The Ice Opinion: Ice T

Hoping to inspire conversation and provocative opinions, the controversial rap artist provides his views on the ghetto, riots, success, free speech, education, art, and other important facets of life. 150,000 first printing.

This volume by the rap performer who is notorious for his song "Cop Killer," which many allege advocates the murder of police officers, presents a compendium of Ice T's opinions on all manner of subjects, including education, sex, religion and drugs. Ice T on corruption: "more crime prevention has to occur within the ranks of the crime-prevention organizations than among the people on the street." On Bryant Gumbel: he is "the epitome of a black-skinned white person." Ice T also includes samples of his lyrics, which are printed across the bottom of the first 159 pages, an inventive innovation. As for the poetry, the diction is scatological, the rhymes simple and predictable, the message anti-establishment. The book, written with freelancer Siegmund, is an amalgam of the silly and the significant. Photos not seen by PW. 150,000 first printing, author tour.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Los Angelino rap musician Ice-T unbuttons his shirt about ghetto life and the storm that hit when his song ``Cop Killer'' seemingly fueled a weak-minded kid to murder a cop. Ice-T defends his record label, which stood behind him, but admits that ``Warner Brothers cannot afford to be in the business of black rage.'' ``Who gives a fuck? is one of the first questions a kid will ask himself growing up in the ghetto. He'll look around at the broken-down buildings, the shabby projects, the cracked schoolyard playgrounds, and it doesn't look like anybody gives a fuck.'' Rap rolls off Ice-T's tongue like jive filled with ground glass. He affects street smarts, a this-is-the-way-it-is stance, and yet admits, ``Anything that comes out of my mouth could be totally wrong, but this is how I see the world around me.'' But isn't there something forced in his story of kids getting $250 tickets for jaywalking and parking offenses just so the cops can collect fingerprints? There are sex ploys with groupies who have a mission to score on him: ``If you are only out to fuck, do not be afraid to lie. Do not be afraid to lie.'' But this changes into T's guide to good manners: ``Men have to learn courting and mating skills. You help yourself by learning a few basics. If you can dance, that will help. Give a woman a reason to like you. Wash your ass. Do some sit-ups. And once you get your physical act together, read some books. Learn something. Be interesting. Get some flavor about yourself.'' Later: ``If you sat up around a nun long enough, she'd probably want to fuck you...You got to deal with them on a mental level, you got to deal with them on a spiritual level.'' You deal from a 150,000 first printing to even make 'em hear you. -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

No stranger to the injustices perpetrated on African Americans, West Coast rapper Ice-T has made a career out of speaking his mind. One of the originators of gangsta rap, the hard-core style currently topping the charts, he possesses a bold voice whose defiance and anger pointedly express the rage of the ghetto. Ice-T was once a gangbanger specializing in jewelry heists, and he still has ties and credibility within the gang community; like his raps, these 10 lectures on the world as Ice-T sees it pull no punches. "Free speech does not really exist in America," he claims. He sees his nemesis in Tipper Gore, the vice-president's wife and founder of the Parents Media Research Center; "this crazed bitch" tried to get his recordings labeled as containing objectionable content. Later, "Cop Killer," a thrash rock song about police brutality that provoked the ire of policemen throughout the nation, helped keep him in the headlines. Although he believes he should have the right to say anything he wants, he is ultimately less an advocate of the First Amendment than an opponent of police brutality against people of color. Yet he knows what he says is not gospel and subtitles his book accordingly; for although controversy seems to dog his every step, he maintains he really wants to encourage dialogue. Among the hot topics he also airs his opinions on are street gangs, sex, rap, religion, and the L.A. riots. Benjamin Segedin

As a celebrity, a movie star, a rapper, and an entrepreneur, Ice-T has a built-in audience whose demand for his book would mandate buying a few copies regardless of its quality. However, this work is much more than puff-piece autobiography or self-exploitation like Madonna's Sex ; it is a thoughtful opinion piece by a man using his celebrity status to create awareness and air his grievances nonviolently. It certainly expresses views that are not mainstream in America, and Ice T might have broadened his audience (albeit at the cost of losing some authenticity and color) had he foregone his usual street language and used his talk-show manners instead. But anyone interested in L.A. gang culture, the urban poor, rap, or the economic realities of record-making and free speech will find useful information in this compelling group of essays. Highly recommended for wide purchase. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 10/15/93.
- Anita L. Cole, Miami-Dade P.L. System, Fla.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.