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Ice-T

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Biography

About|the American rapper|the German train|ICE TInfobox musical artist|name = Ice-T|background = solo_singer|image = Ice T SVU March 2011.jpg|caption = Ice-T near the Meat Packing District in Manhattan on set of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in March 2011|birth_name = Tracy Marrow|alias = Ice T|origin = Crenshaw, Los Angeles|Crenshaw , Los Angeles , California |Born = birth date and age|mf=yes|1958|2|16
Newark, New Jersey |death_date =|genre = Hip hop music|Hip hop , Heavy metal music|heavy metal , hardcore punk , crossover thrash |occupation = Musician, actor, CEO, record producer, screenwriter, activist, author|years_active = 1982–2006 (rapping)
1984–present (acting)|instrument = Vocals, Sampler (musical instrument)|sampler , Turntablism|turntables |label = Sire Records|Sire / Warner Bros. Records
Rhyme Syndicate/ Priority Records|Priority / EMI|EMI Records
Virgin Records|Virgin / EMI|EMI Records
Atomic Pop Records|associated_acts = Afrika Islam , Body Count , Beastie Boys , Low Profile , Quincy Jones , Eazy-E , 2Pac , Donald D |notable_instruments = Roland TR-808 , E-mu SP-1200 |spouse = Nicole 'Coco' Austin|website = URL| http://www.icet.com/
Tracy Marrow (born February 16, 1958), better known by his stage name Ice-T , is an American musician and actor.

He was born in Newark, New Jersey , and moved to the Crenshaw,_Los_Angeles,_California |Crenshaw district of Los Angeles when he was in the 7th grade. After graduating from high school, he served in the United States Army for four years. He began his career as a rapper in the 1980s and was signed to Sire Records in 1987, when he released his debut album Rhyme Pays . The next year, he founded the record label Rhyme Syndicate Records (named after his collective of fellow hip-hop artists called the Rhyme Syndicate ) and released another album, Power (Ice-T album)|Power .

He co-founded the heavy metal music|heavy metal band Body Count , which he introduced in his 1991 album O.G.: Original Gangster . Body Count released its self-titled debut album in 1992. Ice-T encountered controversy over his track " Cop Killer (song)|Cop Killer ", which was perceived to glamorize killing police officers. Ice-T asked to be released from his contract with Warner Bros. Records , and his next solo album, Home Invasion (album)|Home Invasion , was released later in the Fall of 1993 through Priority Records . Body Count's next album was released in 1994, and Ice-T released two more albums in the late 1990s.

Since 2000, he has portrayed NYPD Detective Fin Tutuola|Odafin Tutuola on the NBC police drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit .

Early life


Ice-T was born Tracy Marrow, son of Solomon and Alice Marrow,cite book |last1=Marrow |first1=Tracy |authorlink1= |last2=Century |first2=Douglas |title=Ice: A Memoir of Gangster Life and Redemption—from South Central to Hollywood |year=2011 |publisher=Random House |isbn=97804345523280 |pages=5–13 |chapter=Cold as Ice cite web|url= http://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/ice-t/bio/154286|title=Ice-T Biography|accessdate=2007-09-22 |publisher=TVGuide.com in Newark, New Jersey . As a child, his family moved to upscale Summit, New Jersey . Solomon was an African American, and Alice was Louisiana Creole people|Creole . For decades, Solomon worked as a conveyor belt mechanic at the Dematic|Rapistan Conveyor Company . The first time race played a major part in Tracy's life was at the age of 7, when he became aware of the racism leveled by his white friends toward dark-skinned children, and that he escaped similar treatment because they thought that Marrow was white because of his lighter skin. Relating this incident to his mother, Alice told him "Honey, people are stupid"; her advice and this incident taught Marrow to control the way the ignorance of others affected him.

Alice died of a heart attack when Tracy was in third grade. Solomon raised Tracy as a single father for four years, with help from a housekeeper. Tracy's first experience with an illegal activity occurred after a bicycle that Solomon bought him for Christmas was stolen. After Tracy told his father, Solomon shrugged, "Well, then, you ain't got no bike." Tracy stole parts from bicycles and assembled "three or four weird-looking, brightly painted bikes" from the parts; his father either did not notice, or never acknowledged this. When Tracy was 12 years old, Solomon died of a heart attack.cite book|author=Ice-T|coauthors=Sigmund, Heidi|title=The Ice Opinion: Who Gives a F*ck? |year=1994|publisher=Pan Books|isbn=0330336290 For many years, AllMusic.com has stated that his parents "died in an auto accident", http://www.allmusic.com/artist/ice-t-p89063/biography but Ice-T has stated that it was actually he who had been in a brutal auto accident and that was decades later.

