Ice-T Stopped Making Solo Records Because Rap Became "Goofy"

He's been around the Hip Hop block with a career that has outlasted several of his peers, and Ice-T dropped off an interesting opinion about the evolution of the culture. It has shaped up to be a busy season for the hitmaker as he has celebrated his accolades. Ice-T received his star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame amid the Grammys tribute in honor of Hip Hop's 50th Anniversary. Understandably, outlets have been clamoring to speak with him about where the genre has landed in this generation.

In a chat with Variety, the outlet noted that Ice-T received a Grammy nomination as recently as 2020. It was in connection with his group Body Count, but Ice was asked why he stopped making solo records after 2006. "Hip Hop changed. The music got goofy to me," said the Rap icon. "The kids started looking weird. It all turned into something I wasn’t comfortable with."

Ice-T Reflects On The Shift In Hip Hop

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 17: Ice-T attends a ceremony as he is honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 17, 2023 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)

"There was a point where I was selling tons of records, then it cooled off. I felt a certain way," Ice continued. However, he recognized he wasn't the only artist with that problem. "Then I realized Public Enemy, Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, and Wu-Tang Clan weren’t selling records, either. There was a paradigm shift. These kids got softer, and soft is not something I’m able to give audiences."

"The first word in Hip Hop is 'hip' so how something stays hip for over ten years is difficult," he continued. "Besides, I still do my 'Ice-T: Art of Rap' shows, which is my legacy Hip Hop. Think of it like seeing Frank Sinatra. You want to hear the classics." Elsewhere, he also acknowledges he has been acting in various aspects of his career since its inception, including his 1990s hit, "Cop Killer." Ice-T is one of the longest-running actors on Law & Order, and he told Variety his talents stretched to his music career.

Ice-T Explains Acting In His Music Career

CHICAGO - 1988: Rapper and actor Ice-T poses for a photo after his performance at the Regal Theater in Chicago, Illinois in 1988. (Photo By Raymond Boyd/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

"I’m acting in both. I never killed a cop. In 'Cop Killer,' I play a man who was mad at the police," said Ice-T. "Snapped and went after them based on police brutality. That’s acting. Where the media glossed it, is when they said that it was really Ice-T saying to go kill the police. I didn’t do that. The same is true of SVU. I’m not a cop. I’m the furthest thing from a cop. As far as the dilemma with police now — yeah, it is difficult."

[via]