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Robert Matthew Van Winkle (born October 31 , 1968 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin ), better known as '''Vanilla Ice''', is an American Rapper , known today for the single "Ice Ice Baby" that topped the charts beginning in the early 1990s (see 1990 In Music ). At the time, he was also one of the very few successful Caucasian rappers. EARLY CAREER Van Winkle's first foray into the music industry is the little-known album '' Hooked '', released in 1989 on an Independent label. Just 48,000 copies were sold, making it a rarity and something of a collector's item among fans. His next album fared better: '' To The Extreme '', released in 1990, contained mostly the same songs as ''Hooked''. The album featured his best-known single, "Ice Ice Baby", a rap song about his MC skills, the Miami scene, and a gun-fight on A1A/Beachfront Avenue. Van Winkle's manager and financier, Tommy Quon, shrewdly chose a limited release for the single, and no vinyl release for the album, so that fans bought the more expensive CD instead; this led to ''To The Extreme'' becoming the first #1 album without a vinyl counterpart release. It went on to sell over 11 million copies, making him one of the most commercially successful rappers of all time. In fact, "Ice Ice Baby" was credited by Casey Kasem's top 40 radio show as being the number one rap single in history. But Van Winkle's success was met with problems. "Ice Ice Baby" had Sampled the Queen and David Bowie collaboration " Under Pressure " without permission (the matter settled out of court). Van Winkle was sued by a California undergraduate chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha , the first African-American fraternity claiming he was using words and moves similar to the fraternity's step-show routines. He was also sued by Wild Cherry frontman, Rob Parissi, for not crediting him as the writer of Ice's cover of the Disco classic, "Play that Funky Music." Van Winkle's image also began to falter. His claims that he had attended an all-black high school and led a crime-riddled life were revealed to be false, and had been manufactured to lend his image Street Credibility ; he had actually attended R. L. Turner High School in Carrollton, Texas . His flamboyant stage outfits and over-stylized grooming also eventually led to great ridicule. Van Winkle could not shake the perception that he embodied the white mainstream's commercial Appropriation and watering down of traditionally African-American music, and the backlash from the hip hop community all but turned him into a Pariah . Van Winkle has been mocked in other rappers' lyrics; for example by Eminem in D12 's Purple Pills. Re-hashing his songs for a third time, Van Winkle's next album was a live version of ''To The Extreme'' titled '' Extremely Live ''. Though ''Extremely Live'' was certified gold, Ice's fame had faded significantly by the time it was released in 1991, and sales of the album never approached those of its predecessor. Ice's film debut came in the 1991 movie '''', performing "The Ninja Rap". He also appeared in the 1991 film '' Cool As Ice ''. The soundtrack to ''Cool as Ice'' featured several new Vanilla Ice tracks, including a duet with Naomi Campbell . But the film was both a commercial and critical failure. For his performance, Van Winkle won the "Worst New Star" award at the 1991 Golden Raspberry Awards . For the next several years, Van Winkle kept a low public profile and became a Motocross racer using his real name. REBRANDED IMAGE Van Winkle returned to music in 1994 with '' Mind Blowin' ''. His image had been changed to a Dreadlocked , Marijuana -obsessed Gangsta , insisting that his former sound and image had been pressed on him by his record company. Shifting public tastes in music and fashion, the perception that he had shifted his image to suit current trends, as well as the fallout from negative press in the interim between albums, led to the commercial failure of the album. On July 4 , 1994 , Van Winkle attempted to commit Suicide ; failing, he made another attempt later that same year, citing drug abuse and anxiety surrounding his flagging career. During this period, Van Winkle claimed in a television interview that he had been threatened and assaulted by Marion "Suge" Knight , founder and CEO of Death Row Records , for royalties demanded by a former associate who claimed that he had, in fact, written "Ice Ice Baby." According to Van Winkle, Knight dangled him by his ankles over a hotel balcony until he agreed to sign over the royalties from the track. Knight denied the allegations. Van Winkle later altered his story, now insisting that the incident was nothing more than a non-violent formal business dispute, a story backed up by former manager Tommy Quon. Van Winkle's initial account of the incident was parodied in the 2005 movie '' Be Cool '', in which Vince Vaughn 's character — a street-talking, White record producer named Roger — was partially based on Van Winkle. It wasn't until 1996 that Ice made his next appearance (credited as "Rob Van Winkle)," on the song "Boom" by suburban Philadelphia comedy rock group The Bloodhound Gang . The