Post by Finaddict on Jul 21, 2007 9:26:22 GMT -5
Ice will be in Montreal, Canada Weds. July 25th
The following article is from an interview he did with The Montreal Mirror.
Return of the Mack
>> Ice-T is still rapping after 20 years,
but now he can actually enjoy it
THESE COLOURS DON’T RUN: Ice-T
by SCOTT C
Ice-T will forever be known as the father of West Coast ganster rap, even though he was born in Newark, New Jersey. He moved to South Central Los Angeles as a small child, and by his teens was a member of the West Side Rollin 30s Original Harlem Crips street gang. Thanks to albums like 1987’s Rhyme Pays and 1988’s Power, which he crafted along with producer Afrika Isalm and DJ Evil E, Ice cemented his status as the voice of the West Coast gangster, incorporating street stories and true-life experiences into his rhymes.
He started his acting career in 1984, playing a rapper in Breakin’ and Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo, which led to roles in New Jack City and a slew of forgettable flicks like Johnny Mnemonic, Tank Girl and Leprechaun in the Hood. Those of you who remember Fox TV’s short-lived cop drama New York Undercover might remember seeing Ice-T in his first recurring TV role, as a hard-nosed drug dealer. After enraging the entire Los Angeles Police Department with the release of Body Count’s “Cop Killer” in 1992, Ice has ironically starred in 161 episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit since 2000, pimping the system as Detective Odafin “Fin” Tutuola. The original gangster spoke to the Mirror in the midst of his busy shooting schedule.
Mirror: What do you do with your time besides music and Law & Order? Someone who’s been around as long as you must have his hands in other pies, no?
Ice-T: Nothing, really. I’m workin’ on a book, and I play as much video games as I can.
M: I remember sneaking out of church to listen to Power in my dad’s car. Did you have a plan back in 1988, or did things just kind of unfold the way they did?
I: They just seemed to kind of unfold, y’know? Back then there wasn’t anything called a rap career, you just made records and stuff. I’m really surprised that I’m still at this, to tell you the truth.
M: It’s hard to believe that there are people out there who only know you as Fin from Law & Order. How has being part of a prime time TV staple changed your life?
I: It’s cool. A lot of grandmothers know me! It’s different walking through an airport now. I really can’t determine who would be someone who would recognize me anymore. When you’re only doing hip hop, you assume it’ll be mostly kids, but now I’ve got what we consider mainstream fame, and anybody can walk up to you. But it’s cool, it was a good move. I don’t know if I’d still be rapping today, 20 years later, if that was all I’d accomplished.
OUTLIVING LIVE-OR-DIE
M: Are you still friends with your old partner in crime, Afrika Islam? Do you stay in touch?
I: Yeah. Islam is in Germany, and he’s been there for a while. I actually just toured China with Islam, so we’re definitely still friends after all these years.
M: What’s your relationship with Coco Austin like?
I: Basically it’s a perfect relationship. We’ve been together now about seven years, and it might sound corny, but she’s my best friend. Other than that, it’s probably pretty much what you’d imagine it to be like (laughs).
M: How important is making and performing music in your life right now?
I: It’s fun, y’know? It’s not as important as a live-or-die situation, where I’m concerned with making it so that I can live or eat. It’s more something that is really fun to do, and I’m now in a position to really enjoy it.
M: If you had to recommend some current music for people to check out right now, what would you suggest?
I: Right now? I don’t really have anything to recommend. Go get all of Public Enemy and Rakim’s albums and listen to them in a row, but nothin’ new. I haven’t heard anything that was really that great.
With Rugged Intellect, D-Shade and
Skratch Bastid at Foufounes Électriques
on Wednesday, July 25, 9 p.m., $25
The following article is from an interview he did with The Montreal Mirror.
Return of the Mack
>> Ice-T is still rapping after 20 years,
but now he can actually enjoy it
THESE COLOURS DON’T RUN: Ice-T
by SCOTT C
Ice-T will forever be known as the father of West Coast ganster rap, even though he was born in Newark, New Jersey. He moved to South Central Los Angeles as a small child, and by his teens was a member of the West Side Rollin 30s Original Harlem Crips street gang. Thanks to albums like 1987’s Rhyme Pays and 1988’s Power, which he crafted along with producer Afrika Isalm and DJ Evil E, Ice cemented his status as the voice of the West Coast gangster, incorporating street stories and true-life experiences into his rhymes.
He started his acting career in 1984, playing a rapper in Breakin’ and Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo, which led to roles in New Jack City and a slew of forgettable flicks like Johnny Mnemonic, Tank Girl and Leprechaun in the Hood. Those of you who remember Fox TV’s short-lived cop drama New York Undercover might remember seeing Ice-T in his first recurring TV role, as a hard-nosed drug dealer. After enraging the entire Los Angeles Police Department with the release of Body Count’s “Cop Killer” in 1992, Ice has ironically starred in 161 episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit since 2000, pimping the system as Detective Odafin “Fin” Tutuola. The original gangster spoke to the Mirror in the midst of his busy shooting schedule.
Mirror: What do you do with your time besides music and Law & Order? Someone who’s been around as long as you must have his hands in other pies, no?
Ice-T: Nothing, really. I’m workin’ on a book, and I play as much video games as I can.
M: I remember sneaking out of church to listen to Power in my dad’s car. Did you have a plan back in 1988, or did things just kind of unfold the way they did?
I: They just seemed to kind of unfold, y’know? Back then there wasn’t anything called a rap career, you just made records and stuff. I’m really surprised that I’m still at this, to tell you the truth.
M: It’s hard to believe that there are people out there who only know you as Fin from Law & Order. How has being part of a prime time TV staple changed your life?
I: It’s cool. A lot of grandmothers know me! It’s different walking through an airport now. I really can’t determine who would be someone who would recognize me anymore. When you’re only doing hip hop, you assume it’ll be mostly kids, but now I’ve got what we consider mainstream fame, and anybody can walk up to you. But it’s cool, it was a good move. I don’t know if I’d still be rapping today, 20 years later, if that was all I’d accomplished.
OUTLIVING LIVE-OR-DIE
M: Are you still friends with your old partner in crime, Afrika Islam? Do you stay in touch?
I: Yeah. Islam is in Germany, and he’s been there for a while. I actually just toured China with Islam, so we’re definitely still friends after all these years.
M: What’s your relationship with Coco Austin like?
I: Basically it’s a perfect relationship. We’ve been together now about seven years, and it might sound corny, but she’s my best friend. Other than that, it’s probably pretty much what you’d imagine it to be like (laughs).
M: How important is making and performing music in your life right now?
I: It’s fun, y’know? It’s not as important as a live-or-die situation, where I’m concerned with making it so that I can live or eat. It’s more something that is really fun to do, and I’m now in a position to really enjoy it.
M: If you had to recommend some current music for people to check out right now, what would you suggest?
I: Right now? I don’t really have anything to recommend. Go get all of Public Enemy and Rakim’s albums and listen to them in a row, but nothin’ new. I haven’t heard anything that was really that great.
With Rugged Intellect, D-Shade and
Skratch Bastid at Foufounes Électriques
on Wednesday, July 25, 9 p.m., $25