| Body Count | |
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Body Count performs at a concert in Prague, 2006
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Genre(s) | Heavy metal Crossover thrash Hardcore punk Rapcore |
| Years active | 1990 – present |
| Label(s) | Sire/Warner Bros. Records (1992-1994) Virgin/EMI Records (1994-2006) Escapi Music (2006-current) |
| Website | IceT.com |
| Members | |
| Ice T Ernie C Bendrix Vincent Price O. Prague (ˈprɑːg Praha (ˈpraɦa see also other names) is the Capital and Largest city of the Czech Republic. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Thrash metal (sometimes referred to simply as thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized by its fast tempo and aggression Hardcore punk (now usually referred to as simply hardcore) is a subgenre of Punk rock that originated in North America in the late 1970s Rap rock is a fusion genre of rock and hip-hop. It blends vocal and instrumental parts of hip-hop and various forms of rock including punk and rock In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Sire Records Company is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed through Warner Bros Warner Bros Records Inc is an American Record label that operates as a wholly owned Subsidiary of Warner Music Group. Virgin Records is a British Record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell The EMI Group is a British music company comprising the major record company EMI Music – which operates several labels and is based in Kensington in Ernie Cunnigan, better known by stage name "Ernie C" is the lead guitarist T. |
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| Former members | |
| Mooseman (deceased) Beatmaster V (deceased) D-Roc (deceased) Griz |
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Body Count is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1990. Lloyd Roberts aka Mooseman was an American Musician and the Bassist of Body Count. Victor Ray Wilson aka Beatmaster V ( 20_february 1959 - 30_april 1996 was the drummer of Body Count. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. The group was founded by Ice T, best known for his contributions to the hip hop genre. Hip hop music, also referred to as rap music, is a Music genre typically consisting of a rhythmic vocal style called rap which is accompanied with Ice T founded the group out of his interest in heavy metal, and took on the role of vocalist for the group, writing the lyrics for most of the group's songs, while the music was written by lead guitarist Ernie C. Ernie Cunnigan, better known by stage name "Ernie C" is the lead guitarist [1] The group's self-titled debut album was released on Sire Records in 1992. Body Count is the eponymous debut album of American heavy metal band Body Count. Sire Records Company is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed through Warner Bros
The song "Cop Killer" was the subject of much controversy. " Cop Killer " is a 1992 song by American Heavy metal band Body Count, from their 1992 self-titled debut album. Although Sire Records' parent company, Warner Bros. Records, defended the single, Ice T chose to remove the track from the album because he felt that the controversy had eclipsed the music itself. Warner Bros Records Inc is an American Record label that operates as a wholly owned Subsidiary of Warner Music Group. [1][2] The group left Sire the following year. Since then, they have released three further albums on different labels, none of which have been received as commercially or critically well as their debut album.
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Tracy Marrow, best known under the stage name Ice T, had long had an interest in heavy metal and other genres of rock music, even before becoming famous as a rapper. Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. He founded Body Count out of this interest. The band was comprised of musicians Ice T had known from Crenshaw High School. Crenshaw High School is a Secondary school located in South Los Angeles, California. [3]
Ice T cowrote the band's music and lyrics with lead guitarist Ernie C, and took on the duties of lead vocalist, even though he felt that he did not have a great singing voice. Ernie Cunnigan, better known by stage name "Ernie C" is the lead guitarist [1] Aside from Ice T and Ernie C, the original line-up consisted of Mooseman on bass, Beatmaster V on drums and D-Roc on rhythm guitar. Lloyd Roberts aka Mooseman was an American Musician and the Bassist of Body Count. The electric bass guitar (also called electric bass, or simply bass; ˈbeɪs as in "base" is a Stringed instrument played primarily with the Victor Ray Wilson aka Beatmaster V ( 20_february 1959 - 30_april 1996 was the drummer of Body Count. A drum kit (also drum set or trap set) is a collection of Drums Cymbals and sometimes other Percussion instruments such as cowbells Rhythm guitar is the use of a Guitar to provide Rhythmic chordal Accompaniment for a singer or other instruments in a Musical ensemble According to Ice T, "We named the group Body Count because every Sunday night in L. A. , I'd watch the news, and the newscasters would tally up the youths killed in gang homicides that week and then just segue to sports. 'Is that all I am,' I thought, 'a body count?'"[1]
