Before Ice-T’s success acting in film and television, the artist was a major innovative force in hip-hop. Recognized for his vivid lyrics about inner-city violence, the rapper broke out in 1987, earning a gold record with his debut Rhyme Pays. Between 1986 and 1991, Ice recorded four albums for Warner Bros. Records, including the West Coast rap classics Power as well as the debut album from his highly influential metal band Body Count.

Before Ice-T’s ascension, L.A. rappers were known primarily for a synthesizer-dominated sound indebted to Kraftwerk’s innovations as well as Afrika Bambaataa’s 1982 hit, “Planet Rock.” While L.A. did have its share of hardcore rappers in the mid-’80s (including Toddy Tee, King Tee, and of course, Ice-T), hardcore rap was dominated by the East Coast. That begin to change in 1987, when Ice-T’s debut album, Rhyme Pays, was released and sold several hundred thousand copies. Hard-hitting offerings like “409,” “Make It Funky,” and the title song (which samples Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” and underscores the L.A. resident’s love of heavy metal) left no doubt that Ice had very little in common with the Egyptian Lover, the World Class Wreckin’ Cru, or the L.A. Dream Team. The album doesn’t contain as much gangsta rap as some of his subsequent releases, but it did have enough to stir some controversy. On “Squeeze the Trigger,” “Pain,” and a new version of “6 ‘N the Mornin'” (which had been the B-side of Ice’s 1986 single “Doggin’ the Wax” on Techno-Hop), Ice portrays ruthless felons and raps candidly about the horrors of the urban ghetto he’d been only too familiar with. With the release of Rhyme Pays, the West Coast was well on its way to becoming a crucial part of hip-hop. ~ Alex Henderson