When it comes to a “hack” to make marriage work for the long term, Ice Cube says if you want a relationship to last, it’s about making a choice. He would know, as he and wife Kimberly Woodruff have been married for 32 years.
The hip-hop icon, actor and Big3 owner was a guest on Cam Newton‘s recent Funky Friday podcast, and while there, was asked about his family and how they’ve managed through his long-lasting career.
“My family is the most important thing to me,” he shared. “I could be in the streets a lot more than I do but that ain’t where I want to be. I’d rather be present and there for the people who’ve been there for me.”
During the chat, Cube revealed that when it comes to marriage and family, he’d always had a great example. Despite the ups and downs of growing up in South Central Los Angeles, his parents were together, and he had a healthy, unified family. So when he got married, he was committed and has stayed that way for the 32 years he and Kimberly have been husband and wife. When Newton, known to be open about his struggles to stay monogamous, asked how they could still be together, Ice Cube said it’s a decision they’ve made to be and stay a family.
“We want to be. You got to want it,” he said. “You just got to want it. I don’t want nobody to have my woman. She mine. I’m hers.”
Newton then went on to talk about the barriers to lasting relationships, from temptation, to growing apart, tragedy and more, and noted that as long as Cube and his wife have been married, they can’t say every single day “doves fly” and it’s roses. The rapper said every day can’t be a ball of sunshine with anyone.
“Who in your life is it like that with? You don’t like your mama every day. Some days she gets on your nerves. Some day your brother, sister. People that you love or spend a lot of time with, every day ain’t gon be roses,” he said. “And you can’t expect that from your spouse. It’s all about are y’all a family or not?”
He emphasized that such devotion can also happen without marriage.
“That has nothing to do with marriage because I’ve seen people break up and be as tight as they were when they were together and there for each other; just still there because they made a commitment to each other even though they may not be able to live together. It’s really about a real commitment, not about looking for all your needs to be met all the time. You got to be willing to give. And [it has to be] a person you want to give to — your time, effort, and love.”
Ice Cube and Kimberly Woodruff have been married since 1992. They share four children together and are grandparents, too.