Ice Cube Surprises Fans At Coachella: N.W.A. Reunites, & Kendrick Lamar Performs

A reunion of history took place during Ice Cube’s performance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

The 46-Year-Old rapper from Los Angeles surprised the crowd during his performance, bringing out the surviving members of the group N.W.A. According to Los Angeles Times, Ice Cube brought MC Ren, DJ Yella, and Dr. Dre on stage to perform on Saturday night. This comes as a surprise to fans, mostly because Ice Cube had performed with only a partially formed N.W.A. during the first week of the Coachella Festival; Dr. Dre had previously been absent during performances prior. They performed the song “Straight Outta Compton,” widely known as their anthem. Even the late N.W.A. founder Eric “Eazy-E” Wright’s son, Lil Eazy-E, made an appearance via introduction by Ice Cube. Lil Eazy-E performed “Boyz-n-the-Hood,” a nod to his late father’s debut.

“Last week I brought out my son… it’s only right I bring out the son of the godfather of gangster rap,” Ice Cube said before Lil Eazy E performed the song.

It appeared that a partial N.W.A. would take the stage Saturday night, as well. Performing their hit song “F– Tha Police,” no sign of Dr. Dre was evident. Los Angeles Times reports that the doctor of hip hop had been seen with the N.W.A. crew during the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, but there was no indication that he would join Cube and crew. However, Ice Cube paused the festivities and spoke to all in attendance.

“Now wait a minute, I said we were gonna have N.W.A. Somebody’s missing,” Ice Cube began. Of course, this sparked excitement and cheers from the crowd. Artists are widely known for featuring guests that fans may not have been aware of, and Ice Cube was no exception.

“Is there a doctor in the house?” he questioned.

Had so much fun last night. #coachella2016 pic.twitter.com/ncA9SdnWt6

— Ice Cube (@icecube) April 25, 2016

At that point, Dr. Dre emerged, dressed in black and arriving from a platform that rested above the stage. It has easily been almost 30 years since the group had performed together, making the night one for the history books. While they did not rap any N.W.A. songs, Dr. Dre rocked the crowd with the classic “Still D.R.E.” with the help of the other members. If you’ve seen the movie Straight Outta Compton, then it’s quite clear why the group had not performed together in such a long time. The movie reflects a decision made by one of the N.W.A. members, sparking new paths for the group and those closely associated with them.

It appears to be unclear as to why the crew avoided bringing about any of their N.W.A. songs with Dr. Dre present. Still, that didn’t stop the Doc from rapping another one of his classic songs, “California Love.” The show was dedicated to Lil Eazy E, but Ice Cube also dedicated the set to singer and musician Prince by sporting a purple bandana and purple sneakers. Prince is known as “The Purple One,” giving Cube’s choice of color obvious tribute to the late artist.

Has anybody seen my childhood? RIP Prince and Vanity. #gonetoosoon pic.twitter.com/ybaAsCYlPT

— Ice Cube (@icecube) April 21, 2016

Once the performance by the N.W.A. group concluded, Ice Cube went on to continue performing for the crowd. Surprising the crowd again, Kendrick Lamar arrived on stage to assist. The two rappers performed “Alright.” a song from Lamar’s album To Pimp A Butterfly. The crowd erupted into cheers for Lamar, considered by some as an N.W.A. disciple due to his roots out of Compton. According to Billboard, Kendrick was able to interview the gangster rap group back in August of 2015.

“Anything that I do, at all, has come from what y’all done,” Kendrick told the group.

One can only wonder how long it will be before the N.W.A. comes together to perform again. Do you think it will ever happen again? Let us know your thoughts on Ice Cube’s show at Coachella in the comments.

[Image via Theo Wargo/Getty Images]