'Original Gangster': Rapper and Actor Ice-T

Fresh Air

Published August 30, 2005 at 12:00 AM EDT

Born Tracy Marrow, Ice-T is one of the original gangster rappers, of whom Greg Knot of The Chicago Tribune wrote: "Ice-T is that rare gangster rapper who leads with his brain instead of his gun or his crotch."

Ice-T's 1992 song "Cop Killer, performed with his heavy-metal band Body Count, landed him at the center of a controversy about gangsta rap — was it a legitimate form of expression or incendiary hate-mongering? His latest album is The Pimp Penal Code.

Ice-T continues to perform as a musician but has also cultivated a successful acting career. His roles include a policeman on the TV show Law and Order Special Victims Unit and parts in the films New Jack City, Trespass and Ricochet. (This interview originally aired May 1, 1992.)

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

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