Bi-Polar | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | October 23, 2001 | |||
Recorded | 1999–01 | |||
Studio | Luminous Sound, Dallas, Texas and Sound City Studios, Los Angeles, California | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 72:12 | |||
Label | Liquid 8 Records | |||
Producer | Ice | |||
Vanilla Ice chronology | ||||
| ||||
Bi-Polar | ||||
Singles from Bi-Polar | ||||
|
Bi-Polar is the fourth studio album by Vanilla Ice. Released by Ultrax Records,it is the rapper's second independent release,after Hooked. The song "Unbreakable" was remade for Dance Dance Revolution II as "Still Unbreakable",with additional verses from Vanilla Ice himself and production from Konami in-house artist Des-ROW. As of 2002,the album sold 10,645 copies in the United States. [1]
The album was initially planned as a double album consisting of one disc of rock music (Skabz) and one disc of hip hop music (Bomb Tha System). Before its release,it was decided that the two parts of the album would be released on one disc,with each part labeled. [2] [3] Each side of the booklet features a different cover for each part. Skabz features appearances from heavy metal music figures such as former Slipknot guitarist Josh "Gnar" Brainard,Roy Mayorga,and Billy Milano. Bomb Tha System notably features appearances from Insane Poetry's Cyco,Chuck D (of Public Enemy fame),the Insane Clown Posse,and Wu-Tang Clan affiliate La the Darkman. [2] [4] In the initial publicity for the album,Vanilla Ice claimed that the album would feature a guest appearance from Lenny Kravitz. [5]
Although Vanilla Ice is credited as "V-Ice" and "Ice" on the album,there was never any intent to change his stage name. The performer is quoted as saying "people are asking me that question [...] there's no name change. I'm proud of it and I'm not trying to run from anything or hide from anything." [3]
On "Hip Hop Rules",Vanilla Ice praises what he loves about hip hop while overlooking his career. "Dirty South" and "Tha Weed Song" are about marijuana. "Molton","Nothing is Real" and "Primal Side" deal with Vanilla Ice's mortality and thoughts of death,while "Elvis Killed Kennedy" and "Hate" criticize the current condition the world is in.
A lot of the songs feature a mixture of explicit and humorous lyrics such as "Exhale",while songs like "Insane Killas" could be described as horrorcore hip hop. The hardcore hip hop songs on the album,like "Detonator","O.K.S." and "Unbreakable",focus on Ice's rhyming skills and flow.
Although having mentioned him a couple of times in past interviews,Bi-Polar features Vanilla Ice's only musical response to Eminem who has been referencing him since the 90s and in almost every record since The Slim Shady LP (1999). In "Exhale",Ice claims that Marshall Mathers' initials stand for Mini-Me,which is also a reference to the Austin Powers franchise because the first film also referenced Vanilla Ice. Ice remarked that the song was just a joke and that he has no real beef with Eminem. Eminem did however name-drop Vanilla Ice again on The Eminem Show (2002),mentioning being reborn as his son,and in the film 8 Mile (2002).
Five singles were released,"Nothing is Real","Get Your Ass Up","Tha Weed Song","Hot Sex" &"Elvis Killed Kennedy". Bomb tha System was reissued under the title Hot Sex on May 26,2002,with alternate artwork depicting a woman in revealing clothing alongside Vanilla Ice. [6] [7]
According to a Sony BMG executive,sales of Bi-Polar were "not bad...for Vanilla Ice. That's pretty respectable. Seriously." [8]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [9] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [10] |
The album was universally panned by critics. Bradley Torreano of Allmusic greatly disliked the album,calling it "wildly uneven and at times hilariously bad". Torreano referred to the album's heavy metal-influenced songs as being "terribly generic" and derivative of bands such as Korn and Deftones. Torreano praised the production of the hip hop songs,but described their lyrics as "boring and simplistic",and felt that the inclusion of the phone messages at the end of the album was not necessary. Torreano called "Elvis Killed Kennedy" "the best song on the album" and described it as "a sadly rare example of the talent that Chuck D still has". [9]
No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Introduction" | 0:11 | |
2. | "Nothing Is Real" (Ice, Train, Feat. Josh Brainard, Roy Mayorga, Jason Mendelson) | Ice | 4:26 |
