Ice-T started in 1982 out with other West Coast rap pioneers such as Kid Frost, DJ Flash, and The Egyptian Lover with Electro recordings. Later on, he changed his style and was the first West Coast rapper to be accepted by the East Coast. 6 'n The Mornin is sometimes seen as the track that triggered the whole gangster rap movement. It was produced by The Unknown DJ, who produced electro funk tracks before and went on to produce Compton's Most Wanted. The song was inspired by Schoolly D's "P.S.K. What Does It Mean?" and became itself the inspiration for Eazy-E and N.W.A's Boyz-N-The-Hood. Ice-T went on to work with Afrika Islam, the man behind the beats on 1987's Rhyme Pays, 1988's Power and 1989's The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech... Just Watch What You Say.
He also is a star in Law in Order: Special Victims Unit.
In 1992 he created the crossover band Body Count with 4 other black musicians.
Personal
Ice-T Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You've dug your own grave, now you must climb out
Dig out, crawl out, hide from the fallout
'Cause when I get mad I go all out
ICE cooler than the coldest cube, dude
And when I'm micin' boy, I'm known to get rude
Criminal background, it's time to get down
I use a silencer, don't like the loud sound
The last punk that popped junk passed
Spit on his grave, laughed, jumped in my stretch
Signed his bitch and autograph
Syndicate boy, I don't fool out
You're full grown, school's out
You try to diss? I think you better cool out
'Cause your butt is smoke, if we ever duel out
This jam is directed, to all of those who expected
For me to cold be rejected but now I'm highly respected
And now their ears are infected
With dollar signs I've collected
Jealous punks, I said it!
Take it personal
(Personal)
Take it personal punk, I'm talkin' to you
And if they agree with you, then your crew too
I never diss an emcee, I wish'em all good luck
But if you diss me to my face, duck
My style don't ramble, you shouldn't gamble
With your grill, I got a fist like an anvil
I write a record, lock it on the topic
EVIL and IZ dog the track, then we drop it
Record stores rock it, stock it, fans buy it
People that never heard of ICE-T try it
Then you try to diss? You got gall
I got gold on my neck and gold on my wall
Gold on my fingers, gold in my ear
When this jam's spinnin', gold's what you hear
Toy, this ain't Christimas, no time to play
I ain't no child, punk, you'll get sprayed
Illin' on a mega-villan
You must want a pine box to go chill in
Buried deep, creep, no one will weep
'Cause the next night with your bitch I'll sleep
Take it personal
(Personal)
I ain't East Coast, West Coast, new style, or old style
You wanna know about me? Check police files
Get out my face or you might have a bruised one
Brass knuckle prints? Yes, I used some
I ain't here to boast, I don't do that
When I talk it's straight dope, pure facts
I rock hard but still called a new jack
But talk shit, you're sure to get heard cracked
I don't drink or smoke or do dumb drugs
But my posse's still labeled street thugs
L.A.P.D's got all my boy's mugs
Can't use my phone for the damn bugs
I live in privacy, don't like suckers hawking me
News reporters, some think they can talk for me
Lies, misquotes, changin' all my words around
But if I catch 'em on the street they'll get beat down
They get money for hype-type publicity
They don't think twice, about dissin' me
But that's a mistake, with the SYNDICATE you shouldn't mess
I hope those punk reporters wear vests
Take it personal
(Personal)
Take that personal
(Personal)
Now the words I kick to some might sound radical
But I'll explain, it's simply mathematical
You diss, I diss, this creates an equal
You reply to my diss, this is called a sequel
I reply to your diss, this is called a battle
Not intelligent, not very adult
So I don't battle, I just put heads out
A straight line is always the direct route
I write lyrics clear, to leave no doubt
Don't even have to say who I'm speakin' about
You know who you are, you just jealous
'Cause you hear my records, are million sellers
Try to say I'm wack, out on the streets
While your whole crew is jockin' my beats
See me on T.V. and in the papers
See me at a jam, catch vapors
(Personal)
This shit is personal
The song Personal by Ice-T is a bold and confrontational grasp on the hip-hop genre. The song's chorus is an invitation for other emcees to take whatever he says as a direct call-out to everyone who has tried to diss him. Starting with the line, "Emcee's no time out, it's time to rhyme out," Ice-T defies the idea that there is ever a moment to take a break from creating, and that he will always be ready to respond to any opposition. He then makes it clear that he is not to be tried, referring to his criminal background, referring to himself as a "syndicate boy," and hinting at the fact that he has the power to silence anyone who crosses him. It becomes evident throughout the song that Ice-T is a dangerous foe. He doesn't shy away from discussing his wealth, has a gang of street thugs, and is willing to threaten reporters. The verses all work together in the song, setting up the listener to expect an artist that has become a king of his craft and is willing to lash out at anyone who questions him.
The song also plays with the idea of reputation and how standing strong can be the most important factor in the music industry. The reality of the situation is that until Ice-T found success, people didn't take him seriously. The lyrics of this song show how much effort it took to get recognized, make a living, and eventually become one of the most influential names in rap. Nevertheless, he has no problems revealing his real personality, something unmistakably rough and brave. This song reflects a mentality that doesn't take any snarky comments lightly and has a deep desire to fight back against anyone who talks down on him.
