 |
|
|
From the Middle School Issue (Dec 2000):
More Ice, Baby Music Reviews Jeff Harris Mozart, Beethoven, Cole Porter, Elvis Presley, John Lennon, Andy Gibb. These are the men who have changed the face of music forever. In this year of our Lord, nineteen hundred and ninety one, we may add another name to this pantheon of great men: Robert van Winkle, aka Vanilla Ice. All the cool kids in school know every dope rhyme of his new hit single "Ice Ice Baby." Just as MC Hammer legitimized rap music with his unforgiving look at a gangster's life in his song "U Can't Touch This", Vanilla revolutionizes the sounds of hip hop with this look at the gritty reality that is south Florida. The beat stays consistent throughout most of the track, driven by the brilliant bass line, with Vanilla's slightly rough tenor propelling forward rhyme after rhyme of truth and substance; lines like:
"Something grabs a hold of me tightly Who else but this maverick genius would even think of rhyming melody with felony just a few lines down? And then when you think that he has taken his rapping abilities to the max, he turns it up to 11, and sums up all of the pain and ecstasy of being a rapper by changing the rhythm and meter and giving us the words which will live eternal as the defining sentiments of our generation:
"Keep my composure when it's time to get loose Let us not forget the other tracks on Ice's brilliant album. "Stop That Train" demonstrates his literary side with a brilliant use of the extended metaphor. And the radio favorite "Play That Funky Music" is a wholly unique vision of racial equality and comes straight from Ice's heart in the same fashion that MC Hammer recently discovered such a terrific new sound in his smash hit "U Can't Touch This." Like wearing a backpack on one shoulder, this new sound will never go out of style. Vanilla Ice and his posse will be around for years to come, defining popular culture and pushing b-boy style to new heights. "Word to your mother."
|
|
