Amazon Music is paying tribute to Queen Latifah with a short film called Generational Queens. The film will honor Latifah for her 1993 women’s empowerment anthem, “U.N.I.T.Y.,” which turns 30 this year. Amazon Music honors rapper/actress Queen Latifah with a short film titled Generational Queens. The film will highlight Latifah’s 1993 hit, “U.N.I.T.Y.,” which turns […]
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He’s been around the Hip Hop block with a career that has outlasted several of his peers, and Ice-T dropped off an interesting opinion about the evolution of the culture. It has shaped up to be a busy season for the hitmaker as he has celebrated his accolades. Ice-T received his star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame amid the Grammys tribute in honor of Hip Hop’s 50th Anniversary. Understandably, outlets have been clamoring to speak with him about where the genre has landed in this generation.
In a chat with Variety, the outlet noted that Ice-T received a Grammy nomination as recently as 2020. It was in connection with his group Body Count, but Ice was asked why he stopped making solo records after 2006. “Hip Hop changed. The music got goofy to me,” said the Rap icon. “The kids started looking weird. It all turned into something I wasn’t comfortable with.”
“There was a point where I was selling tons of records, then it cooled off. I felt a certain way,” Ice continued. However, he recognized he wasn’t the only artist with that problem. “Then I realized Public Enemy, Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, and Wu-Tang Clan weren’t selling records, either. There was a paradigm shift. These kids got softer, and soft is not something I’m able to give audiences.”
“The first word in Hip Hop is ‘hip’ so how something stays hip for over ten years is difficult,” he continued. “Besides, I still do my ‘Ice-T: Art of Rap’ shows, which is my legacy Hip Hop. Think of it like seeing Frank Sinatra. You want to hear the classics.” Elsewhere, he also acknowledges he has been acting in various aspects of his career since its inception, including his 1990s hit, “Cop Killer.” Ice-T is one of the longest-running actors on Law & Order, and he told Variety his talents stretched to his music career.
“I’m acting in both. I never killed a cop. In ‘Cop Killer,’ I play a man who was mad at the police,” said Ice-T. “Snapped and went after them based on police brutality. That’s acting. Where the media glossed it, is when they said that it was really Ice-T saying to go kill the police. I didn’t do that. The same is true of SVU. I’m not a cop. I’m the furthest thing from a cop. As far as the dilemma with police now — yeah, it is difficult.”
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Jay-Z’s “99 Problems” remains one of the most iconic anthems in hip-hop music of the last 20 years. There’s not a time when that song kicks off at any event and people aren’t singing along word-for-word. However, the catchiest part of the song isn’t something that Jay came up with himself. He actually paid homage to Ice-T and 2 Live Crew’s Brother Marquis who delivered a song of the same name 1992 album, Home Invasion.
Over the years, there’s been a debate surrounding the use of the line. While Jay faced accusations in the past of ripping lines off of Biggie, many felt as though he did the same to Ice-T, especially since not everyone knew where the line came from. “Why Jay Z never said, ‘This is Ice-T’s song,’ and showed me some love, I don’t know,” Ice T said in a 2014 interview. “I’m friends with Jay. I met him with Big Daddy Kane. I would have handled the situation differently. If I use your music, I want to let people know.”
That particular interview resurfaced in November and it appears that it caught the attention of Hov. During a recent interview on Big Boy’s Neighborhood, Ice explained that Jay-Z approached him at the Grammys to clarify that he never meant any disrespect towards him. “I’m at the Grammys and JAY-Z comes to me. He says, ‘Ice, you know I love you, right?’” Ice-T recalled Jay telling him at the award show. “I say, ‘Yeah!’
Apparently, Jay wanted to clear up the rumors on the Internet surrounding Ice-T’s issue surrounding the song. “He says, ‘Well, it’s on the internet that you mad.’ I said, ‘I’m not mad! They’re bringing up all kinds of interviews about it and they asked me the story, and I told them the true story,’” Ice-T continued. “He goes, ‘Yeah man, but it’s no hard feelings,’” he continued, explaining that the two dived into their storied history, dating back to Jay’s relationship with Big Daddy Kane.
