Ice-t

Tracy Marrow was born February 16, 1958 in Newark (New Jersey, USA) in the family of Solomon and Alice Marrow ^[3] . When he was a child, his family moved to Summit, New Jersey . His mother died of a heart attack when he was in third grade, and his father died of a heart attack four years later ^[4] . Ice-T stated in his biography that his father was of Creole descent and his mother was African - American ^[5] .

After his father died, he continued to live with his aunt in California, and then studied at the Crenshaw High School in South-Central Los Angeles ^[6] . After leaving school, he joined the US Army and served as a ranger in the 25th Infantry Regiment for 4 years. According to him, it was an invaluable experience, but he tries not to use it in life ^[7] .

Musical career

After serving in the army, Ice-T began the rapper's music career and recorded several unremarkable 12-inch singles . After that, he signed to a major label, Sire Records . When label founder and president Seymour Stein heard his demo, he said ^[8] : "He sounds like Bob Dylan ."

In 1987, with the support of DJ Aladdin , DJ Evil E and producer Afrika Islam , his debut album, Rhyme Pays, was released. The album became "gold" according to the RIAA . In the same year, Ice-T recorded a song about the life of the old part of Los Angeles for Dennis Hopper's “ Colors ” film. His next album, Power , was released in 1988 on his own label, Rhyme Syndicate , and also became gold.

In 1989, Ice-T released an album entitled "The Iceberg / Freedom Of Speech ... Just Watch What You Say", combining several different styles ^[9] .

The interest in heavy music, inherited from cousin Earle, encouraged him to create his own metal band called Body Count in 1990. It included musicians who studied with Ice-T back in Crenshaw School and were also fond of heavy music: solo guitarist Ernie C, bassist Mooseman, drummer Beatmaster V and rhythm guitarist D-Roc. Their music was a furious and fast sound, a mixture of thrash metal , speed metal and hardcore . The harsh social texts written by Ice-T himself spoke of banditry, racial injustice, police brutality, etc., which led to a new, characteristic branch in heavy music - ghetto metal. The group released 4 albums and promised to release a new album in 2014.

In 1991, he released the album "OG: Original Gangster", which was created in the style of gangsta rap and became his most successful album. The recording of the album was attended by his metal band Body Count.

For the track “Back on the Block”, recorded in collaboration with jazz musician Quincy Jones and an attempt to combine musical styles from jazz and soul to funk and rap, Ice-T received a Grammy Award “For Best Rap Performance by a Duet or Band” and shared the prize with the musicians he worked with - Quincy Jones and Ray Charles ^[10] .

The song "Cop Killer", which tells about the murder of a policeman, caused outrage from the police and the National Rifle Association, which is why Warner Music refused to release the album "Home Invasion". Ice-T broke the contract with Warner Bros and released Home Invasion on Rhyme Syndicate, with Priority Records as the distributor. The album took 9th place in the ranking of R & B / Hip-Hop Albums magazine and 14th place on the Billboard 200. Several singles, including “Gotta Lotta Love”, “I Ain't New Ta This” and “99 problems”, will later inspire Jay-Z to record their versions of these songs in 2003. Ice-T also collaborated with heavy metal bands . For the film “ Doomsday ”, he sang a duet with Slayer the song “Disorder” by The Exploited ^[11] .

In 1995, Ice-T toured Black Sabbath on their Forbidden tour. Then came the albums “VI - Return of the Real” (1996) and “The Seventh Deadly Sin” in (1999) ^[12] .

The album "Gangsta Rap", written in 1999, was released only on October 31, 2006 and was received coolly. .

Ice-T appears in the film « Gift », in the last scene of the Ice-T and the band Body Count playing with Jane's Addiction in the version of Sly & the Family Stone song «Do not Call Me Nigger, Whitey .» In addition, fronting his own band and rap projects, Ice-T also collaborates with other hard rock and metal bands such as: Icepick , Motörhead , Pro-Pain , and Six Feet Under . Records cover versions of songs by bands such as The Exploited , Jello Biafra and Black Flag .

In 2008, Ice-T performed at the annual Gathering Of The Juggalos festival , which is hosted by Insane Clown Posse ^[13] .

Ice-T was on the jury at the 7th Independent Music Awards in support of independent musicians ^[14] .

In 2012, his new film “ Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap ” was released, funded by the BBC , telling about rap, its foundation and the lifestyle of rappers ^[15] .

Acting career

The first appearance in the film career for Ice-T was the film " Break Dance " (1984) and its continuation, " Break Dance 2: Electric Bougalo " (1985). These films were released before the first Ice-T album, so he divides his career into “cinema and music” ^[16] .

In 1991, he had the serious role of police detective Scotty Appleton in Mario Van Peebles’s film New Jack City , then the role of gang leader Odessa in the film Ricochet , in which Denzel Washington and John Lithgow starred , the leader of the King James gang in Alien Territory (1992), and after a prominent role in the movie Survival Game (1994), as well as supporting roles in Johnny Mnemonics (1995) and the role of mutant in Tankman ”(1995).

In 1993, with other rappers and three presenters of the program “Yo! MTV Raps ”by Ed Laver, Doctor Dre (not Dr. Dre ) and Fab 5 Freddy starred in the comedy“ Who Is This Type? ” "Directed by Ted Demm.

In 1995, he had the recurring role of the vengeful drug dealer Danny Court in the television series Undercover Police, created by Dick Wolfe . His work earned him the 1996 NAACP Image Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. In 1997, he played one of the main roles in the action movie " Steep trunks ", and also took part in the creation of a small series "Players", produced by Dick Wolfe. Then came the role of Seymour "Kingston" Stockon in "Exiled: A Law & Order Movie" in 1998.

Collaboration with Wulf led him to the series Law and Order: Special Corps. Since 2000, he played Odafin “Fina” Tatuola , a former undercover officer in the anti-drug service, transferred to a special corps. In 2002, Ice-T won the second NAACP Image Award, and again as "Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" for his work in the series Law & Order: Special Corps. His participation in the series is somewhat ironic, given the controversy surrounding his group Body Count with the song "Cop Killer". He also appears in the movie Leprechaun 5: Neighbor . In 1999, starred in the movie "The Fighter." The film was mediocre ^[17] .

Ice-T was voiced by Madd Dogg in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas , as well as agent Kane in Sanity: Aiken's Artifact . In addition, he appears in the role of himself in the games Def Jam: Fight for NY and UFC: Tapout .

On the WrestleMania 2000 show, he sang the song “Pimpin Ain't Easy” during the release of Charles Wright and D'Lough Brown . He also played Hamilton in the 2001 thriller " 3000 Miles to Graceland ."

He had a long relationship with Darlene Ortiz , who was on the covers of his albums Rhyme Pays (1987) and Power (1988). The couple had a son in 1992. In early 2005, Ice-T married model Nicole "Coco-Mary" Austin . ^[3]

• 1987: Rhyme Pays
• 1988: Power
• 1989: Freedom of Speech
• 1991: OG Original Gangster
• 1993: Home Invasion
• 1996: Return of the Real
• 1999: The Seventh Deadly Sin
• 2006: Gangsta Rap

Television

Video Games

• Official site
• Ice-T interview & biography at westcoastpioneers
• Exclusive Interview: Ice-T Speaks on Soulja
• Ice T Radio Interview 2009