Ice Cube's Son O'Shea Jackson Jr. Takes Pride In Being A "Nepo Baby"

The "Cocaine Bear" star said that he wears the distinction like a "badge of honor" on The Kelly Clarkson Show.

BYGabriel Bras Nevares

O'Shea Jackson Jr., son of the legendary Ice Cube, recently spoke on being a "nepo baby," and actually taking pride in it. Moreover, the 32-year-old spoke on The Kelly Clarkson Show about the debate surrounding the term, which refers to celebrity children with successful Hollywood careers. Of course, Jackson Jr. is one of the many starts in the recently released Cocaine Bear film, which might approach cult status soon. If it doesn't, at least it was a fun and Pusha T-cosigned movie to look back on. Regardless, O'Shea actually made his film debut portraying his father in the N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton.

With that experience in mind, he says the label is like a "badge of honor" for him. “I’m forever grateful for everything my dad had to do to get me the opportunities that I have," he expressed. "And if I were to run away from that or shy away from that 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. So, I wear it as a badge of honor.

O'Shea Jackson Jr. Is A Proud Nepo Baby

“At the same time, the door can be open but you’ve gotta walk through," he continued after calling his dad his hero. "You know, a lot of people, they have an idea of what I’m going to be before I get to any set because of their idea of what my dad is. They think I’m coming to set entitled or I feel like I need to have a ‘posse’ of 15-20 people with me… you know… straight rap stuff. But I’m here to work. I pride myself on my professionalism.”

While some will hate on nepo babies no matter what, O'Shea actually makes some valid points with his remarks. After all, being a nepo baby, in theory, is only as bad as you make it with your attitude towards others and sense of entitlement. Also, this isn't the first time he's spoken on it. In fact, he auditioned to play his father two years before getting the role and pointed out how he switched agencies as well. Overall, he spoke earnestly about expressing gratitude for the door his father opened up, and about it being up to him to truly succeed out of merit. Regardless of your take, check back in with HNHH for the latest on O'Shea Jackson Jr. and Ice Cube.

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About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a music and pop culture news writer for HotNewHipHop. He started in 2022 as a weekend writer and, since joining the team full-time, has developed a strong knowledge in hip-hop news and releases. Whether it’s regular coverage or occasional interviews and album reviews, he continues to search for the most relevant news for his audience and find the best new releases in the genre. What excites him the most is finding pop culture stories of interest, as well as a deeper passion for the art form of hip-hop and its contemporary output. Specifically, Gabriel enjoys the fringes of rap music: the experimental, boundary-pushing, and raw alternatives to the mainstream sound. As a proud native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, he also stays up-to-date with the archipelago’s local scene and its biggest musical exponents in reggaetón, salsa, indie, and beyond. Before working at HotNewHipHop, Gabriel produced multiple short documentaries, artist interviews, venue spotlights, and audio podcasts on a variety of genres and musical figures. Hardcore punk and Go-go music defined much of his coverage during his time at the George Washington University in D.C. His favorite hip-hop artists working today are Tyler, The Creator, Boldy James, JPEGMAFIA, and Earl Sweatshirt.