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Ice-T
Body Count feat. Ice-T - 2019214172411 2019-08-02 Wacken - 2311 - AK8I3133 (cropped).jpg
Ice-T in 2019
Born
Tracy Lauren Marrow

(1958-02-16) February 16, 1958 (age 67)
Education Crenshaw High School
Occupation
  • Rapper
  • actor
  • songwriter
  • producer
  • author
Years active 1982–present
Spouse(s)
Coco Austin
(m. 2002)
Partner(s) Darlene Ortiz (1984–2001)
Children 3
Musical career
Origin Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres
Instruments Vocals
Labels
  • Saturn
  • Sire
  • Warner Bros.
  • Priority
  • Rhyme Syndicate
  • Sumerian
  • Century Media

Tracy Lauren Marrow (born February 16, 1958), better known by his stage name Ice-T, is an American rapper and actor. He is known for his work in both hip hop and heavy metal. Ice-T started as an underground rapper in the 1980s. In 1987, he signed with Sire Records and released his first album, Rhyme Pays.

The next year, he started his own record label, Rhyme $yndicate Records. He released another album, Power, which went platinum. This means it sold over a million copies. His next albums, including O.G. Original Gangster, were also very successful.

In 1990, Ice-T co-founded the heavy metal band Body Count. The band became well-known, but also faced controversy over one of their songs. The song's lyrics, which were about police, caused a lot of debate. This led Ice-T to leave his record label, Warner Bros. Records. He continued to release music and Body Count has released eight studio albums.

As an actor, Ice-T has appeared in many movies and TV shows. He had a major role as a police detective in the 1991 movie New Jack City. Since 2000, he has played NYPD Sergeant Odafin Tutuola on the TV show Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. This role has made him the longest-running male actor in a series in American TV history.

Early Life and Background

Tracy Lauren Marrow was born in Newark, New Jersey, on February 16, 1958. His parents were Solomon and Alice Marrow. When he was a young boy, his family moved to the town of Summit, New Jersey.

Sadly, his mother passed away from a heart attack when he was in third grade. His father, Solomon, raised him for four more years with the help of a housekeeper. When Marrow was 13, his father also died from a heart attack.

After his father's death, Marrow went to live with his aunt and uncle in South Los Angeles. He shared a room with his cousin Earl, who loved rock music. Listening to rock radio with his cousin sparked Marrow's interest in heavy metal music.

High School and Military Service

Marrow attended Crenshaw High School. During this time, he became known for reciting stories from the books of author Iceberg Slim. His friends enjoyed his performances and gave him the nickname "Ice-T."

After high school, Marrow joined the United States Army in 1977. He was stationed with the 25th Infantry Division. While in the army, he became interested in hip hop music. He was inspired by the song "Rapper's Delight" and started writing his own raps.

While stationed in Hawaii, he bought stereo equipment, including turntables and a mixer. He began to practice his skills as a DJ and rapper. After serving for over two years, he received an honorable discharge from the Army in 1979.

Music Career

How His Career Started

Ice-T, The Glove & Dave Storrs - Reckless-Tebitan Jam (Taxidermi Records-1990s) (Side A)
Ice-T released several records, like the 1984 single "Reckless" (pictured), before he started making gangsta rap music.

After leaving the Army, Ice-T wanted to become a DJ. However, he got more attention for his rapping. He decided to focus on becoming a rapper. In 1982, he met a producer from Saturn Records. They recorded his first single, "Cold Wind Madness." It became an underground hit.

In 1984, he was a featured rapper on the popular song "Reckless" from the movie Breakin'. He was also inspired by the rapper Schoolly D and the style known as gangsta rap. This led him to write his first song in that style, "6 in the Mornin'", which became very popular.

Major Label Success

Ice-T signed a deal with a major record label, Sire Records. The head of the label, Seymour Stein, said Ice-T's style reminded him of the famous singer Bob Dylan. In 1987, he released his first album, Rhyme Pays, which was certified gold for selling over 500,000 copies.