Following his father's death, Tracy lived with a nearby aunt briefly, and was sent to live with his other aunt and her husband in View Park, a middle-class black neighborhood in Los Angeles.cite book |last1=Marrow |first1=Tracy |authorlink1= |last2=Century |first2=Douglas |title=Ice: A Memoir of Gangster Life and Redemption—from South Central to Hollywood |year=2011 |publisher=Random House |isbn=97804345523280 |pages=17–29 |chapter=Cold as Ice While his cousin Earl was preparing to leave for college, Tracy shared a room with him. Earl was a fan of rock music and listened to only the local rock stations; sharing a room with him spurred Tracy's interest in heavy metal music .cite book |last1=Marrow |first1=Tracy |authorlink1= |last2=Century |first2=Douglas |title=Ice: A Memoir of Gangster Life and Redemption—from South Central to Hollywood |year=2011 |publisher=Random House |isbn=97804345523280 |pages=127–140 |chapter=Freedom of Speech

Gang affiliation, criminal life and time in the Army


Tracy attended Palms Junior High, which was predominately made up of white students, and included black students bused in from South_Los_Angeles |South Central . After graduating, he attended Crenshaw High School , which was almost entirely made up of black students.cite news|last=Goldstein|first=Patrick|url= http://articles.latimes.com/1988-04-24/entertainment/ca-2445_1_rap-wizard|title=The Hard Cold Rap of Ice-T|work=Los Angeles Times|page=Calendar 89 | date=1988-04-24 Marrow stood out from most of his friends because he did not drink alcohol, smoke tobacco, or use other drugs. During high school, gangs began to intensify in the Los Angeles school system. Students who belonged to the Bloods and Crips gangs attended Crenshaw, and fought in the school's halls. Tracy aligned with the Crips, and began reading the novels of Iceberg Slim , which he memorized and recited to his friends, who enjoyed hearing the excerpts and told him, "Yo, kick some more of that by Ice, T," and the handle stuck. Marrow and other Crips wrote and performed "Crip Rhymes", long before the advent of hip hop and recorded rapping .

At the age of 17, Tracy received the Social Security (United States)|Social Security death-benefit money for the death of his father to rent an apartment for $90 a month.cite book |last1=Marrow |first1=Tracy |authorlink1= |last2=Century |first2=Douglas |title=Ice: A Memoir of Gangster Life and Redemption—from South Central to Hollywood |year=2011 |publisher=Random House |isbn=97804345523280 |pages=30–43 |chapter=Cold As Ice Marrow sold cannabis (drug)|cannabis and stole car stereos for money, but was not making enough money to support his girlfriend and daughter, leading him to join the United States Army for the financial benefits; he served for four years in the 25th Infantry Division (United States)|25th Infantry Division . His commanding officer ordered Marrow to lead a group of soldiers to steal some supplies for him. Marrow and the group were jailed for the theft of an infantry rug. While awaiting trial, he received a $2,500 bonus check, and decided to escape from the jail and Desertion|desert his Army duties, returning a month later after the rug had been returned. He received an Article 15 non-judicial punishment , and completed Advanced Infantry Training.

Marrow became interested in hip hop music while serving in the Army. During this period, he heard Sugar Hill Gang 's newly-released single " Rapper's Delight ", which inspired him to perform his own raps over the instrumentals of this and other early hip-hop records, but the music did not fit his lyrics or form of delivery, leading Marrow to try to develop his skills as a rapper.cite book |last1=Marrow |first1=Tracy |authorlink1= |last2=Century |first2=Douglas |title=Ice: A Memoir of Gangster Life and Redemption—from South Central to Hollywood |year=2011 |publisher=Random House |isbn=97804345523280 |pages=49–56 |chapter=Nightmare Walking

As a squad leader at Schofield Barracks, Marrow met a real-life pimp named Mac in Hawaii, where prostitution was not heavily prosecuted, due to the high level of visits from soldiers during their weekends, as well as tourists, in order to keep the level of violence low. Mac admired that Marrow could quote Iceberg Slim, and taught Marrow how to pimp. Marrow was also able to purchase stereo equipment cheaply in Hawaii, including two Technics turntables, a mixer, and large speakers, and began to learn turntablism and rapping.

Towards the end of his time in the Army, Marrow learned from his commanding officer that he could receive an honorable discharge and leave the Army early because he was a single father, and left four months ahead of schedule.cite news|last=O'Flanagan |first=Emma |title=Ice-T addresses group, provides inspiration |url= http://www.dailytargum.com/2.4985/1.1514326-1.1514326 |work=The Daily Targum |publisher=Rutgers University |date=2004-02-23 |accessdate=2008-06-29

Music career


Early career


After leaving the Army, Marrow wanted to stay away from gang life and violence, and decided to make use of the stereo equipment he had purchased in Hawaii, and make a name for himself as a disc jockey. As a tribute to Iceberg Slim, Marrow adopted the stage name Ice-T. While performing as a DJ at parties, he received more attention as a rapper, and decided to pursue a career as a rapper. After breaking up with his girlfriend Adrienne, he returned to a life of crime, and robbed jewelry stores with his high school friends, pretending to be customers in order to plan the thefts, and later smashing the display glass with baby sledgehammers, events Marrow later described in his raps.cite book |last1=Marrow |first1=Tracy |authorlink1= |last2=Century |first2=Douglas |title=Ice: A Memoir of Gangster Life and Redemption—from South Central to Hollywood |year=2011 |publisher=Random House |isbn=97804345523280 |pages=57–69 |chapter=Nightmare Walking

