Ice Cube, VH1 Plot Hip-Hop ‘Hollywood Squares’
Ice Cube has signed on to executive produce Hip Hop Squares, a rap-inspired version of the classic game show, Hollywood Squares, which VH1 has picked up with a straight-to-series order, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The network has ordered at least 20 episodes of the show, which is slated to debut in the fall. The real life tic-tac-toe game will pit celebrity contestants against each other in a pop culture quiz with questions coming from an array of hip-hop artists, comedians and entertainers seated in the squares of the big board.
“Hip Hop Squares is going to be fun and spontaneous,” Ice Cube said. “Unlike typical game shows, viewers should never know what’s going to happen next.”
VH1’s Hip Hop Squares marks the latest iteration of Hollywood Squares, which debuted in 1966 and ran until 1981. The show was revived twice during the Eighties — including one version that paired it with another staple, Match Game — and then again for a run between 1998 and 2004.
While the original Hollywood Squares has not been on the air since, MTV2 premiered their version in 2012, also called Hip Hop Squares. The show was hosted by Hot 97 DJ Peter Rosenberg and featured appearances from Questlove, Biz Markie, DJ Khaled, Ghostface Killah, Mac Miller, Method Man and more. However, it was canceled after just two seasons and 20 episodes.