About Ice-T

Ice-T (born Tracy Lauren Marrow, February 16, 1958) is an American rapper, actor, and musician from Newark, New Jersey, widely credited as a pioneer of West Coast gangsta rap. After losing both parents by his early teens, he moved to South Central Los Angeles and later served four years in the U.S. Army before pursuing music. He adopted the name Ice-T in tribute to author Iceberg Slim. Signed to Sire Records, his 1987 debut album Rhyme Pays was the first hip hop album to carry an explicit content sticker. His landmark 1991 album O.G. Original Gangster helped define the gangsta rap genre and introduced his heavy metal band Body Count. The following year, Body Count's song "Cop Killer" drew widespread controversy and condemnation from political figures, leading Ice-T to part ways with Warner Bros. Records. Beyond music, Ice-T built a prolific acting career, most notably as Detective Odafin Tutuola on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, a role he has held since 2000. He continues to record and perform both as a solo artist and with Body Count, and is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in hip hop history.