Although Van Winkle was successful, he later regretted his business arrangements with SBK, which had paid him to adopt a more commercial appearance and had published fabricated biographical information without his knowledge. He strongly resented having to 'play along' with claims that he had survived violent underground gang fights while also wearing glamorized outfits. After surviving a suicide attempt by drug overdose when his mainstream fame evaporated, Van Winkle was inspired to change his musical style and lifestyle. Further albums by Van Winkle, including 'Hard to Swallow', 'Bi-Polar', and 'Platinum Underground', featured a less mainstream-oriented sound inspired by alternative metal. His latest album is 'Wisdom, Tenacity & Focus' (better known as just 'WTF'), which he released in 2011, which feature Ice's return to the more electronic and classic hip-hop sound that was present in some of his past classics.
As stated before, Van Winkle signed a contract with SBK Records in 1990, who reissued 'Hooked' under the title 'To the Extreme'. The reissue contained new artwork and music. According to Van Winkle, SBK paid him to adopt a more commercial, conventional appearance. Getting a break touring with MC Hammer, Van Winkle largely copied that artist's large stage shows, oversize pants, flamboyant hairstyles, and more. Van Winkle is quoted as saying that: {"They told me, we want you to wear these baggy pants because the young kids like it and it's all glittery and polished and everything, and I said, 'Fuck no, I'm not wearin' this gay-ass shit.' And they said, 'Well here's a million dollars, man, will you do it?' And I said, 'Fuck yes.' And anybody would have done the same thing if they were given the same chance."}
The distribution of fabricated biographical information (such as that he was from Miami rather than Texas and that he had a long gang history) also helped quickly erode his street credibility. Though confident in his rhyming abilities and flow, Van Winkle soon regretted his business agreements with SBK and even expressed reservations when his fame grew. 'To the Extreme' became the fastest selling hip hop album of all time, peaking at #1 on the Billboard 200. The album spent 16 weeks on the charts, and it sold eleven million copies before long. For many years, it remained the best selling hip hop album of all time.
Single "Ice Ice Baby" has been credited for helping diversify rap music by introducing it to a mainstream, white audience. Still, critical reviews of 'To the Extreme' have been mixed. Entertainment Weekly reviewer Mim Udovitch gave the album a B, citing "Ice Ice Baby", "Play That Funky Music", "Dancin'" and "It's a Party" as the album's highlights. Robert Christgau gave the album a C− rating, writing that Van Winkle's "suave sexism, fashionably male supremacist rather than dangerously obscene, is no worse than his suave beats".
Criticizing the technique and style shown, Allmusic reviewer Steve Huey wrote: {"Ice's mic technique is actually stronger and more nimble than MC Hammer's, and he really tries earnestly to show off the skills he does have. Unfortunately, even if he can keep a mid-tempo pace, his flow is rhythmically stiff, and his voice has an odd timbre; plus, he never seems sure of the proper accent to adopt. He's able to overcome those flaws somewhat in isolated moments, but they become all too apparent over the course of an entire album."}
Following the success of "Ice Ice Baby", California rapper Mario "Chocolate" Johnson, an associate of record producer Suge Knight, claimed that he had written and produced the song but had not received credit or royalties for the song. Van Winkle has often recounted the following story. Knight and two bodyguards arrived at The Palm in West Hollywood, where Van Winkle was eating. After shoving Van Winkle's bodyguards aside, Knight and his own bodyguards sat down in front of Van Winkle, staring at him before finally asking "How you doin'?" Similar incidents were repeated on several occasions. Eventually, Knight showed up at Van Winkle's hotel suite on the fifteenth floor of the Bel Age Hotel, accompanied by Johnson and a member of the Oakland Raiders. According to Van Winkle, Knight took him out on the balcony by himself, and implied that he would throw him off the balcony unless he signed the rights to the song over to Knight.
Van Winkle has changed his accounting of said story over the years, which is still controversial years on. At any rate, by late 1990, Van Winkle began an eight-month relationship with Madonna, and appeared in photographs for her book 'Sex' while living a lavish lifestyle as a commercial superstar. While on tour in 1991, Van Winkle found out that SBK had instigated the publication of a book, 'Ice by Ice: The Vanilla Ice Story in His Own Words', written by Quon and attributed to Van Winkle, which detailed false biographical information, including claims that he had attended school with Luther Campbell. According to Van Winkle: {"I was paid to have this label on it, 'authorized,' because there was like 6 or 7 books out before that says unauthorized right on the cover, meaning that it's bullshit right away. And so they paid me, I believe it was like $850,000 just to have that label and they printed the book. And it's full of shit. I read the book myself and I'm like, 'God, how could you fucking do that to me?'"}
After hiring investigators to find out who was involved in the book's publication, he found out that Quon and promoter Elaine Shock had been involved in publishing and promoting the fabricated biographical elements. Although he later greatly rejects being subject to such commercial exposure, Van Winkle found himself caught up in his 'sex, drugs, and rock n roll' lifestyle at the time. Buying motorcycles, mansions, and more, it was all a great change from his working-class upbringing.
Van Winkle's second major release was the live album 'Extremely Live', released in March 1991. It peaked at #30 on the Billboard 200. Reviews of the album were particularly negative, with Entertainment Weekly reviewer David Browne calling it "one of the most ridiculous albums ever released" (comparing it to 'The Best of Marcel Marceau', an album which consisted of two sides of silence opened by brief applause'). According to Browne, 'Extremely Live' "affords you the chance to hear inane stage patter and unaccompanied drumming, during which, one assumes, Ice and his posse are onstage dancing."
Van Winkle branched out into the film industry, making an appearance in the film 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze' and performing the tune "Ninja Rap". Beginning to film his own personal project, 'Cool as Ice', in April 1991, he found himself soon embroiled in more controversy. On June 3, 1991, Van Winkle was arrested in Los Angeles on firearm charges, after threatening a homeless man, James N. Gregory, with a pistol. Gregory had approached Van Winkle's car outside of a supermarket and attempted to sell him a silver chain. Van Winkle and his bodyguard were charged with three weapons offenses. Van Winkle pleaded no contest.
'Cool as Ice' opened on October 18, 1991 in 393 theaters in the United States, grossing $638,000, ranking at #14 among the week's new releases. However, it soon became a 'box office bomb' that severely weakened his career. Reviews of the film were widely negative. Film website Rotten Tomatoes, which compiles reviews from a wide range of critics, gives the film a score of 8%, and Van Winkle received a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst New Star.
During this period, Van Winkle received criticism from other hip hop musicians. In 1991, 3rd Bass released a single called "Pop Goes the Weasel", comparing Van Winkle unfavorably to Elvis Presley. The song's music video featured Henry Rollins as Van Winkle, who is depicted as being assaulted by 3rd Bass. Del tha Funkee Homosapien referred to Van Winkle as mocking hip hop in the lyrics of "Pissin' on Your Steps", which appeared on his 1991 debut album (titled 'I Wish My Brother George Was Here').
By 1994, Van Winkle became isolated from the public spotlight, and had grown dreadlocks and began smoking cannabis. On March 22, 1994, Van Winkle released his second studio album, Mind Blowin. Reviews were unfavorable. Entertainment Weekly reviewer James Bernard called the album "more clunky than funky". Rolling Stone reviewer Danyel Smith praised the song "Get Loose" as "snappy", writing that although the lyrics are "inane", "the song is a thumping party, one of the few places where Ice loosens up. He sounds solid at the beginning of 'The Wrath' as well In 'Now and Forever,' a wet dream kind of song, Ice goes back to goofy lyrics." Allmusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that "There isn't a single moment that establishes a distinct musical identity, and the whole thing is rather embarrassing." Primus bassist Les Claypool stated in response to Van Winkle's cannabis-oriented lyrics: "That's all fine and dandy and cute, but it could be misconstrued and manipulated by the wrong people."
Van Winkle began using ecstasy, cocaine and heroin. During periods of heavy drug use, Van Winkle received many tattoos from artist acquaintances. According to Van Winkle, "That was in my binge days. I didn't even realize how many I was getting". Van Winkle attempted suicide with a heroin overdose. After being revived, Van Winkle decided that it was time to change his lifestyle. As a symbol of his attempt to begin anew, he got a tattoo of a leaf on his stomach.
In 1995, Van Winkle set up a recording studio in Miami, and joined a grunge band, Picking Scabs. Van Winkle expressed an interest in performing hip hop-influenced rock music, but found that the band was unable to produce the sound which he was looking for. In 1997, Van Winkle married Laura, whom he had met at a party. Van Winkle later developed a friendship with producer Ross Robinson, who had become known for producing music by Deftones, Korn, Limp Bizkit and Sepultura. Robinson and Van Winkle shared an interest in motocross racing. According to Robinson, others had attempted to persuade him not to work with Van Winkle, feeling that it might hurt his reputation. Encouraged by this fear, Robinson agreed to work with Van Winkle. In an interview, Robinson stated "It's the most punk-rock thing you could do."
Van Winkle's third studio album, Hard to Swallow, featured a darker sound and lyrics than Van Winkle's previous work. Reviews of the album were generally negative. Jon Pareles of The New York Times wrote that "If history is any guide, Vanilla Ice's adoption of rap-metal means that hard rock is about to move on." Richard Torres of Rolling Stone gave the album two out of five stars, writing that while "nothing, however, can redeem Ice's wack boasting," the album "isn't half-bad." In The New Rolling Stone Album Guide, Rob Kemp gave the album three out of five stars, writing that it contained Van Winkle's "most convincing music". In 1999, the music video for "Ice Ice Baby" was "retired" on the MTV special 25 Lame, in which Van Winkle himself appeared to destroy the video's master tape. When Van Winkle was given a baseball bat, he ended up destroying the show's set.
Independent releases (2000 onward)
Vanilla Ice appearing at the Tex-Mex Grill in Baltimore, Maryland.
Having attracted a following outside of his former mainstream audience, Van Winkle began recording independently. In May 2000, Van Winkle made an appearance at a wrestling match promoted by Juggalo Championship Wrestling, then known as Juggalo Championshit Wrestling, filling in for Insane Clown Posse member Joseph Utsler, who had been injured during a match. It was reported that Insane Clown Posse would make an appearance on Van Winkle's next album, tentatively titled Bomb Tha System. In October 2000, it was announced that Van Winkle's next album would be titled Skabz, and that Chuck D was confirmed to appear on the album. It was initially planned as a double album featuring a disc containing rock-oriented material and a disc of hip hop songs.
In January 2001, Van Winkle was arrested by police in Davie, Florida for assaulting Laura. According to the criminal complaint, Van Winkle and his wife argued as they drove on Interstate 595. Van Winkle admitted to pulling hair from her head to prevent her from jumping out of the truck's window. He pleaded guilty to charges of disorderly conduct four months later, and was sentenced to probation and ordered to attend family therapy sessions. In July 2001, Van Winkle performed at the second Gathering of the Juggalos. On October 23, 2001, Skabz and Bomb Tha System were released as a single album, Bi-Polar. Bradley Torreano of Allmusic disliked the album, criticizing it as "wildly uneven and at times hilariously bad". In The New Rolling Stone Album Guide, Rob Kemp gave the album one out of five stars, calling the album "utterly listless".
From January to February 2004, Van Winkle appeared on the reality television series The Surreal Life. In November 2004, Van Winkle's pet wallaroo, Bucky, and pet goat, Pancho, escaped from his Port St. Lucie, Florida home. After wandering around local streets for over a week, the animals were caught and returned to Van Winkle. He had to pay a $220 fine for expired pet tags and an undisclosed fine for the escape of the animals. On August 2, 2005, Van Winkle released his fifth studio album, Platinum Underground. Van Winkle stated that the title of the album reflected the fact that he could maintain a fanbase without mainstream airplay. Allmusic reviewer Rob Theakston panned the album, writing that it "has more bad spots in it than most".
On April 10, 2008, Van Winkle was arrested in Palm Beach County on a battery charge for allegedly kicking and hitting Laura. He was released the following day after she declared that her husband had only pushed her. In court, the couple's neighbor, Frank Morales, stated that it was merely a verbal argument. Van Winkle was ordered by a Florida court to stay away from his wife following his arrest, and to communicate with his children only if Morales accompanied him. The judge told Van Winkle that he could only contact his wife via telephone. On April 29, 2008, Van Winkle's lawyers, Bradford Cohen and Joseph LoRusso, were able to get the case dropped after providing the state attorney with evidence that conflicted with what was originally reported.
Van Winkle began following a vegetarian diet. In September 2008, Van Winkle signed a contract with Cleopatra Records, recording the cover album Vanilla Ice Is Back! at the label's request. The album was released on November 4, 2008, and contained covers of songs by Public Enemy, House of Pain, Bob Marley and Cypress Hill. IGN reviewer Spence D. called the album "an embarrassing endeavor that sounds like it should have stayed locked inside Ice's studio (or at the very least leaked on YouTube and passed off as a piss take)." On February 27, 2009, Van Winkle performed as part of a joint performance with MC Hammer in Orem, Utah. In March 2009, Van Winkle participated in a Virgin Mobile advertising campaign titled "Right Music Wrongs", apologizing for his 1990s image. As part of the campaign, Van Winkle was placed on "trial", and was voted innocent by users of the campaign website. In August 2009, Van Winkle announced on his official Twitter account that he had signed a contract with StandBy Records, who will release his sixth studio album, Yesterday Is History, Tomorrow Is A Mystery.
Style and influences
Van Winkle performing in Massachusetts on February 16, 2007
Van Winkle's current live performances feature a mix of newer, rock-influenced material and old school hip hop. Van Winkle performs with a live drummer and DJ, and sometimes sprays his audience with bottled water. Describing his performances, Van Winkle stated "It's high energy, stage diving, pyrotechnics, girls showing their breasts. It's crazy party atmosphere." In promotion of Hard to Swallow, Van Winkle toured with a seven-piece live band which included bassist Scott Shriner. The band opened with rock-oriented material from Hard to Swallow and concluded with older hip hop songs.
Van Winkle stated that his musical style was influenced by underground music, rather than mainstream music, and that his influences included hip hop and funk artists such as Funkadelic, Rick James and Parliament. Van Winkle also stated that he enjoys Rage Against the Machine, Slipknot and System of a Down. Van Winkle sometimes plays bass, drums and keyboards on studio recordings. Rapper G-Child, best known for her appearance on ego trip's The (White) Rapper Show, has credited Van Winkle as being a major influence on her work. After meeting Van Winkle in 2000, G-Child performed freestyle raps at six of Van Winkle's performances, and opened for him four times.
Band members
Current
* DJ Dirty Chopstix — turntables and background vocals
* Keith Reber — drums
* DJ DP - turntables and background vocals
Former
* D-Shay — disc jockey
* Clint Barlow - drums
* Earthquake — disc jockey
* Rod J — disc jockey
* Zero — disc jockey
* Scott Shriner — bass
Discography
Main article: Vanilla Ice discography
* To the Extreme (1990)
* Extremely Live (1991)
* Mind Blowin (1994)
* Hard to Swallow (1998)
* Bi-Polar (2001)
* Platinum Underground (2005)
* Yesterday Is History, Tomorrow Is A Mystery (2009)
* WTF (2011)
The Horny Song
Vanilla Ice Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now that ya feelin it I see you're getting weak
You're gettin real close
You're reachin that peak
Uh
You're like high altitude in a lear jet
Work them hips like a pistons in a corvette
Slow down or I'll have to pull ya over
You get a gwb stands for girl with a body pump it like a hottie
Seems like you got switches and you're hittin em
Two wheel motion keep bumpin em
Now throw it east to west and put a hump in it
Back stroke, and boogie with a bump in it
Tell me how ya do it like that, how ya got stacked
How you scrambled like a quarter back
I want you weak in the knees and shaking in your pants
And all I want to do is make you dance
Come on!
[Chorus]
Here I come, here I come here I come, here I come here I come, here I come
Here I come, here I come here I come, here I come here I come, here I come
Here I come, here I come here I come, here I come
[Verse 2]
See the sweat that you're lettin off
Now, keep it comin girl
Ya know I love it when you take it off
You got me sittin in the hot seat
Drippin from the body heat
From my head to my feet
We can do it by candle light all night
Keep it goin till the sunlight, that's right
Whatcha tryin to do, make the ice melt?
Don't you know my cream is good for your health?
You know you want to shake what your mamma gave ya
You're getting real hot, now I'm gonna spray ya
Rub it in like lotion
Juices flowin everywhere
Like water in the ocean
You got that hourglass figure
Uh, All the right moves
And ya know I want to dig ya
Got 31 flavors, know what I mean?
And I want to take a dip in your ice cream
[Chorus]
Here I come, here I come here I come, here I come here I come, here I come
Here I come, here I come here I come, here I come here I come, here I come
Here I come, here I come here I come, here I come
[Verse 3]
Know I'll be the one to kick this shit off
And crank it up like a 250
Engine in a motorcross
And make ya feel it girl
Till ya get sick with it
And all that junk in your trunk
Don't be stingy with it
And I'm gonna make it all good like the weekend
You got enough for yourself and for all my friends
And it's enough of me to go round like the globe
Set it up like a tent, watch it unfold
I see your eyes glistening for the benji's
But you ain't gotta fake it
I just want you to shake it
Break me off a piece of that action like jackson
I ain't trying to hit it
And I ain't trying to wax it
Picture you and me on the beach and you be
Climbing up this tall coconut tree
All I want to do is hump with it and make you scream
And eat you up
As I floss with your g-string
[Chorus]
Here I come, here I come here I come, here I come here I come, here I come
Here I come, here I come here I come, here I come here I come, here I come
Here I come, here I come here I come, here I come
The lyrics to Vanilla Ice’s song “The Horny Song” use sexually suggestive language to describe his desires for physical intimacy with a partner. The lyrics describe his attraction to a woman’s body and his desire to hear her moan and shake as he makes her dance. In the first verse, he compares her movements to a high altitude airplane and a fast car, which emphasizes the intensity of the experience. He also uses law enforcement language to describe his control over her, which can be interpreted as both sexually dominant and aggressive.
In the second verse, Vanilla Ice uses more descriptive language to discuss the woman’s body and their physical interaction. He describes her sweat and body heat as well as his own arousal. He also references his own music by mentioning his “31 flavors” and his “ice cream” which could potentially refer to his music and the many different styles he creates. In the final verse, Vanilla Ice speaks more directly to the woman, encouraging her to embrace her sexuality and enjoy the experience with him. He paints a vivid scene of the two of them on a beach, physically intimate and enjoying each other.
Overall, it is clear that the lyrics to “The Horny Song” are quite explicit in their meaning and intended message. Vanilla Ice uses descriptive language and metaphor to describe his physical attraction to a woman and his desires in bed. It is also clear that the tone of the song is meant to be playful and fun, which combines with the explicit language to create an overall effect that is sensual and energetic.
Line by Line Meaning
Now that ya feelin it I see you're getting weak
I can tell that you're getting turned on and losing control
You're gettin real close
You're near orgasm
You're reachin that peak
You're about to climax
You're like high altitude in a lear jet
You're riding me like someone flying a jet
Work them hips like a pistons in a corvette
Move your hips like the pistons in an engine
Slow down or I'll have to pull ya over
You need to slow down or I'm going to stop you
Search ya, handcuff ya, and do a move on ya
I'll search you, handcuff you, and have sex with you
You get a gwb stands for girl with a body pump it like a hottie
You have a great body and I want you to move it like a hot girl
Seems like you got switches and you're hittin em
It looks like you have some moves and you're using them
Two wheel motion keep bumpin em
Continue moving your hips like you're riding a motorcycle
Now throw it east to west and put a hump in it
Move your hips from side to side and put some force into it
Back stroke, and boogie with a bump in it
Move your hips back and forth and add a thrusting motion
Tell me how ya do it like that, how ya got stacked
Explain to me how you have such a great body
How you scrambled like a quarter back
Describe how you move quickly like a football quarterback
I want you weak in the knees and shaking in your pants
I want to make you orgasm so hard that you feel weak and tremble
And all I want to do is make you dance
All I want to do is make you move your body sexually
See the sweat that you're lettin off
I see that you're sweating from the sexual activity
Now, keep it comin girl
Continue doing what you're doing
Ya know I love it when you take it off
I love it when you strip and show off your body
You got me sittin in the hot seat
You have me turned on and in a state of sexual excitement
Drippin from the body heat
I'm sweating and turned on from the heat of our bodies
From my head to my feet
I'm feeling the sexual arousal throughout my entire body
We can do it by candle light all night
We can have sex all night by candlelight
Keep it goin till the sunlight, that's right
Let's keep having sex until the morning
Whatcha tryin to do, make the ice melt?
Are you trying to make me orgasm?
Don't you know my cream is good for your health?
My semen is good for you
You know you want to shake what your mamma gave ya
You want to move your body seductively
You're getting real hot, now I'm gonna spray ya
You're getting turned on, and I'm going to ejaculate on you
Rub it in like lotion
Spread my semen on your body like lotion
Juices flowin everywhere
We both have fluids flowing from our bodies during sex
Like water in the ocean
Our fluids are flowing and mixing like waves in the ocean
You got that hourglass figure
You have a curvy body with a small waist
All the right moves
You know how to move your body in a way that turns me on
And ya know I want to dig ya
You know I want to have sex with you
Got 31 flavors, know what I mean?
I have a lot of sexual experiences and techniques
And I want to take a dip in your ice cream
I want to have sex with you
Know I'll be the one to kick this shit off
I'm the one who starts the sexual activity
And crank it up like a 250
I want to have sex with a lot of intensity
Engine in a motorcross
Like a motorcycle engine
And make ya feel it girl
I want you to feel the sexual pleasure
Till ya get sick with it
Until you're overwhelmed with pleasure
And all that junk in your trunk
Your curves and body shape
Don't be stingy with it
Share your body with me generously
And I'm gonna make it all good like the weekend
I'm going to pleasure you until the weekend is over
You got enough for yourself and for all my friends
Your sexual abilities are enough to please me and my friends
And it's enough of me to go round like the globe
I have enough energy and stamina to satisfy all of you
Set it up like a tent, watch it unfold
We're going to have sex and enjoy the experience
I see your eyes glistening for the benji's
I see you're interested in the money I have
But you ain't gotta fake it
You don't have to pretend to be interested for the money
I just want you to shake it
I want you to move your body sexually
Break me off a piece of that action like jackson
Let's have sex like Michael Jackson's music
I ain't trying to hit it
I'm not just trying to have sex
And I ain't trying to wax it
I'm not going to make it too complicated
Picture you and me on the beach and you be
Imagining us having sex on the beach
Climbing up this tall coconut tree
Imagining us in sexual positions
All I want to do is hump with it and make you scream
I just want to have sex with you and give you pleasure
And eat you up
I want to devour you sexually
As I floss with your g-string
Using your underwear string to floss my teeth after having sex
Here I come, here I come here I come, here I come here I come, here I come
I'm ready for sex and interested in having it with you
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: DOUG ARDITO, ROBERT VAN WINKLE, RODNEY JOHNSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind