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Ice Cube began his career as a cultural terrorist as part of Compton rap group N.W.A., largely credited for pioneering gangsta rap with incendiary tracks like “F*** the Police.” When he transitioned into movie acting in “Boyz n the Hood,” no one batted an eye. Little did we suspect the father of five would one day be the star of the kiddie comedy franchise “Are We There Yet?” —Jeff Royer (Photo: Vince Bucci, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
The Artists Form...From gangster rappers to metal gods, these formerly frightening celebrities now seem about as dangerous as Justin Bieber. See how they got defanged. —Jeff Royer (Photos: Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Snoop DoggThe former gangster was once best known for his rhymes about smoking weed and murdering undercover cops, and early in his career was arrested for drug possession (multiple times) and charged with murder. He claimed to be a pimp and once held the honor of producing the year’s best-selling porn film. Today, however, the (D-O-Double) G-rated rapper is a new man. Radio listeners recognize him as the laid-back foil for pop princesses like Katy Perry. He coaches a youth football league. And, the family-friendly cherry on top: Earlier this month it was announced that the “Starsky & Hutch” star will star in his own family sitcom on NBC. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Frank Micelotta, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Ozzy OsbourneBelieve it or not, there was once a time in Ozzy Osbourne’s career when the nickname Prince of Darkness was used without irony. The man who helped invent heavy metal was a drug-fueled, alcohol-swilling maniac who bit the heads of bats and was blamed for teen suicides. A reality TV series on MTV introduced the world to the lighter side of Osbourne, but it wasn’t until recently that his transformation from scary to softy was complete. Earlier this month the man who was once “going off the rails on a crazy train” released his first self-help book, “Trust Me, I'm Dr. Ozzy: Advice From Rock's Ultimate Survivor,” in which the newly vegan rocker offers friendly advice on a number of health, family and personal relationship problems. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Larry Busacca, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
50 CentThis hulking slab of a man crashed the scene in 2003 with a monster single (“In da Club”) and an incredible back story, including claims that he was a drug dealer at the age of 12 and that he was once shot nine times and survived. But somewhere between the rollout of his own Vitamin Water flavor, the dissemination of stock tips through Twitter and the announcement of a pending Eurodance album, the man born Curtis Jackson lost some of his bite. The ultimate sign that times have changed? Next year 50 Cent is releasing an anti-bullying book he wrote for teens. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Frazer Harrison, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Ice CubeIce Cube began his career as a cultural terrorist as part of Compton rap group N.W.A., largely credited for pioneering gangsta rap with incendiary tracks like “F*** the Police.” When he transitioned into movie acting in “Boyz n the Hood,” no one batted an eye. Little did we suspect the father of five would one day be the star of the kiddie comedy franchise “Are We There Yet?” —Jeff Royer (Photo: Vince Bucci, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Alice CooperAlice Cooper once instilled fear in the hearts of parents with his over-the-top persona, prowling the stage in a circus of snakes, guillotines, fake blood and chopped up baby dolls and screeching menacingly about his “nightmare.” Fast-forward a few decades, and the conservative republican is best known as a sports-themed restaurant owner and avid golfer who hosts the annual Alice Cooper Celebrity AM Golf Tournament with pals like Pat Boone. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Scott Halleran, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Marilyn MansonBetween his crazy name, spooky multi-colored eye contacts, sacrilegious album titles and whatever those fake breast implants were supposed to be, Manson was once the epitome of scariness. Over time, however, the shock value wore off, and now he’s just a well spoken, intelligent, slightly doughy dude named Brian Warner who votes republican and can’t stop proposing to Hollywood actresses. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Kevin Winter, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
EminemEminem came out of the gates as the “guy who would say stuff other rappers wouldn’t,” whether that meant hurling over-the-top public insults at Moby and ‘N Sync or dishing out murder fantasies about his ex-wife. Over time, however, the notoriously tough rapper has softened, or at least grown up. Eminem embraced his role as a father, cast aside the shock-value crutches of misogyny and homophobia and began to address real issues, including his five-year addiction to prescription drugs. At the age of 39, he no longer has to thump his chest to prove his talents are real. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Scott Gries, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Trent ReznorThere was a time when Nine Inch Nails was branded as the band that would lead an entire generation of children into a dark, bottomless pit of self-loathing, amorality and contempt. Trent Reznor didn’t mind; it helped him sell records. Parents find him much less scary, however, now that the clean-cut, hyper-intelligent Reznor is sauntering around in tuxes and picking up Golden Globes and Oscars for his work as a film composer (“The Social Network”). —Jeff Royer (Photo: Kevin Winter, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Ice-TLike Ice Cube, Ice-T made his name as an uncompromising, hardcore rapper – most famously with his rap-metal band Body Count, which released the song “Cop Killer.” Despite Ice-T’s insistence the track was a protest song, “Cop Killer” drew a tidal wave of negative reactions from law enforcement groups all the way up to President George H.W. Bush. Ice-T mellowed over the years, however, and is now best known as a reality TV star and – in a delicious scoop of pop culture irony – NYPD Detective Odafin Tutuola on “Law & Order: SVU.” —Jeff Royer (Photo: Bryan Bedder, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
MetallicaThese thrash metal beasts, with their wild manes and scary lyrics about evil sandmen, used to haunt the dreams of many a child. One haircut, several albums and an orchestral performance later, they seem tame in the context of metal bands like, say, Cannibal Corpse. The doc “Some Kind of Monster” highlighted their humanity, which is about the last thing fans want from their metal gods. They can still make some rowdy rock, but Metallica are no longer the cultural boogiemen they once were. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Kevin Winter, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Axl RoseThe Guns N’ Roses frontman used to be the slithering, wailing face of rock and roll debauchery. The jungle he was welcoming us to seemed like no place for god-fearing people. The equation that converted him from scary to softy is a simple one. He swapped Slash for Buckethead, gave himself cornrows and produced the band’s long-awaited album “Chinese Democracy” 15 years too late. These days, the puffy frontman is best known for his onstage tumbles, temper tantrums and tired shots at his former bandmates. —Jeff Royer (Photo: Alexander Sibaja, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
