'Body Count' is an American
heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles,
California in
1990. The group was founded by performer
Ice T, best known for his contributions to the
hip hop genre. Ice T founded the group out of his interest in the heavy metal genre, and took on the role of vocalist for the group, writing the lyrics for most of the group's songs, while the music was written by lead guitarist
Ernie C.
[4] The group's
self-titled debut album was released on
Sire Records in 1992. The album's single "
Cop Killer" was the subject of much controversy. Although Sire Records' parent company,
Warner Bros. Records, defended the single, Ice T chose to remove the track from the album because he had felt that the controversy had eclipsed the music itself.
The group left Sire the following year. Since then, they have released three further albums on different labels, none of which have been received as commercially or critically well as their debut album.
History
Tracy Marrow, best known under the stage name
Ice T, had long had an interest in heavy metal and other genres of
rock music, even before becoming famous as a rapper. He founded Body Count out of this interest. Like Ice T's
gangsta rap albums, the group's material focused on various social and political issues, with songs focusing on topics ranging from police brutality to drug abuse. The band made their first album appearance on the 1991 Ice T solo album ''. The group made their album debut the following year. The original line-up consisted of Ice T on vocals and production,
Ernie C on lead guitar and co-production,
Mooseman on bass,
Beatmaster V on drums and
D-Roc on rhythm guitar.
Body Count's
self-titled debut album encountered controversy soon after its release mostly surrounding the song "
Cop Killer". The song was intended to criticize corrupt
police officers, but many took it as an attack against the entire police force.
According to Ice T, "I thought I was safe. I thought within the world of rock'n'roll, you could be free to write what you want. Hell, I was listening to
Talking Heads singin' '
Psycho Killer.' Fuck it, I'll make 'Cop Killer'! But, that was the cross of metal with something that was real. Now we’re not just killing your family, we’re killing somebody so real that everybody just went, 'oh shit.'"
The Dallas Police Association and the Combined Law Enforcement Association of Texas launched a campaign to force
Warner Bros. Records to withdraw the album.
[7] Within a week, they were joined by police organizations across the
United States.
Some critics argued that the song could cause crime and violence.
Many defended the song on the basis of the group's right to
freedom of speech. In ''The Ice Opinion: Who Gives a Fuck'', Ice T wrote that he felt that defenders of the song should not have defended the song based on
First Amendment rights.
"I didn't need people to come in and really back me on the First Amendment. I needed people to come in and say 'Ice-T has grounds to make this record.' I have the right to make it because the cops are killing my people. So fuck the First Amendment, let's deal with the fact that I have the right to make it."
Over the next month, controversy against the band grew. Vice President
Dan Quayle branded "Cop Killer" as being "obscene," and President
George H.W. Bush publicly denounced any record company that would release such a product.
At a
Time-Warner shareholders' meeting, actor
Charlton Heston stood and read lyrics from the song "KKK Bitch" to an astonished audience and demanded that the company take action.
The criticism escalated to the point where death threats were sent to Time-Warner executives, and
stockholders threatened to pull out of the company. Finally, Ice T decided to remove "Cop Killer" from the album of his own volition.
In an interview, Ice T stated that "I didn't want my band to get pigeon-holed as that's the only reason that record sold. It just got outta hand and I was just tired of hearing it. I said, 'fuck it,' I mean they're saying we did it for money, and we didn't. I'd gave the record away, ya know, let's move on, let's get back to real issues, not a record but the cops that are out there killing people."
"Cop Killer" was replaced by a new version of "Freedom of Speech," a song from Ice T's 1989 solo album ''
The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech...Just Watch What You Say''. The song was re-edited and remixed to give it a more rock-oriented sound. Ice T left Warner Bros. the following year because of disputes over the Ice T solo album ''
Home Invasion'',
taking Body Count with him.
Despite the controversy, Body Count toured constantly throughout the 1990s in the USA as well as Europe, including festivals such as
Lollapalooza.
The band released their second album, ''
Born Dead'' in 1994 on
Virgin Records. Although the album's title track became a moderate hit single, the album wasn't very well received by critics and fans. Prior to the recording of Body Count's third album '' (1997), bassist Mooseman left the group and was replaced by Griz. The album received better reviews than their previous effort, but the sales remained low.