One of Marrow's friends, Sean E. Sean, was arrested for possession of not only cannabis, which Sean sold, but also material stolen by Marrow. Sean took the blame, and served two years in prison. Marrow stated that he owed a gratitude to Sean, because his prison time allowed Marrow to pursue a career as a rapper. Concurrently, Marrow wound up in a car accident and was hospitalized as a John Doe because he did not carry any form of identification due to his criminal activities.cite book |last1=Marrow |first1=Tracy |authorlink1= |last2=Century |first2=Douglas |title=Ice: A Memoir of Gangster Life and Redemption—from South Central to Hollywood |year=2011 |publisher=Random House |isbn=97804345523280 |pages=78–83 |chapter=Nightmare Walking After being discharged from the hospital, he decided to abandon the criminal lifestyle and pursue a professional career rapping. Two weeks after being released from the hospital, he won an open mic competition judged by Kurtis Blow .

Professional career


In 1982, Marrow met producer William Strong from Saturn Records, who recorded his first single, "Cold Wind Madness", also known as "The Coldest Rap", which became an underground music|underground success, becoming popular even though radio stations did not play it due to the song's hardcore hip hop|hardcore lyrics.cite book |last1=Marrow |first1=Tracy |authorlink1= |last2=Century |first2=Douglas |title=Ice: A Memoir of Gangster Life and Redemption—from South Central to Hollywood |year=2011 |publisher=Random House |isbn=97804345523280 |pages=70–77 |chapter=Nightmare Walking Marrow appeared as a featured rapper on "Reckless", a single by DJ Chris "The Glove" Taylor, and recorded the songs "You Don't Quit" and "Dog'n the Wax" with Unknown DJ, who provided a electro hop sound for the songs.

Marrow received further inspiration as an artist from Schoolly D 's gangsta rap single " P.S.K. What Does It Mean? ", which Marrow heard in a club. Marrow enjoyed the single's sound and delivery, as well as its vague references to gang life, although the real life gang, Park Side Killers, was not named in the song.cite book |last1=Marrow |first1=Tracy |authorlink1= |last2=Century |first2=Douglas |title=Ice: A Memoir of Gangster Life and Redemption—from South Central to Hollywood |year=2011 |publisher=Random House |isbn=97804345523280 |pages=89–112 |chapter=Nightmare Walking

Marrow decided to adopt Schoolly D's style, and wrote the lyrics to his first gangsta rap song, " 6 in the Mornin' ", in his Hollywood apartment, and created a minimal beat with a Roland TR-808 . Marrow compared the sound of the song, which was recorded as a B-Side on the single "Dog'n The Wax", to that of the Beastie Boys . The single was released in 1986, and Marrow learned that "6 in the Mornin'" was more popular in clubs than its A-side, leading Marrow to rap about Los Angeles gang life, which Marrow described more explicitly than any previous rapper. He intentionally did not represent any particular gang, and wore a mixture of red and blue clothing and shoes to avoid antagonizing gang-affiliated listeners, who debated his true affiliation.

Ice-T finally landed a deal with a major label Sire Records . When label founder and president Seymour Stein heard his demo, he said, "He sounds like Bob Dylan ."Coleman,
Brian, Check The Technique : Liner Notes for Hip-Hop Junkies . New York: Villiard/Random House, 2007. pp. 238.
Shortly after, he released his debut album Rhyme Pays in 1987 supported by Evil E|DJ Evil E , DJ Aladdin and producer Afrika Islam , who helped create the mainly party-oriented sound. The record wound up being certified gold by the RIAA . That same year, he recorded the title theme song for Dennis Hopper's Colors (film)|Colors , a film about inner-city gang life in Los Angeles. His next album Power (Ice-T album)|Power was released in 1988, under his own label Rhyme Syndicate, and it was a more assured and impressive record, earning him strong reviews and his second gold record. Released in 1989, The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech... Just Watch What You Say established his popularity by matching excellent abrasive music with narrative and commentative lyrics.cite web|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|url=Allmusic|class=artist|id=p89063|pure_url=yes|title=Ice-T: Biography|publisher=allmusic|year=2000|accessdate=July 8, 2008
In 1991, he released his album O.G. Original Gangster , which is regarded as one of the albums that defined gangsta rap. On OG , he introduced his heavy metal band Body Count in a track of the same name. Ice-T toured with Body Count on the first annual Lollapalooza concert tour in 1991, gaining him appeal among middle-class teenagers and fans of alternative music genres. The self-titled debut album by Body Count followed. For his appearance on the heavily collaborative track "Back on the Block", a composition by jazz musician Quincy Jones that "attempted to bring together black musical styles from jazz to soul to funk to rap", Ice-T won a Grammy Award for the Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group , an award shared by others who worked on the track including Jones and fellow jazz musician Ray Charles .cite news|last=Pareles |first=Jon |title=Grammys Turn Into Quincy Jones Show |url= http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html? res=9D0CE2D9173EF932A15751C0A967958260& sec=& spon=& pagewanted=all|work=The New York Times |date=1991-02-23 |accessdate=2008-07-02

