Ice Cube Gets Real About The D.O.C. at Nas' Paid in Full Gala: 'I Owe Everything' to Him

The D.O.C. finally got his flowers, and Ice Cube made sure everybody in the room knew how much he meant to N.W.A. VIBE has a new inside look at the Paid in Full Foundation's Hip-Hop Grandmaster Awards in Las Vegas, where The D.O.C. and Kurtis Blow were honored with grants funded by Ben and Felicia Horowitz.

Rumors had been swirling all day that Cube would present The D.O.C.'s award, but there was no sign of him on the carpet. Then he turned up at a table after slipping in through the back. "He's my brother from another mother," Cube said, per VIBE. "I owe everything to The D.O.C. He was so much better than me when we first met; I had to get on my horse." He added that he always looked at The D.O.C. as a member of N.W.A.

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The D.O.C.'s solo run was cut short after a 1989 car crash damaged his voice, but he kept writing for "Straight Outta Compton," Dr. Dre's "The Chronic" and Snoop Dogg's "Doggystyle." Asked whether he got proper credit back then, he did not sugarcoat it. "The simple answer is hell no," he said, adding that he is more focused now on building his Dream Experience Academy school in Dallas. When he got his trophy, he joked, "I would have teared up, but I'm hard."

Nile Rodgers took home the Quincy Jones Achievement Award, Video Music Box pioneer Ralph McDaniels became the first non-artist honoree, and Rev Run introduced Kurtis Blow. Nas, a co-founder of the foundation, said taking care of hip-hop's pioneers is something he talked about wanting to do years ago. The night closed with Rodgers and Grandmaster Caz performing "Rapper's Delight."

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Sources: VIBE

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