Following in the footsteps of a famous parent was never going to be easy. Just take a look at the history here; Shawn Kemp Jr is doing his thing in the NBA G-League. Master P’s kid Lil Romeo dropped six albums nobody ever heard before resigning to his fate as a contestant on Dancing With The Stars. Marcus & Jeffrey Jordan never took basketball further than a few years with the University of Central Florida.
When O’Shea Jackson Jr followed his father into the world of hip-hop, few people paid attention. Granted, O’Shea Jr and his brother Darrell –OMG and Doughboy, respectively– started their rap careers at the tail-end of their father’s, debuting on Ice Cube’s 2010 album ‘I Am The West’, which received little fanfare.
While Jackson Jr was a competent rapper, few wanted to hear a 19 year-old Ice Cube mini-me who, instead of growing up in the crack-ravaged hell of Reagan-era South Central, was comfortably raised in the Valley by a multi-millionaire celebrity.
The second coming of Ice Cube’s second coming has so far been more successful. O’Shea Jackson presents a more compelling and competent prospect on the screen than he was on the mic. Hollywood might be plan B, but he’s following the plan to a T.
From Straight Outta Compton came Ingrid Goes West, alongside Aubrey Plaza. Playing the titular star’s Batman-obsessed boyfriend, Jackson was, despite limited screen time, a favourite of critics who told the world Jackson Jr ‘stands out’ and ‘shines’. One Vulture writer was so taken by his performance she documented five reasons Jackson Jr’s character was worth a big swipe to the right.
In 2018, Jackson Jr co-stars with Gerard Butler, Pablo Schreiber and 50 Cent in Den Of Thieves. While Butler’s toothpick-chewing cop and Schreiber’s stoic antagonist serve as the film’s muscle, it’s Jackson Jr who is unquestionably the film’s heart.
Critics highlighted Jackson Jr as ‘terrific’ and praised his ‘winning performance’ in the high-stakes heist thriller. Appearing in scenes opposite a seasoned pro such as Butler, famous for his roles in 300 and Law Abiding Citizen, he did more than simply hold his own; he often steals the whole scene.
In a nod to his father’s template, Den Of Thieves is a well-chosen role which falls directly into Jackson Jr’s comfort zone. The film takes place in his hometown of Los Angeles and is undoubtedly hip-hop influenced: the Kendrick-assisted trailer, the references to the Rampart Scandal of the Death Row era. Even the cops called themselves the ‘Regulators’. It all plays to the strengths of a kid who entered the industry via a rapper. But good fortune can only get a person so far; at some point he has to prove himself, in this case as a more than capable leading man.
It was never going to be easy to follow in his famous father’s footsteps, but O’Shea Jackson Jr is getting it right the second time around.