Vanilla Ice - Singers, Timeline and Childhood
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Vanilla Ice's Personal Details
Vanilla Ice is an American rapper famous for hit single ‘Ice Ice Baby’
| Information | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birthday | October 31, 1967 |
| Nationality | American |
| Famous | Singers |
| City/State | Florida |
| Spouses | Laura Giaritta (m. 1997) |
| Known as | Robert Matthew Van Winkle |
| Childrens | Dusti Rain (born 1998), KeeLee Breeze (born 2000) |
| Universities |
|
| Birth Place | Dallas, Texas, U.S |
| Religion | Christian |
| Height | 188cm |
| Gender | Male |
| Net Worth | $18 million as of Apr 26,2017 |
| Sun Sign | Scorpio |
| Born in | Dallas, Texas, U.S |
// Famous Singers
Vanilla Ice's photo
Who is Vanilla Ice?
The American rapper Vanilla Ice is a one-hit wonder who rose to fame with his smash hit single ‘Ice Ice Baby’. Born as Robert Matthew Van Winkle, he was nicknamed Vanilla Ice as a teenager. The product of a broken home, he did not even know the identity of his biological father and often moved when his stepfather changed jobs. As a teenager ,he performed poorly in school and dropped out without graduating. The one thing that set this teenager apart from other youngsters from troubled homes was his tremendous musical talent. He loved hip-hop and practiced break dancing, particularly the move known as ‘ice’, which led to his nickname. He gathered his own group of performers, ‘The Vanilla Ice Posse’ and used to perform on the streets and in clubs. Besides music, he had another passion—motor racing, and had won three straight titles at the National Grand Championship. However, he decided not to pursue the sport professionally after suffering an injury, and started working on his music career single-mindedly. He released his debut album ‘Hooked’, later reissued as ‘To the Extreme’, which featured the single ‘Ice Ice Baby’ which became his claim to fame. The album peaked at No.1 on the Billboard 200 and is credited to have popularized hip-hop among the white audiences.
// Famous People From Florida
Childhood & Early Life
Vanilla Ice was born to Camilla Beth Dickerson in Texas. The identity of his biological father is not known, and he was given the family name of his mother’s husband, William Van Winkle, at the time of his birth.
His mother divorced when he was four and married again, and the family moved to Miami.
He loved music, especially hip hop, and practiced break dancing as a young teen. He used to rap at parties and joined a break dance group.
When his stepfather got a job in Texas, the family moved again. He attended R. L. Turner High School but dropped out before graduation.
He loved to ride motorbikes, and participated in racing competitions.
Career
He formed a break dancing troupe ‘The Vanilla Ice Posse’ and performed on the streets, local malls and clubs.
After an impromptu performance at City Lights, a South Dallas night club, he was asked to perform regularly for the club. He was accompanied by disk jockeys D-Shay and Earthquake on his performances.
He got the opportunities to open for several bands and musicians like Public Enemy, 2 Live Crew, Paula Abdul, etc. while performing for City Lights.
Tommy Quon, The owner of City Lights recognized Ice’s potential, and signed a contract with him in 1987.
The songs that he had perfected through repeated stage performances were recorded in an album ‘Hooked’, and released by an independent record company in 1989.
The single ‘Ice Ice baby’ featured on his debut album became a huge hit and he soon had a huge fan base. A music video was also created for the song which was aired frequently by the television channels.
The success of his debut album made him sign a contract with SBK Records. ‘Hooked’ was remixed, rerecorded, and re-issued under a new name, ‘To the Extreme’ in 1990. The album also contained new music.
He released a live album, ‘Extremely Live’ in 1991. It had songs from ‘Hooked’, as well as new material. It peaked at No.30 on the Billboard 200.
He spent the year 1992 touring and performing all over the world. He performed in several countries all over South America, Europe, Australia and Asia.
His next album, ‘Mind Blowin’ was out in 1994. By now his popularity had begun to wane; the album received negative reviews and did not do well.
The falling popularity troubled the singer and he became increasingly dependent on drugs like ecstasy, heroin and cocaine. He even attempted suicide by drug overdose, but was saved by his friends.
He decided to take a break from music and focused on his other passions, motocross and jet skiing. He even worked for some time in real estate.
He returned to music in 1998 with his new album, ‘Hard to swallow’. The album’s music was a combination of heavy metal, hip hop and punk rock. But the album could not revive his career as expected.
He released several albums in the new millennium, but none of them could recreate his past success. In spite of not getting mainstream popularity again, Vanilla Ice was however able to garner a faithful cult following.
He has also acted in many films in small roles though most of these movies were panned by critics.
Major Works
Vanilla Ice was a one-hit wonder made famous by the single ‘Ice Ice baby’ that first featured in his debut album ‘Hooked’. The song peaked at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, U.K. Singles Chart, Irish Singles Chart, and Australian ARIA Singles Chart.
Awards & Achievements
He won the American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock New Artist in 1991.
The single ‘Ice Ice baby’ won the People’s Choice Award for Best New song in 1991.
Personal Life & Legacy
He dated singer Madonna for a few months in the 1990s.
He met Laura Giaritta in 1995 and married her in 1997. The couple has two children. He reportedly split from his wife in 2011 after 14 years of marriage.
Trivia
He was the first major white rapper.
He has had several brushes with the law.
‘Ice Ice baby’ was the first hip hop single to top the U.S. Billboard Charts.
// Famous American
Vanilla Ice awards
| Year | Name | Award |
|---|---|---|
Other | ||
| 1991 - American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock New Artist | ||
| 1991 - American Music Award for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop New Artist | ||
| 1991 - People's Choice Award for Best New Song | ||
| 2011 - The Factual Entertainment Award for Best Home Show | ||
Vanilla Ice biography timelines
- // 31st Oct 1967Vanilla Ice was born to Camilla Beth Dickerson in Texas. The identity of his biological father is not known, and he was given the family name of his mother’s husband, William Van Winkle, at the time of his birth.
- // 1987Tommy Quon, The owner of City Lights recognized Ice’s potential, and signed a contract with him in 1987.
- // 1989The songs that he had perfected through repeated stage performances were recorded in an album ‘Hooked’, and released by an independent record company in 1989.
- // 1990The success of his debut album made him sign a contract with SBK Records. ‘Hooked’ was remixed, rerecorded, and re-issued under a new name, ‘To the Extreme’ in 1990. The album also contained new music.
- // 1991He released a live album, ‘Extremely Live’ in 1991. It had songs from ‘Hooked’, as well as new material. It peaked at No.30 on the Billboard 200.
- // 1991He won the American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock New Artist in 1991.
- // 1991The single ‘Ice Ice baby’ won the People’s Choice Award for Best New song in 1991.
- // 1992He spent the year 1992 touring and performing all over the world. He performed in several countries all over South America, Europe, Australia and Asia.
- // 1994His next album, ‘Mind Blowin’ was out in 1994. By now his popularity had begun to wane; the album received negative reviews and did not do well.
- // 1997 To 2011He met Laura Giaritta in 1995 and married her in 1997. The couple has two children. He reportedly split from his wife in 2011 after 14 years of marriage.
- // 1998He returned to music in 1998 with his new album, ‘Hard to swallow’. The album’s music was a combination of heavy metal, hip hop and punk rock. But the album could not revive his career as expected.
// Scorpio Celebrities
Vanilla Ice's FAQ
What is Vanilla Ice birthday?
Vanilla Ice was born at 1967-10-31
Where is Vanilla Ice's birth place?
Vanilla Ice was born in Dallas, Texas, U.S
What is Vanilla Ice nationalities?
Vanilla Ice's nationalities is American
Who is Vanilla Ice spouses?
Vanilla Ice's spouses is Laura Giaritta (m. 1997)
Who is Vanilla Ice childrens?
Vanilla Ice's childrens is Dusti Rain (born 1998), KeeLee Breeze (born 2000)
What was Vanilla Ice universities?
Vanilla Ice studied at R. L. Turner High School
What is Vanilla Ice's religion?
Vanilla Ice's religion is Christian
How tall is Vanilla Ice?
Vanilla Ice's height is 188
What is Vanilla Ice's sun sign?
Vanilla Ice is Scorpio