Thursday Review: ICE by Ice-T and Douglas Century

Ice-T, born Tracy Marrow, is perhaps best known today as Detective Odafin "Fin" Tutuola on NBC's Law & Order: SVU.  I, like many others, discovered him through his gangsta rap career.  I have always admired Ice because of what I perceived as a low-key relaxed manner and his hard work toward peace between warring gang sects.

Reading ICE: A Memoir of Gangster Life and Redemption -- From South Central to Hollywood (One World Books / Random House) serves to only strengthen my respect for this icon. 

Born in New Jersey, it is worthy to note than both of his parents died when he was young and he was shuttled from one nearby aunt then another in Los Angeles.  Never full of self-pity, the young Tracy never shed a tear over the loss of either parent.  "Even as a twelve-year-old kid, I knew I was going to have to make it on my own, and my survival instincts were kicking in," he admits.

He writes in detail how he was in school in South Central L.A. when the gangs really started to become more than a neighborhood problem.  He never formally joined any particular gang but does reveal he was "loosely aligned" with the Crips because of the school he attended.

It is sadly noted that many of his friends growing up are now dead or serving time.  However, unlike most of his friends, he never drank, smoked or did drugs. 

During his first semester at a trade college, his girlfriend became pregnant. Searching for a way to survive, Ice-T joined the army.  He was promised he could become an Army Ranger and get assigned to Hawaii, but only the Ranger part was true.  Later, coerced to steal by a dishonest officer, Ice was arrested and held to await trial.  Street-smart, he escaped from the cell and made his way to the airport and flew home to L.A. The officer, after a tongue lashing from Ice, manipulated the system to allow him to fly back to hawaii and face only a military reprimand.  It is important to note that this is evidence that Ice-T was always a hustler.  He points out the difference between a gangbanger and a hustler:  "...Gangbangers are about territory, power, and instilling fear in their enemies. Hustlers are about making money, twenty-four-hour scheming, always trying to get paid..."

After leaving the military, with a small family to support, Ice became adept at "pulling licks," a particular form of robbing jewelry stores.  Luckily for him (and for us) rap music was just starting to hit it big.  It wasn't long before he discovered he could make more money spinning records as a DJ than he could with the risky burglaries.

In a stroke of good luck and timing, he then was hired as the house DJ and emcee at the hot local club, which enabled him to meet and observe many new up and coming artists.  He had always been good at freestyling, even when he was younger, and he began writing rap songs based on the world  he saw around him.  His lyrics were harder, more realistic and violent than others.  It is for this reason that he is considered by many to be the first gangsta rapper.

Years after making his name in hip-hop, Ice found himself embroiled in the famous controversy over a song on a CD by his metal group Body Count.  The song, "Cop Killer," caused a huge uproar, inciting boycotts and non-stop media coverage.  Ice discusses this time in great detail and puts the facts in their place.

Obviously, his music career made him famous and wealthy but many people today only knew him as an actor.  This book is his story, in his words, of his journey from street kid to world-wise hustler.  He admits he's still a hustler today and hints that we are all hustlers in a sense.

As a long-time fan of Ice-T, I have enjoyed the public figure for a long time. Thanks to this book I now know how he became the man he is today.  I suggest this book for anyone who wants a primer on gang culture and rap history.  Also, Ice provides a list of 50 maxims to live by at the end of the book.  You could do a lot worse than listen to the advice of a street-smart hustler and survivor. 

Word.

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