Robert Matthew "Vanilla Ice" Van Winkle (born October 31, 1968 in Dallas, Texas) is an American rapper, known today for the single "Ice Ice Baby" that topped the charts in the early-1990s (see 1990s in music). At the time, he was also one of the very few successful white rappers.
Van Winkle's first foray into the music industry is the little-known album Hooked, released in 1989 on an independent label. Just 48,000 copies were sold, making it a rarity and something of a collector's item among fans.
His next album fared better: To the Extreme, released in 1990, contained mostly the same songs as Hooked. The album featured his best-known single, "Ice Ice Baby", a rap song about his MC skills, the Miami scene, and a gun-fight on A1A/Beachfront Avenue. Read more about ...
