O'Shea Jackson (born June 15, 1969 in South Central Los Angeles, California) is an American rapper, actor, producer and film director known for being a member of the controversial rap group N.W.A. In recent years, Ice Cube's acting career has overshadowed his career in music. He released his solo debut album, AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted in 1990 to critical and commercial success, although upon its release he was accused of racism and misogyny. He has since released 1991’s Death Certificate, 1992’s The Predator, 1993's Lethal Injection, 1998's War & Peace Vol 1 (The War Disc), 2000's War & Peace Vol 2 (The Peace Disc), 2006's Laugh Now, Cry Later and 2008's Raw Footage. Ice Cube was raised in South Central Los Angeles, California by his parents, both of whom were employed at UCLA. He began writing raps while attending school at William Howard Taft High School in Woodland Hills, California, most notably "Boyz 'N Tha Hood", a song which later became famous when done by N.W.A in 1986.