He became immersed in both cultures, and began rapping about his daily activities while still a teenager in high school. In fact, his current nickname was borrowed from the infamous pimp-turned-writer, Iceberg Slim. Friends urged him to take his talents into a recording studio, where he recorded several rap singles.

His first on-screen appearance came in 1984 when the producers of Breakin' asked him to rap in the film. In 1987 Ice-T finally signed with Sire Records and dropped his major-label debut, Rhyme Pays, which quickly went gold. His 1988 follow-up, Power, went gold amidst critical acclaim. Ice-T was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1990 for his hit single "New Jack Hustler."

Ice-T is the author of "The Iceberg / Freedom of Speech...Just Watch What You Say," a literary protest against music censorship. He fronted a heavy metal group called Body Count. Its self-titled debut album became mired in controversy due to its final track, "Cop Killer," written from the perspective of an angry African-American man who shoots Los Angeles police officers in retaliation for their beating of Rodney King. Conservatives and police groups protested Sire's parent company, Time-Warner, prompting the label to censor new pressings of the album. Ice-T toured several universities, including Harvard, Stanford and NYU, lecturing on the state of first amendment rights and civil liberties in this country. As his politics were grabbing headlines, Ice-T's film and television career were taking off.

Ice-T has starred in NBC's "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," NBC's "Exiled: A Law & Order Movie," and "New York Undercover." In another current television project, "Beyond Tough," Ice-T has served as both co-executive producer and host of the series that looks at the men and women behind America's wildest jobs.

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