Well, as per demand (not popular, but it did tie for votes in my most recent poll, and both of the people who bothered to comment on my review asked for it), I'm returning to my One Hit Wonderful series, where I take a look at a one hit wonder and try to decide if they deserved more hits, as well as whether their one hit still holds up. Last time, I covered Haddaway [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.402165-One-Hit-Wonderful-Haddaway], known for the song "What is Love?" Yes, the one from A Night at Roxbury. Now, I'll be looking at someone known for his lawsuit with Queen, and one of the first names people think of when they hear "white rapper" besides Eminem.
First, a history lesson! Vanilla Ice is, of course, only a stage name. His real name is Robert Matthew Van Winkle, so at least he avoided the obvious "Rip Van Winkle" stage name. He picked up his stage name of Vanilla as a young teen, since he was the only breakdancer in his group who was Caucasian. The Ice came later, as one of his signature moves. He wrote his big hit "Ice Ice Baby" at the age of 16, although it wasn't until six years later that it was released as a single. In fact, IIB was one of the few B-sides to become more popular than the A side.
Unfortunately, that song may have caused more problems for Vanilla Ice than it solved. After being stalked by record producer Suge Knight, the latter eventually broke into Ice's hotel room, forced him out on a balcony, and implied that he would throw Ice off the balcony if he didn't sign over the publishing rights. As for the album, Vanilla Ice signed on to SBK, a move he regretted later as the company pressured him into taking a more mainstream approach to get a wider audience. Finally, there is the lawsuit with Queen, where his claim of adding a bass note to the "Under Pressure" bass line fell flat in court, and he was forced to give royalties and credit to Queen for the use of the sample.
How does the song actually hold up? Well, it's hard to comment on the music. It's mostly just a drum beat with a few random bass lines, with a bit of keyboard. The Under Pressure sample only kicks in during the chorus. As for the rapping, Vanilla Ice is decent as far as flow and wordplay goes, but he sounds stiff, as if he's just going through the motions without putting any emotion into.
The lyrics are about what you'd expect from a rapper trying to break into the business in the late eighties. Basically, most of the song is bragging about how good he is as a rapper, with one verse establishing "street cred" by describing a drive by shooting he supposedly took part in.
Overall, the song does not age very well. It's not bad by any means, since Ice does have legitimate skills, but it is obvious that he is not comfortable behind the mike yet, and the lyrics sound like they were written by a sixteen year old. I can see why it was a hit, but that's about it.
Should he have had more hits? Well...he's actually had more hits. Despite being seen as a one hit wonder, Vanilla Ice has had 2 top ten singles in the US, with this and Play That Funky Music. It's pretty much the same thing as Ice Ice Baby, complete with sample (this time from Wild Cherry's "Play That Funky Music") and bragging lyrics about how big he is.
However, going to a later album, one of his non-charting singles was The Wrath. The music is not a sample this time, but is instead a slower bass line with quick drums. He is a bit more comfortable on the mic this time, but still doesn't have a lot of personality. The lyrics are just standard gansta rap, saying he is shooting a bunch of people, and saying he is a successful rapper, telling others to beware "the wrath of the Iceman".
To answer the question of whether he should have more hits...I don't think so. From what I've heard and been able to find, he has very little range, both lyrically and vocally, and to make a hit, relies on a sample more than his own talents. He's still around, though, so he has outlasted many other rappers. On top of that, I couldn't find any songs off of his newest album on Youtube, which would likely have quite different lyrics, considering his shift in personality (he's vegetarian now and has sworn off drugs, hardly the type of person to be writing gangsta rap). If he has changed his style, and gotten more mic skills, I could see him continuing on.
First, a history lesson! Vanilla Ice is, of course, only a stage name. His real name is Robert Matthew Van Winkle, so at least he avoided the obvious "Rip Van Winkle" stage name. He picked up his stage name of Vanilla as a young teen, since he was the only breakdancer in his group who was Caucasian. The Ice came later, as one of his signature moves. He wrote his big hit "Ice Ice Baby" at the age of 16, although it wasn't until six years later that it was released as a single. In fact, IIB was one of the few B-sides to become more popular than the A side.
Unfortunately, that song may have caused more problems for Vanilla Ice than it solved. After being stalked by record producer Suge Knight, the latter eventually broke into Ice's hotel room, forced him out on a balcony, and implied that he would throw Ice off the balcony if he didn't sign over the publishing rights. As for the album, Vanilla Ice signed on to SBK, a move he regretted later as the company pressured him into taking a more mainstream approach to get a wider audience. Finally, there is the lawsuit with Queen, where his claim of adding a bass note to the "Under Pressure" bass line fell flat in court, and he was forced to give royalties and credit to Queen for the use of the sample.
He looks a bit different today than he used to.
How does the song actually hold up? Well, it's hard to comment on the music. It's mostly just a drum beat with a few random bass lines, with a bit of keyboard. The Under Pressure sample only kicks in during the chorus. As for the rapping, Vanilla Ice is decent as far as flow and wordplay goes, but he sounds stiff, as if he's just going through the motions without putting any emotion into.
The lyrics are about what you'd expect from a rapper trying to break into the business in the late eighties. Basically, most of the song is bragging about how good he is as a rapper, with one verse establishing "street cred" by describing a drive by shooting he supposedly took part in.
Overall, the song does not age very well. It's not bad by any means, since Ice does have legitimate skills, but it is obvious that he is not comfortable behind the mike yet, and the lyrics sound like they were written by a sixteen year old. I can see why it was a hit, but that's about it.
Should he have had more hits? Well...he's actually had more hits. Despite being seen as a one hit wonder, Vanilla Ice has had 2 top ten singles in the US, with this and Play That Funky Music. It's pretty much the same thing as Ice Ice Baby, complete with sample (this time from Wild Cherry's "Play That Funky Music") and bragging lyrics about how big he is.
However, going to a later album, one of his non-charting singles was The Wrath. The music is not a sample this time, but is instead a slower bass line with quick drums. He is a bit more comfortable on the mic this time, but still doesn't have a lot of personality. The lyrics are just standard gansta rap, saying he is shooting a bunch of people, and saying he is a successful rapper, telling others to beware "the wrath of the Iceman".
To answer the question of whether he should have more hits...I don't think so. From what I've heard and been able to find, he has very little range, both lyrically and vocally, and to make a hit, relies on a sample more than his own talents. He's still around, though, so he has outlasted many other rappers. On top of that, I couldn't find any songs off of his newest album on Youtube, which would likely have quite different lyrics, considering his shift in personality (he's vegetarian now and has sworn off drugs, hardly the type of person to be writing gangsta rap). If he has changed his style, and gotten more mic skills, I could see him continuing on.
I'm sure you would be shocked to hear that one of his inspirations was M.C. Hammer. No, I am not making that up.