Though it was all love, he said that he told Jay-Z that he wished he had given him a shout-out. “But I said, ‘Yo, well, you know, when you did ’99 Problems,’ at the end of the record you could’ve said, ‘Ice!’ You could’ve given me a little dap or something!’ I said, ‘But I’m not mad at it. What had happened was people wanted to know the story,’” Ice-T said. Check the interview above.
Legendary MC, Ice-T recently revealed that the icon Jay-Z approached him at the 2023 Grammy Awards and questioned him about some internet beef over his song “99 Problems.”
Arguably one of Jay’s biggest hits, at the top 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 and going double platinum—the track’s iconic hook (“I got 99 problems, but a bitch ain’t one”) was actually borrowed from Ice-T’s 1993 original of the same name.
The correlation between the two songs came back into focus last November when a video of the gangsta rap pioneer expressing his grief at JAY-Z apparently never acknowledging the source material resurfaced.
“I’m at the Grammys and JAY-Z comes to me. He says, ‘Ice, you know I love you, right?’” Ice-T said during a visit to Big Boy’s Neighborhood. “I say, ‘Yeah!’ He says, ‘Well, it’s on the internet that you mad.’ I said, ‘I’m not mad! They’re bringing up all kinds of interviews about it and they asked me the story, and I told them the true story.’
“He goes, ‘Yeah man, but it’s no hard feelings.’ And he started talking about how me and him — ’cause I met JAY-Z way back in the day. Big Daddy Kane brought JAY-Z to my house back in the day when he was starting out. I used to take Jay around, roll my car, him and Dame Dash, so we’re friends.”
He added: “But I said, ‘Yo, well, you know, when you did ’99 Problems,’ at the end of the record you could’ve said, ‘Ice!’ You could’ve given me a little dap or something!’ I said, ‘But I’m not mad at it. What had happened was people wanted to know the story.’”
Ice-T then proceeded to tell the story behind “99 Problems,” explaining how 2 Live Crew’s Brother Marquis — who appears on his 1993 track — coined the phrase, before Chris Rock suggested JAY-Z remake the song more than a decade later.
“I’m in my house with Brother Marquis, I’m at my studio,” he began. “We were talking about ‘Whoomp! (There It Is).’ Now, ‘Whoomp! (There It Is)’ comes from Magic City. The Tag Team were the DJs at Magic City, and when the girls would bend over, they’d say, ‘Whoomp, there it is!’
“So Marquis says to me, ‘N-gga, I’m sitting there all them nights in Magic City, that was the phrase that pays!’ Then outta nowhere, he goes, ‘Man, I got 99 problems and a bitch ain’t one.’ I said, ‘What did you just say?’ I said, ‘That’s a song!’”
He continued: “Now, as the legend goes, Rick Rubin and Jay were getting ready to make a record and Chris Rock was around, and they said, ‘What record should we remake?’ And Chris Rock brought up ’99 Problems.’ JAY-Z remade the song, he changed the verses, but he even took the ‘hit me!’ So he did it. No harm, no foul.”
“It was a publishing deal. At that time, my publishing was owned, I think, by Warner Chappell or Universal. It paid, I had a deal and that was it,” he said. “I didn’t come out saying, ‘Oh, JAY-Z went after’ — this, that. But now we’re in the social media era and they’re like, ‘Let’s see what we can turn into a beef.’ I got no problems with JAY-Z … Jay didn’t steal it.
“If you listen to The Seventh Deadly Sin, JAY-Z does an intro for me. He’s on there talking, ‘Yo, Ice. What’s up, yo?’ I have no beef with JAY-Z whatsoever, it’s just how it happened … I love JAY-Z. JAY-Z is a very supernatural human being.”
Watch the interview below.