3. | "Molton" (Ice, "T" Tim McMurtrie, Chris "Hitman" Antonopoulos) | Ice | 3:13 |
4. | "Mudd Munster" (Ice, Feat. Billy Milano, Josh Brainard, Roy Mayorga, Jason Mendelson) | Ice | 3:24 |
5. | "Exhale" (Ice, Feat. "T" Tim McMurtrie, Billy Milano) | "T" Tim McMurtrie, Steve Evetts and Ice | 2:56 |
6. | "Hate" (Ice) | Ice | 5:24 |
7. | "Primal Side" (Ice, Feat. Josh Brainard, Roy Mayorga, Jason Mendelson) | Ice | 5:23 |
8. | "I Know" (Ice, "T" Tim McMurtrie, Rod J) | "T" Tim McMurtrie, Steve Evetts and Ice | 4:43 |
Total length: | 29:42 |
No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
9. | "Hip Hop Intro" | 0:10 | |
10. | "Hip Hop Rules" (Ice, Train, Feat. La The Darkman) | Ice | 4:32 |
11. | "O.K.S." (Ice, Feat. Cyco, DJ Street) | Ice | 3:40 |
12. | "Dirty South" (Ice, Zero, Feat. Zeno, Rod-J, Calico) | Ice and Zero | 3:42 |
13. | "Hot Sex" (Ice, Bob Kakaha, REM) | Ice | 4:50 |
14. | "Unbreakable" (Ice, Feat. La Tha Darkman) | Ice | 3:09 |
15. | "Detonator" (Ice, Feat. Train) | Ice | 3:38 |
16. | "Elvis Killed Kennedy" (Ice, Feat. Mista Chuck A.K.A. Chuck D, Rahan) | Ice | 3:40 |
17. | "Insane Killas" (Ice, Train, Feat. Insane Clown Posse, La Tha Darkman, Zeno) | Ice and Zeno | 5:02 |
18. | "Tha Weed Song" (Ice, Zeno, Blu, Feat. Rahan) | Ice | 5:15 |
19. | "Get Your Ass Up" (Ice, Feat. Pearla, Zeno) | Ice | 2:53 |
20. | "Crash And Burn" (Phone Message—Ross Robinson) | 0:47 | |
21. | "Vampiro" (Phone Message—ICP) | 0:13 | |
22. | "MC & Slasher" (Phone Message—Jeremy McGrath, Victor Sheldon) | 0:10 | |
23. | "Anthropology 101" (Phone Message—Zero) | 0:15 | |
24. | "White Trash" (Ice—Quote From Cape Fear ) | 0:26 | |
Total length: | 42:29 |
"Hot Sex"
"Elvis Killed Kennedy"
N.W.A was an American hip hop group formed in Compton, California. They were among the earliest and most significant popularizers and controversial figures of the gangsta rap subgenre, and the group is widely considered one of the greatest and most influential groups in the history of hip hop music.
Robert Matthew Van Winkle, known professionally as Vanilla Ice, is an American rapper, actor, and television host. Born in South Dallas, and raised in Texas and South Florida, Ice released his debut album, Hooked, in 1989 on Ichiban Records, before signing a contract with SBK Records, a record label of the EMI Group, which released a reformatted version of the album in 1990 under the title To the Extreme; which became the fastest-selling hip hop album of all time and contained Ice's best-known hits: "Ice Ice Baby" and a cover of "Play That Funky Music". "Ice Ice Baby" was the first hip hop single to top the Billboard charts and has been credited with helping to diversify hip hop by introducing it to a mainstream audience.
To the Extreme is the major label debut studio album of American rapper Vanilla Ice released on September 10, 1990 by SBK and EMI. Recorded between 1989–90, it contains Vanilla Ice's most successful single, "Ice Ice Baby". It primarily contains hip hop and pop rap tracks produced by Earthquake, Kim Sharp, Khayree, and Darryl Williams.
D12 was an American hip hop collective from Detroit, Michigan. Formed in 1996, the group achieved mainstream success with its lineup of de facto leader Eminem, Proof, Bizarre, Mr. Porter, Kuniva and Swifty McVay.
Raymond Leon Scott, better known by his stage name Benzino, is an American urban media proprietor, television personality, rapper, and record producer. Benzino produced records and co-owned The Source magazine.
Color Me Badd is an American contemporary R&B group that was formed in 1985 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma by lead singer Bryan Abrams, 2nd tenor Mark Calderon, 1st tenor Sam Watters and baritone/bass Kevin Thornton. Color Me Badd broke up in 1998 before reuniting in 2010, with various lineups since.
"Ice Ice Baby" is the debut single by American rapper Vanilla Ice, K. Kennedy and DJ Earthquake. It samples the bassline of the song "Under Pressure" by British rock band Queen and British singer David Bowie, who did not receive songwriting credit or royalties until after it had become a hit. Released on Vanilla Ice's debut album, To the Extreme (1990), it is his best-known song. It has appeared in remixed form on Platinum Underground and Vanilla Ice Is Back! A live version appears on the album Extremely Live, while a nu metal version appears on the album Hard to Swallow, under the title "Too Cold".
