Ice-T Explains History Behind 'Law & Order' Role

08/08/2000 1:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Craig Rosen

(8/8/00, 1 p.m. ET) - Ice-T has appeared in more than 20 films since 1984, but the rapper-actor has made news recently because of his new role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

The Los Angeles-based performer, who must relocate to New York in order to film the show, told LAUNCH how he got the part. "They called me and said, 'Ice, we want you to do Law & Order, a few episodes,'" he recalled. "I told them no because I didn't really have the time to come out and do the character and just be a walk-on. Then they called back and were like, 'No, we want you to be a series regular.' And then I was like, 'Well, damn, man, that's New York.' I've got a house, I got a family, I got everything in L.A. And then they did the Hollywood thing, just offered you a lot of money."

On Law & Order, Ice-T will play a veteran detective who teams with Detective John Munch, who is portrayed by Richard Belzer. The show airs Friday evenings at 10 p.m. ET.

In addition to his acting career, Ice-T has a number of music projects in the works. Today (August 8), his Greatest Hits: The Evidence, arrives in stores. The collection traces the history of the pioneering gangster rapper by featuring 15 of his most notable songs, as well as the new recording "Money, Power, Women."

Ice-T is also one of the key players on the Analog Brothers's Pimp To Eat album, which is scheduled to be released next Tuesday (August 15). Ice assumes the identity of Ice Oscillator on the album, while Kool Keith will go by Keith Korg on the 16-song project. The Pimp To Eat album enjoyed early publicity in June, when the master copy of the set was supposedly stolen during the riots that took place in Los Angeles after the Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA Championship.

-- Soren Baker, Los Angeles

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