Rapper and entrepreneur O'Shea Jackson Sr., better known as Ice Cube, toured South Central Los Angeles with Tucker Carlson on a special episode of the former Fox News star's show subtitled, "Stay in Your Lane." The viral episode presently has over 6.5 million views.

Driving down memory lane and past the ravages of decades of failed Democratic policies, the two broached various subjects, including the COVID vaccine, exploitative activist movements, and unaccountable politicians.

Disenchantment with politics

"Three decades and billions of dollars later, it's still a tough place," Carlson narrated ahead of asking Jackson, "How do you think politicians in Los Angeles have done running this city?"

"It's pretty much the same people running it the same way," said Jackson. "Politicians only really pay attention to the people that give them money. Everybody else is kinda an extra in their movie. ... Politicians have hidden agendas. They owe a lot of people a lot of favors. The more money you give them, the more you're listened to."

When pressed on whether he had "fallen for a politician" in the past, Jackson recalled hopes and dreams previously dashed. He indicated, for instance, that former President Barack Obama's election had filled him with pride, "but then you look around, years go by, and not much changed for people I know, people I care about."

Carlson cut to clips indicating that race relations suffered a precipitous decline under Obama and "race riots" had spiked.

Gallup revealed in 2016 that the plurality of black respondents (39%) and majority of white respondents (51%) indicated Obama's presidency had made race relations worse, noting, "It is clear that the optimism Americans initially had for a black president's ability to improve race relations and the situation for blacks has long since faded."

Jackson emphasized that this was par for the course: "It didn't change with Bush, it didn't change with Clinton, it didn't change with the other Bush or Reagan, Carter. ... At the end of the day, it's still the same results."

Race hustlers

Carlson noted that in the wake of George Floyd's death, "we were told" to expect a "second civil rights movement."

Playing footage of derelict buildings and homeless encampments, Carlson stated, "If there was going to be liberation in the wake of the Floyd riots, this is where you would see the effects," alluding to the billions reportedly raised by corporate America for BLM and related groups.

"Three years ago, a bunch of big companies put hundreds of millions of dollars into Black Lives Matter," said Carlson. "Did that improve the neighborhood you grew up in?"

"Whenever you do that, most of the time, it's a lot of people siphoning that money off the top," said Jackson.

TheBlaze previously reported that BLM paid its co-founder Patrisse Cullors' baby daddy nearly five times more than it gave to the Trayvon Martin Foundation.

In April 2022, it was revealed that the BLM organization allegedly used funds donated to the cause to purchase a $6 million home in southern California with cash.

Financial statements also revealed that board members spent lavishly and blew money both on pricey consulting firms and expensive properties internationally.

"The kicker is a lot of people say they're gonna give the money, but they don't even give the money," said Jackson. "They just get the article wrote, everybody think they're great, and they never even give the money."

The costs of independence and submission

Jackson said, "I wouldn't be here if I stayed in my lane. ... I never wanted to be controlled."

The rapper indicated that those seeking to pressure him into a particular way of acting or thinking have often attempted to do so indirectly, prompting those in his circle to bring him around. The example he raised was the COVID-19 vaccine, which he refused at great personal cost.

TheBlaze previously reported that Jackson was slated to star in a comedy movie alongside Jack Black, for which he would have been paid roughly $9 million. There was one catch: he would have to get the COVID vaccine.

Jackson said on a podcast in November, "Those motherf*****s didn’t give it to me because I wouldn’t get the shot. I didn’t turn it down. ... They just wouldn’t give it to me. The COVID shot, the jab … I didn’t need it. I didn’t catch that s*** at all. Nothing. F*** them. I didn’t need that s***."

Asked by Carlson why he didn't submit to the vaccine demand, Jackson said, "I'm not real good with direct orders."

Jackson added, "It wasn't ready, you know? It was a six-month kind of rush job, and I didn't feel safe."

Carlson responded, "But they told you you were safe."

"I know what they said," said Jackson, laughing. "And I heard 'em. I heard 'em loud and clear, but it's not their decision. There's no repercussions if they're wrong, but I can get all the repercussions if they're wrong."

Jackson noted it wasn't a tough call to reject the dictates of the medical establishment, saying, "I wanted to be an example for my kids. You know, really make sure they didn't take it either. Show them that I want to stand by convictions and that I was willing, you know, to lose $9 million and more because we probably lost more since then."

The rapper indicated that he knows people injured by the vaccine who "suffer every day and it's hard to watch," adding, "suffering in silence is not the answer all the time. Sometimes you gotta let people know what's going on."

The duo agreed that "there's no penalty for lying, no one's ever punished for lying. It's only telling the truth that gets you in trouble."

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