Ice Cube Gets Gritty in ‘Rampart’

Ice Cube might have finally obtained the dramatic role he's been seeking for years. In 'Rampart,' the rapper/actor will play a gritty, hard-working cop that is looking to expose corruption within the LAPD in the early '90s.

It seems like a great role for Cube. Those early '90s years certainly represent the rapper's golden era in LA, but he was usually on the other side of the battle with the cops. "I've been looking for these kinds of roles," said Cube in a recent interview. "I've been doing comedies and family kind of deals lately, and I've been looking for dramas. As an actor, I'm really looking forward to being part of a heavy story."

Cube is joined by fellow cast members Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster in 'Rampart.' The film, an adaptation of a novel by James Ellroy, is directed by Oren Moverman. Moverman received an Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay for his first and most recent film 'The Messenger.'

"The Rampart division was tough and grimy too," Cube continued. "This is stuff we've been growing up with since the '80s, my brother since the '70s -- what we've been seeing for decades. We know it's there. It's like a pimple. Some of these guys were vets straight off the battlefield and into the police department. That's the caliber. There's a wolf mentality in a lot of ways."

The film's release date has yet to be announced.