Tracy Marrow (born February 16, 1958 in Newark, New Jersey), better known a… Read Full Bio ↴Tracy Marrow (born February 16, 1958 in Newark, New Jersey), better known as Ice-T, is an American rapper, singer, and actor. He is one of the pioneers of gangsta rap and was also instrumental in creating rapcore.

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.

Ya Shoulda Killed Me Last Year
Ice-T Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Before I go id like to say a few things. this album was completed on january 15th 1991. By now the war has probably started and a whole bunch of people have probably died out there in the desert over some bullshit. Theres a war goin on right now in my neighborhood but I cant really determine which one is worse..I think the one that we are all fightin is fucked up and thats the war inside out brains you know. but uh I feel bad about all the brothers and sisters gettin pulled right out of their neighborhoods all the citys and small towns in america that go over there and fight for that bullshit. that most of them dont really have anything to do with. So I gotta send peace out to em. Also peace out to all my homies in jail brothers that are dead locked up right here on earth..talkin about the brothers in solidad, san quetin, all the way up to pelicans bay, tracy, chino, and all my homeboys out there in the east coast lockdown facilities. Im talkin about clinton, rikers, jolead, you know every prison in the whold fuckin world man, thats like you know all bullshit you know. they say slavery has been abolished except for the convicted felon yall need to think about that. that lets you know what the fuckin constitution is really about you know. Alot of my homeboys have been locked down
my whole entire career and thats some bullshit. So for them from the Rhyme Syndicate and Ice-T Id like to send this special shout out...Fuck the police, Fuck the FBI, Fuck the DEA, Fuck the CIA, Fuck Tipper Gore, Bush and his cripple bitch this is Ice-T im out of here, told ya you shoulda killed me last year..

Overall Meaning

In "Ya Shoulda Killed Me Last Year," Ice-T offers a personal and political message that reflects on the state of the nation at the beginning of the Gulf War in 1991. He expresses concern about the conflict and the many people who would be affected by it, as well as the violence and struggle that is pervasive on home soil. Ice-T speaks out about social and racial injustice, criticizing the prison system, which he equates to modern-day slavery. He offers a special message to his friends who are behind bars across the country, showing solidarity with them and condemning the authorities that put them there.

The song is a response to a world that Ice-T sees as violent, corrupt, and oppressive, and he exerts his voice as a black man and a hip-hop artist to condemn these social, cultural, and political ills. He uses strong language and expletives to convey his message, challenging the status quo and insisting on change. The song is a call to action, demanding that people awaken to the injustices around them and take a stand for what is right.

Line by Line Meaning

Before I go id like to say a few things.
Ice-T wants to express some things before leaving.

this album was completed on january 15th 1991.
Ice-T mentions the completion date of his album.

By now the war has probably started and a whole bunch of people have probably died out there in the desert over some bullshit.
There's a high likelihood that a war has started and many people have lost their lives over meaningless reasons.

Theres a war goin on right now in my neighborhood but I cant really determine which one is worse..
Ice-T talks about the ongoing war in his neighborhood but finds it difficult to decide which war is worse.

I think the one that we are all fightin is fucked up and thats the war inside out brains you know.
The real war is in our minds, and Ice-T thinks that it's messed up.

but uh I feel bad about all the brothers and sisters gettin pulled right out of their neighborhoods all the citys and small towns in america that go over there and fight for that bullshit.
It saddens Ice-T to see young people forcibly taken from their neighborhoods and sent to fight in wars that they have nothing to do with.

that most of them dont really have anything to do with. So I gotta send peace out to em.
Most of these fighters have no real reason to fight, and Ice-T wants to send out a message of peace to them.

Also peace out to all my homies in jail brothers that are dead locked up right here on earth..
Ice-T also sends out a message of peace to his friends who are locked up in prison.

talkin about the brothers in solidad, san quetin, all the way up to pelicans bay, tracy, chino, and all my homeboys out there in the east coast lockdown facilities.
Ice-T mentions the names of the prisons where his friends are locked up.

Im talkin about clinton, rikers, jolead, you know every prison in the whold fuckin world man, thats like you know all bullshit you know.
Ice-T mentions even more prison names and talks about how he thinks the entire prison system is bullshit.

they say slavery has been abolished except for the convicted felon yall need to think about that.
Ice-T thinks that the subjugation of convicted felons is no different from slavery and feels that we should all ponder about that.

that lets you know what the fuckin constitution is really about you know.
Ice-T thinks that this revelation demonstrates what the actual purpose of the Constitution is.

Alot of my homeboys have been locked down my whole entire career and thats some bullshit.
Ice-T is frustrated that many of his friends have been imprisoned for his entire career and thinks the whole system is unfair.

So for them from the Rhyme Syndicate and Ice-T Id like to send this special shout out...
Ice-T wants to give a special shoutout to his friends from the Rhyme Syndicate.

Fuck the police, Fuck the FBI, Fuck the DEA, Fuck the CIA, Fuck Tipper Gore, Bush and his cripple bitch
Ice-T expresses his anger and resentment towards the police, FBI, DEA, CIA, Tipper Gore, and President Bush.

this is Ice-T im out of here, told ya you shoulda killed me last year.
Ice-T signs off by saying that he's done speaking and that those who were trying to silence him should have done so sooner.

Contributed by Peyton I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS