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Ice-T

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Ice-T

Tracy Marrow (born February 16, 1958)[1], better known by stage name Ice-T, is an American rapper, rock musician, author, and actor. He was instrumental in creating gangsta rap and rapcore. Much of his music is politically oriented, like that of Public Enemy, although this has declined with time. Since 2000, he has played the role of Det. Fin Tutuola on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. As of 2007, Marrow resides in North Bergen, New Jersey.

Biography

Although one of West Coast rap's leading figures, Tracy Marrow was actually born in the urban town of Newark, New Jersey, and christened Tracy by his father. Marrow has said that his father gave him a girl's name in order to "teach a brother to fight." [citation needed]. When he was a child, he moved from his native Newark to the upscale community of Summit, New Jersey, to live with an aunt, then finally to California after his parents died, his mother of a heart attack when he was in third grade and his father of a heart attack four years later.[2]. After his father died, he went to live with his paternal aunt in South Los Angeles' (more often referred to as South Central) Crenshaw district, he quickly became infatuated with the ways of "ghetto street life" and eventually even joined in with one of the many sets of the infamous street gang, the Crips, as an affiliate of the West Side Rollin 30s Original Harlem Crips.

Marrow attended Crenshaw High School, where he became obsessed with rap, often reciting rhymes for classmates. It was during this time that he fathered a daughter.[3] After leaving high school, he joined the U.S. Army; he has stated he did not enjoy the experience, explaining, "I didn't like total submission to a leader other than myself." [1]. After leaving the army in 1983, Ice had intentions of starting a career in rap, but he once again became involved in the street life, first as a jewel thief, then later as a pimp. A car crash in 1985 was the turning point in Ice-T's life. He abandoned the street life and focused on rapping.

He was previously in a relationship with Darlene Ortiz (1986-2002), who was featured on the covers of his early albums. During that relationship, which ended in 2002, they had one child together who goes by the name of Tracy Marrow, Jr. In 2004, he married swimsuit model Nicole Austin, known professionally as "CoCo".[4]

Career

Stage name

Ice-T at a concert in Prague, 2006

Marrow's stage name Ice-T was originally his street moniker, styled after the famous ex-pimp turned author Iceberg Slim. In an introduction to the 1996 Canongate Books reprint of Iceberg Slim's 1969 autobiography 'Pimp', Ice-T explained: "Although I never met the man, Iceberg Slim was to have a profound effect on my career and life... Like him, I wanted to be somebody who didn't just die there out on the streets. I wanted to be able to document some of my experiences, and that's what I've been trying to do in my music for the past decade. I took my rap name in tribute to him, and I've never regretted it. He was a real hustler."

All of Ice-T's records on Warner Brothers spell his name Ice-T, while the spelling without the hyphen is more often used on more recent records. His earliest 12" shows the spelling Ice "T", other 12"s use Ice-T (Reckless, Ice Skillet, Slippery Pete) and Ice T (Ya Don't Quit). Most recently, on his 2006 release Gangsta Rap, he routinely refers to himself as Iceberg, a nickname also used in the 2004 video game Def Jam: Fight For NY, where there is an Ice-T character. In the story mode of the game, the character based on him says, "You cannot defeat the Iceberg, punk". On his third album, Freedom of Speech, his name is given as Iceberg.

Music career

After leaving the Army, Ice-T began his extremely long career of recording raps for various studios on 12". These tracks were later compiled on "The Classic Collection" and also featured on disc 2 of "Legends of Hip-Hop". His first rap was "The Coldest Rap" in 1982; this was also the first hip hop record to use the words "nigga" and "ho," although few recognize this early record as "gangsta rap". His first official "gangsta rap" record was "6 in the Morning" one of the first gangsta rap records ever recorded. He said he was influenced by the Schooly D record "P.S.K.", considered by many to be the first gangsta rap record (as it lionized the Philadelphia gang, Park Side Killers).

He finally landed a deal with a major label Sire Records. Shortly after, he released his debut album Rhyme Pays in 1987. On Rhyme Pays, he is supported by DJ Aladdin and producer Afrika Islam, who helped create the rolling, spare beats and samples that provided a backdrop for the rapper's charismatic rhymes, which were mainly party-oriented; the record wound up going gold. That same year, he recorded the theme song for Dennis Hopper's Colors, a film about inner-city life in Los Angeles. The song -- also called "Colors" -- was stronger, both lyrically and musically, with more incisive lyrics, than anything he had previously released. Ice-T formed his own record label, Rhyme Syndicate (which was distributed through Sire/Warner) in 1988, and released Power. It was a more assured and impressive record, earning him strong reviews and his second gold record. Released in 1989, The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech...Just Watch What You Say established him as a true hip-hop superstar by matching excellent abrasive music with fierce, intelligent narratives, and political commentaries, especially about hip-hop censorship.

Ice-T is believed to be the first rapper to have ever performed the notorious Crip Walk (or C-Walk) up on stage, in front of cameras sometime in the '80s. This added to his already controversial fame and gave rise to the C-Walk's mainstream presentation in other videos via WC, Snoop Dogg, Warren G, and other Crip-affiliated rap artists.

