Ice
A Memoir of Gangster Life and Redemption-from South Central to Hollywood
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4.5 • 133 Ratings
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- $5.99
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
My life’s been a great story / In the ultimate war / Should I ill or do right? / Make peace or go raw?—Ice-T, “Exodus”
He’s a hip-hop icon credited with single-handedly creating gangsta rap in the 1980s. Television viewers know him as Detective Odafin “Fin” Tutuola on the top-rated TV drama Law & Order: SVU. But where the hype and the headlines end, the real story of Ice-T—the one few of his millions of fans have ever heard—truly begins.
Ice is Ice-T in his own words—raw, uncensored, and unafraid to speak his mind. About his orphan upbringing on the gang-infested streets of South Central Los Angeles. About his four-year stint in the U.S. Army’s famed “Tropic Lightning” outfit. About his successful career as a hustler and thief, the car crash that nearly killed him, and the fateful decision to turn away from a life of crime and forge his own path to international entertainment stardom.
Ice by Ice-T is both a tell-it-like-it-is tale of redemption and a star-studded tour of the pop culture firmament. The acclaimed rapper and actor shares never-before-told stories about friends like Tupac, Dick Wolf, Chris Rock, and an antler-clad Flavor Flav, among others. Readers will ride along as Ice-T’s incendiary rock band Body Count narrowly escapes from a riotous mob of angry concertgoers in Milan, and listen in as the music legend battles the self-appointed censors over his controversial “Cop Killer” single.
Most of all, Ice is the place where one of the game’s most opinionated players breaks down his own secret plan for living, offering up candid observations on marriage and monogamy, the current state of hip-hop, and his latest passion: doing one-on-one gang interventions and mentoring at-risk youths around the country.
With insights into the cutthroat world of the street—and the cutthroat world of Hollywood—Ice is the inspirational story of a true American original.
Praise for Ice
“Ice-T, in short, is someone hip-hop might have invented if he hadn’t invented himself. . . . A goes-down-easy mélange of memoir, self-help, and amateur criminology. Ultimately, Ice showcases an eminently reasonable, positively likeable guy, the gangsta rapper even a parent could love.”—New York Times Book Review
“It's as cool as its namesake. . . . A fascinating memoir, the pages of which are jam-packed with tales of a guy who ‘actively did everything I rhymed about.’”—Associated Press
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this intriguing memoir, groundbreaking rapper and actor Ice-T chronicles his rise from nomadic criminal to hip-hop star. After losing both parents by the age of 12, Tracy Marrow was shipped to relatives in Los Angeles where he navigated the growing gang culture of the city and became a father at 18. A four-year tour in the army was followed by a lucrative interlude robbing jewelry and clothing stores. As his fellow thieves began to file off to prison, Ice-T turned to the nascent rap scene and scored immediate success. Continuing to reinvent himself, Ice-T went on to front a rock band and also was one of the first rap figures to work in film and television. There s little focus on the music itself, but rather on his careers and his observations on the various subcultures he passes through. What lifts the book above the general run of entertainer memoirs is the quality of these observations Ice-T is a canny businessman, and he charts clearly the decisions that brought him up each step of a very treacherous ladder.
Customer Reviews
Awesome
Really enjoyed this book
WOW
Ok this is how it is, I HATE reading ok? Like I'm not a big reader at all. I only read stuff I'm interested in like articles or books written by ppl I admire etc. That being said, I had heard that Ice T wrote a book about his life. I had read reviews and everyone LOVED it. So today I was like alright ima download the sample of the book and see what all the fuss was about. And OMG. Listen I COULD NOT put it down. I just kept reading! It was so engaging and interesting. My God, I think it's the best book I've ever read. I mean that isn't saying a WHOLE lot cuz I don't read many books but Jesus this is a def buy. I will be picking up the hardcopy of this book very soon. I was sad when the sample had ended too =( haha. GREAT BOOK! Triple Thumbs Up!!
Flawless!!!
I literally read this whole book in 26 hrs. Brilliantly written! He tells it like it is... Just the way I expected him to write it, HONESTLY! His trials and tribulations of growing up, being raised in the hood, becoming a father at an early age, manning up after the birth of his daughter, the rap game.... He tells it all. I never expected him to be such a humble guy. He seems to have found his soul mate in CoCo, his ride or die chick and he really takes pride in being a father. Great job Ice.... I was a big fan before, but even a bigger admirer now. Thank u for taking us into the journey that is your life! :)