OGDEN -- Mathew Shinault -- or Maqy-D -- has been a fan of Ice Cube forever.
"Ever since the second album," 1991's "Death Certificate," he said as he broke into some of Ice Cube's lyrics.
The rapper's life and work are a big inspiration for Shinault and his local rap group Suluie Gorillaz. They postulated: What other star would put on a free show for all ages in Utah?
Friday was a good day for rap and hip-hop fans -- particularly fans of O'Shea Jackson, better known by his stage name of Ice Cube.
More than 5,000 people turned out to see the Los Angeles-based entrepreneur, actor and music star perform on the 200 block of Historic 25th Street as part of the 2011 Winter Dew Tour.
The tour, in its third year, hosts snowboard and ski events at Snowbasin Resort through Sunday.
As a fellow Southern California native, Corey Malan was around for the "O-G" rapper's early days when he was with N.W.A.
"I like how he's evolved, cleaned up," said Malan, who was there with his wife and small daughter. If Ice Cube let the swear words slip, he said, they had earmuffs ready for young Mazzy Malan.
The Suluie Gorillaz are also fans of the family side of Ice Cube. The four members love how Ice Cube is a big-name rapper who is still married to his wife, whom he respects, and a good father to his children.
Ice Cube does not let other people tell him what it means to "be a gangsta" -- he defines it for himself.
"Being a man and standing up for your family, to us, that's being a gangsta," Shinault said.
But as 9 p.m., the announced start time for the concert, crept up, everyone was ready for Ice Cube the rap artist.
Twenty-eight minutes after nine, Jackson hit the stage.
"Is Ogden in the house? It's not too cold out there, is it?" he said. "Are you ready for some old-school Ice Cube? If you're not, you better check yourself before you wreck yourself."
The crowd went wild.
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