ICE T
Occupation: Musician, Actor
Date of Birth: February 16, 1958
Place of Birth: Newark, N.J., USA
Sign: Sun in Aquarius, Moon in Aquarius
Relations: Wife: Darlene Marrow; kids: Letesha,
Tracy Marrow, Jr. (a.k.a. Little Ice)
Quote
' Bottom line is, if I had both my legs cut off, no arms,
no eyeballs, and no vocal cords, I could still be a critic.'
Biography
Controversy and
critical acclaim have followed actor/musician/author Ice-T throughout
his career. Called rap music's "original gangster," he has been able to
convey the fear and skepticism of growing up poor in an uncertain world
though his music, his book, and his lecture tours of America's prisons,
high schools and colleges.
Born in New Jersey, Ice was the only child of parents who died when he
was very young. As a teen, he became involved in L.A. gang life, but
joined the Army to escape the troubles and temptations of the street.
Returning home, he found his focus in the rhymes of rap and hip-hop. His
life changed when the producers of the film "Breakin'" (1984), heard his
music and asked him to rap in the film. He was soon signed by Warner
Bros. Records, and released his first album, "Rhyme Pays" in 1987. The
disc was followed in quick succession by "Power" (1988). Ice-T launched
Rhyme Syndicate Records in 1989, releasing a string of goundbreaking
discs including "The Iceberg: Freedom of Speech... Just Watch What You
Say" (1989), "Original Gangster" (1991), "Home Invasion" (1993) and
"Ice-T IV: Return of the Real" (1996). Ice-T has also performed on
several film soundtracks including "Colors," "Trespass," "Judgement
Night," "New Jack City," "Ricochet," "Tank Girl," "Breakin'," "Original
Gangstas" and "Rhyme & Reason." In 1990,Ice won a Grammy for his
performance on the multi-Grammy winning Quincy Jones album "Back on the
Block." In 1992, Ice-T was voted "Best Male Rapper" in the Rolling Stone
reader's poll.
In 1991, he and a high school friend, guitarist Ernie C., formed the
thrash-metal band "Body Count." The group's self-titled debut contained
the controversial single "Cop Killer," which was the subject of
international debate. The band toured worldwide, receiving critical
kudos during the highly successful Lollapalooza tour (1991). The band
released "Born Dead" in 1994, and their current disc, "Violent Demise:
The Last Days," was released in February.
Ice-T's success as a musician has led to a burgeoning film and
television career. Besides the aforementioned "Breakin'," he has
appeared in such films as "New Jack City" (with Wesley Snipes),
"Ricochet" (with Denzel Washington and John Lithgow), Walter Hill's
"Trespass," "Tank Girl" and "Johnny Mnemonic" (with Keanu Reeves). On
television, he has appeared in Universal Television's "New York
Undercover" (receiving an NAACP Image Award for his guest role), "Swift
Justice" and has voiced both himself and the character "Taanzi" on the
animated series "Duckman."
His worldwide celebrity has allowed him to also become a television star
in England as the host of "Ice-T's Baadasss TV." This personal guide to
"Blaxploitation" films and black culture has appeared on BBC 4 since
1994. Ice-T has also published a best-selling book, "The Ice Opinion"
(St. Martin's Press, 1994), which has been translated into Japanese,
German, French and Italian. The book, as well as his opinions have
provided him with the opportunity to lecture students at such
universities as Harvard, Stanford and the University of California,
Berkeley.
Ice-T resides in the Los Angeles area
