S. Samuel
One-hit wonder Vanilla Ice has revealed his top five favorite rappers of all-time, highlighting hip-hop pioneers Public Enemy as well as modern day lyricists like Lil Wayne on his list.
Also included in Ice’s list were New York emcees Jay-Z and Jadakiss.
Vanilla Ice says that Jay-Z would “of course” be on his list favorite MCs, especially considering his recent material. “‘Empire State of Mind’ is a great song,” he says, “and ‘On To the Next One’? Love that song. Whatever is going on, he’s the leader…”[Lil Wayne’s] on fire, without a doubt…I’m from the dirty South, and I love the dirty South rap…A lot of stuff isn’t so well-known and there’s no mainstream hit or something, but [Jadakiss] is super-talented.” (Billboard)
For his final two choices, Ice went with Ludacris and P.E.
The Atlanta rapper is another one of Vanilla Ice’s faves. He calls Ludacris “amazing” and admires the Southern influence on his cadence and beats that Lil Wayne also uses. Vanilla Ice can appreciate the up-and-coming MCs, but he says that he has a soft spot for veteran artists like hip-hop pioneers Public Enemy. “I go back to the old school,” says the rapper. “Public Enemy, and also EPMD, Sir Mix-A-Lot… I just love the whole hip-hop thing.” (Billboard)
As an artist, Vanilla Ice sold millions of albums in the early 1990’s.
With his hit single “Ice Ice Baby” and its accompanying album, To the Extreme, Vanilla Ice became the second white rapper to top the charts. Unlike the Beastie Boys, he didn’t have any street credibility, so the Miami-born rapper decided to invent some of his own, claiming he had a seriously violent gangster past. Nevertheless, “Ice Ice Baby” became a number one hit late in 1990, thanks to the pulsating bass riff from David Bowie and Queen‘s “Under Pressure.” To the Extreme also went to the top of the charts, spending 16 weeks at number one and selling over seven million copies. Ice began filming a feature film, Cool as Ice, in the spring of 1990, but by the time the film came out in the fall, his star had fallen dramatically; To the Extreme was at number one longer than the soundtrack to Cool as Ice was even on the charts. (All Music)
Earlier this month, Vanilla Ice launched his own television show.
Vanilla Ice, the rapper who briefly ascended to fame with his single “Ice Ice Baby” in the early 1990s and then dropped off the radar, will reportedly star in his own reality TV show, according to media reports. Born Robert Van Winkle, Vanilla Ice, 42, announced on Thursday that he’s starting his TV show, The Vanilla Ice Project, which will be focused on home renovation. (The Epoch Times)
Check out Vanilla Ice’s famous “Ice Ice Baby” record down below:
