All right stop, Collaborate and Listen

Rapper Vanilla Ice, also known as Rob Van Winkle, might not be the first to come to mind when talking about people who changed the hip-hop industry, but the 1990 hit “Ice Ice Baby” helped diversify hip-hop. Vanilla Ice and DJ Earthquake wrote the song about growing up in Florida and Ice’s rap style. The hit samples Queen and David Bowie’s “Under Pressure” for the bassline. 

Many people found Vanilla Ice comical, and didn’t take his other music seriously. At the peak of Ice's career, he made an appearance on Saturday Night Live, made an appearance on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze, and even had his own doll. “Ice Ice baby” was the first hip-hop song to hit number 1 on the Billboard 200; however since the initial success, popularity has majorly declined. Bender declared “Ice Ice Baby” number 5 on its list of “50 Worst Songs Ever;” however, VH1 ranked it number 29 on the “100 Greatest Songs of the 90s.”

Even though he hasn’t had a hit since “Ice Ice Baby,” Vanilla Ice is still making music. His last record was released in August on 2011 but never got mainstream attention or radio play. His songs have more of a rock sound than a hip-hop sound. He starred on the UK show Dancing on Ice. He hosts a show on the DIY Network called The Vanilla Ice Project.

Picture and information courtesy of Wikipedia: Ice Ice Baby 
Information courtesy of Wikipedia: Vanilla Ice