Ice-T

Ice-T not only invented gangster rap, he has lived it. Ice-T is the original embodiment of LA Hip-Hop and a cultural icon. Through his music, his multiple books, and his lecture tours of America’s prisons, high schools, libraries, and colleges (including Harvard, Princeton, and Stanford), Ice-T has become a cultural icon and an influential spokesman for America’s youth, regardless of color.

Born an only child in New Jersey, Ice learned the art of survival pretty fast. Both his parents passed before he was 11, resulting in him being shipped to Los Angeles to live with an alcoholic aunt. Ice struck out on his own at 16 and soon became involved in crime while navigating the LA gangs scene, then joining the Army.

His first break in entertainment came when the producers of the film "Breakin’" asked him to rap in the movie. He went on to become rap music’s original gangster, writing songs like “Six in the Mornin” and “New Jack Hustler.”

Ice-T subsequently formed the thrash metal band Body Count with high school friend and guitarist Ernie C. Body Count’s 1991 self-titled debut contained the controversial single “Cop Killer.” In 2018, Body Count released the LP Bloodlust, which garnered a 2018 Grammy nomination for the song “Black Hoodie.” In 2020, Ice released a new Body Count album entitled Carnivore, which won a Grammy for the song “Bum Rush.”

As his politics were grabbing headlines, Ice-T’s film and television career took off. He played small parts in "Breakin'" and its sequels before his major role debut, starring as police detective Scotty Appleton in "New Jack City." He also secured roles in "Ricochet," "Trespass," and "Johnny Mnemonic," all while building a flourishing television career. In 2012, Ice’s directorial debut, "Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap," premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Later that same year, he produced the documentary "Iceberg Slim: Portrait of a Pimp," which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Ice stars as NYPD Detective Odafin Tutuolain in NBC’s "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," the longest-running TV drama in television history in which he has acted in every season. He also serves as the host and executive producer of "The Mediator," a syndicated legal show on FOX. A reality television show titled "Ice Loves Coco" ran for three seasons on E!, featuring the home life of he and his wife Coco Austin. In 2018, Ice began hosting the true crime documentary "In Ice Cold Blood" on the Oxygen cable channel, which ran for three seasons.

As an author, Ice has released four books: "The Ice Opinion," "Ice: A Memoir of Gangster Life and Redemption-from South Central to Hollywood," "Split Decision," and a fictional tale entitled "Kings of Vice."