Hello guys! It’s Samantha! From creating a new type of music to forming an unlikely
band, this is the shocking truth about Ice-T!
13. Early On
Ice-T was born in Newark, New Jersey to Alice and Solomon Marrow in February 1958, and his
given name is Tracy Lauren Marrow. His mom was Creole, and his dad was African-American.
When he was a toddler, Tracy and his family moved to Summit, New Jersey, a more upscale
town. Ice later noted that around the same time, at seven years old, he experienced racism
for the first time. He noticed that his caucasian friends were prejudiced towards black children.
He recalled that he managed to avoid adverse treatment because he had lighter skin.
12. Acting Career
Everybody has heard of Ice-T as a rapper, and most of us have had the pleasure of watching
his acting career develop as well. The first movie he appeared in was 1984’s Breakin’,
and he acted in its sequel too. Looking back on those two films, Ice-T stated that he wasn’t
a fan of his acting and thought his performance was “wack.” In 1991, his serious acting
career began when he got the part as Scotty Appleton, a police detective, in New Jack
City. Ice-T also acted in Ricochet, Trespass, and Surviving the Game in the few years that
followed. This rapper-turned-actor is also known for the movies Tank Girl and Once Upon
a Time in Brooklyn. Ice-T has also done a bit of voice acting over the years. He did
Madd Dogg’s voice in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Agent Cain in Sanity: Aiken’s Artifact,
and voiced his own character in UFC: Tapout and Def Jam: Fight for NY.
11. Name
Although we’ve all probably considered that maybe Ice-T really loves drinking iced tea,
that’s just simply not how he decided on his stage name. Around the time that he turned
from crime and chose to pursue a rapping career, he would often quote Iceberg Slim, a hustler-turned-author.
Ice-T’s friends used to say, “Yo, kick some more of that by Ice, T.” So, he decided
to combine the last two parts of that statement, Ice and T (for his first name, Tracy).
10. SVU
Although his primary focus has been music for the majority of his career, Ice-T found
himself acting in various movies and shows as we previously mentioned. He played Danny
Cort in Dick Wolf’s New York Undercover television series and was awarded an NAACP
Image Award for “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series” for the role. He
then teamed up with Wolf and created Players, which only ran for a brief time. Ice-T’s
work continued in the film Exiled: A Law & Order Movie in 1998, and his work with Wolf led
to his casting as the police sergeant Fin Tutuola in the Law & Order: Special Victims
Unit TV series in 2000. His portrayal of Tutuola earned him another Image Award.
9. Fake Gang
Ice-T certainly has some real-life illegal stories to tell nowadays. But, there was a
time where he merely acted like a gang member to avoid trouble… and this was way before
he became an actual actor. During an interview that was broadcast on Bullseye in 2012, Ice-T
spoke about his teenage experience as a student. He said that he’d been living in a place
called View Park - Windsor Hills, a community in Los Angeles, and he attended Crenshaw High
School while he was living there. Unfortunately, the area wasn’t the safest, and in order
to keep his classmates in line, Ice-T and about four of his friends formed a fake gang.
Their name was the “Hillside Crips,” and they convinced people that there were hundreds
of members.
8. Gangsta Rap Founder
In many ways, Ice-T is credited with creating the gangsta rap music genre. Although his
life didn’t begin that way, he fell into some hard times and his music evolved because
of it. This style became popular in the 1980s after Ice-T and other rappers, like Schoolly
D, who he was significantly influenced by. But, despite his influences, Ice-T is often
credited with the first gangsta rap track called “6 ‘N the Mornin.” In 2018, Ice
accepted the title of “Gangsta-Rap Founder” after seeing an Urban Dictionary entry that
stated he was, and it wasn’t only Urban Dictionary that considers Ice-T to be the
genre’s creator. Ice noted later on that Schoolly D’s and other rappers’ songs
represented gangs and relayed various messages, whereas his newfound style was about “gangsterism.”
Founding gangsta rap was revolutionary, changing the world of hip-hop as we know it. Due to
the widely-considered taboo themes, like violence, gangs, substances, and vandalism, the genre
was often criticized. One of the most famous gangsta rap songs is by N.W.A… unfortunately,
we can’t say the title here - but, it was created in protest of racism and police brutality.
7. Rhyme Pays
This was Ice-T’s 1987 debut album and marked the beginning of content that parents everywhere
needed to be warned about. Although past records contained at least some explicit material,
Ice’s Rhyme Pays was the first to be sold with a “parental advisory” sticker on
it, according to the man himself. The album reached the US Billboard 200’s ninety-third
spot. On the Top Hip-Hop chart, the record reached the twenty-third place and was eventually
certified gold. Plus, as we previously mentioned, one of the tracks called “6 ‘N the Mornin”
helped truly define the genre of gangsta rap music. Other songs on Rhyme Pays include “I
Love Ladies,” “Squeeze the Trigger,” and “Make It Funky.” Although many people
believe that 2 Live Crew’s 1990 album Banned in the U.S.A. was the first to have the “parental
advisory” sticker, Ice-T insists that his record was the first, and it came out three
years prior.
6. 99 Problems
Most people associate the phrase “I got 99 problems” with Jay-Z. He released it
as his third single for the record titled The Black Album, but its origin lies with
Ice-T. Ice put out the single called “99 Problems” for his 1993 album Home Invasion.
He and 2 Live Crew’s Brother Marquis coined the term while having a conversation, and
the latter used the phrase in his group’s song “Table Dance” in 1996. Since Jay-Z’s
album didn’t come out until 2004, it’s easy to see why he wasn’t the term’s creator.
