Tracy Lauren Marrow, better known by his stage name Ice-T, is an American rapper, songwriter, actor, and producer. He 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—reportedly the first hip-hop album to carry an explicit content sticker. The following year, he founded the record label Rhyme $yndicate Records and released another album, Power, which would go platinum. He also released several other albums that went gold.
Stanley Kirk Burrell, better known by his stage name MC Hammer, is an American rapper, songwriter, dancer and record producer. He is also an entrepreneur and celebrity spokesperson, remembered for his rapid rise to fame. Hammer is known for hit songs such as "U Can't Touch This" and "2 Legit 2 Quit", flashy dance movements, extravagant choreography and eponymous Hammer pants.
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 3, 1990. The album contains Vanilla Ice's most successful singles, "Ice Ice Baby" and a cover of "Play That Funky Music". Although reviews of the album were mixed, To the Extreme spent 16 weeks at the top of the Billboard 200, and sold 15 million copies worldwide.
Cool as Ice is a 1991 American romantic musical comedy film directed by David Kellogg, written by David Stenn and starring rapper Vanilla Ice in his feature film debut. The plot focuses on Johnny Van Owen, a freewheeling, motorcycle-riding rapper who arrives in a small town and meets Kathy, an honor student who catches his eye. Meanwhile, Kathy's father, who is in witness protection, is found by the corrupt police officers he escaped from years ago.
Mind Blowin' is the second studio album by American rapper Vanilla Ice. Released on March 22, 1994, it is the rapper's final release on SBK Records. The album did not chart, and received unfavorable reviews. It has since received some degree of cult status in the hip hop community. Songs from the album made up one third of Vanilla Ice's tours during 1992–2010. The album shifted just 42,000 copies in the United States, a massive drop in comparison to his blockbuster debut album To the Extreme. Despite this, lead single Roll 'Em Up received some airplay in Europe.
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.
"Ice Ice Baby" is a hip hop song by American rapper Vanilla Ice, and DJ Earthquake. It was based on the bassline of "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 his debut album, To the Extreme, 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".
Extremely Live is a live album by American rapper Vanilla Ice. It was released on March 6, 1991 via SBK Records. Recording sessions took place at Knight Center in Miami, at Tupperware in Kissimmee, at Auditorium in West Palm Beach, at Music Hall in Cleveland, at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Columbus, at Syria Mosque in Pittsburgh, and at Sundome in Tampa during To the Extreme world tour from January to March 1991. Production was handled by Gail "Sky" King, DJ Earthquake, Peter Loomis, Khayree, Kim Sharp and Vanilla Ice himself.
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".
Pop rap, also called pop hip hop, hip pop, melodic hip hop or melodic rap, is a genre of music fusing the rhythm-based lyricism of hip hop music with pop music's preference for melodious vocals and catchy tunes. This genre gained mainstream popularity during the 1990s, though the influences and roots of pop rap can trace back to late-1980s hip hop artists such as Run DMC, LL Cool J, and Beastie Boys. The lyrics are often lighthearted, with choruses similar to those heard in pop music.
"Play That Funky Music" is a song written by Rob Parissi and recorded by the band Wild Cherry. The single was the first released by the Cleveland-based Sweet City record label in April 1976 and distributed by Epic Records. The performers on the recording included lead singer Parissi, electric guitarist Bryan Bassett, bassist Allen Wentz, and drummer Ron Beitle, with session players Chuck Berginc, Jack Brndiar (trumpets), and Joe Eckert and Rick Singer (saxes) on the horn riff that runs throughout the song's verses. The single hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on September 18, 1976; it was also No. 1 on the Hot Soul Singles chart. The single was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipments of over 2 million records and eventually sold 2.5 million in the United States alone.
AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted is the debut studio album by American rapper Ice Cube, released on May 16, 1990, by Priority Records. It was his first solo album, after an acrimonious split from his former group N.W.A. The album was primarily produced by Public Enemy's production team The Bomb Squad. A critical and commercial success, it remains one of the defining hip hop albums of the 1990s.
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. Session musicians included drummer Shannon Larkin, keyboardist Scott Borland, and Snot guitarist Sonny Mayo.
Back 2 Back Hits is a compilation album by rappers M.C. Hammer and Vanilla Ice. The album was released in 1997 for CEMA Special Markets and was re-released in 2006 for Capitol Records. The first five songs on the album are by M.C. Hammer; the last five are by Vanilla Ice. The 2006 release replaced "Pray" with "Help the Children."
American rapper Vanilla Ice has released six studio albums, two compilation albums, one live album, one remix album, and 13 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.
"Under Pressure " is the debut single by Irish pop duo Jedward. The song is a medley of "Under Pressure", originally recorded in 1981 by Queen and David Bowie, and the 1990 Vanilla Ice single "Ice Ice Baby". "Ice Ice Baby" originally sampled the bassline from "Under Pressure". Vanilla Ice also provides vocals for the track.
W.T.F. , also known as W.T.F. or just WTF, is the sixth and, to date, most recent studio album by American rapper Robert Van Winkle, known as Vanilla Ice. Originally scheduled for a 2009 release, it was officially released as a digital download on August 30, 2011, through Radium Records, executive produced by Vanilla Ice, Nick DeTomaso and Mark Mehwald.
"Rollin' in my 5.0" is a hip hop song written by American rapper Vanilla Ice. The song samples "Fly Like an Eagle" by the Steve Miller Band. The studio version of the song was only found on the single as it was originally intended to be featured on Mind Blowin. It is about Vanilla Ice's 5.0 Liter Foxbody Mustang.
"Cool As Ice " is a song written by Vanilla Ice, Gail "Sky" King and Jennece "Princessa" Moore, and performed by American rapper Vanilla Ice featuring vocals from English model Naomi Campbell. Produced by Gail "Sky" King, it was released on September 24, 1991 via SBK Records as a single from the soundtrack to David Kellogg's film Cool as Ice. The single peaked at number 81 on the Billboard Hot 100.
