Assembling a cast of smart, clever, and funny performers to play a diverse collection of weirdos in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, director Jeff Rowe gave his actors a lot of freedom in the recording studio – even going as far as to simply record natural conversation between the four stars voicing the titular heroes. When it came to Ice Cube’s performance as Superfly, however, there was a bit of a snag. Apparently, the former N.W.A. member would express such a deep knowledge of hip hop that it threatened to raise the film’s bill for legal clearances.
Ice Cube’s time in the booth making Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem came up in conversation earlier this month when I had the chance to interview Jeff Rowe at San Diego Comic-Con 2023. Given that there is a scene in the new animated movie where Superfly has the line “Six in the mornin’, police at my door” (a line from Ice T’s “6 In The Mornin’), I asked about the movie’s meta sensibilities, and Rowe explained how O'Shea Jackson Sr.’s special expertise played into his recording sessions:
