Vanilla Ice was born Robert Matthew Van Winkle on October 31, 1967, in South Dallas, Texas. His mother, Camilla Beth (Dickerson),raised him after his father left when he was four years old. He has German and English ancestry on his mother's side.
As a teenager, Robert was a poor student who received dismal grades and skipped school often. He dropped out of school in the 10th grade and made a living by washing cars during the late 80s. He observed the culture and dancing of his peers and later signed up at a local nightclub as a performer. He was a natural at rapping and dancing, and the audience loved him. He got the nickname "Vanilla Ice" because he was white.
In 1989, Ice signed with SBK records and released his first LP, "Hooked," which contained the single "Play that Funky Music." The single wasn't a huge success, and "Hooked" received poor sales. Later, in 1990, a local DJ decided to turn the "Play that Funky Music" record and play what was on the other side. That single was "Ice Ice Baby," which sampled "Under Pressure" by Queen and David Bowie.
Contrary to "Play that Funky Music," "Ice Ice Baby" was a huge success, and radio stations everywhere received requests to play that song. Ice re-released "Hooked" as "To The Extreme," which contained "Ice Ice Baby," and it sold over 15 million copies and holds the record for the highest-selling rap record ever.
Vanilla Ice fever was everywhere. Soon, there was hundreds of merchandise, such as a Vanilla Ice doll and a board game. Ice was featured on a tour with M.C. Hammer, which influenced his dress style. He was wearing baggy jump pants and large, loud jackets with a quote on the back. "Ice Ice Baby" was on the number #1 spot for 16 weeks, and so was "To The Extreme."
Later in 1991, Vanilla Ice decided to get involved in the movie business. He made an appearance in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991) and then later scored his first feature film, Cool as Ice (1991). The movie was a flop, having spent only three weeks in the box office before dropping out.
Ice spent 2 years taking up motocross under his real name and completely dropped out from the music world. In 1994, he released another album called "Mind-blowin'" which introduced Ice's new, dread-locked, dope-smoking image. "Mind-blowin'" didn't last long, since SBK records went bankrupt.
In the next 4 years, Vanilla Ice focused on family life while still playing a couple of shows, mostly overseas or small venues. Then, in 1998, Ice made a comeback with his next album, "Hard To Swallow," his first nu-metal release, produced by Ross Robinson.
The album was a far cry from his earlier works and featured explicit language. There was even a rap-metal version of "Ice Ice Baby," called "Too Cold." Although the album only sold 100,000 copies, it was well-received by fans and made Ice almost respected again.
More recently, he has had his biggest mainstream resurgence, hosting the series The Vanilla Ice Project (2010) and recording a debut single with Jedward, "Under Pressure (Ice Ice Baby)," a mash-up of the two songs. He will also be returning to film in the Adam Sandler comedy That's My Boy (2012).
