Vanilla Ice

"Rob Van Winkle" redirects here. For the short story, see Rip Van Winkle.

Vanilla Ice
Vanilla Ice smiling
Vanilla Ice in 2010
Background information
Birth nameRobert Matthew Van Winkle
Born (1967-10-31) October 31, 1967 (age 57)
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
OriginDallas, Texas, U.S.
Miami, Florida, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • actor
  • record producer
  • singer
  • television host
Years active1985–present
Labels
Websitevanillaice.com

Robert Matthew Van Winkle (born October 31, 1967), known professionally as Vanilla Ice, is an American rapper, actor, and television host. Born in Dallas and raised there and in Miami, he was the first solo white rapper to achieve commercial success following the 1990 release of his best-known hit "Ice Ice Baby".[6]

Ice released his debut album, Hooked, on the independent Ichiban Records before signing a contract with SBK Records, a record label of the EMI Group, which released a reformatted version under the title To the Extreme; it became the fastest-selling hip hop album of all time[7] and "Ice Ice Baby" was the first hip hop single to top the Billboard charts. Followed by the live album Extremely Live (1991), Ice made a cameo appearance on the film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991) where he performed "Ninja Rap", which he co-wrote.[8] He was soon offered and starred in his own film, Cool as Ice (1991), which included the single "Cool as Ice (Everybody Get Loose)" with Naomi Campbell; the film itself was a box office failure.[9]

His fast rise in popularity was quickly marred by media controversies about his background,[10] and criticism about his appeal of hip hop to a mainstream audience alongside MC Hammer.[11] Ice later regretted his business arrangements with SBK, who had also published fabricated biographical information without his knowledge.[12] Ice's second studio album, Mind Blowin' (1994), featured a major image change but was commercially unsuccessful.[13] Following rap rock performances in the underground scene and playing in a local grunge band, Ice released the dark nu metal album Hard to Swallow (1998), followed by the independently-released Bi-Polar (2001) and Platinum Underground (2005).[14][15][16]

In the 2000s, Ice began appearing on television reality shows including The Surreal Life.[17] In 2010, Ice began hosting The Vanilla Ice Project on DIY Network[18] which ran for nine seasons until 2019. In 2022, he started another home improvement television program, The Vanilla Ice Home Show.[19] He is also involved in motocross racing and real estate.

  1. ^ a b Rauschert, Jeff (September 19, 2008). "'90s rapper Vanilla Ice puts new twists on old hits". The Flint Journal. Archived from the original on December 10, 2015. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  2. ^ a b Mooney, Michael J. (November 26, 2009). "For us, Rob Van Winkle will always be Vanilla Ice". Miami New Times. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  3. ^ Greene, Andy (July 10, 2012). "Where Are They Now? Pop's Class of 1990: Vanilla Ice". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  4. ^ "4. Vanilla Ice". Edmonton Journal. July 13, 2012. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  5. ^ D., Spence (November 24, 2008). "Vanilla Ice – Vanilla Ice Is Back! Hip Hop Classics". IGN. Archived from the original on October 17, 2015. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  6. ^ Hilburn, Robert (March 17, 1991). "Cover Story: War Of The Rap Egos: Vanilla Ice: Why Is Everyone Still Fussing About Ice?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  7. ^ Forman, Murray (2002). "'Welcome to the City'". The 'hood Comes First: Race, Space, and Place in Rap and Hip-hop. Wesleyan University Press. p. 61. ISBN 0-8195-6397-8.
  8. ^ Ketchum III, William (May 24, 2016). "Vanilla Ice Brings Back The 90s At 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' Premiere". HipHopDX. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  9. ^ Tribune, Chicago (May 26, 1991). "Rap's Master Emcee". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  10. ^ Hunt, Dennis (December 5, 1990). "Vanilla Ice's Official Bio Is Melting in Media Heat : Pop music: The hot-selling rap star, who appears in Anaheim on Dec. 29, admits he made up some of the colorful details about his background". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  11. ^ Coddington, Amy Marion (August 2017). Rap on the Radio: Making Hip Hop into Hit Pop, 1986-1994 (PDF) (PhD thesis). University of Virginia. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 1, 2023.
  12. ^ Weiss, Jeff (October 6, 2020). "The Rise and Fall of Vanilla Ice, As Told by Vanilla Ice". The Ringer. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  13. ^ Harrington, Richard (April 19, 1994). "Refits That Aren't Legit". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  14. ^ McKenna, Dave (April 18, 2004). "Vanilla Ice: His Beat Goes On". Washington Post.
  15. ^ Moist, Brad (October 26, 1998). "Vanilla Ice comes back and colder than ever on Hard to Swallow" (PDF). The Caplital Times. p. 6.
  16. ^ Wartofsky, Alona (November 22, 1998). "The Iceman Returneth". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  17. ^ Express-News, Robert Lopez San Antonio (March 28, 2007). "Vanilla Ice happy to provide drama for 'Surreal Life'". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  18. ^ McKeough, Tim (September 15, 2010). "Vanilla Ice on His New Reality TV Series". The New York Times.
  19. ^ Bushor, Alison; Kallergis, Katherine (December 1, 2021). "Vanilla Ice Launches Home Improvement Show with VR". The Real Deal. Retrieved March 30, 2024.