track's deep bass groove and Van Winkle's uncharacteristic tough guy flow on the first verse led to a quasi-ironic underground revival in popularity, and the first new Vanilla Ice CD in four years. '' Hard To Swallow '' found Ice in a musically similar idiom to the track from the Bloodhound Gang, using a contemporarily popular Nu Metal sound his press kit referred to as "skate rock" that could be described as musically similar to early Limp Bizkit or KoЯn . Van Winkle once again revised his image, and was now a tow-headed, Pierced and Tattooed Headbanger . The disc also included a revamped version of "Ice Ice Baby," renamed "Too Cold," and reimaged as a stomping Heavy Metal anthem. (Current Velvet Revolver rhythm guitarist Dave Kushner was part of Van Winkle's act at this time.) 2001's '' Bipolar '', a two-CD set, contained nu metal material and more contemporary hip-hop songs. It did little to rekindle public interest. On the album Van Winkle collaborated with many artists such as Wu-Tang Clan affiliate La The Darkman , Chuck D from Public Enemy , and Insane Clown Posse (which earned him the following of Insane Clown Posse's famously dedicated fan base known as Juggalo s). Van Winkle and the Insane Clown Posse have supposedly remained great friends. Van Winkle briefly appeared in the JCW , the Insane Clown Posse's wrestling federation to replace Shaggy 2 Dope when he was injured. RECENT CAREER Van Winkle's latest album is Platinum Underground , released in August 2005 . Containing some new material, some remakes of his older works, and a cover of the Destiny's Child song " Survivor ", the album has received mixed reviews and limited sales. Along with the album's release, Van Winkle performed with Insane Clown Posse at Hallowicked 2005, during which he announced that he was now signed to their record label, Psychopathic Records . He also held a series of European concerts in November and December of the same year. His fame and notoriety have increased with a number of notable television appearances. In 1999, Van Winkle appeared on an MTV special called ''MTV's 25 Lamest'' in which MTV retired some of its worst videos. Van Winkle accepted an invitation to appear and destroy the tape of "Ice Ice Baby" live on air. However, after being mocked by the hosts ( Janeane Garofalo , Chris Kattan , Denis Leary , and Jon Stewart ), he took the bat that he was given to destroy the tape, and started breaking down the set; the show quickly transitioned to a commercial. In 2004, Van Winkle starred in the second season of '' The Surreal Life '' on The WB . This brought some interest in him from the public, and a website was launched. In the same year, he appeared on British television in the first season of the Reality TV show '' The Farm '' on Five in which he came second. He was also cast in the film '' The Helix...Loaded '', a parody of '' The Matrix ''. In June 2005, Van Winkle won the second round of NBC 's hit TV show '' Hit Me Baby One More Time '', performing "Ice Ice Baby" and covering Destiny's Child 's hit "Survivor". He also appeared on a VH1 special entitled "Remaking Vanilla Ice", which featured the revamped Van Winkle in preparation for his new album " Platinum Underground ", released August 16 , 2005 . Ice also appeared on the series '' Damage Control '', on MTV2 . Controversy broke out on the G4 Forums website on ''). Adding to the prank, Ice personally appeared on the show on September 20 , 2005 as the "new permanent co-host." After co-hosting a brief segment, Ice publicized his new album, and left. Kevin put an end to the prank with the announcement, "Unfortunately, Vanilla Ice is not our new co-host." LEGACY Vanilla Ice is remembered in the popular culture as an artist who was briefly popular, but quickly became infamous. Now, he is often thought of as a bad joke, and he has very few fans. The hit he is remembered for, "Ice Ice Baby", was listed as the #5 worst song of all time by VH1 and Blender magazine [http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2004-04-18-worst-songs_x.htm]. On numerous occasions he has been mentioned by artists and others as a typical example of a bad rapper. David Sutphen, RIAA's vice president of government relations, described Vanilla Ice in unfavorable terms when he said "[It would be bad if] 'Ice Ice Baby' has as much value as the Beatles catalog does." [http://www.g4tv.com/techtvvault/features/47196/A_License_to_Download.html] TRIVIA Van Winkle was arrested in January 2001 for assaulting his wife, after pulling her hair and covering her mouth during an argument. He pled guilty to charges of disorderly conduct and was sentenced to probation and ordered to attend family therapy sessions. He briefly attracted the attention of the media when his pet Wallaroo , Bucky, and pet Goat , Pancho, escaped from his Port St. Lucie, Florida home. After wandering around local streets for over a week, the animals were caught, and returned to Ice. He had to pay a $220 fine for expired pet tags, and an undisclosed fine for the escape of the animals. He currently lives in Port St. Lucie, Florida . He has two children, Dusti Raine and Keelee Breeze. DISCOGRAPHY
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