Controversy later surrounded Body Count over its song " Cop Killer (song)|Cop Killer ", a song intended as a narrative from the view of a criminal getting revenge on racist police officers guilty of brutality, from the National Rifle Association and various police advocacy groups. Consequently, Time Warner Music refused to release Ice-T's upcoming album Home Invasion because of the controversy surrounding "Cop Killer". When Ice split amicably with Sire/Warner Bros. Records after a dispute over the artwork of the album Home Invasion , he reactivated Rhyme Syndicate and formed a deal with Priority Records for distribution. Priority released Home Invasion in the spring of 1993.cite news|last=Pareles |first=Jon |title=Ice-T's Latest Gangster-Rap Caper Finds Him Alone and on His Own |url= http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html? res=9F0CE7DD1331F93AA15750C0A965958260& sec=& spon=& pagewanted=all|work=The New York Times |date=1993-03-29 |accessdate=2008-06-29 The album peaked at #9 on Billboard (magazine)|Billboard magazine's Top R& B/Hip-Hop Albums and at #14 on the Billboard 200 ,cite web |url=Allmusic|class=artist|id=p89063|pure_url=yes |title=Charts and Awards for Ice-T |accessdate=2007-11-03 |publisher= Allmusic spawning several singles including "Gotta Lotta Love", "I Ain't New To This" and "99 Problems" – which would later inspire Jay Z to record 99 Problems|a version with new lyrics in 2003.
Ice-T had also collaborated with certain other Heavy metal music|heavy metal bands during this time period. For the film Judgment Night (film)|Judgment Night , he did a duet with Slayer on the track "Disorder".cite web|last=Ruhlmann |first=William |title=Judgment Night > Overview |url=Allmusic|class=album|id=r189710|pure_url=yes |work=Allmusic |accessdate=2008-07-02 In 1995, Ice-T made a guest performance on Forbidden (Black Sabbath album)|Forbidden by Black Sabbath . Another album of his, VI - Return of the Real came out in 1996, followed by The Seventh Deadly Sin in 1999.cite news|last=Freydkin |first=Donna |title=No thaw for rapper Ice T |url= http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Music/9910/27/ice.t/index.html |publisher=CNN |date=1999-10-27 |accessdate=2008-06-29

His first rap album since 1999, Gangsta Rap (album)|Gangsta Rap , was released on October 31, 2006. The album's cover, which "shows Ice-T lying on his back in bed with his ravishing wife's ample posterior in full view and one of her legs coyly draped over his private parts," was considered to be too suggestive for most retailers, many of which were reluctant to stock the album.cite news |title= Page Six : STORES HOT OVER ICE-T COVER |url= http://www.nypost.com/seven/10182006/gossip/pagesix/pagesix.htm |work=New York Post |date=2006-10-18 |accessdate=2007-09-22 Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot Some reviews of the album were unenthusiastic, as many had hoped for a return to the political raps of Ice-T's most successful albums.

Ice-T appears in the film Gift (1993 film)|Gift . One of the last scenes includes Ice-T and Body Count playing with Jane's Addiction in a version of the Sly and the Family Stone song "Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey."

Besides fronting his own band and rap projects, Ice-T has also collaborated with other hard rock and metal bands, such as Icepick (band)|Icepick , Motörhead , Pro-Pain , and Six Feet Under (band)|Six Feet Under . He has also covered songs by hardcore punk bands such as The Exploited , Jello Biafra , and Black Flag (band)|Black Flag . Ice-T made an appearance at Insane Clown Posse 's Gathering of the Juggalos (2008 edition). http://web.archive.org/web/20080730072142/ http://www.juggalogathering.com/home.php? page_id=main_stage Ice-T as performer (archived page) Ice-T was also a judge for the 7th annual The Independent Music Awards|Independent Music Awards to support independent artists. http://www.independentmusicawards.com/ima_new/imajudges2008.asp Independent Music Awards – 7th Annual Judges. His new movie Something From Nothing : The Art Of Rap features a who's who of underground and mainstream rappers. http://conspiracyworldwide.podomatic.com/entry/eg/2009-12-12T07_58_44-08_00 Conspiracy Worldwide Radio Ice T interview Dec 2009

Ice T announced via Twitter that he is in the process of collecting beats for his next LP which as of November 2011 is expected sometime during 2012. https://twitter.com/#!/FINALLEVEL/status/137192404351582208

Other ventures


Acting career


Ice-T's first film appearances were in the motion pictures, '' Breakin' (1984), and its sequel, Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo (1985). These films were released before Ice-T released his first LP, although he appears on the soundtrack to Breakin' . He has since stated he considers the films and his own performance in them to be "wack". The Ice Opinion'', page 96, St Martin's Press, New York, 1994

