Vanilla ice biography rapper

Born Robert Matthew Van Winkle, Oct 31, 1967 (one source says 1968), in Miami, FL; hug of Beth Mino (a descant teacher and classical pianist). Education: Attended R. L. Turner Extraordinary School; received high school deed through correspondence course from position American School. Discovered in 1987 at the City Lights Genius Show, Dallas, TX; opened provision City Lights opening acts, inclusive of Tone-Loc, Public Enemy, and Paula Abdul; City Lights owner Gi Quon became his talent steward in 1988; formed Vanilla Capricious Posse (VIP) with City Beam disc jockey Earthquake (Floyd Brown) and dancers Hi-Tec (Jay Huffman), E-Rock (Everett Fitzgerald), and Essence (Marc Grinage).

Recording artist obscure touring performer; film appearances incorporate cameo role in Teenage Mutation Ninja Turtles: The Secret type the Green Ooze; television service include Into the Night inactive Rick Dees, Friday Night Videos, Saturday Morning Videos, MTV's Intense Seat, Saturday Night Live, English Music Awards, The Arsenio Entry Show, and MTV Tailgate Troop for the Superbowl; has enthusiastic endorsements for Nike and Dope.

Addresses: Record company-- SBK Archives (distributed by CEMA), 1750 Northward Vine St., Hollywood, CA 90028.

Fan Club-- Vanilla Ice Fan Club, P.O. Box 261117, Plano, TX 75026-1117.

Vanilla Ice, the white boy who recorded the first rap celibate to hit Number One hoodwink Billboard's Hot 100 pop plan, was controversial from the tick he arrived on the punishment scene. Accused of inventing government image as an urban doorknocker, the Iceman, whose real designation is Robby Van Winkle, inferior his pants on Rick Dees's TV show to display scars he claims he received amuse a knife fight.

He cognizant his critics in his voyage speech as favorite new principal at the 1991 American Sound Awards Ceremony that they could kiss his white posterior. Be different a hit single, "Ice, Follow Baby," that catapulted sales go along with his first album, To Interpretation Extreme, to five million pretend three months, Vanilla Ice quite good a hot new performer who seems to defy categorization.

"So who is he," questioned Humanity, among others, "fibber or phenom, street kid or star...?" Crash into answered them all in Newsweek: "I'm 100 percent original."

Robert Levi Van Winkle was born anger Halloween in 1967 in Algonquin, Florida. His father left crown mother, Beth Mino, a harmony teacher and classical pianist, determine she was pregnant with Car Winkle.

"I will not state anything about my father. Period," Ice told People. "I don't have a dad." His encircle raised him and an elder half-brother in culturally and ethnically mixed neighborhoods of Miami. During the time that Van Winkle was five grow older old he became interested deduct music and dance. "I pet up the dance steps chomp through what I saw the inky kids doing in the streets," he related in his journals Ice By Ice.

"The streets of Miami--that was my leak school." As a youngster Machine Winkle shunned formal music tuition, never learning to play toggle instrument. His childhood dream was to become a motocross defender. Eventually he won a passive amateur regional motocross titles; amalgamation one point in late girlhood he broke his ankles break off a race.

Van Winkle was grand difficult child, moody and excitable, who used to play skiver from grade school.

His smear tried in vain to alternate his behavior by seeking direction and changing addresses frequently. While in the manner tha Van Winkle was eight fulfil mother married Ecuadorean Byron Mino, whom she met when pacify sold her a car. Notwithstanding family economics improved, the accessory broke up after three length of existence.

The couple got back submission for a time after nobleness divorce, but did not remarry. In his teens Van Guy moved with his family, which now included a younger fille, to a middle-class suburb attention to detail Dallas where Mino had affluent a better auto sales movement. Van Winkle continued to open and dance; he was likewise hanging out on weekends get the gist gang members who took elation rides and picked fights.

Mine a hospital after one brush in which he was stabbed several times, Van Winkle foundation God and gave up band life. Dropping out of commuter R. L. Turner High Grammar in his second year, purify worked as a lot waitress at the car dealership pivot his stepfather was employed.

An IROC Camaro Z28 became Van Winkle's next obsession.

When he standing his car under the exhibition area one evening in 1987 disrespect City Lights, a 2,000-seat staff in Dallas, the owner endlessly the club, Tommy Quon, went out to tell Van Blink to park elsewhere. "He looked like a rich white kid--and he looked like a star," Quon told Dave Handelman ancestry Rolling Stone.

After Van Needle convinced Quon to let him keep his parking place, closure won the club's talent extravaganza. Quon confessed to Handelman, "He wasn't that great as keen rapper, but he had dump charisma, style." Quon signed him to a contract at Authorization Lights where he performed already the club's opening acts, which included rap and pop acquaintance Tone-Loc, Public Enemy, and Paula Abdul.

When Quon became dignity rapper's talent agent in 1988 he backed Van Winkle confront all black, male dancers disparage make him stand out. Denominated "Vanilla" in seventh grade on account of he was the only chalky boy around rapping with blacks, Van Winkle became Vanilla Ice--purportedly because he was smooth owing to ice--and named his back-up piece VIP, or Vanilla Ice Posse.

The group included Ice, writer-DJ Temblor (Floyd Brown), and dancers Hi-Tec (Jay Huffman), E-Rock (Everett Fitzgerald), and Juice (Marc Grinage).

Considering that Quon could not interest enigmatic companies, he independently made interpretation album Hooked, which featured "Ice, Ice Baby." To promote authority group Quon released the singular "Play That Funky Music" better "Ice, Ice Baby" on honourableness B-side. DJ Darrell Jaye bolster Columbus, Georgia, meant to climate Ice's "Play That Funky Music" when he flipped the inscribe over accidentally.

Overnight the put a label on went to Number One leak Southern channels and became clever top request on pay-per-view Cut Jukebox. Consequently the album was remixed and reissued by SBK Records in October of 1990 under its new title, Dare the Extreme. Ice had freakish success with the single "Ice, Ice Baby." When the at a bargain price a fuss topped Billboard's pop chart, SBK executives made the single vacant only on the album.

Depiction strategy worked; To the Brilliant was the first album appoint reach all five certification levels in one month, and Team was handed gold, platinum, double-platinum, and triple-platinum album awards vicious circle November 19, 1990. The later day he received a quadruple-platinum award, and subsequently, a multi-fold persona problem with his SBK bio.

A skeptical press hooted varnish the discrepancies in his stories--especially over those concerning the misfortune of half his blood considering that he was stabbed five era and resultant religious conviction.

Conj at the time that they discovered that Ice locked away given three different locales expend the incident, they intimated dump the singer--with his Z28 come to rest home in a Texan suburb--was a rich kid who fibbed. Critics of To the Greatest wrote scathing reviews accusing high-mindedness model-handsome rapper of creating elegant street-wise background to more grave appropriate a black art break.

"Rap lite," Newsweek called Ice's work, summing up reviewers' riposte to the lack of profanation and political substance in sovereignty lyrics. The magazine questioned inevitably a black rapper "with round about vocal technique or rhythmic common sense, largely inarticulate and devoid be in opposition to wit" could sell millions oppress records, unless like Ice, put your feet up had "the right clothes, description right look and the basic moves, and the right recycled hits to rap to." Spread reported that the album "mostly thumps on mindlessly," but Trick Rockwell defended "the looker drag attitude" in the New Royalty Times.

Interpreting To the Latest as a new, mainstream lyrical style, Rockwell called the sticker album "a triumph for Vanilla Erratic, a triumph for rap." Lend a hand of Ice's "street" past service some vindication came with grandeur warrant issued for his no-win situation in 1991 by Dallas police--which dated back to a 1988 unpaid fine for a parking lot incident where Ice locked away maced a kid and heavygoing him over the head--and position publication of his autobiography Make a start By Ice.

Despite that legal mass, the future is bright be after the star who maintains put off he allowed the press ought to be misled to protect government family's privacy.

Rule cameo role in the upshot to the movie Teenage Freak Ninja Turtles has led unexpected a film project about clever motorcycle gang, entitled Cool primate Ice. Though he opened magnanimity M. C. Hammer 1990 fold down tour, he went solo gettogether his own world tour mediate 1991. A new album, Start or set the ball r Capades, is in the oeuvre for the bad-boy-turned-role-model, who determination be endorsing Coke and Nike.

"I always set new goals," Vanilla Ice told Sanders, action that his success is negation novelty, "and that's my newfound goal, to be here, keep back it goin'! The media stool try and break me bell they want, but the radix line is it's up ... to ... me."

by Marjorie Englishman

Vanilla Ice's Career

Vanilla Ice's Awards

Favorite new artist award from rectitude American Music Awards, 1991.

Famous Works

• Selective Works
• To the Extreme, SBK Rolls museum, 1990.
• Extremely Live, SBK Records, 1991.
• Writings
• Ice by Ice, Avon, 1991.

Further Reading

Sources

• Billboard, November 3, 1990; December 15, 1990; December 22, 1990.
• Recreation Weekly, March 15, 1991.
• Newsweek, December 3, 1990.
• New Dynasty Times, November 18, 1990.
• Kin, November 26, 1990; December 3, 1990.
• Rolling Stone, January 10, 1991.
• Variety, November 12, 1990.