Ice Cube has weighed in on the fan theory that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are actually Black and let's just say he isn't too convinced.
The rapper, actor and producer, 54, has taken on a new voice role as a mutant rat named Superfly, who wants mutants to have dominance over humans, in the new animated film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.
It's the latest entry in the long-running franchise, which was created by comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird in 1984.
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For the uninitiated, the story focuses on four anthropomorphic turtle brothers and heroes who are all named after Renaissance artists: Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael. They’re all trained how to master the ninja arts by their anthropomorphic rat sensei Splinter.
Fans have long speculated that the titular heroes would be Black if they were humans and this was seemingly confirmed in comic book published this year.
The Ninja Turtles were featured in a Boom Studios comic book and a picture of a panel from the comic book showing the four heroes in disguise using holograms to appear as four African-American teens which went viral on Twitter.
There was a lot of excitement about it online. “It’s official and canon that every member of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in their HUMAN FORMS are ALL BLACK TEENS!” one person tweeted, which amassed 10,000 retweets and just under 70,000 likes.
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“Holy f—k I’m gonna go cry because at first [they] only showed Mikey and Donnie, but now Raph and Leo are too!!”
Another fan gushed: “As a TMNT fan since the 80s, I believe we should all agree that this is the *only* acceptable human representation of the guys in green."
Another fan replied: “N****s knew they were skinfolk from day one”
While someone else tweeted: “I only watched a couple of episodes as a kid and even then i was like, 'Yeah... smells like melanin"
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However not everyone was convinced, with one person stating: “This isn't canon. They are still literal mutant turtles they are just wearing cloaking holograms. I think it's weird the way people misrepresent the actual material just to attempt to score internet clout ... but carry on.”
Ice Cube knows a thing or two about the Ninja Turtles, not only is he starring in the new film, he’s also a fan and so were his kids. “I done stepped on a few Ninja Turtles going in they room,” he tells UNILAD.
The N.W.A. rapper laughed off the idea that the fan theory suggesting that the Ninja Turtles would be Black if they were humans. “Really? Is that right?” he said. “How do you know that from a turtle? The mutants, they they own race, that’s the problem, you know, that they’re minorities in New York, too, so they gotta fight for they rights too. So, they may be offended that you call them Black!
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“Yeah, you might hear from the mutant society of, you know, ugly things, you know what I’m saying, they got an organisation that might wanna get at you.”
And in other news, pack your bags because Ice Cube said a third Are We There Yet? film isn't off the table. The 2005 family comedy road trip film, which co-starred Nia Long as a mom-of-two whose two children, played by Aleisha Allen and Philip Daniel Bolden, who end up in the care of bachelor Nick Persons (Ice Cube) who hates kids but he wants to link up with their mom. The film spawned a sequel, Are We Done Yet? in 2007, also berthed a TV spin-off starring Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Terry Crews.
"I would love to do another one," the BET Award winner said. "You know, I would have to talk to some of the people that helped us make it over at Revolution [Studios]. My guy [Revolution Studios founder] Joe Roth. You know, if they up for it, you know I’m up for it.
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"I think it's a franchise that stands the test of time, and many generations can enjoy it. So why not do a third one.”
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem arrives in cinemas July 31 in the UK and August 2 in the U.S.
Topics: Film and TV, Entertainment, Celebrity