Later on, Ice recorded the original track again to try and “reclaim” the phrase
since it was so widely attributed to Jay-Z.
5. Body Count
Ice-T is usually associated with his rapping and acting careers, but this talented guy
transgressed the bounds of music genres with his band Body Count. He co-founded the metal
band in 1990 with Ernie C, who is their lead guitarist. They were interested in heavy metal
music and decided to dive into the genre head-first. Ice became intrigued by heavy metal while
sharing a room with his cousin, who listened to a lot of rock music. He later noted that
he was a fan of Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Edgar Winter. Ice writes the majority
of the songs for the band and serves as their lead vocalist, while Ernie C creates most
of the music. Their original members were Ice, Ernie, Mooseman, Beatmaster V, and D-Roc.
Body Count’s first outing was at Lollapalooza in 1991, when Ice-T dedicated half of his
set to hip-hop and the other half to Body Count tracks. Some people loved the performances
and thought Body Count was the highlight of the event. Their first appearance on an album
was in Ice’s O.G. Original Gangster. A lot of people thought that Ice was a sell-out
for incorporating rock into his music, but he addressed the opinions by speaking out
against them during an introduction on the record. He stated that the genre began with
African-American artists like Bo Diddley, Little Richard, and Chuck Berry and added
that “music is music.” Ice further noted that he does what he likes, he likes rock
‘n’ roll, and he feels sorry for people who only listen to one type of music. Body
Count came out with their first album in 1992, and they went on a worldwide tour shortly
after, gaining an impressive following.
4. Italy Incident
Ice-T is known for his bad-boy persona, and he has put a lot of hours into forming his
reputation. There’s no doubt that the heavy metal enthusiast isn’t afraid to speak his
mind or act out, and that’s exactly what he did while on stage with his band in the
early 1990s. During a performance in Milan, Italy on Body Count’s international tour,
some people began spitting at Ernie C. After one of them tried to spit at Ice, he ran into
the crowd and punched him. The concert was ultimately shut down after a fight broke out.
Angry fans trashed Body Count’s tour bus afterward, and they tried to take a taxi to
their hotel. A group of enraged audience members surrounded the vehicle, and the driver jumped
ship, and the band’s promoter stole the taxi to escape. About a mile down the road,
they got in a different cab and finally returned to the hotel. The concert was a hot topic
in Italy, and Body Count went on a radio show. The DJ told listeners that they should be
angry at the fans who ruined the concert, stating, “Ice-T is a guest in our country,
we invited him to do all these sold-out shows, and we love him!”
3. Coco Austin
If you’re an Ice-T fan, then you’ve probably heard of his wife, Coco. But, if not, then
we’re going to give you a rundown of this blonde beauty. She was born with the name
Nicole Natalie Marrow in Tarzana, California in 1979. Her ancestry is Serbian because her
mother’s parents were born in the country. She has three younger brothers and one little
sister. When Coco was a child, her brother used to pronounce her name “Cole Cole”
instead of Nicole; so, she eventually began going by “Coco.” When she was eighteen
years old, she started modeling swimsuits and lingerie for catalogs and calendars. Coco
also began working at the Playboy Mansion for parties and events and acted in some low-budget
films like Desert Rose and Southwest Babes. Ice-T met this model in 2001 while she was
working as a model for his friend’s movie. After being introduced to her, she asked if
she’d ever date a gangster rapper. Coco wasn’t sure how to reply but told him that
she thought he was nice. Ice-T apparently replied, “...if you take the ‘n’ off
‘nice,’ you get ‘ice.” After the cheesy pick-up line impressed Coco, they dated for
just a couple of months before tying the knot in 2002.
2. Coco & AP.9
Just like with every celebrity romance, Ice-T and Coco’s relationship hasn’t been entirely
void of drama. In 2012, photographs were leaked online of Coco getting a little too close
with AP. 9, a rapper from California. At the time, Coco was performing in the Las Vegas
burlesque show, Peepshow, and she took the suggestive images with AP. 9 without giving
it much thought. However, after they came out, Ice-T was understandably unhappy. He
tweeted that she made him feel and look bad. Coco insisted that nothing happened with AP.
9, but she admitted that taking the photos wasn’t a good idea and that she disrespected
Ice in doing so. But, the drama didn’t stop there. AP. 9 claimed that he also had pictures
of the model in the buff, and he implied that much more happened between the two than she
let on. Shortly after, more photographs surfaced of a man named Moose Diesel grabbing her behind.
Coco was sick of the rumors already and told everyone that the images of her and Diesel
were old. She stated that people would think what they want to, and she can’t do anything
about it. She added that she and Ice only answer to each other, and that’s all that
matters.
1. Parents
Even though Ice-T is wealthy and successful nowadays, there was a time when he wasn’t.
When he was only in the third grade, his mother passed suddenly from a heart attack, and his
dad, Solomon, raised him for the following four years. Unfortunately, at the age of twelve,
his dad was also lost to a heart attack. In his book titled Ice: A Memoir of Gangster
Life and Redemption - From South Central to Hollywood, he talked about his parents and
childhood. He said that he didn’t cry when his mother or father passed and doesn’t
entirely understand why. After his parents were gone, Ice moved to LA and lived with
his aunt. When he was in the twelfth grade, he got his girlfriend pregnant and decided
to join the army to support her and their child. Ice-T served four years in the military.
At that point in his life, he was on his own after moving out of his aunt’s house. But,
after returning from the army, Ice got back into hustling and doing illegal things because
his friends were all involved in that sort of stuff. It wasn’t until he got the opportunity
to pursue music that he got out of the gangster lifestyle.
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