The Combat Jack Show is truly one of my favorite podcasts. As any regular listener knows, the show really shines when guests have a rich history & the ability to properly narrate it. Combat Jack & Premium Pete deliver big time in this latest episode, skillfully navigating us through Tracy Lauren Marrow’s life story and his evolution- from New Jersey orphan into Hip-Hop’s Original Gangsta. It doesn’t stop there though, The Ice-T episode gives new meaning to the term long-form interview, clocking in at around three hours! If you consider yourself a student of the game, I highly recommend you find some time & listen because there’s nowhere else you can hear about rapper/actor, Ice-T’s life in such vivid detail.
Originally born in Newark, his hardworking parents soon moved the family to affluent Summit, New Jersey. After tragically losing both parents by the seventh grade, Tracy was forced to live with his aunt & her family in the Windsor Hills section of Los Angeles. Initially bused to school in Culver City, he decided to attend Crenshaw High School instead. In addition to graduating with honors, the school also provided Tracy with his introduction to gang culture. Nicknamed Crazy Tre, he became a Crips affiliate but never officially joined.
After getting his girl pregnant, Marrow joined the military and served four years in the Army. Eventually he came back home & “allegedly” joined old neighborhood friends turned career criminals, utilizing his military training to better organize their capers. After these same friends started receiving heavy sentences, he began DJ’ing parties as Ice-T but quickly realized he attracted more attention on the microphone than from playing records. He honed his MC skills by paying club DJ’s up to $500 to commandeer the mic at their parties. He eventually recorded his first single The Coldest Rap which only earned him a meager $250 but embarked his journey into the entertainment industry. The single was in heavy rotation at an LA nightclub where Breakin’ was being filmed, earning Ice-T his first appearance in a motion picture.
Admittedly, Ice-T wasn’t taking entertainment very seriously until after his involvement in a near fatal car crash. While recovering from his injuries, a friend named Randy Mack encouraged Ice to rap about their lifestyle after realizing the veiled gang references to Park Side Killers in Philadelphia rapper Schooly D’s PSK record. Ice-T adopted a similar style when drafting his detailed ode to Los Angeles’ gang lifestyle, 6 in the Mornin’. Released in 1986, the song was initially a B-side but quickly eclipsed the Beastie Boys-influenced Dog’n The Wax single featured on the original record’s A-side.
Upon receiving local success in the streets, Ice-T sent 6 in the Mornin’ to Afrika Islam – who introduced him to the new york’s burgeoning hip hop scene. After hearing Ice’s demo, famed A&R Seymour Stein compared him to Bob Dylan and inevitably signed Ice-T to Sire Records, a rock label at the time. An advance of 40 thousand dollars funded his “Hip-Hop starter kit” – an E-mu SP-12, Roland TR-909 drum machines & his, now iconic, gold rope chain equipped with .38 revolver medallion. Ice-T immersed himself in New York’s burgeoning hip hop culture, attending parties with Scott La Rock at Union Square & going out on promo runs with other emerging acts in the Warner Bros. system like Cold Chillin’s Big Daddy Kane.
Back in Los Angeles, artists like the D.O.C., Eazy-E and eventually N.W.A. were also bubbling. They all collectively began pioneering a sub-genre of hip-hop the media dubbed, Gangsta Rap based on N.W.A.-member Ice Cube’s lyrical references to the group as gang. This motivated Ice-T to establish his O.G., Original Gangsta moniker since his 6 in the Mornin’ record undoubtably influenced the group’s breakout hit, Boyz In The Hood. Ice-T recalls some interesting similarities between his live show segues and N.W.A.’s infamous anthem Fuck The Police. Ice insists it was all love though and seems proud of everyone’s collective efforts in establishing LA’s gangsta rap roots.
Ice-T’s early album titles, Rhyme Pays & Power were a reflection of his rapidly evolving music career. When approached by Orion Pictures for song licensing, Ice attended an early screening of their film. This resulted in him writing a new song which ultimately became the movie’s title track, Colors – projecting Los Angeles’ infamous gang culture to the masses.
The interview doesn’t stop here, but you will have to listen for yourself. I just wanted to illustrate how deep this Ice-T interview gets. Other topics discussed include Body Count, how Cop Killer changed his life, Ice’s tenure on Law & Order:SVU & his marriage to Coco.
Salute to the whole Combat Jack Show & kudos on some really prolific shows recently.