American rapper Vanilla Ice was born 56 years ago as Robert Matthew Van Winkle in Dallas, Texas, is married and has 3 children. He is also an actor and TV host.
As a youngster, Robert was influenced by hip hop, in view that he loved poetry. At the age of 13, he learnt breakdance for a year and although he hated it, his pals gave him the nickname ‘Vanilla’ as he was the only white guy in the group. He then began performing battle rapping in parties and also joined a breakdance band, getting the stage name ‘Vanilla Ice’, and performed on the streets with them. He also learnt motorbike riding and wrote the track ‘Ice Ice Baby’ when he 16.
In 1985, he fully focused on motocross and won 3 championships, however, he broke his ankle and while it healed, he concentrated on his dance moves. He continued to perform on the streets and once attended a nightclub where he was challenged to go on stage and show his dancing skills etc. The manager was so impressed that he offered Vanilla Ice a contract, giving him the opportunity to improve his skills and become popular.
Robert’s debut hip-hop album was released in 1990, and featured the track ‘Play that Funky Music’ and the number one international hit ‘Ice Ice Baby’. The album was so successful that it remained in 1st place on the Billboard 200 for 16 weeks and sold 11 million copies. He then embarked on several tours for the next 3 years and then took a break and mainly focused on different sports like motocross racing and jet skiing.
During the last 3 decades, Van Winkle released 7 albums and 20 singles, some of which were interpreted with other artists. He also appeared on numerous videos, as lead as well as featured artist, both for music and film/TV. Apart from music, Robert acted in several movies/TV series.
To date, Vanilla Ice received 7 awards, including 2 American Music, 2 Kids’ Choice and a People’s Choice, amongst others.
*Image: no infringement intended. Source: aceshowbiz.com