In 1991 he embarked on a serious acting career, portraying police detective Scotty Appleton in Mario Van Peebles ' feature film New Jack City , gang leader Odessa (alongside Denzel Washington and John Lithgow ) in Ricochet (film)|Ricochet (1991), gang leader King James in Trespass (1992 film)|Trespass (1992), followed by a notable lead role performance in Surviving the Game (1994), in addition to many supporting roles, such as J-Bone in Johnny Mnemonic (1995), and the marsupial mutant T-Saint in Tank Girl (film)|Tank Girl (1995). Marrow was also interviewed in the Brent Owens documentary ''Pimps Up, Ho's Down'',cite web|last=Buchanan |first=Jason |title=Ice-T > Biography |url= http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll? p=avg& sql=2:34312~T1 |work=Allmovie |year=2003 |accessdate=2008-07-02 in which he claims to have had an extensive pimping background before getting into rap. He is quoted as saying "once you max something out, it ain't no fun no more. I couldn't really get no farther." He goes on to explain his pimping experience gave him the ability to get into new businesses. "I can't act, I really can't act, I ain't no rapper, it's all game. I'm just working these niggas." Later he raps at the Players Ball .

In 1993 Marrow along with other rappers and the three Yo& #33; MTV Raps hosts Ed Lover , Doctor Dre and Fab 5 Freddy starred in the comedy '' Who's the Man? , directed by Ted Demme . In this movie, Marrow is a drug dealer who gets really frustrated when someone calls him by his real name, "Chauncey," rather than his street name, "Nighttrain."

In 1995 Marrow had a recurring role as vengeful drug dealer Danny Cort on the television series New York Undercover , co-created by Dick Wolf . His work on the series earned him the 1996 NAACP Image Award for NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series|Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series . In 1997 Marrow co-created the short-lived series Players (1997 TV series)|Players , produced by Wolf. This was followed by a role as pimp Seymour "Kingston" Stockton in Exiled: A Law & Order Movie (1998). These collaborations led Wolf to add Marrow to the cast of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Since 2000 he has portrayed Fin Tutuola|Odafin "Fin" Tutuola , a former undercover narcotics officer transferred to the Special Victims Unit. In 2002 the NAACP awarded Marrow with a second Image Award, again for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, for his work on Law & Order: SVU .

In 1997 Marrow had a pay-per-view special titled ''Ice-T's Extreme Babes which appeared on Action PPV, formerly owned by BET networks. http://www.krunk.org/conan/abstracts-1997/022697.txt Abstract of Late Night with Conan O'Brien #732 (February 27, 1997)

In 1999 Marrow starred in the HBO movie Stealth Fighter as a United States Naval Aviator who fakes his own death, steals a F-117 stealth fighter , and threatens to destroy United States military bases . He also acted in the movie Sonic Impact , released the same year.

Ice-T made an appearance on the comedy television series '' Chappelle's Show as himself presenting the award for "Player Hater of the Year" at the "Player-Haters Ball", a parody of his own appearance at the Players Ball. He was dubbed the "Original Player Hater."

Beyond Tough , a 2002 documentary series, aired on Discovery Channel about the world's most dangerous and intense professions, such as alligator wrestlers and Indy 500 pit crews, was hosted by Marrow.cite web|last=Salazar-Moreno |first=Quibian |title=Ice-T Hosts New Show 'Beyond Tough' |url= http://www.sohh.com/articles/article.php/3854 |work=SOHH |date=2002-07-16 |publisher=Internet Archive Wayback Machine |accessdate=2008-07-02 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070809012028/ http://www.sohh.com/articles/article.php/3854 |archivedate = 2007-08-09
In 2007 Marrow appeared as a celebrity guest star on the MTV sketch comedy show Short Circuitz . Also in late 2007 Marrow appeared in the short-music film Hands of Hatred , which can be found online.

Ice-T was interviewed for the Cannibal Corpse retrospective documentary Centuries of Torment: The First 20 Years|Centuries of Torment , as well as appearing in Chris Rock|Chris Rock's 2009 documentary Good Hair , in which he reminisced about going to school in hair curlers.cite web|last=Washington |first=Jesse|title='Good Hair' laughs instead of cries |url= http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/33208003 |date=2009-07-09 |publisher=Associated Press |accessdate=2010-09-08

Voice acting


Ice-T voiced List of characters in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas#Madd Dogg|Madd Dogg in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas , as well as Agent Cain in '' Sanity: Aiken's Artifact . He also appears as himself in Def Jam: Fight for NY and UFC: Tapout fighting video games.