In 1991 he released his classic album O.G. (Original Gangster) which is regarded as one of Gangsta Rap's defining albums. It was also on this album in which he introduced his heavy metal band Body Count. He has released 4 other rap albums since then. His first rap album since 1999, Gangsta Rap, landed in stores on October 31 2006. It has caused controversy over its cover, which showed him and his wife, Coco, lying naked[2] with Coco covering Ice-T's penis; many retailers have been reluctant to supply this. Early reviews of the album have not been too enthusiastic; many were hoping for a return to the political raps of Ice-T's most successful albums, but he seems to be continuing with the apolitical gangsta approach of the previous two albums.

Besides fronting his own band, Ice-T has also collaborated with other Hard Rock/Metal bands, such as Icepick, Slayer, Motörhead, Black Sabbath, Six Feet Under. He has also covered songs by Hardcore Punk bands, The Exploited and Black Flag.

Political views

Ice-T's 1984 single "Killers" included comments on the death penalty, on nuclear war and on gang warfare. In 1986, "Squeeze the Trigger" was a seven-minute long political release by Ice-T, which later appeared on "Rhyme Pays". Ice-T's career has seen comments on racism, police brutality, domestic violence, drug abuse, alcoholism, prison conditions, war and censorship. He was one of the very few rappers to condemn homophobia on tracks like "Straight Up Nigga" and "The Tower". He also condemned anti-white bigotry amongst blacks on "Momma's Gotta Die Tonight", and he condemned the anti-immigrant racism of the 1992 Los Angeles riots on "Race War".

In an interview with Ice-T by legendary musician and television and film producer Edmund Darris for his L.A. Hip-Hop show Street Vibe 95, Darris asked Ice-T what his greatest contribution the American Pop Culture might have been. Ice -T pointed out that he was the first black man to let America know that he was not in the public eye to smile or be an Uncle Tom, but to let America know that he was angry about the lives that blacks lived and the things that they were being subjected to. He also stated that he was the only person that stood up to the racist politicians and government pundits who tried to use rap music as an excuse for the deterioration of American society.

He has voiced theories regarding the involvement of the CIA in drug trafficking on tracks such as "This One's for Me" and "Message to the Soldier", and in sections of his book.

Although usually on the political left, he was criticized for misogyny in his lyrics, and this has deterred some liberals from supporting him. The track "I always wanted to be a ho" has sometimes been interpreted as a break with this failure to oppose sexism; it begins by encouraging women to follow their dreams. In The Ice Opinion, he claimed that he was a feminist in so far as he believed in equal pay for women and equal rights generally. He argued against the position that being a stripper or a model is demeaning to women by an analogy with a man who considers a gay man to be demeaning all men by his actions, arguing that if the latter feeling is untenable, the former is as well.

The track "Escape from the Killing Fields" expressed a difference in views from rappers like Chuck D and Ice Cube in that Ice-T did not see any virtue in staying in the ghetto, but rather encouraged Black people to leave the ghetto. The last track on O.G. Original Gangster is a spoken-word opposition to the Gulf War and to poor conditions in prisons. After Born Dead in 1994, Ice-T's music has contained much less political commentary than before.

In 1994, Ice-T wrote a book titled The Ice Opinion: Who Gives a Fuck?[5]. The purpose of the 199-page book was to respond to questions about his political beliefs, his life and the controversy surrounding his music. Having often voiced controversial statements about corruption, he goes into detail about his suspicions of police/CIA involvement in drug trafficking and of how certain businesses profit from prison-building. The ten chapters are:

  • The Jungle Creed
  • The Killing Fields
  • Crime and Punishment
  • Men, Women and Sex
  • Rap: the art of Shit Talkin'
  • Religion: One Percent Nation
  • Racism
  • Riots and Revolution
  • The Controversy
  • The Future / No Fear

Acting career

Ice-T debuted as a rapper in the films Breakin' and Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo in 1984, only two years after his first 12" ("The Coldest Rap," 1982) appeared. In 1991, he embarked onto a serious acting career, playing a police detective in Mario Van Peebles' feature film New Jack City, gang leader King James in Trespass (1992), followed by a notable lead role performance in Surviving the Game in addition to his many supporting roles, such as J-Bone in Johnny Mnemonic (1995), and the marsupial mutant T-Saint in Tank Girl, 1995. Ice-T was also interviewed in the Brent Owens documentary Pimps Up, Ho's Down, in which he is quoted as saying "I can't act, I really can't act", and raps at the Players Ball.

In 1995 he had a recurring role as vengeful drug dealer Danny Cort on the television series New York Undercover, which was co-created by Dick Wolf. In 1997, Ice-T co-created the short-lived series Players, which was produced by Wolf. These two collaborations led Wolf to add Ice-T to the cast of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, where the rapper has portrayed Detective Fin Tutuola since 2000. His participation in this show is ironic, given the early controversy surrounding his group Body Count with their song "Cop Killer". Ice-T also appears in the movie Leprechaun: In the Hood.

Ice-T voiced Madd Dogg in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas as well as Agent Cain in Sanity: Aiken's Artifact. He also appears as himself in Def Jam: Fight for NY and UFC: Tapout fighting video games.

