“I don't feel that rap has been respected as an art form. Because people have seen rappers rap off the top of their heads, they don't think it is difficult.”

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.