Vanilla Ice CHART TOPPER TO CRIME SOLVER

THE ’90S RAPPER HAS BECOME THE MASTER OF REINVENTION

- Kylie Walters

His smash-hit song ‘Ice Ice Baby’ catapulted Robert Van Winkle, better known as Vanilla Ice, to stardom in 1990. While the track quickly became touted as a joke, Ice has never let it define him.

Throughout his 40-year career, the musician, 53, has experienced success and failure – but he always picked himself back up, coming back stronger than ever. During that time, the talented star has tried his hand at everything, from music and professional sport to reality TV and even an investigative true-crime podcast series.

Here, WHO looks at the extraordinary life of the rapper, who has become an expert at reinventing himself.

RISE TO THE TOP

Ice wrote ‘Ice Ice Baby’ when he was just 16, using the bass line from Queen and David Bowie’s single, ‘Under Pressure’. The catchy tune went on to sell over 40 million records and more than 30 years after its release, Ice still earns $500,000 a year from the song’s royalties.

While the track has its critics including Eminem, who said it made him “feel like I don’t want to rap anymore”, it had an important social impact on all R’n’B artists. ‘Ice Ice Baby’ was the first hip-hop single to nab the illusive No. 1 spot on the US Billboard charts, paving the way for the genre to become more mainstream.