American rapper and actor. Born in Newark, New Jersey in 1959 as Tracy Morrow, he moved to Los Angeles after his parents died in a car accident. Taking his nom-de-rap from a pimp named Iceberg Slim who wrote novels and poetry, the proto-rapper used to memorize Slim's poetry so he could recite it for his friends. While he was trying to establish his career as a rapper, Ice appeared in the films "Rappin'", "Breakin'", and (Oh my GAWD!) "Breakin' II: Electric Boogaloo".

He released several albums in the late 1980s, but didn't hit it really big until he recorded the theme song for the Dennis Hopper film "Colors"--his harder-edged lyrics were more impressive than the party raps he had recorded previously. The two records that followed ("Power" and "The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech...Just Watch What You Say") were recorded under Ice's own label, Rhyme Syndicate, and distributed through Sire/Warner. They spotlighted his excellent rhymes, political commentaries, and smart narratives of life as a black man in L.A.

Ice-T appeared in the film "New Jack City" and recorded "New Jack Hustler" for the film and for his new album "O.G.: Original Gangster" in 1991. "O.G." became his most successful album and became one of the most important records in the growing gangsta rap sub-genre. At turns articulate and brutal, sexist and sad, concerned and violent, clever and crude, the record touched on the strange dichotomy of urban life for many young black men--to get the good life, you gotta live the bad life.

"O.G." also featured a thrash metal track called "Body Count", recorded by his band of the same name. Body Count went on the road with the original Lollapalooza tour, boosting Ice's popularity beyond rap and L.A. into alternative music and heavy metal fans. Body Count released an album in 1992 featuring the controversial single "Cop Killer". Faced with enraged protests by police activist groups and the NRA (both of whom were fairly silent a few years later when talk radio host G. Gordon Liddy advised people to aim for the head when shooting at federal agents--ya think skin color made a difference there?), Time-Warner Records dropped Ice-T from the label.

Since then, Ice's records have been much less successful, both critically and commercially. He has focused his career on acting in recent years, appearing in a number of movies and TV shows, including "Surviving the Game", "Tank Girl", "Johnny Mnemonic", "Players", "The Deli", "Final Voyage", "The Heist", and "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit". Yes, he often ends up playing cops. Oh, the irony...