Line by Line Meaning
Emcee's no time out, it's time to rhyme out
There's no break for emcees, it's all about continuous rapping
You've dug your own grave, now you must climb out
You're responsible for your own problems, so you need to find a way out
Dig out, crawl out, hide from the fallout
You need to work hard and find a safe place to escape from the bad results of your actions
'Cause when I get mad I go all out
I'm not afraid to take things to the extreme when I'm angry
ICE cooler than the coldest cube, dude
I'm smoother and calmer than anyone else
And when I'm micin' boy, I'm known to get rude
When I'm rapping on the mic, I can be aggressive
Criminal background, it's time to get down
I have a history of criminal activity and I'm not messing around
I use a silencer, don't like the loud sound
I prefer to be subtle and don't like to attract attention with loud noises
Of my mic blast, you better run fast
My rhymes are so powerful that they can scare people away
The last punk that popped junk passed
The last person who tried to disrespect me got what was coming to them
Spit on his grave, laughed, jumped in my stretch
I showed complete disrespect for the person who tried to diss me on their death
Signed his bitch and autograph
I slept with his girlfriend and left my signature
Syndicate boy, I don't fool out
I'm part of an organization that means business and I don't play around
You're full grown, school's out
You're an adult, it's time to stop acting like a child
You try to diss? I think you better cool out
If you try to start a fight with me, you're gonna regret it, so calm down
'Cause your butt is smoke, if we ever duel out
You don't stand a chance in a battle with me, you'll just be destroyed
This jam is directed, to all of those who expected
This rap is aimed at all the people who doubted me
For me to cold be rejected but now I'm highly respected
People used to underestimate me, but now I've gained a lot of respect
And now their ears are infected
Now everyone is listening to my music, and it's spreading like a contagious disease
With dollar signs I've collected
I've earned a lot of money from my record sales
Jealous punks, I said it!
I'm calling out all the people who are envious of my success
Take it personal
This is a personal message directed towards you
I ain't East Coast, West Coast, new style, or old style
I don't fit into any specific type of rap category or region
You wanna know about me? Check police files
If you're curious about my past, take a look at my criminal records
Get out my face or you might have a bruised one
If you don't leave me alone, you're gonna get hurt
Brass knuckle prints? Yes, I used some
I'm not afraid to use brass knuckles to defend myself if I have to
I ain't here to boast, I don't do that
I'm not bragging, I'm just stating facts
When I talk it's straight dope, pure facts
When I speak, I'm telling the truth and nothing but the truth
I rock hard but still called a new jack
Even though I'm experienced, some people still consider me new to the rap game
But talk shit, you're sure to get heard cracked
If you talk badly about me, you'll end up getting beaten up
I don't drink or smoke or do dumb drugs
I don't do any kind of drugs or participate in any unhealthy behaviors
But my posse's still labeled street thugs
Even though I'm not involved in criminal activity anymore, people still associate me with violence because of my friends
L.A.P.D's got all my boy's mugs
The police have a record of my friends' faces
Can't use my phone for the damn bugs
I can't use my phone because I think it's tapped by someone else
I live in privacy, don't like suckers hawking me
I prefer to keep to myself and don't like people bothering me
News reporters, some think they can talk for me
Some reporters think they can speak on my behalf and spread false information
Lies, misquotes, changin' all my words around
Reporters often twist my words and make up false stories about me
But if I catch 'em on the street they'll get beat down
If I see those reporters in person, I'll probably physically fight them
They get money for hype-type publicity
Reporters make money off of sensationalizing and exaggerating the news
They don't think twice, about dissin' me
Reporters have no problem disrespecting me in order to get attention
But that's a mistake, with the SYNDICATE you shouldn't mess
If you mess with me and my organization, you're going to face a lot of trouble
I hope those punk reporters wear vests
I'm threatening the reporters with violence and hope they protect themselves
Now the words I kick to some might sound radical
Some people might think my lyrics are extreme or controversial
But I'll explain, it's simply mathematical
But I can break it down logically and make it clear to everyone
You diss, I diss, this creates an equal
If you try to disrespect me, I'll do the same to you
You reply to my diss, this is called a sequel
If you respond to my diss, it's like a second chapter to our beef
I reply to your diss, this is called a battle
If I reply to your diss, it means we're in a back-and-forth war of words
Not intelligent, not very adult
This kind of competition is immature and not very smart
So I don't battle, I just put heads out
Instead of engaging in a war of words, I prefer to just physically fight
A straight line is always the direct route
The simplest solution is usually the best
I write lyrics clear, to leave no doubt
I write straightforward lyrics that leave no room for confusion
Don't even have to say who I'm speakin' about
I don't even need to mention names, everyone knows who I'm talking about
You know who you are, you just jealous
You don't need me to say who you are, you're just envious of my success
'Cause you hear my records, are million sellers
You're jealous of me because my albums sell millions of copies
Try to say I'm wack, out on the streets
You're saying I'm not talented and trying to spread negative opinions about me
While your whole crew is jockin' my beats
Meanwhile, everyone else is copying my style and using my beats
See me on T.V. and in the papers
You see me in the media all the time
See me at a jam, catch vapors
When you see me at a concert, you get overwhelmed with excitement
This shit is personal
This situation is getting really personal and intense
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CHARLES ANDRE GLENN, TRACY MARROW
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind