From the archives: When Ice Cube heated up a Wilmington club and got banned

Long before the Wilson Center and Live Oak Bank Amphitheater, there was one Wilmington concert venue that consistently attracted big names despite its small size.

From 1983-1996, the Mad Monk was the hot spot for music, though it did come with occasional controversy.

According to an article in the March 2, 1993, Wilmington Morning Star, the club received several citations for underage drinking, marijuana and "continuous" cursing onstage during a concert featuring rapper Ice Cube.

The show also drew attention from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, who arrested a man it said was a gang member and associated with the Los Angeles performer.

Mad Monk owner Charlie Maultsby called the Ice Cube concert a "nightmare" unlike other rap concerts at the club and said he would not be booked again. However, Maultsby thought the profanity citation a bit excessive.

Since it was the club's first citations since it had moved into Marketplace Mall on College Road in 1992 alongside a fairly clean record since its start on Market Street, an Alcohol Law Enforcement agent said it was likely it would only issue a warning or fine compared to suspending its license.

Although done with the Mad Monk, it wasn't Ice Cube's last time in the Port City. The "Friday" and "Barbershop" star performed at the N.C. Azalea Festival in 2019.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: When Ice Cube played The Mad Monk in Wilmington, NC, in 1993