Your Favorite White Boy

Swiped from Broken Cool. I’m going to say right from jump that I have always – always – thought that Vanilla Ice’s music was straight garbage. Even when all my non hip-hop fans (I like to call them “civilians”) were bumping “Ice Ice Baby” I was trying not to stab myself in the eye with an icepick.

So Virgin is now putting Ice (or Rob Van Winkle) on “trial” to right his wrongs.  My verdict: innocent. We need to leave dude alone.  Here’s why.

1. Dude Sold More Than Entire Labels

Like it or not, VI sold 4o+ million records.  DipSet collectively can’t break 6 million.  So, I guess its all about how you define success.   There is no “wrong” answer when it comes to what is popular.   The public is always right: they like what they like.   Sure, hip-hop heads wouldn’t be caught dead listening to any of Ice’s music, but you have to respect a guy who was able to break out that big.  It obviously resonated.

2.  He Made Hip-Hop More Accessible

Okay, Vanilla Ice is not the ideal global ambassador for hip-hop.  But between he and MC Hammer, rap music was expose to a much, much larger audience – some of which went on to become real fans of hip-hop.   Some of you may forget, but there was a time when labels would not touch or invest in hip-hop because they believed that it was not financial viable.   We weren’t hearing rap music outside of major urban centers.  Vanilla, in his own way, made labels take a second look.  Indirectly, he probably helped your favorite rapper get his record deal.  And he showed Puff that jacking a pop loop can make you rich. 

3.  Be Mad At The Labels

Vanilla Ice was a creation of label suits.  Period.  If you watch the videos (rent-a-crowds and all) and see the marketing from that time, its pretty obvious Vanilla Ice was a packaged product.  The shiny suits, the dancing, the wack-ass beats and lyrics were all a part of a broad marketing plan to the masses.  “To The Extreme”? Who says that outside of a record label boardroom?  Christina Aguilera was in the same “syrupy pop” situation. Fortunately, her talent was the trump card in her fight with the label.  Van Winkle had a much, much weaker hand.

4.  He’s Paid The Price

And then some.  Dude is a global pop culture punchline.  What good is having millions if you are essentially an outcast from society?  Once the shine wore off of Rob, the label entertainment industry dropped him like a bad habit.  If you value your self-respect, that’s a big price to pay.  This guy didn’t just fall off, he dropped out of the sky.  And it was a long, long way down.   I actually think most who experience this kind of rise and fall would rather not have been famous in the first place.  You can’t miss what you never had.  But having all that and losing it is way worse than never having it at all.

5. You Would Have Done The Same Damn Thing

Don’t tell me if a label waved millions in front of you with movie deals, promos, videos and screaming fans that you wouldn’t sign right up.  I KNOW there are hundreds of rappers that would sell out for a lot less to get put on.  We all have bills to pay and egos to feed.  People sell their souls for a much smaller price than a weak-ass album. I sold mine for a Big Mac meal from McDonalds.

Look, karma is a temperamental bitch.  And Van Winkle took a round trip on that front.  He went from the highest highs a recording artist can experience to being the skunk at a garden party – all inside the span of a few years.   We need to let him walk away with an “all is forgiven” and be done with it.

Tags: Pop Culture, Trial, Vanilla Ice, Virgin Music