To the Extreme

To the Extreme
Studio album by
Vanilla Ice
ReleasedSeptember 10, 1990
Recorded1989–1990
StudioLuminous Sound, Dallas, Texas
Genre
Length57:18
Label
Producer
  • Vanilla Ice
  • David DeBerry
  • Kim Sharp
  • Khayree
  • Darryl Williams
  • Mario "Choc" Johnson
  • Earthquake
Vanilla Ice chronology
To the Extreme
(1990) 		Extremely Live
(1991)
Singles from To the Extreme
  1. "Ice Ice Baby"
    Released: August 22, 1990[3]
  2. "Play That Funky Music"
    Released: November 19, 1990[4]
  3. "I Love You"
    Released: February 14, 1991[5]

To the Extreme is the major label debut studio album of American rapper Vanilla Ice released on September 10, 1990, by SBK and EMI.[6] Recorded between 1989–90, it contains Vanilla Ice's most successful single, "Ice Ice Baby". It primarily contains hip hop and pop rap tracks produced by Earthquake, Kim Sharp, Khayree, and Darryl Williams.

Following the release of an early version of the album titled Hooked by Ichiban Records, Ice was signed by SBK for $325,000 and the mixtape was re-recorded and repackaged.[7] It was supported by the release of three official singles: "Ice Ice Baby", "Play That Funky Music" and "I Love You".

The album was met with lukewarm reviews, with some critics praising Ice's abilities and showmanship, and others the simplistic lyrics and comparisons with fellow rapper MC Hammer. The album sparked controversy due to the unlicensed samples included on the album, including "Under Pressure" by David Bowie and Queen that was later settled out of court.

Despite this, To the Extreme appeared at the top of the US Billboard 200 albums chart for sixteen consecutive weeks and was certified seven times platinum by RIAA. The lead single "Ice Ice Baby" was the first rap single to top the Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified platinum in Canada, Australia and United Kingdom selling over 15 million copies in total.[8][9] Ice was selected as the opening act of MC Hammer's 1990 tour, and later embarked on his To the Extreme World Tour, performing in North America, Europe, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and Japan in 1991, and in Latin America in 1992.

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ Breihan, Tom (November 10, 2021). "The Number Ones: Mariah Carey's "Someday". Stereogum. Retrieved December 20, 2023. ...two pop-rap blockbusters had utterly dominated those album charts...nothing was getting past...Vanilla Ice's To The Extreme.
  3. ^ "Ice Ice Baby". Amazon. Retrieved 2019-12-01.
  4. ^ "Play That Funky Music". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2019-11-09.
  5. ^ "Awards", AllMusic. Retrieved April 27, 2013
  6. ^ "RIAA". Recording Industry Association of America.
  7. ^ Charnas, Dan (2011-11-01). The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop. Penguin. ISBN 978-1-101-56811-8.
  8. ^ "Vanilla ice special 1999". YouTube. 2008-01-15. Archived from the original on 2021-12-12. Retrieved 2014-01-08.
  9. ^ Jeske, Lee (October 19, 1991). "Vanilla Ice: Hollywood, Hollywood Baby" (PDF). Cash Box. p. 7.