House of Music

Ice Cube

Oakland Arena

Oakland, CA

September 25th, 2025

Photos and Review by Alfredo Preciado

For the first time in over a decade, legendary Hip-Hop artist Ice Cube has hit the road on a headlining tour he’s dubbed the ‘Truth To Power: 4 Decades of Attitude’ Tour.. The 18 date run, which began on September 16 in Denver, CO and will conclude on October 9 in Toronto, ON, is a celebration of Cube’s storied 40 year career from the early days in N.W.A. all the way to his latest release, 2024’s ‘Man Down’. On September 26, the ‘Truth To Power’ Tour made its way to the Oakland Arena. Fans of all ages gathered to watch and celebrate one of Hip-Hop’s greatest icons. 

Entering the arena, a large white curtain could be seen draped in front of the stage. As the lights went down, the music video of Cube’s latest single “Before Hip Hop” was projected onto the curtain followed by a video clip featuring an narration of the history of his life up to this point. A bassline played as the curtain dropped. “Lets start this sh*t off right”, Cube said as he was elevated onto the stage. Beginning the set with N.W.A.’s signature track “F*ck The Police”, we were put into a time machine to 1988. The production was huge with two levels of LED video walls, an impressive lighting setup, and a sound system that had Oakland Arena shaking.

The massive 35 song set list satisfied fans from every era. The first part of the set covered the beginning of Ice Cube’s music career. Here we heard several N.W.A. classics such as “Dopeman”, “Gangsta Gangsta”, and “Straight Outta Compton”. At one point, Cube introduced Lil’ Eazy-E to the stage for a performance of “Boyz-n-the-Hood”.

However, Lil’ Eazy-E wasn’t the only guest Cube would eventually introduce. Following performances of other classics from his catalog such as “No Vaseline”, “Steady Mobbin’”, “Check Yo’ Self”, “Friday”, and “We Be Clubbin’”, Cube would introduce WC. The two would go on to perform several Westside Connection tracks such as “Bow Down”, “The Gangsta, The Killa, and the Dope Dealer”, “Gangsta Nation”, and more. 

For Ice Cube’s encore, things were slowed down a bit with a performance of arguably his most iconic track “It Was A Good Day” before ending the night with one of his newest tracks “It’s My Ego”.

The ‘Truth To Power’ Tour isn’t just a nostalgic trip, it’s a living reminder of how deeply Ice Cube’s music still resonates today. Four decades in, he isn’t just coasting on hits, but showing that the attitude, the storytelling, and the energy that reshaped West Coast Hip-Hop are still alive and thriving. Oakland didn’t just watch a legend perform, they witnessed why he still matters.