He also voiced the character Griffin in the video game Gears of War 3 .cite web|title=Gears of War 3 Signs Rapper Ice-T to Cast|url= http://www.industrygamers.com/news/gears-of-war-3-signs-rapper-ice-t-to-cast/|publisher=Industry Gamers|accessdate=16 September 2011

Reality television


On October 20, 2006, '' Ice-T's Rap School aired and was a reality television show on VH1. It was a spin-off of the British reality show Gene Simmons ' Rock School , which also aired on VH1. In Rap School , rapper/actor Ice-T teaches eight teens from York Preparatory School in New York called the "York Prep Crew" ("Y.P. Crew" for short). Each week, Ice-T gives them assignments and they compete for an imitation gold chain with a microphone on it. On the season finale on November 17, 2006, the group performed as an opening act for Public Enemy (group)|Public Enemy .

On June 12, 2011, E! reality show Ice Loves Coco debuted. The show is mostly about his relationship with his wife of ten years, Nicole "Coco" Austin.cite news
| title = Ice-T and Coco Renew Vows, Snoop Dog Looks On
| first =
| last =
| authorlink =
| url = http://rapfix.mtv.com/2011/06/04/ice-t-and-coco-renew-vows-snoop-dogg-watches-on/#more-15881
| publisher = MTV News
| date = June 4, 2011
| accessdate = 2011-05-28
| quote =
cite news
| title = Ice-T & Coco Austin on Married Life, the Business of Being Ice, & Coco's Bodacious Body
| first = Kugel
| last = Allison
| authorlink = Allison Kugel
| url = http://www.pr.com/article/1177
| newspaper = PR.com
| publisher =
| date = May 31, 2011
| accessdate = 2011-05-28
| quote =


Style and influence


Marrow cites writer Iceberg Slim and rapper Schoolly D as influences, with Iceberg Slim's novels guiding his skills as a lyricist. Marrow's favorite heavy rock acts are Edgar Winter , Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath . Marrow's hip hop albums helped shape the gangsta rap style, with music journalist tracing works of artists such as Tupac Shakur , Notorious B.I.G. , Eminem and N.W.A to " 6 in the Mornin' ".

His love of rock music led Marrow use electric guitar in the instrumentation of his hip hop albums in order to provide his songs with edge and power, and to make his raps harder; he used the fusion of rock and hip hop of Rick Rubin -produced acts like Beastie Boys , Run-DMC and LL Cool J , which featured rock samples in their songs. His work with Body Count , whose 1992 Body Count (album)|debut album Marrow described as a "rock album with a rap mentality",cite book |last=Dellamora |first=Richard |authorlink= |coauthors= |editor= |others= |title=Postmodern Apocalypse: Theory and Cultural Practice at the End |origdate= |origyear= |origmonth= |url= |format= |accessdate= |edition= |series= |date= |year=1995 |month= |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |location= |language= |isbn=0812215583 |oclc= |doi= |id= |pages=251 |chapter= |chapterurl= |quote= is described as paving the way for the success of rap rock fusions by bands like Kid Rock and Limp Bizkit ; however, Marrow states that the band's style does not fuse the two genres, and is solely a rock band.

Personal life


Relationships and family


In 1976, Marrow's girlfriend Adrienne gave birth to their daughter, LeTesha, and they attended high school while raising the child. Later in 1984, while filming '' Breakin' , Marrow met Darlene Ortiz, who had been at the club in which the film was being shot, and the two began a relationship; Ortiz was featured on the covers of Rhyme Pays and Power (Ice-T album)|Power . Marrow and Ortiz had a son, Ice Tracy Marrow, in 1992. On December 31, 2001, Marrow married swimsuit model Coco Austin|Nicole "Coco Marie" Austin . In celebration of their 10th wedding anniversary, the couple renewed their wedding vows on June 4, 2011.

Religion


Marrow has never stated his religion, although he has stated that he believes in God. http://www.songlyrics.com/ice-t/god-forgive-mefeat-laquan-and-slej-lyrics/

Legal issues


Marrow was arrested in New York City on July 20, 2010, for driving without a valid license and not wearing a seatbelt, with his wife as a passenger, while taking his bulldog to the vet for knee surgery. http://www.nme.com/news/ice-t/52156 "Ice-T arrested for driving without a seatbelt" NME.com, July 21, 2010 The NYPD said he would be given a ticket and released. http://www.billboard.com/news/ice-t-arrested-for-driving-offense-by-nypd-1004105205.story#/news/ice-t-arrested-for-driving-offense-by-nypd-1004105205.story

Activism


CIA involvement


He has condemned the involvement of the Central Intelligence Agency in drug trafficking (in connection with the Iran-Contra scandal , as documented in the Kerry Committee report and elsewhere)" But after several exhuastive investigations by many independent organisations under the liberal Clinton administration, no CIA involvement in drug traffiking has ever been found. The anti-CIA drug link disinformation, has been traced to the anti-white Nation of Islam. U.S. Concedes Contras Linked to Drugs, But Denies Leadership Involved," Associated Press (17 April 1986). on tracks such as "This One's for Me" and "Message to the Soldier", in sections of his book.

