Ice-T bringing his chill vibe to Oxygen
Actor. Rapper. Reality-show star. And now, crime-show host. Ice-T (a.k.a. Tracy Lauren Marrow) has done it all, including playing the gangster and the cop. The 60-year-old New Jersey native made his debut in the late ‘80s as a feared L.A. rap pioneer and today, celebrates his 19th year portraying cop Odafin “Fin” Tutuola on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”
In between, he founded the heavy metal band Body Count, acted in countless films, starred in the E! reality series “Ice Loves Coco” with wife Nicole “Coco” Austin, and sold lemonade (not ice tea) in a Geico commercial.
Ice-T adds True Crime Host to his resume with the debut of his own series, “In Ice Cold Blood,” airing Sundays on Oxygen.
Q: You’ve played the criminal, the detective and the hapless husband. What’s your role on “In Ice Cold Blood”?
A: I host, kind of like a Rod Serling, “Twilight Zone” thing. So I present reenactments of these crazy crimes.
Q: How is your show different from the billion other true crime series out there?
A: Those other shows are usually based on the cop’s (perspective). Ours is about the psychology of what makes somebody do this crazy … So it’s more along the lines of “Mindhunter,” where I’m saying “Really?! This is a decision you thought was OK to do?” It about that psychology behind the murders. It’s spooky and macabre.
Q; You seem to know a lot about the world of true crime reenactment.
A: I’m a fan. That’s how it started. Coco loves “Snapped,” it fills up our DVR, so I watch it with her. And for you guys who don’t know, “Snapped” is about women killing their husbands. So here’s my advice: If your wife watches “Snapped,” watch it with her because you need to know.
Q: Do you find similar themes between your new show and “Law & Order”?
A; After being on “Law & Order” for over 19 years, we’re kind of ripped from the headlines, then we add drama and theatrics. Also my music was always crime-based. My whole life has been based in the underworld and crime, so it was a natural transition.
Q: Did you have to do a lot of research when you began playing a detective, because most your acting, and certainly your music, was based on the other side of the law?
A: I did zero research. I’ve just had a lot of contact with the cops in my life, let’s put it like that. I’ve been in a lot of interrogation rooms. And honestly, you know, acting like a cop is no different from acting like a gangster. You both have a gun, you both want answers, and if you don’t get answers, there’ll be consequences.
So a lot of times when I’m doing interrogations on my show, I look at it like “… you owe me money and you got to tell me what I need to know!” So that energy plays like a cop, but it’s the same thing as a gangster. It’s a heavy, it’s somebody who has no fear.
Q: You dropped your sixth Body Count album last year, which was nominated for a Grammy. And you still make solo albums as Ice-T. How do you juggle it all?
A: I tell people, I act for money, and I do music to remain sane. The hardest thing is getting all of those worlds to co-exist — not so much artistically but professionally — because “Law & Order” doesn’t really care about you going on tour. It’s all about scheduling so they don’t cross paths. You can’t get a day off from “Law & Order” to do a concert. It doesn’t work like that.
Q: In 1990, you were too controversial to touch. The “Cop Killer” song, the fear of rap, the protests over things you said about law enforcement and police brutality. Now you’re a mainstream celebrity whose work spans several different platforms. It’s an amazing trajectory.
A: I wasn’t lying back in the day. I wasn’t inventing … When I was yelling about the cops 20 years ago, it was true, but we just didn’t have video cameras (to validate) it. So at some point, there was a moment of vindication, like now we kind of owe him. We … on him, but he was telling the truth, he was trying to warn us. So now maybe they’re paying me for … me over. Also, my fan base is now in power. Q: What do you mean? A: The people who were after me, they’ve moved on. Now the kids who were 19, who went to N.W.A. concerts, are in their 40s and 50s and are CEOs of companies. They have influence.
Q: You cut a path for other rappers into film and TV and I don’t think you’re credited enough for it. So I’m just going to say it — you were way out in front.
A: Thank you, but people who need credit, they’re whack to me. You need credit? On the street they say, “Those who say don’t know, and those who know don’t say.” I get credit. Those who know, know. I remember when we did “New Jack City,” I got the job because there weren’t any black actors. Wesley Snipes had only done “Major League” and there was a shortage of black actors.
Q: So they turned to rappers …
A: They thought rappers may be able to pull it off because they sell records. Now look at “Black Panther.” It’s all progress. Any time somebody like me gets a job, that means there’s going to be black hair dressers, black makeup artists. Every win is a win for the culture. More people are going to see our stories. So just keep knocking down walls. That’s the game.