He also recorded the theme song for the movie Colors. His 1988 album, Power, also went gold. His 1991 album, O.G. Original Gangster, was a huge success. On this album, he introduced his heavy metal band, Body Count.

Body Count and Controversy

Ice-T and Body Count toured with the Lollapalooza music festival in 1991. This helped them reach a wider audience. In 1992, the band released their first album, Body Count.

The album included a song that caused a major controversy. The song's lyrics were from the point of view of a character taking revenge on police officers. Many people, including government officials, were very upset by the song. The record company, Time Warner Music, refused to release Ice-T's next album, Home Invasion.

Ice-T argued that people were overreacting. He pointed out that movies often show violence, but no one complains. He felt the strong reaction was because he was a Black man writing about a sensitive topic. In the end, he decided to leave the record label. He released Home Invasion with Priority Records in 1993.

Later Music Projects

Ice-T during the Body Count concert. Prague, August 2006
Ice-T performing with his band Body Count in 2006.

Ice-T continued to make music. He released the album Ice-T VI: Return of the Real in 1996 and The Seventh Deadly Sin in 1999. In 2006, he released the album Gangsta Rap.

He has also worked with other heavy metal bands like Slayer and Black Sabbath. His band, Body Count, has continued to release albums, including Bloodlust in 2017 and Carnivore in 2020. The song "Bum-Rush" from Carnivore won a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 2021.

In 2019, Ice-T released his first solo hip hop song in ten years. He continues to be an important figure in both hip hop and rock music.

Acting Career

Ice-T's first movie roles were in the 1984 films Breakin' and Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo. He began a serious acting career in 1991 with the movie New Jack City, where he played police detective Scotty Appleton.

He also appeared in films like Ricochet (1991), Trespass (1992), and Surviving the Game (1994). He had supporting roles in Johnny Mnemonic (1995) and Tank Girl (1995).

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

LAWORDERSVU101008
Ice-T with co-star Christopher Meloni filming Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in New York City in 2008.

In 1995, Ice-T had a role on the TV series New York Undercover. This led to more work with the show's creator, Dick Wolf. In 1998, he appeared in the TV movie Exiled: A Law & Order Movie.

His work with Dick Wolf led to his most famous role. Since 2000, Ice-T has played Detective Odafin "Fin" Tutuola on the popular drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. For his work on the show, he has won two NAACP Image Awards.

Voice Acting and Other Roles

Ice-T has also done voice acting for video games. He voiced the character Madd Dogg in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Aaron Griffin in Gears of War 3. In 2019, he voiced the character BALEX in the game Borderlands 3.

He has appeared on many other TV shows, including Chappelle's Show and 30 Rock. He also hosted a reality show called Ice-T's Rap School and starred in another reality show, Ice Loves Coco, with his wife.

Personal Life

Ice-T and Coco at the Tribeca Film Festival
Ice-T with his wife Coco Austin.

Ice-T has a daughter, LeTesha, who was born in 1976. He also has a son, Ice Tracy Marrow Jr., born in 1991. His son is a vocalist for the band Body Count.

In 2002, Ice-T married model Nicole "Coco" Austin. They have a daughter, who was born in 2015. The family has lived in New Jersey for many years.

Ice-T is also known for his interest in free speech. After the controversy with his band Body Count, he became a supporter of First Amendment rights, which protect freedom of speech in the United States. He has spoken at universities about this topic.

Discography

Studio albums
  • Rhyme Pays (1987)
  • Power (1988)
  • The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech...Just Watch What You Say (1989)
  • O.G. Original Gangster (1991)
  • Home Invasion (1993)
  • Ice-T VI: Return of the Real (1996)
  • The Seventh Deadly Sin (1999)
  • Gangsta Rap (2006)
with Body Count
  • Body Count (1992)
  • Born Dead (1994)
  • Violent Demise: The Last Days (1997)
  • Murder 4 Hire (2006)
  • Manslaughter (2014)
  • Bloodlust (2017)
  • Carnivore (2020)
  • Merciless (2024)

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Ice T para niños

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