Birth Name – Tracy Lauren Marrow
Date of birth – February 16, 1958
Zodiac Sign – Aquarius
Birth Place – Newark, New Jersey, US
Nationality – American
Height – 5′ 11″
Profession – Record producer, Screenwriter, Film Score Composer, Entrepreneur, Film producer, Voice Actor, Author, Rapper, Singer
Troubled Childhood:
All through his childhood, little Tracy Lauren Marrow (Ice-T’s real name) had trouble fitting in because his light colored skin “made him look white”, as other children taunted him. He lost his mother in the third grade to a sudden heart attack and was raised by his father with the help of a housekeeper.
However, by the age 12, Tracy Marrow remained an orphan, after his father also died of a heart attack. He spent a short period in an aunt’s house, before being sent to South California to live with another aunt. Here, Marrow had the first taste of the gang life in high school and acquired his iconic stage name: Ice-T.
Army Life:
At the age of 17, Ice-T was at a turning point in his life: his then girlfriend gave birth to a daughter and the young Marrow was barely making a living by stealing stereos from cars and selling cannabis. He decided to join the army in order to be able to provide for his child and girlfriend, but found himself unwittingly in trouble when he was charged with other draftsmen for the theft of a rug. Deciding to go AWOL, Ice-T returned to duty when the charges were dismissed and eventually was discharged with honors and ahead of schedule because he was a single father.
During his period in the army, Ice-T managed to buy cheap recording equipment in Hawaii and started working as a DJ at various parties, trying to leave behind his gang life. However, after breaking up with his girlfriend, he was lured again in the underworld of gangs, thefts and drug dealing. A serious car crash that nearly claimed his life determined him to completely turn his life around and consider a legitimate way of earning money.
Hip Hop Career:
Ice-T net worth of $35 million was built carefully over the years, starting with his first solo album, Rhyme Pays, in 1987. He continued to release an album per year until 1999, either as a solo artist, or together with the group Body Count. Never shy of attention garnering controversy, Ice-T is the voice behind disturbing hits such as Cop Killer and Chrome to Your Dome (which glorifies gun use).
Besides becoming one of the most successful hip-hop artists and producers, Ice-T starred in 75 movies (in many of them appearing as himself) and, starting with 2011, he also appears in the reality show Ice Loves Coco alongside his wife, Coco Austin, on E! TV channel.
Image Source: deadline.com