Drummer Beatmaster V died of
leukemia soon after the album was completed
and a new drummer named O.T. filled in the position. Bassist Griz left the band later on, and in the meanwhile, former bassist Mooseman was shot in a drive-by shooting in February 2001
while working for
Iggy Pop. In late 2004, rhythm guitarist D-Roc died due to complications from lymphoma,
leaving only Ice T and Ernie C from the original line-up. Ice T has stated that "For me, honestly, after something like that, you can either come to a dead stop or you can go on. [...] It was so emotional. We were in the middle of making a new record together and he goes and dies? It was like, 'damn!' Soon enough, though, everybody was like, 'c'mon c'mon you gotta do it.' It was make-or-break. The key essence of Body Count is it’s a band made up of friends. It’s not about going out and hiring the best drummer or the best guitarist. If we don’t know you, you can’t be in the band."
In July 2006, Body Count released their fourth album, ''
Murder 4 Hire'' on the indie record label Escapi Music.
Their current line-up includes drummer OT, bassist Vincent Price and rhythm guitarist Bendrix. Body Count plan to continue to play live and record. According to Ernie C, "We will carry on the band. I don't know if it will be Body Count, but in some form, Ice and I will always play together."
Genre
While Body Count's early music has roots in the heavy metal and hardcore punk genres, the group would later be seen as a predecessor of the
rapcore genre.
When the band's debut album was released, Ice T defined it as being "a rock album with a rap mentality."
[8] Ice T later stated that "When we initially came out, my agenda was not to be a rap/rock band. My agenda was to redefine hardcore metal. If you listen to the first record, I don't rap! I didn't want to go out there and perform with
Korn. I wanted to go out with
Slayer!"
On another occasion, Ice T stated that "What I saw was a direction in music. I was like, 'This will work because rap is rock, and rock is rap.' It's all the same."
Discography
Singles and EPs
★ ''Body Count'' CD EP (1992)
[9]
★ ''There Goes The Neighborhood'' CD and Vinyl Single (1992)
[10]
★ ''Born Dead'' CD Single (1994)
★ ''Necessary Evil'' CD Single (1994)
Albums
★ ''
Body Count'' CD/LP/
CS (1992, re-released later the same year without the song Cop Killer)
★ ''
Born Dead'' CD/LP/CS
(1994)
★ '' CD/LP/CS
(1997)
★ ''
Murder 4 Hire'' CD (2006)
Videography
Music Videos
★ ''The Winner Loses'' (1992)
★ ''There Goes The Neighborhood'' (1992)
★ ''Body Count's In The House'' (1992, special live version with footage from the film ''
Universal Soldier'' and cameos by
Jean-Claude Van Damme and
Dolph Lundgren)
★ ''Hey Joe'' (1993, although official, it only features previously filmed Body Count/
Jimi Hendrix footage)
★ ''Born Dead'' (1994)
★ ''Necessary Evil'' (1994)
★ ''Medley: Masters Of Revenge/Killin' Floor/Drive By/Street Lobotomy'' (1994)
★ ''I Used To Love Her'' (1997)
★ ''Relationships'' (2006)
Live DVDs
★ ''Murder 4 Hire'' (2004)
★ ''Live in LA'' (2005)
★ ''Smoke Out Festival Presents: Body Count'' (2005, recorded in 2003)
References
1. Body Count
2. Body Count Guitarist Dead
3. No thaw for rapper Ice T
4. The Ice Opinion: Who Gives a Fuck?, Ice T, , , Pan Books, 1994,
5. A ROC EXCLUSIVE: ICE-T SPEAKS OUT ON CENSORSHIP, COP KILLER, HIS LEAVING WARNER BROS., AND MORE
6. Ice T Melts
7. Youth Media, , Bill, Osgerby, Routledge, 2004,
8. Postmodern Apocalypse: Theory and Cultural Practice at the End, , Richard, Dellamora, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1995,
9. ASIN: B000BWRGPY
10. The Great Rock Discography, , Martin Charles, Strong, Canongate, 2002,
External links
★
Official Ice T/Body Count website
★
Body Count CORNER — Fansite with lyrics, tabs and rare tracks.
★
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