Ice-T made an appearance on Chappelle's Show as himself presenting the award for "Player Hater of the Year." He was dubbed the "Original Player Hater."

At WrestleMania 2000, Ice-T performed his song "Pimpin Ain't Easy" during The Godfather and D'Lo Brown's entrance.

Solo Discography

Albums

  • Power
    • Released: 1988
    • RIAA certification:
    • Singles: "Im Your Pusher", "High Rollers"
  • OG: Original Gangster
    • Released: 1991
    • RIAA certification:
    • Singles: "New Jack Hustler", "Original Gangster", "Mind Over Matter"
  • Home Invasion
    • Released: 1993
    • RIAA certification:
    • Singles: "That's How I'm Livin'/99 Problems", "Gotta Lotta Love", "I Ain't New At This"
  • The Seventh Deadly Sin
    • Released: 1999
    • RIAA certification:
    • Singles: "Don't Hate the Player", "Always want to be a ho", "valuble game"

Singles

  • "The Coldest Rap" (1982)
  • "Body Rock" (1984)
  • "Killers" (1984)
  • "Ya Don't Quit" (1985)
  • "Dog N The Wax" (1986)
  • "6 In The Mornin'" (1986)
  • "I'm Your Pusher" (1988)
  • "High Rollers" (1988)
  • "You Played Yourself" (1989)
  • "Lethal Weapon" (1989)
  • "What Ya Wanna Do" (1989)
  • "New Jack Hustler" (1991)
  • "Original Gangster" (1991) [Platinum]
  • "Mind Over Matter" (1991)
  • "That's How I'm Livin'/99 Problems" (1993)
  • "Gotta Lotta Love" (1994)
  • "I Ain't New Ta This" (1994)
  • "I Must Stand" (1996)
  • "The Lane" (1996)
  • "Don't Hate the Player" (1999)
  • "Always Wanted To Be A Ho (1999)
  • "Money, Power, Women" (2000)
  • "Pimping Ain't Easy" (2000)
  • "Police Story" (2002, Rise Above 24 songs to benefit the West Memphis 3)
  • "Walking In The Rain" (2006)

Soundtracks

Spoken Word, Compilations and Bootlegs

  • "Rhyme Syndicate - Coming Through" (Rhyme Syndicate Records 1989, various artists compilation)
  • "Ice-T & King Tee - Having a T Party" (Rams Horn 1991, official)
  • "The Classic Collection" (Excello/Rhino 1993, bootleg)
  • "The Ice Opinion" (Audio Select 1994, 3 CD lecture of Ice T's entire book of the same title)
  • "Cold as Ever" (Blue Dolphin/Hitman/Caroline 1996, bootleg)
  • "Greatest Hits: The Evidence" (Coroner/Warner 2000, official compilation)
  • "The Early Years" (2002, bootleg)
  • "Gang Culture" (Snapper 2004, bootleg recorded live in Montreux, Switzerland in 1995)

Collaboration Discography

with Body Count

See the group's main article for the complete Body Count discography.

with The West Coast Rydaz

  • The West Coast Rydaz: What Really Goez On (1998, co-produced by Ice T)

with Analog Brothers

with SMG

  • Repossession (2004)

Ice T presents (Various Artists Compilations)

  • Pimpin 101 - The Soundtrack (2003)
  • Pimp Penal Code (2003)
  • Westside (2004)

Various Guest Appearances

Videography

  • The Iceberg Video (1989)
  • O.G.: The Original Gangster Video (1991)

Selected filmography

Work Role
1984 Breakin' Hip-hop MC
Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo Rapper
1991 New Jack City Scotty Appleton
Ricochet Odessa
1992 Why Colors?
Trespass King James
1993 Who's the Man? Chauncey "Nighttrain" Jackson
CB4 Himself
1994 Surviving the Game Jack Mason
1995 Tank Girl T-Saint
Johnny Mnemonic J-Bone
New York Undercover Danny Cort (recurring character)
1996 MADtv Guest Host
1997 Players Isaac "Ice" Gregory
Below Utopia Jim
Mean Guns Vincent Moon
1998 MTV Sports & Music Festival 2 Host
Exiled: A Law & Order Movie Seymour Stockton
1999 Pimps Up, Ho's Down Himself
Urban Menace Narrator
Judgment Day Matthew Reese
2000 Leprechaun in the Hood Mack Daddy
2000 - Present Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Fin Tutuola
2001 The Heist C-Note
3000 Miles to Graceland Hamilton
2003 Ice T's Pimping 101
2006 Ice-T's Rap School Himself/Host/Mentor

References

  1. ^ Miller, Samantha (August 31, 1998). "Happy Birthday: 40 And Fabulous As this birthday bunch leave their thirties behind, they learn they have time, and the good life, on their side". People. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ The Ice Opinion(1994)
  3. ^ Sound off with Matt Pinfield, episode 107
  4. ^ smileanyway.com Profile page on Ice-T.
  5. ^ Ice-T. The Ice Opinion: Who Gives a Fuck?. New York: St Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0312104863.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ice-T&oldid=147465124"