'New Jack City' was a perfect marriage of music and film. They used a lot of musicians: myself, Christopher Williams. People that were popular because of their music were given the chance to act. And the soundtrack was incredible.
A lot of the younger kids now can rap, but they're scared of the crowd. Mastery of that stage is an MC. I don't know if you've seen any great MCs on stage but when you do it's like wow, this is more than the words to rhymes.
Every once in a while, I hear somebody call me Tracy to try to let me know that they know me, you know, personally. But most of my real friends will call me Trey, or 'Ice' was basically short for Iceberg. So they would call me - some of my boys call me Berg.
Everything we do helps the new artists in the long run.
I don't feel that rap has been respected as an art form. Because people have seen rappers rap off the top of their heads, they don't think it is difficult.
When you start a business, go for the lowest hanging fruit.
I think when people say 'real hip-hop,' they want it more buried in the streets. They want it more connected to the streets and the grime and the roughness of the streets. They don't want the fluff.
I'll never sell 14 million like Hammer, I just wanna do a good Ice-T show.
I think, people look at me, and they say, 'You were very aggressive,' I say, 'Yeah,' you know, and I've made a better life for myself, for my son, so I should reflect that with my music now. I shouldn't still be rhyming like that; that would be me lying.
The next day, I got a phone call from him and he told me to come and read for a movie called New Jack City. So I went over there and they told me I was gonna wear dreads and play a cop.
I'm competitive in that I would like to outsell my last record.
We have groups that do that, but I can't rap with the mentality of an 18 year old when I'm in my 30's.
As an actor, you can do what you want with your role. That's why they hire you; to take the role and make it real.
You have to come in on a professional level to make it, otherwise you just can't get into rap.
I'm on the front line and I am a rapper.
Any New York group can come to L.A. and sell out every show, but an L.A. group who goes to New York might not do the same because the audience hasn't been introduced to the group.
I don't have to put out another rap record. I can do it at my casual pace.
I have to grow with my audience.
Oh man, nobody is as tough as Mr T. Ice T is pretty tough though as well.
So you don't have to take us too seriously; I mean, we're already intimidating enough on stage.
