Vanilla Ice, Ice Ice Baby | Bangerz N Bopz

In the seventh edition of Bangerz N Bopz (2026), we highlight “Ice Ice Baby” performed by Vanilla Ice.

Bring on the bold, fierce songs! Bangerz N Bopz serves up background info and insight into songs of various styles, especially songs that raise eyebrows and/or stir the pot.  Featured records can be classic or brand new. In the seventh edition of Bangerz N Bopz (2026), we break down “Ice Ice Baby” performed by Vanilla Ice.

Word.  Vanilla Ice did his big one back in 1990. That big one is “Ice Ice Baby”, the opener from his 1990 album, To The Extreme.  While this is the song that Vanilla Ice is best-known for, technically, he’s NOT a one-hit wonder.  “Play That Funky Music”, the seventh track from Ice’s multiplatinum album, To The Extreme, was also a highly successful pop hit.  But the focus is on the four-and-a-half-minute, once-in-a-lifetime rap song at hand. The songwriting credits are lengthy for “Ice Ice Baby”: Vanilla Ice, Mista Choc, The D.O.C., Freddie Mercury, Brian May, John Deacon, Roger Taylor, and David Bowie.  Why are there so many writers? Famously, “Ice” samples the Queen and David Bowie classic, “Under Pressure”.  The sampling was source of controversy, with Vanilla Ice initially denying he’d sampled the song 😏. Also, dialogue from the movie School Daze is sampled.  Vanilla Ice produced the track with Earthquake. “Ice Ice Baby” spent one week at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.  It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.  Furthermore, the song secured Vanilla Ice a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Solo Performance.

“Ice Ice Baby” begins with rhythmic drum programming, which sets the groovy tone of the track. Soon enough, the crucial “Under Pressure” sample enters the mix. Beyond the sample, there is a warm synth set in a minor key.  Vanilla Ice brings the heat with his performance.  He delivers a compelling and potent cadence and flow (“Flow like a harpoon daily and nightly”).  Is there an element of corniness and cringe? Of course, but “Ice Ice Baby” is undeniably fun to the nth degree, and Vanilla Ice is confident AF.  The hook is utterly infectious, accompanied by music set in a major key (contrasting the minor of the verses). He delivers his fair share of memorable lyrics.  In the first verse, he asserts, “I’m killing your brain like a poisonous mushroom / Deadly, when I play  a dope melody / Anything less than the best is a felony.” Woo! In the second verse, Ice has “the bass kicked in and the Vegas are pumpin’,” as well as “Cookin’ MCs like a pound of bacon / Burnin’ ‘em if you ain’t quick and nimble.” Again, woo! In the third and final verse, not only does Ice “Slice like a ninja, cut like a razor blade,” he also spits, “If rhyme was a drug, I’d sell it by the gram.” Damn, Ice! A novel rap cut for all time, “Ice Ice Baby” is an unforgettable classic from the 1990s.  What more can you say but “Ice, ice baby!”

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Vanilla Ice » To The Extreme » Capitol Records, LLC » 1990

Vanilla Ice, Ice Ice Baby: Bangerz N Bopz No. 7 (2026) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Capitol Records, LLC; Art Laurence Luzon, cottonbro studio, Osmar Vasques, Sebastian Ervi, Wallyson Nascimento from Pexels; Gordon Johnson from Pixabay]

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