a search for the “Coldest” MC in America. The contest, sponsored by Coors Light made its way to the Electric Factory with DJ Drama and Cube as judges. Attendees to the free event were treated to two free beers from the sponsors as well as a special surprise finale performance by Wale (MMG label-mate to Philly’s own Meek Mill).
Ice Cube, who has been seen in Coors Light commercials recently (especially if you watched the NBA playoffs) said that the endorsement deal with Coors light has shown their commitment to the Hip Hop community over the past two years. “They reached out to me and said that they wanted to embrace Hip Hop as a culture. We’re now in our second year of Search for the Coldest, which is really above and beyond what I expected them to do.”
PHOTO: Local rapper Aquil wins the MC battle representing Philadelphia. July 26th all the finalists from around the country will compete for the title of ‘The Coldest MC in America,” in NYC.
(Photo by Brandon Wyche)
The music business has definitely changed since Ice Cube hit the scene in with NWA “Straight Outta Compton” LP in 1989. But Cube says that in this search for the next big artist, one thing remains the same: “To me, most people are stars before they’re discovered. When Dre found me I was a star already”, he joked.
In regards to the current state of Hip Hop, Cube said that he feels that right now you have to really be a lover of the culture to be into it, and mentioned names like Drake, Kanye West, and his son, OMG, as rappers that he’s currently listening to. Ice Cube also talked about upcoming projects, including his new album “Everything’s Corrupt,” due to be released in January, a new NWA movie, and the highly anticipated fourth edition in the Friday series. He didn’t mention, however, whether a deal had been worked out yet with co-star in the original Friday, Chris Tucker, and other cast members, a rumor that has been swirling around since late 2011.
PHOTO: Local rapper Aquil wins the MC battle representing Philadelphia. July 26th all the finalists from around the country will compete for the title of ‘The Coldest MC in America,” in NYC.
(Photo by Brandon Wyche)
The competition was limited to acts who had won the online voting portion of the competition, but DJ Drama (who is from Philadelphia) did mention female MC, Lee Mazin, and Young Savage (who also surprised the crowd with a performance) as local upcoming talent that he’s currently listening to and looking out for. Adding another surprise to the night, Ice Cube decided to give an impromptu performance of some of his greatest hits, including “Today was a Good Day”.
The two semifinalists were given thirty seconds to freestyle and then were allowed to perform an original song. In a city that’s boasts at times some of the toughest crowds, attendees booed the contestant who mentioned that wasn’t from Philadelphia, making the judges’ decision fairly easy. Afterwards, Ice Cube and DJ Drama voted Philly rapper Aquil as the winner of the battle. Later this summer, all of the finalists will meet in New York on July 26th to battle for the title of “The Coldest MC in America”. For more information about the Search for the Coldest, to vote or enter to win cool prizes you can visit www.searchforthecoldest.com.
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