"Fight Music" is a hip hop single by the rap group D12 from their debut album Devil's Night. The song features various lyrics about violence and dangerous street fighting except in two verses: Bizarre's, which features various graphic subjects, namely oral sex with his grandmother, and Eminem's, which talks about the youth, how they feel and how they relate with this song and other songs. The song was produced by Dr. Dre. "Fight Music" is also included on the greatest hits disc of Shady Records' 15th anniversary compilation, Shady XV, which was released on November 24, 2014. The song was also used as an outro in the 2012 movie Project X.
Platinum Underground is the fifth studio album by American rapper Vanilla Ice. Released on August 16, 2005, it is the rapper's third independent release, after Hooked and Bi-Polar. Allmusic reviewer Rob Theakston panned the album, writing that it "has more bad spots in it than most unless you are a diehard fan".
"Just Don't Give a Fuck" is the debut single by American rapper Eminem. The original version appears as the only single on his only EP, the Slim Shady EP. A re-recorded version appears on his major-label debut album, The Slim Shady LP. According to the book Angry Blonde, this was Eminem's first "real" song, and was when he first came up with the "Slim Shady" theme.
The discography of American record producer, sound engineer, and rapper Dr. Dre consists of three studio albums, forty-two singles,, two compilation album, one soundtrack album, and twenty-one music videos.
Hard to Swallow is the third studio album by American rapper Vanilla Ice. Released by Republic Records in 1998, the album was the first album Vanilla Ice recorded after a four-year hiatus following the 1994 release of Mind Blowin. Vanilla Ice intended the new musical direction found on the album as an attempt to move away from hip hop music and discard his former pop image. Hard to Swallow instead featured what he described as "skate rock", a fusion of heavy metal, punk rock and hip hop. The album features appearances from Amen vocalist Casey Chaos, Bloodhound Gang vocalist Jimmy Pop, and Insane Poetry front man Cyco. Vanilla Ice employed a full band for the album's sessions, which included members from notable bands such as drummer Shannon Larkin, keyboardist Scott Borland, guitarist Sonny Mayo (Snot/Sevendust), bassist Doug Ardito, and turntablist DJ Swamp (Beck/Ministry).
"My Life" is the third single from The Game's third studio album, LAX which was released on July 22, 2008. The song, produced by Cool & Dre, features Lil Wayne.
"Mrs. Officer" is the fourth single from Lil Wayne's album Tha Carter III. Its lyrics explore the tension between criminal suspects and police officers by portraying a relationship between Lil Wayne and a female police officer; it goes so far as to reference the famous N.W.A rap song "Fuck tha Police". The song features Bobby Valentino and Kidd Kidd, and is produced by Deezle. The Music video officially debuted on September 9, 2008 It was ranked the No. 25 Hip-Hop song of 2008 by MTV.
Insane Poetry is an American hip hop group from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1988, it is considered to be one of the first horrorcore groups.
Vanilla Ice Is Back! is a cover album by the rapper Vanilla Ice. Released in 2008 by Cleopatra Records, it is a cover album containing covers of several popular hip hop tracks, as well as one reggae selection: "Buffalo Soldier", originally performed by Bob Marley.
American rapper Vanilla Ice has released six studio albums, two compilation albums, one live album, one remix album, and 25 singles. His debut album, To the Extreme, was the fastest-selling hip hop album of all time. His single "Ice Ice Baby" was the first hip hop single to top the Billboard charts, and has been credited with helping to diversify hip hop by introducing it to a mainstream white audience. Soundtrack appearances and a live album, Extremely Live continued the success but a second mainstream studio album Mind Blowin' featured an image change which saw a massive drop in popularity for Ice. Further albums, including Hard to Swallow, Bi-Polar and Platinum Underground, featured a less mainstream rock-oriented sound, and did not chart.
"We Made You" is a song by American rapper Eminem from his sixth studio album Relapse (2009). It was released as the second single from the album on April 7, 2009. "We Made You" was written by Eminem, Dr. Dre, Dawaun Parker, Mark Batson, Trevor Lawrence Jr. and Walter Egan. Production was handled by Dr. Dre, with Eminem and Doc Ish serving as additional co-producers.
"Rock City" is a song by American rapper Royce da 5'9", released as the third single from his debut album, Rock City , which was released in 2002 through MNRK Music Group and Game Recordings, after Columbia Records turned down the first version of the album. The song also features vocals from rapper Eminem, becoming Eminem's debut appearance on one of Royce's solo albums. The single was released on January 5, 2002, the same date as its same titled album was released. "Rock City" charted at #99 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart in 2002. Not counting Bad Meets Evil or Slaughterhouse songs, "Rock City" is Royce's most successful single chart-wise.
This article summarizes the events, album releases and album release dates in hip hop music for the year 2010.