The post [WATCH] Ice-T Reveals Jay-Z Approached Him At The Grammy’s About Internet Beef Over ’99 Problems’ appeared first on The Source.
Ice-T’s 2023 has already been quite an eventful one. Along with getting his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, he was also recognized at The Grammys. In early February, he performed in the Hip-Hop’s 50th Anniversary celebration at the award show. From Queen Latifah to Lil Uzi Vert, all eras of rap were acknowledged in their performance. As a matter of fact, in a recent episode the Holdin’ Court Podcast, Ice-T says more artists were meant to be included. “When we did the show, Lil Wayne was in the show, but then he didn’t actually do the performance,” he said. “Something happened on the red carpet. Future was sitting at my table. He was supposed to perform (too), he didn’t perform.”
Either way, the Grammys Hip-Hop display was still an excellent one. Furthermore, while still speaking on the Holdin’ Court Podcast, Ice-T talked a little bit about the recent Super Bowl. After the Kansas City Chiefs knocked off the Philadelphia Eagles, Ice-T had tons of praise for Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
“I made a point never to bet against Mahomes. He’s a magician,” Ice-T said. Mahomes threw for 182 yards and 3 touchdowns in the 38-35 victory. Additionally, he ran for 44 yards on 6 carries. What made this feat particularly spectacular was that Mahomes’ ankle was injured all throughout the playoffs. He re-tweaked the injury during the Super Bowl, but continued playing. However, Ice-T was skeptical about the severity of the injury.
Referred specifically to a late-game run Mahomes had to seal the victory, Ice-T was not convinced Pat was debilitated. .”I think that was an okie-doke,” he said. “The 42 fake. He went on the sideline like, ‘Oh no I’m hurt. I’m hurt.’ He ran like 30 yards! He said, ‘I bet they think I’m hurt. Oh, I’m gone!’” Regardless of the legitimacy of the ankle injury, though, Ice-T still respected Mahomes’ talent. “But he does magic. I’ve seen him with 3 minutes left, score 38 points,” he said. “He’s special, and he doesn’t even look like a football player. He has an arm, and he’s very accurate.” Check out Ice-T’s full discussion about Patrick Mahomes above.
There were dozens of our favorite Hip Hop acts on stage at this year’s Grammy Awards, and Ice-T claims Lil Wayne should have been one of them. Missy Elliott, Public Enemy, Method Man, Busta Rhymes, LL Cool J, Grandmaster Flash, Scarface, Lil Uzi Vert, and more came together to celebrate Hip Hop’s 50th Anniversary. It was a show unlike any other as generations of the culture banded together, and Weezy was close to adding his name to the list.
“When we did the show, Lil Wayne was in the show, but then he didn’t actually do the performance,” Ice-T shared while on the Holdin’ Court podcast. “Something happened on the red carpet. Future was sitting at my table. He was supposed to perform, he didn’t perform. So, a lot of—” The host interrupted to suggest it was “a little bit of a mess.” Ice replied, “It’s live TV.”
Public Enemy, Run DMC, Black Thought, Queen Latifah, WuTang, The Roots and Salt and Pepa all day! Hip hop
#Grammys2023 pic.twitter.com/l9NaKZSO2c
— Sekiya Dorsett
(@sekiyad) February 6, 2023
Several artists were asked to perform but didn’t make the show. Ice-T recently said that his scheduling conflicts with Law & Order almost kept him from making an appearance. “I get a call from Questlove and he says, ‘We’re doing a thing in L.A. this weekend. I say, ‘I can’t make it,’” the Rap icon told PEOPLE. “He says, ‘The Grammys.’ And I go, ‘Eh.’ And he goes, ‘You don’t wanna be sitting home Ice, watching it—all your homies—and saying I was invited but I didn’t go. And I got my Black ass on the plane. He put it in perspective. The Grammys didn’t even respect hip-hop for so long. And now, to be here and to be honored like this, we’ll take it.”
