“Because I first made my name as a rapper claiming South Central L.A., people often assume I'm strictly a West Coast cat. But my family was actually from back East. I was born in Newark, New Jersey, and grew up in Summit, an upscale town in north Jersey.”

American rapper and actor

Ice-T, born Tracy Lauren Marrow, is an American rapper and actor. Active since the 1980s, he is known for work in hip-hop and heavy metal, and for a career that has moved between music and screen roles. He began as an underground rapper before signing with Sire Records in 1987 and releasing his debut album, Rhyme Pays. He later founded Rhyme $yndicate Records and followed with Power, his only platinum album, then The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech... Just Watch What You Say!, O.G. Original Gangster, and Home Invasion, all of which were gold and widely acclaimed.