Vanilla Ice

Robert Van Winkle (born October 31, 1968), better known as Vanilla Ice, is an American rapper, known today for the single "Ice Ice Baby" and the controversy that ensued after it became known that his hardcore gangsta past was entirely manufactured to drive up sales of the single and album, To the Extreme. He eventually faced legal problems as "Ice Ice Baby" sampled the Queen and David Bowie collaboration "Under Pressure" without permission.

"Ice Ice Baby" topped the charts beginning late 1990 (see 1990 in music), and he began filming Cool as Ice. The film was a failure commercially and critically as he had been exposed by the time it was released.

Ice returned to music in 1994 (see 1994 in music) with Mind Blowin', which adopted a brand new, Cypress Hill-influenced sound. The album quickly fell off the charts, as did 1998's Hard to Swallow (see 1998 in music), which used a new gangsta rap sound and image. His latest album was 2001's Bipolar, a blend of rap and rock that did little to rekindle public interest in him.

In 2004, Vanilla Ice starred in the second season of The Surreal Life on The WB.