Tracy Lauren Marrow, better known by his stage name Ice-T, is an American rapper and actor. He is active in both hip hop and heavy metal. Ice-T began his career as an underground rapper in the 1980s and was signed to Sire Records in 1987, when he released his debut album Rhyme Pays. The following year, he founded the record label Rhyme $yndicate Records and released another album, Power (1988), which would go platinum. He also released several other albums that went gold, including The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech... Just Watch What You Say! (1989), O.G. Original Gangster (1991) and Home Invasion (1993).
Body Count is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1990. The group is fronted by Ice-T, who first established himself as a rapper but co-founded the group with lead guitarist Ernie C out of their interest in heavy metal music. Ice-T took on the role of vocalist and writing the lyrics for most of Body Count's songs, while Ernie C has been responsible for writing the group's music.
Antoine Carraby, known professionally as DJ Yella, is an American DJ, rapper, record producer and film director from Los Angeles.
Compton's Most Wanted (C.M.W.) is an American gangsta rap group and part of the early West Coast hip hop scene. The leaders of the group are MC Eiht and Tha Chill.
Donald Lamont, professionally known by his stage name Donald-D, is an American rapper and record producer from the Bronx, New York. He is a member of the Universal Zulu Nation, a member of the B-Boys, and is best known as a member of Ice-T's Rhyme Syndicate.
"Cop Killer" is a song by American heavy metal band Body Count. Released on the group's 1992 self-titled debut album, the song was written two years earlier, and was partially influenced by "Psycho Killer" by Talking Heads.
O.G. Original Gangster is the fourth studio album by American rapper Ice-T, released May 14, 1991, by Sire Records. Recording took place from July 1990 to January 1991 in Los Angeles. Its production was handled by seven producers: Afrika Islam, Beatmaster V, Bilal Bashir, DJ Aladdin, Nat the Cat, SLJ and Ice-T himself, who also served as executive producer. It features guest appearances from Body Count, Prince Whipper Whip and various Rhyme Syndicate artists, such as Donald D, Evil E and Randy Mac.
Tura Satana was an American rock band formed by rapper and singer Tairrie B after she departed from her contract with the rap label Ruthless Records. Initially formed as a rap rock band under the name Manhole, the band changed their name due to a conflict with a Texas band of the same name, and shifted to a nu metal sound.
Live and Let Die is the third and final studio album by the American hip hop duo Kool G Rap & DJ Polo. It was released on November 24, 1992, via Cold Chillin' Records. The album features guest appearances from Big Daddy Kane, Bushwick Bill, Ice Cube and Scarface. The singles "Ill Street Blues" and "On The Run" both received consistent airplay on Yo! MTV Raps, and BET's Rap City upon the album's release.
Home Invasion is the fifth studio album by American rapper Ice-T, released on March 23, 1993, via Rhyme $yndicate/Priority Records. It was originally set for release in 1992 as part of his deal with Sire/Warner Bros. Records, and supposed to be his first official release through his own Rhyme $yndicate record label, now in full control of the content as part of a new distribution deal with Priority Records.
Power is the second studio album by American rapper Ice-T, released on September 13, 1988, by Sire Records. Recorded at Syndicate Studios West in Los Angeles, the home studio of DJ Evil E, it was produced by Ice-T and Afrika Islam. The Los Angeles Daily News noted that its lyrical themes ranged from sex to gun violence, and that Ice-T "implicates everyone from radio programmers to the police as accomplices in the decline of western civilisation." The album contains lyrics which began a feud between Ice-T and rapper LL Cool J. The album cover, which features Ice-T's then-girlfriend Darlene Ortiz, Ice-T, and DJ Evil E, was described as "perpetuating stereotypes" by the Chicago Tribune and "violence-glorifying" by both the Chicago Sun-Times and The Sydney Morning Herald.
Ice-T VI: Return of the Real is the sixth studio album by American rapper Ice-T. It was released on June 4, 1996, via Rhyme $yndicate/Priority Records. The title is a play on words based on the movie Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi, with the "VI" referring to it being his sixth album. Production was handled by several record producers, including Aquel, Big Rich, DJ Ace, Dre MC, E-A-Ski, Hen-Gee, Mad Rome, San Man, SLJ, Trials Of Flowalistics, and Ice-T himself. It also features guest appearances from Hot Dolla, Powerlord JEL, Mr. Wesside, Godfather of Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E., Sean E. Sean of Body Count, Deft Saplin, K-Wiz Spurt, and Angela Rollins.
