Ice-T, who boasts a prolific career in the worlds of both metal and hip-hop fame, made a bold statement regarding the current state of the rap game. Alongside a solo career in hip hop, he is the frontman of Body Count, a crossover metal group that he founded in 1990.
In a recent interview, Ice-T was asked about the current state of his hip-hop career, or rather lack thereof. His last full length hip-hop record was 2006's Gangsta Rap. In 2019, he dropped the single "Feds in my Rearview," followed by "Too Old for the Dumb Sh--." He also appeared on Spice 1 and Ricc Rocc's Mind Ya Business EP in 2023.
"Hip hop got soft to me. It got strange," he said of the genre.
"I'm always going to be hardcore, I'm always going to push the line. That's just what I enjoy doing,"
He described working with Body Count as "fun," calling the group a "family band." The artist's son, Little Ice, is now a backing vocalist for the group along with Sean E Sean. The remainder of the band is made up of Ice-T, Ernie C, Juan Garcia, Vincent Price and Will Dorsey Jr.
Ice-T also finds a home in metal, saying that he finds "more freedom in metal, I can go lyrically harder."
"And my metal fanbase is strong," he added.
He also spoke on Body Count's Grammy win in 2021. The group was awarded the Best Metal Performance title for their song "Bum Rush" off of Carnivore.
"When we got that Grammy, being nominated twice and finally winning, I was like 'Yo, this band is alive over 30 years in! Now it's time to turn it up!'" he exclaimed.
He said that he doesn't think that the "Grammy people are really metalheads," but that there might be "two people" who "really understand metal." He then referred to Body Count as a "very digestible" form of metal.
"I'm a big fan of very hardcore metal bands like Cannibal Corpse. If you play that sh-- to a normal person they'll be like, 'I don't understand what they're saying'...you can always hear what I'm saying," said Ice-T.
Despite his passion for metal, Ice-T isn't entirely ready to give up on the genre he originally called home. However, he elaborated that hip-hop isn't without its drawbacks.
"I still do hip hop. I still enjoy it, but when you perform rap, you're onstage by yourself: just you and a DJ," he said.
Ice-T appears to favor the collaborative aspect of performing with Body Count, saying "it's a band. It's a different energy."
Outside of his music career, Ice-T is an actor, appearing in films like New Jack City and Surviving the Game. He holds the record as the longest-running male character to star in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Body Count are in the midst of working on their elusive eighth studio album, Merciless. It was set to drop in 2022, but the release date remains unknown.
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