“Ice Ice Baby” • Vanilla Ice • Ultrax/SBK Records • 1990
For bad or even worse, “Ice Ice Baby” became the first rap record to reach number one on the Billboard pop charts. A worthy pop single but of dubious artistic value, “Ice Ice Baby” overshadowed a number of worthy hip-hop contenders for pop success, evoked comparisons to Elvis Presley, and provoked dire predictions of hip-hop’s demise via a crush of white MCs.
It never happened. “Ice Ice baby” was Vanilla Ice’s only commercial success, and hip-hop creativity survived.