Hip hop or hip-hop, also known as rap, and formerly known as disco rap, is a genre of popular music that originated in the early 1970s by black African Americans and Caribbean Americans immigrants in the Bronx, a borough of New York City. It existed for several years prior to mainstream discovery. Hip-hop music originated as an anti-drug and anti-violence genre consisting of stylized rhythmic music that often accompanies rapping, a rhythmic delivery of poetic speech. According to the professor Asante of African American studies at Temple University, "hip hop is something that blacks can unequivocally claim as their own". The music developed as part of the broader hip hop culture, a subculture defined by four key stylistic elements: MCing/rapping, DJing/scratching with turntables, break dancing, and graffiti art. While often used to refer solely to rapping and rap music, "hip hop" more properly denotes the practice of the entire subculture. The term hip hop music is sometimes used synonymously with the term rap music, though rapping is not a required component of hip hop music; the genre may also incorporate other elements of the culture, including DJing, turntablism, scratching, beatboxing, and instrumental tracks.
Brandi Younger, professionally known by her stage name Gripsta, is an Oakland-born female rapper. Discovered by Ice-T at the age of 13, she was featured on song titled "Funky Gripsta" off of his 1993 album Home Invasion and later signed to Tuff Break/A&M Records in the 1990s. Her debut single "Pop Goz the 9" was partially leaked in January 1994, its music video was directed by Ice-T. However Gripsta's debut single was never officially released. The Tuff Break label on A&M Records was dropped before her scheduled release date. She was later featured on Ice-T's seventh solo studio album The Seventh Deadly Sin, as well as numerous features on record label Def Jam's The Murder Squad album. She worked with many artists under that association. She was featured on song “Knock on Wood” alongside Grammy award winning L.V of South Central Cartel South Central Cartel, Spice 1, B.G. Knocc Out, Dresta, Jayo Felony, Young Murder Squad and Sh’killa.
Flipmode Squad was a hip hop collective founded and fronted by rapper Busta Rhymes. The first Flipmode album debuted in 1998 with The Imperial, Rampage and Rah Digga went on to record solo efforts. In the move to J Records in 2000, Lord Have Mercy left Flipmode Squad in preference of a solo career in 2000, feeling that Busta was holding him down. The original line up also included Serious, who after quickly leaving would later produce for artists on No Limit Records, and later acts like Show Money and M. Dollars who were signed to the label as independent artists. Underground MC Roc Marciano would also be signed to the label for a number of years before going the independent route.
"I Ain't New Ta This" is a song performed by American recording artist Ice-T. It was released as the first single from the rapper's fifth studio album Home Invasion. The song was produced by Tracy "Ice-T" Marrow, Shafiq "SLJ" Husayn and Alphonso "DJ Aladdin" Henderson, and released on April 14, 1993 via Rhyme $yndicate Records. The single peaked at number 62 in the UK and number 49 in New Zealand.
Low Profile was an American hip hop duo from Los Angeles. The group consisted of rapper William "W.C." Calhoun Jr. and record producer Alphonso "D.J. Aladdin" Henderson, who went on to pursue a career in visual arts. The duo made its debut with Rhyme $yndicate Records, on a compilation album produced by Ice-T and Afrika Islam, before becoming a duo on Priority Records.
Notorious is the debut studio album by American rapper and producer Donald D. It was released in 1989 via Ice-T's Rhyme $yndicate Records label with distribution through Epic Records and CBS Records Inc. Recording sessions took place at Syndicate Studio West and Wide Tracks Recording Studio in Los Angeles, California. Record production on the album was handled by Afrika Islam and Donald D, with executive production provided by Ice-T. Reaching a peak position of number 78 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, the album remained on the chart for a total of 18 weeks. It spawned two singles: "F.B.I.", which peaked at number 8 on the Hot Rap Songs, and "Notorious".
"I Must Stand" is a song by American recording artist Ice-T. It was released on April 9, 1996 as a single from the rapper's sixth studio album Ice-T VI: Return of the Real through Rhyme $yndicate Records/Priority Records/Virgin Records. The song was written and produced by Ice-T and Santiago "San Man" Sanguillen. The single peaked at number 83 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and number 23 on the Hot Rap Songs charts in the United States, and also reached number 23 and number 43 in the UK and Switzerland respectively. "I Must Stand" was later included in the rapper's greatest hits album Greatest Hits: The Evidence.
"That's How I'm Livin'" is a song performed by American recording artist Ice-T. It was released as the second single from the rapper's fifth studio album Home Invasion. The song was produced by Tracy "Ice-T" Marrow, Shafiq "SLJ" Husayn and Alphonso "DJ Aladdin" Henderson, and released via Rhyme $yndicate Records on September 21, 1993 in the United States, and on December 16, 1993 in the United Kingdom. The single peaked at number 21 in the UK, and later was included in the rapper's greatest hits album Greatest Hits: The Evidence.
