Ice-T is an American rapper, musician, lyricist, and producer. He also became famous as a member of the Body Count team. In addition, he realized himself as an actor and writer. Ice-T became a Grammy winner and received the prestigious NAACP Image Award.
Childhood and youth
Tracey Lauren Murrow (real name of the rapper) was born February 16, 1958 in Newark. He doesn't like to talk about his childhood. Tracy's parents were never media people. Surprisingly, depression made Murrow fall in love with music. It turned out that this was the only thing that could at least briefly distract him from his thoughts.
Tracy's mother passed away when he was a child. The woman died of a heart attack. The boy was raised by his father and a housewife. The head of the family died when Murrow was 13 years old.
After the death of his father, Tracy lived for some time with his aunt. Then he was taken under guardianship by other relatives. He moved to colorful Los Angeles. He was raised by his cousin Earl. Cousin was fond of heavy music. Sometimes he listened to his favorite rock songs in the company of Tracy. Apparently, it was Earl who managed to instill in his relative a love for heavy sound as well.
He changed several high schools. Unlike most of his peers, the guy led a healthy lifestyle. Tracy avoided alcohol, cigarettes, and weed.
During his school years, he received the nickname Ice-T. The fact is that Marrow adored the work of Iceberg Slim. During this period of time, he will be professionally engaged in music for the first time. A black guy joins The Precious Few of Crenshaw High School.
Ice-T's creative path
He began to take an active interest in hip-hop culture in the army. Ice-T served in Hawaii as a squad leader. Here he bought his first musical equipment - several players, speakers and a mixer.
When he returned to his homeland, he decided to try himself as a DJ. I didn’t have to think about a creative pseudonym for a long time - the school nickname came to the rescue. He performs in clubs and at private parties. Ice-T is of interest to local music lovers. Then came the "darkness" - he skillfully combined his first steps as a rap artist with criminal activity.
At the stage of promoting himself as a rap artist, he gets into a terrible accident. The injuries that Ice-T received in an accident forced him to spend some time in a hospital bed. Due to the fact that his name appeared in crime stories, Ice-T intentionally hides his real initials.
After a couple of weeks of rehabilitation, he rethought life. Ice-T decided to put an end to crime. He focused on his singing career. Some time later, Ice-T won the open mic competition. A completely new stage has started in the rapper's creative biography.
Presentation of the rapper's debut single
In the early 80s, he met with the producer of the prestigious label Saturn Records. Useful connections open up new opportunities for the rapper. In 1983, the presentation of the singer's debut single took place. We are talking about the musical composition Cold Wind Madness. The song was stuffed with foul language. This was the reason that the track was not allowed on the radio. Despite this, the rapper's debut track gained popularity.
In the wake of recognition of his talent, the rapper releases the track Body Rock. The fact that the song was "stuffed" with an electro-hip-hop sound makes it a hit. Then the presentation of the song Reckless took place. The last work was accompanied by a bright clip.
From this period of time, he positions himself as a gangsta rapper. He focuses on the work of Schoolly D. Inspired by the activities of criminal gangs, he composes musical works that describe the "black" affairs of gangs. The only "but" - he never named the names of authorities, although he knew some personally. To feel the mood of Ice Tee's creativity of this time, it is enough to turn on track 6 in the Mornin.
After some time, he began to collaborate with the label Sire Records. At the same time, the presentation of the artist's LP took place. The collection Rhyme Pays is quite warmly received by fans. At the end of the 80s, he introduced the Power record.
A year will pass and music lovers will enjoy the sound of The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech…Just Watch What You Say. In the early 90s, the OG Original Gangster compilation premiered.
Foundation of the Body Count group
In the early 90s, Ice T resorted to unexpected musical experiments. He was imbued with the sound of heavy music. He became the founder of the Body Count team. In 1992, the group's discography was replenished with a debut album.
In the mid-90s, the artist's solo record was released, a few years later he presented the collection The Seventh Deadly Sin. Productivity has been replaced by silence. It wasn't until 2006 that he unexpectedly returned to the recording studio.
For a long time he fed fans with promises to release a full-length album, and only in 2017 he presented the album Bloodlust. A couple of years later, the singer presented another novelty. The presentation of the song Feds In My Rearview took place in 2019.
Details of the rapper's personal life
He began to live on his own early. Since Lauren was an orphan, he was entitled to payments. He spent $ 90 on renting an apartment, and Lauren lived on the rest of the money.
Ice-T grew up, and at the same time he had needs that exceeded social benefits. He started selling weed, and after a while he joined a group whose members stole cars and engaged in robberies.
During this period of time, he lived under the same roof with a girl named Adrienne. She was expecting a child from him. In the mid-70s, he became a father. The relationship of the young couple did not stick, so they soon broke up.
At the end of the 70s, Ice-T went to the army, and returned to his homeland a few years later. He managed to get fired because he was in the status of a single father.
In the mid-80s, he met a charming girl named Darlene Ortiz. The rapper was deeply impressed by her beauty. Darlene inspired him so much that she appeared on the covers of several of the rapper's long plays. She gave birth to a son from the singer, who was named Ice. Despite the birth of a child, the relationship of the couple began to deteriorate, and they made a mutual decision to leave.
In 2002, he married model Nicole Austin. Only in 2015, the couple decided to give birth to a common child. Nicole gave birth to a daughter, Chanel, from the rapper. The couple is still together, despite a lot of rumors and speculation about their difficult relationship.
Ice-T at present
The rapper continues to be "active". Ice-T rarely releases solo LPs. In 2019, the presentation of The Foundation Album (Legends Recording Group) took place. The record was warmly received not only by fans, but also by music critics.
In 2020, the discography of the Ice-T band - Body Count was replenished with the studio album Carnivore. The presentation of the collection took place in early March. The track Bum-Rush brought the musician the prestigious Grammy Award in the category of best metal performance.
