Ice-T Age, Height, Wife & Biography

Ice-T is an American rapper, songwriter, actor and producer who became one of the pioneers of gangsta rap in the 1980s. Born in New Jersey in 1958, he released his debut album Rhyme Pays in 1987 and went on to build a long career in music, leading the heavy metal band Body Count. He is also known for playing Detective Odafin Fin Tutuola on the television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, a role he has held since 2000.

Quick Facts

Who Is Ice-T?

Ice-T is an American rapper and actor known for his pioneering gangsta rap records and for his long-running role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. He is best known for the songs 6 in the Mornin’, Colors and New Jack Hustler, and for leading the heavy metal band Body Count. He has been nominated for Grammy Awards and has also worked as a producer, author and television host.

Ice-T has been a fixture of American popular culture for more than four decades, moving from music to film and television. He played a detective in New Jack City in 1991, starred in the reality series Ice Loves Coco with his wife, and has become one of the longest-serving cast members in the history of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Early Life & Background

Ice-T was born Tracy Lauren Marrow on 16 February 1958 in Newark, New Jersey. His mother died when he was a child and his father died when he was 12 years old, after which he moved to Los Angeles to live with relatives. He attended Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles and began performing as a rapper in the early 1980s, taking his stage name from the author Iceberg Slim.

He served in the United States Army for four years in the late 1970s, where he became a squad leader and began writing rhymes. After leaving the Army he returned to Los Angeles and began recording, releasing his first singles in 1982 and 1983. His song 6 in the Mornin’, released in 1986, became one of the first gangsta rap records.

Career

Ice-T released his debut album, Rhyme Pays, in 1987, and it became the first hip-hop album to carry a parental advisory label. He followed it with Power in 1988 and O.G. Original Gangster in 1991, featuring the hit New Jack Hustler, which was used in the film New Jack City, in which he played the detective Scotty Appleton. He also recorded Colors for the film of the same name in 1988.

In 1990 Ice-T formed the heavy metal band Body Count, which released its debut album in 1992. The album’s song Cop Killer became the subject of a national controversy, and the band’s record label removed the track from the album. Ice-T has continued to lead Body Count, releasing albums including Bloodlust in 2017 and Carnivore in 2020, the latter of which won the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.

Ice-T joined Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in 2000 as Detective Odafin Fin Tutuola, and he has remained with the show for more than two decades, becoming one of its longest-serving cast members. He has also starred in the reality series Ice Loves Coco with his wife, Coco Austin, and has worked as a television host and author. He is married to Coco Austin, with whom he has a daughter, and he remains active in music, television and film.

Facts About Ice-T

• He served for four years in the United States Army before becoming a rapper.
• Rhyme Pays was the first hip-hop album to carry a parental advisory label.
• His 1986 song 6 in the Mornin’ was one of the first gangsta rap records.
• Body Count’s album Carnivore won the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.
• He has played Detective Fin Tutuola on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit since 2000.

Frequently Asked Questions