Tracy Lauren Marrow (born February 16, 1958), better known by his stage name Ice-T, is an American musician, rapper, songwriter, actor, record producer, record executive and author. He began his career as an underground rapper in the 1980s and was signed to Sire Records in 1987, when he released his debut album Rhyme Pays; the second hip-hop album to carry an explicit content sticker after Slick Rick’s La Di Da Di. The following year, he founded the record label Rhyme $yndicate Records (named after his collective of fellow hip-hop artists called the "Rhyme $yndicate") and released another album, Power.
He co-founded the heavy metal band Body Count, which he introduced on his 1991 rap album O.G.: Original Gangster, on the track titled "Body Count". The band released their self-titled debut album in 1992. Ice-T encountered controversy over his track "Cop Killer", which glamorized killing police officers. Ice-T asked to be released from his contract with Warner Bros. Records, and his next solo album, Home Invasion, was released later in February 1993 through Priority Records. Body Count's next album was released in 1994, and Ice-T released two more albums in the late-1990s. Since 2000, he has portrayed NYPD Detective/Sergeant Odafin Tutuola on the NBC police drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Links to Peel
Peel started playing Ice-T's music in 1986, before he signed to major label record company, Sire. Throughout the late 80's, Peel would often play Ice-T's records and in some shows criticised some of his music, which he considered sexist or too violent. However, he did praise his music, which did not involve any sexism or violence, which many hip hop rappers used in many of their songs. By the beginning of the 90's, Peel was slowly disillusioned with hip hop music, and rarely played much of it throughout that decade, including Ice-T's music. After Peel's death, Ice-T's The Iceberg (Freedom Of Speech... Just Watch What You Say) album was found in his Record Collection: I.
Shows Played
- 12 May 1986: Ya Don't Quit (12") Techno Hop
- 19 May 1986: 'Ya Don't Quit (12")' (Techno Hop)
- 1987
- 17 June 1987: Make It Funky (12") Sire
- 23 June 1987: Make It Funky (7" Version) (12") Sire
- 30 June 1987: 'Make It Funky (12 inch)' (Sire)
- 1989
- 06 February 1989: High Rollers (12") Sire
- 07 February 1989: The Hunted Child (12" - High Rollers) Sire
- 15 February 1989: The Hunted Child (12" - High Rollers) Sire
- 13 September 1989: Lethal Weapon (12") Sire
- 21 September 1989 (Radio Bremen): Lethal Weapon (album - The Iceberg (Freedom Of Speech... Just Watch What You Say)) Sire
- 09 October 1989: You Played Yourself (album - The Iceberg (Freedom Of Speech... Just Watch What You Say)) Sire
- 12 October 1989: The Hunted Child (LP - The Iceberg (Freedom Of Speech... Just Watch What You Say)) Sire
- 24 October 1989 (Radio Bremen): You Played Yourself (album - The Iceberg (Freedom Of Speech... Just Watch What You Say)) Sire
- 1990
- 31 January 1990: My Word Is Bond (7" - You Played Yourself) Sire