Politics


On June 5, 2008, Ice-T jokingly stated that he would be voting for John McCain in the 2008 American election s. Ice-T also speculated that his past affiliation with Body Count could hurt Barack Obama's chances if he endorsed him, so he'd choose instead to ruin John McCain's campaign by saying he supported him. http://www.tmz.com/2008/06/05/ice-t-add-mccain-to-my-body-count/ Ice T – Add McCain to My Body Count http://www.theinsider.com/news/944138_ice_t_backs_up_john_mccain Ice T backs up John McCain

Feuds


LL Cool J


Ice-T had a non-publicized feud with LL Cool J in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Apparently, this was instigated by LL's claim to be "the baddest rapper in the history of rap itself" http://www.metrolyrics.com/im-bad-lyrics-ll-cool-j.html "I'm Bad" Lyrics Ice-T recorded two disses against LL on his 1988 album Power . On the album was the track, " I'm Your Pusher ", in which a rap music addict declines to buy an LL Cool J record. The album also contains the posse rap track, "The Syndicate", which took aim at LL's lyrical ability, claiming that rapping about oneself so frequently was a "first grade topic". http://www.metrolyrics.com/the-syndicate-lyrics-ice-t.html "The Syndicate" Lyrics The song also mocked the song's hook "I'm Bad", which identified it as an LL diss specifically.

On LL's response, "To da Break of Dawn" in 1990, he dissed Kool Moe Dee (Whose feud with LL was far more publicized) as well as MC Hammer. He then devoted the third verse of the song to dissing Ice-T, mocking his rap ability ("take your rhymes around the corner to rap rehab"), his background ("before you rapped, you was a downtown car thief"), and his style ("a brother with a perm deserves to get burned"). Ice-T appeared to have ignored the insults and he had also defended LL Cool J after his arrest in the song "Freedom of Speech". http://www.lyricsfreak.com/l/ll+cool+j/to+da+break+of+dawn_20084664.html "To Da Break of Dawn" Lyrics

Soulja Boy Tell 'Em


In June 2008, on DJ Cisco's Urban Legend mixtape, Ice-T criticized Soulja Boy Tell 'Em|DeAndre Cortez "Soulja Boy Tell 'Em" Way for "killing hip hop" and his song " Crank That " for being "garbage" compared to the works of other hip-hop artists such as Rakim , Das EFX , Big Daddy Kane and Ice Cube . One of the comments in the exchange was when Ice-T told Way to "eat a dick".cite news|url= http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.7135/title.ice-t-tells-soulja-boy-to-eat-a-dick|title=Ice-T Tells Soulja Boy To Eat A Dick|first=Andreas|last=Hale|work=Hip Hop DX|date=2008-06-17 The two then traded numerous videos back and forth over the Internet. These videos included a cartoon and video of Ice-T dancing on Way's behalf and an apology, but reiteration of his feelings that Way's music "sucks", on Ice-T's behalf. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1589961/20080625/soulja_boy_tellem.jhtml Soulja Boy Tell'em Talks About New Album, Battle With Ice-T MTV. June 25, 2008. Rapper Kanye West defended Way by arguing that the younger artist created a new, original work for hip hop, thus keeping the authentic meaning of the music.cite news|last=Upmalis|first=Jordan|url= http://newsroom.mtv.com/2008/06/23/ice-t-vs-soulja-boy-tellem-video-blog-beef-heats-up-kanye-weighs-in|title=Ice-T vs. Soulja Boy Tell'em Video Blog Beef Heats Up; Kanye Weighs In|work=MTV News|date=2008-06-23

Discography


main|Ice-T discography
  • 1987: Rhyme Pays

  • 1988: Power (Ice-T album)|Power

  • 1989: The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech...Just Watch What You Say

  • 1991: O.G. Original Gangster

  • 1993: Home Invasion (album)|Home Invasion

  • 1996: VI - Return of the Real

  • 1999: The Seventh Deadly Sin

  • 2006: Gangsta Rap (album)|Gangsta Rap


  • Awards and Nominations



    Grammy Awards
    YearNominated workAwardResult
    Grammy Awards of 1991 Back on the Block Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Groupwon
    Grammy Awards of 1992"New Jack Hustler(Nino's Theme)"Best Rap Solo Performancenom


    MTV Video Music Award s
    YearNominated workAwardResult
    1989 MTV Video Music Awards"Colors"Best Rap Video nom
    1989 MTV Video Music Awards"Colors"Best Video from a Film nom
    1991 MTV Video Music Awards"New Jack Hustler(Nino's Theme)"Best Rap Video nom


