Much has been made about how Ice-T could make songs like “Original Gangster,” “Six In The Morning” and “Cop Killer” then go on to do decidedly non-gangster things like star in movies, television shows (sometimes as a policeman) and write books. During the call-in interview segment of his appearance on “Sway In The Morning,” Ice laughed off such assumptions.
“If you listen to my music, my music has always been anti-gangsta,” Ice explained. “I use the gangsta persona, but at the end of most of my records I end up dead. Or I’m telling somebody, ‘Hey if this is the road you’re gonna take, this is where you’re gonna end.’ Anybody who’s been in it can’t speak on it like it’s nothing. My thing has never been to promote drug dealing or hustling or whatever. It’s always had another side to it.”
Ice added that his history is true, documented and never been challenged. To that point, his autobiography Ice: A Memoir of Gangster Life and Redemption—from South Central to Hollywood, speaks on his upbringing in the Crenshaw section of West Los Angeles. Aside from direct and second-hand encounters with Stanley “Tookie” Williams, Ice recounts being affiliated with the Hoover Crip set through a girl he was dating while in the twelfth grade.
The full interview with Sway Calloway, can be seen below.
RELATED: Ice-T Signs On For At Least Two More Seasons Of “Law & Order: SVU”
Ice-T Explains Balancing “Gangsta” Content With Acting A COP IN TV SERIES.
This is the man who critisized Rick Ross for identy crisis? Well Ice i love your music but you played yourself homie. Listen to your own song!
So you have no respect for Ice Cube either? You guys are idiots!!!
Ice-T was a gangster, but wasn’t embracing it in his music, and was even trying to get out of it, which is pretty much what he is saying according to this article. However, Rick Ross was never even a drug dealer in the first place, yet took a persona of one in his music, even going as far as to name himself after a real drug lord. Also, Rick Ross is embracing that negative lifestyle. Therefore, Ice-T has the right to criticize him.
ICE T >>>>>>>>>>>OFFICER RICKY
How the fuck is Cop Killer anti-gangsta???? Retard.
it means killing cops,who are a violent gang itself, u bigger retard!
I could have written this post. Matter of fact I will right now…. We asked Ice T how he balances gansta content with acting and positivity.the answer….he doesnt.
That’s not a funny joke.
The thing is Ice T is a pretty smart dude once you get past the rapper persona, or The New Jack City image. He’s become a decent actor, and while he’s always be associated more with rap than acting, he can still consider himself one of the lucky one’s. How many real life gang bangers can look back and say they had a successful acting career and lived to tell about it? Not many.
Hoo gives three flying fucks about what this nigga Ice finna do now!? You already did shit goddamnit, now it’s time for you to die and leave youngstas do their bullshit.
“now it’s time for you to die…”
Really?! Nigga you think youngstas can do it the way Ice did?! Keep dreaming bitch.
I know c’s from the Hoover and they said me they never heard of this nigga Ice as a locsta so that means he’s faking, therefore, he doesn’t deserve to be breathing.
Idiot alert.
Jimmy! Stay off the internet boy
In Ice-T’s autobiography, he goes into deep details about his young adulthood, being Crip “affiliated” By default of his neighborhood residence. In the book he says up front that he was never a heavy gang banger, in the sense of doing drive-bys on people, armed robberies, rumbles, etc. he would hang out, party, but hed avoid weed and liquor, compared to those who did indulge and ended up shooting somebody and going to jail, maimed or killed. Ice joined the Army when his girlfriend got pregnant, and after the Army he started a theft ringhe mentions that he was never armed in his heists, and that the most important aspect of planning a heist is the escape route. Also, never use your own car and dont park it near your home. He mentions an extremely brief stint trying to sell weed and coke, but stopped because mostly it was his buddies who were trying to get hooked up, and he saw the danger surrounding people who rolled too deep in the dope world. He also dabbled in pimping, introduced to it while in the Army, but he mentions he didnt have the heart to try and turn out young girls like some of the other cats he saw, and he was turned off by the interpersonal violence. In the book Ice mentions that he prided himself as more of a hustler than a straight up gangster, since, in his view, a hustler had more finesse (i.e., smarts/cleverness) than the thugged-out dudes who claimed gangster statusmany of whom went straight to the penitentiary before long.
Ices talent for rap, fueled by a combination of Iceberg slims poetry and Rappers delight, was encouraged by his buddies who were living on the fringe or who had gone to prison. He did some electro-style records in the style of Planet Rock and similar records, but hit on the angle in telling stories loosely based on the street life of south central L.A.
he’s not a gangster but instead he convinces abused women to sell their bodies for him? Because he never promoted gangbanging but instead promoted the degradation and sale of women we praise him?
At least a gangster has the balls to put himself out there instead of weasely manipulating someone weaker.
you are a fucking retard. take that feminist talk sonewhere else.
I have more respect for Ice then most cats in this game, he always stayed true to his style.
And he’s right, his songs never glorified Gang life, the characters almost always wound up dead or in prison at the end of the songs.
Not to mention he had the Jump on Rap Rock with Body Count before anybody was doing it, If I remember correctly that album dropped before Rage Against the Machine did
Plus, I always admired the fact that once his style wasnt what was popular in hip hop anymore, he moved on. There are no Ice T songs from the Late 90’s with a Puff Daddy remix or him dick riding the southern wave with a Mannie Fresh remix or Hailey Duff singing the chorus, although we all know he could afford it. Once Gangster Rap went out the limelight, he moved on to acting full time and walked away with his dignity, while still showing up here and there to show signs of respect with stuff like his “Art Of Rap” Documentary.
Ice is official
Well said man
best post on this subj…….some ppl needa kno when to move on, and find the next thing. too many ppl wanna be in the same limelight forever, nd thats why ppl die out
Whatever way you look at it, you gotta give ICE respect for representing hip-hop to the fullest with this latest doco.
He has no reason to produce this other than doing his part to keep it real and show all people young and old where its at.
I’m sure a few young cats will learn a lot watching it.
Mad respect to the rappers he chose also for the doco. KRS, Caz, all the mad dope rappers. None of this wayne ricky stuff
Imma rob niggas rape kill niggas kill niggas that be faking at 1 a.m. like y’all niggas.
ain’t nobody faking at 1 a.m. but you bitch nigga. “Rape niggas…” GTOH
says a tv cop
Your generation defines the term “Fraud”. at least Ice is acting on a TV show, Rick Ross is giving award winning Acting performances on the Microphone, someone grab that man a golden globe!!!
Real hiphop!!!Real grown man !!Fuck Drake ,Wayne ,Minaji and their wack as bullshitrecords!
I recall seeing ice-t as breakdancer in the early 80’s and even on Tyron Brunson’s music video of Fresh. Living in the hood doesn’t necessarily make anyone a gangster. He never did drugs or even got tattoos. He does have talent though and and used it to get to where he’s at.