Questlove also fired off tweets about the difficulties in rallying these hitmakers. Fans complained in droves, questioning why this or that artist didn’t perform. According to The Roots icon, many were already booked, some simply didn’t want to, and for the third group, Quest didn’t detail those responses. He did suggest there was an August taping that others agreed to, but not the Grammys. Quest was the co-curator for the performance and suggested he struggled with the team to create a full line-up. In the end, most fans seemed more than thrilled, regardless.
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As Ice-T accepted his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame last Friday, he addressed one aspect of being a star that does not seem to bother him: critics.
The 65-year-old hip-hop artist and actor, who accepted the star alongside his wife Coco and seven-year-old daughter Chanel, discussed cancel culture, addressing how people have been trying to cancel him since the beginning of his career, over four decades ago.
In an interview with Fox News, Ice-T said that people had “been trying to cancel me for 40 years… I’m difficult to cancel,” before continuing to explain that “I’ve already let everybody know all my flaws, all my vices and people rock with it.”
He also addressed online trolls and critics, saying that he turns the negative energy from critics into motivation, sharing his personal philosophy of “when someone tells me you can’t do it, that means I got to do it.” He referred to criticism as fuel, stating that “I eat haters for food.”
In December, the Grammy-winning artist shared an inspirational quote that read: “Everyone is going to hate you anyway…so you might as well give them a reason” with a post that said “Christmas is over.. My advice is you go into 2023 with THIS attitude if you want to WIN.”
Ice-T was joined by several celebrities, including Law and Order: SVU costar Mariska Hargitay, as he accepted his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
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Ice-T’s illustrious career is one that deserves to be studied in history books. He emerged as a pioneer of gangsta rap, opening the gates for hip-hop to flourish for the decades to come. He later embarked on a career as a frontman for Grammy-award-winning heavy metal group Body Count. However, for those that aren’t familiar with his musical output, his role on Law & Order: SVU helped turn him into a household name. For nearly two decades, he’s appeared on our TVs as Detective Odafin “Fin” Tutuola.
It comes as no surprise that he finally received a Hollywood Walk Of Fame. Ana Martinez, producer of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, explained Ice-T cemented his name in entertainment throughout the years, which led to the honor. “Ice-T is a cultural icon and a success both in the music and television industries. His fans will be very excited to see their favorite performer placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame,” Martinez said. Reflecting on the honor, the rapper stated, “When I think about how many times I got arrested in Hollywood…. This is a trip.”
This morning, he finally received his honor on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame but that wasn’t all. Hollywood, CA declared Feb. 17th Ice-T Day as they unveiled the rapper’s star. It was a grand moment that felt like a major win for hip-hop as a whole. His Law & Order co-star, Mariska Hargitay, and the show’s creator, Dick Wolf, joined him at the ceremony, along with Chuck D.
Ahead of the ceremony, the rapper told Variety that he never expected to receive this honor in his career. “I would have told you that was impossible,” he said. When I started making records, I didn’t come into the music business thinking I would be a star. I was just seeing if I could get a fan base, I didn’t want to be the best rapper. I just wanted to be mentioned among the greats: LL Cool J, Run-DMC. Getting any “star” was way out of reach.” Check the video above.
On this date in 1958, rapper and actor Tracy Morrow aka Ice-T was born in Newark, New Jersey, but ironically morphed into one of the most influential Hip Hop artists from the West Coast in the history of the genre.
After his exodus to the West Coast, Ice’s career began with his Rhyme Pays album, which dropped in 1987 and then his Power LP propelled him to platinum status. It wasn’t long after these two albums that Ice’s acting career took off, appearing and starring in films such as New Jack City, Trespass and CB4. In 1995, he began his three decade long tenure on television, appearing on New York Undercover, Law And Order, Chicago P.D.as well as him and his wife’s reality show, Ice And Coco.
The Grammy Award winner has an unparalleled amount of music. movie and television credits, but his foundation is all Hip Hop. Salute to Ice on a landmark born day and we wish him many more!
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