Cop Killer (song)

For the song by John Maus, see We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves.
"Cop Killer"
Single by Body Count
from the album Body Count
Released1992 (1992)[1]
Recorded1991
Genre
Length4:08
Label
Composer(s)Ernie C
Lyricist(s)Ice-T
Producer(s)
  • Ice-T
  • Ernie C
Body Count singles chronology
"There Goes the Neighborhood"
(1992) 		"Cop Killer"
(1992) 		"Hey Joe"
(1993)
Audio sample

"Cop Killer" is a song by American heavy metal band Body Count. Released on the group's 1992 self-titled debut album, the song was written two years earlier, and was partially influenced by "Psycho Killer" by Talking Heads.[5]

The song's lyrics about "cop killing" was criticized by then-President of the United States George H. W. Bush,[6] as well as Vice President Dan Quayle.[6] Ice-T has referred to it as a "protest record".[7] Ice-T eventually recalled the album and re-released it without the inclusion of the song.[1]

  1. ^ a b Marrow, Tracy; Century, Douglas (2011). "Freedom of Speech". Ice: A Memoir of Gangster Life and Redemption—from South Central to Hollywood. Random House. pp. 127–140. ISBN 978-0-345-52328-0.
  2. ^ Patrin, Nate (2020-06-09). Bring That Beat Back: How Sampling Built Hip-Hop. U of Minnesota Press. ISBN 978-1-4529-6380-8. 'Cop Killer' and the Body Count album were Ice-T's foray into crossover thrash metal
  3. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Body Count review". AllMusic. Retrieved October 20, 2007.
  4. ^ Popenoe, David (1995). Sociology. Englewood Cliffs, N.J. : Prentice Hall. p. 171. ISBN 978-0-13-101163-2.
  5. ^ "Body Count". Escapi Music Group. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved August 24, 2007.
  6. ^ a b Osgerby, Bill (2004). Youth Media. Routledge. pp. 68–70. ISBN 0-415-23808-0.
  7. ^ Ice T; Sigmund, Heidi (1994). The Ice Opinion: Who Gives a Fuck?. Pan Books. ISBN 0-330-33629-0.