Ice Dice continues to be reveling within the occasions which have simply transpired. On April 15, the trailblazing West Coast MC and actor left his mark with a hand and footprint ceremony outdoors of the TCL Chinese language Theatre, the place pals, household and followers gathered outdoors to have fun his storied profession. The identical day, he introduced the Reality to Energy: 4 A long time of Perspective Tour, his first headlining tour in over a decade, which is able to enable Dice to dig deeper into his catalog for his “day-ones.”
Those that’ve been driving with Dice for the reason that late ‘80s, when N.W.A got here out firing on all cylinders with 1988’s Straight Outta Compton, have bore witness to Dice’s evolution from a younger, hungry gangsta rapper to a bona fide film star, with roles in Boyz n the Hood, Barbershop, Friday and 21 Soar Avenue, to call a number of. Friday was Dice’s screenwriting debut and have become a cult basic and one of the iconic stoner comedies of all time.
Days faraway from the consideration and a day after 4/20, Dice spoke with The Hollywood Reporter on his time within the leisure business, the long-awaited fourth Friday movie Final Friday and addressing deaths of the film’s unique forged members within the upcoming sequel.
Shortly after getting the consideration, you prompt that the film business is one thing you by no means thought you’d be part of. What had been a few of these limitations and the way did you overcome them?
I’m lucky as a result of I used to be found by John Singleton, and he put me in an awesome film and an awesome position. However any time you’re coming from music into the film business, there’s skepticism, despite the fact that I don’t know why. Early Hollywood, you had to have the ability to sing, dance, act and faucet dance most likely [laughs]. You needed to do all of it. However the business nonetheless form of makes you undergo a bit of little bit of skepticism, so to talk, while you get into it from the music business. So these hurdles, the hurdles of individuals’s minds and them limiting me in their very own thoughts. I needed to let individuals know that, for one, I respect the business. There’s no larger canvas than a film display screen for artists. I needed to present that I respect the business and that I used to be a author and producer and extra than simply an actor that was put in a film by an awesome director.
The subsequent Friday movie, Final Friday, is lastly coming. You’ve misplaced a number of of the unique forged members, together with Pops, Deebo and Ezal. How will that have an effect on the movie?
It’s one thing it’s important to handle. These are beloved individuals, not simply characters in a film, We’re speaking about John Witherspoon (Pops), Tiny Lister (Deebo) and AJ Johnson (Ezal). We acquired to handle it. However we nonetheless making a film and nonetheless making a comedy, and it’s nonetheless gonna be enjoyable. It’s individuals you wish to kick it with. It’s individuals you wish to catch as much as and see what’s occurring. Then there’s room to introduce new characters. I at all times noticed this like Star Wars; individuals can pop out and in any time.
It’s about revisiting a household that’s going by it now in 2025. It’s actually catching up.
Is it going to select up with you as an grownup who has his circle of relatives?
Now, you realize I can’t provide you with that a lot [laughs]. I can’t let you know that a lot. It’s like while you’re cooking within the kitchen and may’t no one come within the kitchen in the event that they not cooking, so wait on your plate [laughs]. Scent it, however you don’t must style it but.
I believe the magic of flicks like that is if you happen to don’t see the punches coming, you simply benefit from the film with out understanding an excessive amount of. The followers, they already realize it’s coming, in order that they already like, “Alright Dice. Don’t fuck this up.”
Does that put extra strain on you?
There’s no strain as a result of I’m working with one of the best within the enterprise. With every film you do, it’s important to make it good and nice. You possibly can’t simply anticipate individuals to spend their money and time on one thing that’s not price it. The enjoyable of constructing individuals snicker is definitely working with issues in present occasions and other people and personalities that draw laughter, some actuality, so that you’re gonna have enjoyable.
What’s one of the best half about attending to convey this movie again?
Listening to individuals snicker within the theater. Listening to how a lot individuals take pleasure in it. Having quotable traces that they take to their common life, like “Bye Felicia,” or one thing like that. That’s when a film is nice to me. It’s not how a lot cash you make. No, it’s what number of occasions individuals can watch it and luxuriate in it. That’s actually the measuring stick.
When making the primary movie, did you this might grow to be such a cult basic?
It felt like we was doing one thing that Hollywood form of counted out in a approach. There was a film known as CB4. It appeared carefully on the rap business and hardcore rap. We had had films like Boyz n the Hood and Menace II Society. We had these hardcore films about our neighborhood, however we by no means had a film the place we form of laughed on the conditions as an alternative of cry.
It was like, “Yo, let’s have enjoyable with it. Let’s flip every thing on his ear and snicker at these items.” As a result of if we made Friday as a drama, it could be fairly heavy. But it surely being a comedy, it was necessary to point out that our life wasn’t a nightmare like they confirmed in a few of these films. We wished to point out that we had been really having enjoyable a bit of bit with a few of this loopy stuff.
Chris Tucker’s Smokey was an enormous a part of the unique movie. Is he going to make any return?
He’s at all times invited. That’s all I can say.