    Filmography


    Year Film Role Notes
    1984'' Breakin' Rap Talker
    '' Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo Radiotron Rapper
    1985'' Rappin' Himself
    1991 New Jack City Scotty Appleton Won : MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance
    Ricochet Odessa
    1992 Why Colors?
    Trespass King James
    1993'' Who's the Man? Nighttrain/ Chauncey
    Gift HimselfVideo
    1994 Surviving the Game Jack Mason
    1995Tank Girl T-Saint
    Johnny Mnemonic J-Bone
    1996 Frankenpenis Direct-to-video
    1997 Below Utopia Jim
    Mean Guns Vincent Moon
    The Deli Phil The Meat Man
    1998 Crazy Six Raul
    1999 Sonic Impact Agent Taja
    The Wrecking Crew Menace
    The Heist C-Note
    Frezno Smooth DJ Superfly
    Judgement Day Matthew ReeseVideo
    Urban Menace Narrator
    Stealth Fighter Owen TurnerAlso executive producer
    Final Voyage Josef
    Jacob Two Two Meets the Hooded Fang Justice Rough, The Judge
    Corrupt Corrupt
    2000 Gangland Officer Dunn
    Leprechaun in the Hood Mack DaddyVideo
    Luck of the Draw Macneilly
    The Alternate Agent Williams
    2001 Kept Jack Mosler
    Stranded JeffriesJohnathan
    Crime Partners 2000 King Fischer
    3000 Miles to Graceland Hamilton
    Point Doom Ringman
    Deadly Rhapsody Wilson
    '' 'R Xmas The Kidnapper
    Guardian Max
    Tara Grady
    Ticker Terrorist Commander
    Out Kold Goldie
    Ablaze Albert Denning
    Air Rage Matt MarshallVideo
    2002 On the Edge Slim Jim
    2004 Lexie RasheedVideo
    Up In Harlem Ice T
    2005Tracks Officer Brian Clark
    2006 Copy That Ice T
    2007 BelzerVizion Ice T
    Apartment 309 Detective Shearod
    2008 A Family Underground HimselfDirect-to-DVD Documentary
    2009 Good Hair Ice T
    2010 Santorini Blue Dr. Lewis post-production
    The Other Guys NarratorUncredited
    2011 Shady Talez In Development


    Television


    Year Film Role Notes
    1983Fame One of the 'Enforcers'Break Dance "
    1995 New York Undercover Danny Up/ Danny CortCAT "
    Episode: " List of New York Undercover episodes#Season 1 (1994–1995)
    1996 Swift Justice Earl Borgese Episode: "Takin' Back the Street"
    MADtv HostSeason 2 episode 2
    1997 Duckman: Private Dick/ Family Man TaanziEbony, Baby "
    Space Ghost Coast to Coast HimselfOne Episode
    1997–1998Players Isaac 'Ice' Gregory 16 episodes
    1998 Welcome to Paradox RevellThe Winner "
    Exiled Seymour 'Kingston' Stockton television film
    1999L.A. Heat Cage Episode: "Rap Sheet"
    Batman Beyond RamrodSplicers "
    V.I.P The Prophet Episode: "Val The Hard Way"
    Episode: "Val Goes To Town"
    2000 The Disciples The Sensei television film
    2000–present Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Detective Odafin "Fin" Tutuola Replaced Monique Jeffries starting with Season 2
    2005 Law & Order Detective Odafin "Fin" Tutuola Flaw " (second half of cross-over with Law & Order: SVU episode " Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 7)
    2008 The Jace Hall Show Actor Episode: "Blizzard's World of Warcraft Feat. Ice T. & Coco"
    2009 I Get That a Lot Himself TV special
    2010All Star Mr & Mrs Himself with his wife Coco Final round
    2011 Ice Loves Coco Himself Reality Show


    Video games


    Year Video game Role Notes
    2000 '' Sanity: Aiken's Artifact Agent Nathaniel Cain Voice
    2004 Def Jam Fight for NY Himself Voice
    Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Madd Dogg Voice
    2006 Scarface: The World Is Yours Voice
    2011 Gears of War 3 Griffin Voice


    References


    Reflist|colwidth=30em

    Further reading


  • cite news

  • | title = Ice-T & Coco Austin on Married Life, the Business of Being Ice, & Coco's Bodacious Body
    | first = Kugel
    | last = Allison
    | authorlink = Allison Kugel
    | url = http://www.pr.com/article/1177
    | newspaper = PR.com
    | date = May 31, 2011
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=v04EbEVMg0A Video: Ice-T interview with Adam Horovitz

  • http://conspiracyworldwide.podomatic.com/entry/eg/2009-12-12T07_58_44-08_00 Conspiracy Worldwide Radio Ice T interview (December 2009)

  • cite book |last1=Marrow |first1=Tracy |last2=Century |first2=Douglas |authorlink1= Douglas Century|title=Ice: A Memoir of Gangster Life and Redemption—from South Central to Hollywood |year=2011 |publisher= Random House |isbn=97804345523280


  • External links


    Commons category|Ice-T
  • Official website| http://www.icet.com/

  • IMDb name|1384

  • Twitter|FINALLEVEL


  • IceTBody Count
    Persondata| NAME = Ice-T
    | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Tracy Marrow
    | SHORT DESCRIPTION = American musician and actor
    | DATE OF BIRTH = 1958-02-16
    | PLACE OF BIRTH = Newark, New Jersey
    | DATE OF DEATH =
    | PLACE OF DEATH =
    DEFAULTSORT:Ice-T Category:1958 births
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    Copyright Citations

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    Ice-T Photo by: www.2m.ma



          

     
       
     
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