Vanilla Ice: The Time the Rapper Went Nu-Metal With Slipknot/Korn's Producer Ross Robinson

Vanilla Ice: The Time The Rapper Worked With Slipknot Producer Ross Robinson

0:00 - Early Career
3:28 - Backlash/Sop****re Slump
5:50 - Going Metal

The Story of Queen & Vanilla Ice & 'Under Pressure' " 'Ice Ice Baby'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Im5mbNEyeww&t=198s

SIGN UP for 10 of the Craziest Stories in Rock N' Roll [Secret Playlist]: https://bit.ly/3vVPAEF

Have a video request or a topic you'd like to see us cover? Fill out our google form!
https://bit.ly/3stnXlN

-----CONNECT ON SOCIAL-----
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rocknrolltruestories
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RNRTrueStories
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rocktruestories
Blog: www.rockandrolltruestories.com

#vanillaice #rossorbinson #numetal

I cite my sources and they may differ than other people's accounts, so I don't guarantee the actual accuracy of my videos.

The 90’s saw several popular periods of rock music, hair metal was on it’s last feet at the beginning of the decade, with grunge taking over in the early to mid 90’s. That transitioned into post-grunge and pop rock and then nu-metal. Against the backdrop of rock music during the decade was hip hop and straight pop music. IT was rare that an artist who was dominant in one genre would try to reinvent themselves in another genre, but that’s what rapper Vanilla Ice tried to do.

Music wasn’t always on the first choice of a career for rapper Vanilla Ice who was born Robert Matthew Van Winkle in Dallas, Texas in 1967. In his teenage years he was a successful motocross racer winning several championships, but a broken ankle at age 17 prematurely ended his career. He soon turned his attention to music - a fan of hip hop and dancing. Ice would tell the LA Times he danced to James Brown records and lip-synced to Elvis Presley as a youngster. But he soon found his calling in hip hop and started dancing with friends at local malls, He would tell the LA Times
“I remember being alone a lot as a kid because I went to so many different schools,” “I would always be the new jack and everybody’s eyes would be on me, so I eventually decided to give them something to look at. I’d fix my hair and wear things that made me stand out. And I got into the rapping and the break-dancing and beat-boxing.”

He would soon adopt the stage name Vanilla MC. it would be an appearance at Dallas disco called City Lights that changed rappers life. owned by Tommy Quon who was managing a few acts.

Quon would witness Vanilla MC at his club taking part in a talent contest and was so blown away he signed the rapper to a contract the following day. Quon suggested he change his name to Vanilla Ice and started to lineup concerts that would see him open for various rap acts including Public Enemy. But much to Quon’s chagrin he was unsuccessful in getting record labels to pay attention. A white rapper wasn’t exactly on their list of sought after acts. Still believing in his talent Quon forked the money to release Vanilla Ice’s debut album Hooked on his own independent label and got a distribution deal through Ichiban records. They would release a single a cover Wild Cherry’s play that funky music with ice ice baby as the b-side. The song eventually started getting airplay thanks to a DJ in Georgia to played ice ice baby instead of the cover and it spread like wildfire from there. Quon soon spent $8,000 to record a video for the track Ice Ice Baby only increasing the rapper’s popularity..

SBK records took notice and signed the rapper. They re-released Hooked with a new name “To The Extreme” and he soon started opening for MC Hammer. It was a tour that saw tension between the rappers with Vanilla Ice knocking MC Hammer from the number 1 spot on the billboard charts
Quon would tell the LA Times about the feud with MC Hammer. “By the end, we were selling as many T-shirts as Hammer at the shows and I think that bothered them. They didn’t want to acknowledge what was happening.”
Ice Ice Baby would go on to become the first number one hip hop single in history to top the billboard hot 100 charts and To The Extreme became a global phenomenon selling over 15,000,000 worldwide and spending four months at the number 1 spot on the billboard album charts. He soon got his own movie Cool As Ice, and provided the lead single for the Teenage mutant Ninja turtles 2 movie and even dated Madonna. Add to that endorsement deals for nike and pepsi. But despite his newfound success there was a growing backlash against him. A lot of critics and rappe

Sources:

https://www.latimes.com/archiv....es/la-xpm-1991-03-17

https://www.loudersound.com/fe....atures/remembering-t

http://www.mtv.com/news/143511....3/vanilla-ice-explai

https://www.latimes.com/archiv....es/la-xpm-1999-feb-0

http://www.mtv.com/news/501800..../new-vanilla-ice-alb

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/n....ews/fl-xpm-1998-08-1