Ice T introduced the band at Lollapalooza in 1991, devoting half of his set to his hip hop songs, and half to Body Count songs, increasing his appeal with both alternative music fans and middle-class teenagers. Lollapalooza is an American music festival featuring Alternative rock, hip hop, and Punk rock bands Dance and Comedy performances [4] Many considered the Body Count performances to be the highlight of the tour. [5] Like Ice T's hip hop albums, the group's material focused on various social and political issues, with songs focusing on topics ranging from police brutality to drug abuse. Ernie C has stated that "We were just a band that played the songs that we knew how to write. Everybody writes about whatever they learned growing up, and we were no exception. Like the Beach Boys sing about the beach, we sing about the way we grew up. The Beach Boys is an American rock band Formed in 1961 the group gained popularity for its close vocal harmonies and lyrics reflecting a California Youth culture "[6]
The group made its first album appearance on Ice T's 1991 solo album O.G. Original Gangster. OG Original Gangster is the fourth album by Ice T. Released in 1991, the album has been praised by many as the artist's best album The song, "Body Count", was preceded by a spoken introduction in which Ice T responds to allegations that he had "sold out" by incorporating rock elements into his rap albums by pointing out that rock music originated with African-American artists such as Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and Little Richard, in addition to stating that "as far as I'm concerned, music is music. African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry (born October 18 1926 in St Bo Diddley ( December 30 1928 &ndash June 2 2008, born Ellas Otha Bates) was an original and influential American Rev Richard Wayne Penniman (born December 5 1932 better known by the Stage name Little Richard, is an American Singer, Songwriter I don't look at it as rock, R&B, or all that kind of stuff. I just look at it as music. [. . . ] I do what I like and I happen to like rock 'n' roll, and I feel sorry for anybody who only listens to one form of music. Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African "[7]
Body Count's self-titled debut album was released on Sire/Warner Bros. Records on March 31, 1992. Body Count is the eponymous debut album of American heavy metal band Body Count. " Cop Killer " is a 1992 song by American Heavy metal band Body Count, from their 1992 self-titled debut album. Body Count is the eponymous debut album of American heavy metal band Body Count. Sire Records Company is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed through Warner Bros Warner Bros Records Inc is an American Record label that operates as a wholly owned Subsidiary of Warner Music Group. Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) The album encountered controversy soon after its release mostly surrounding the song "Cop Killer". " Cop Killer " is a 1992 song by American Heavy metal band Body Count, from their 1992 self-titled debut album. The song was intended to criticize corrupt police officers, but many took it as an attack against the entire police force. A police officer (also known as a policeman or policewoman) is a warranted employee of a Police force. [1][8] According to Ice T, "I thought I was safe. I thought within the world of rock'n'roll, you could be free to write what you want. Hell, I was listening to Talking Heads singin' 'Psycho Killer. Talking head Talking Heads was an American New Wave band formed in 1974 in New York City and active until 1991 " Psycho Killer " is a song by Talking Heads from their 1977 album Talking Heads 77, written by David Byrne, Chris Frantz ' Fuck it, I'll make 'Cop Killer'! But, that was the cross of metal with something that was real. Now we’re not just killing your family, we’re killing somebody so real that everybody just went, 'oh shit. '"[9]
The Dallas Police Association and the Combined Law Enforcement Association of Texas launched a campaign to force Warner Bros. Records to withdraw the album. Warner Bros Records Inc is an American Record label that operates as a wholly owned Subsidiary of Warner Music Group. [10] Within a week, they were joined by police organizations across the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the [10] Some critics argued that the song could cause crime and violence. [10] Many defended the song on the basis of the group's right to freedom of speech. Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without Censorship or Limitation. In The Ice Opinion: Who Gives a Fuck, Ice T wrote that "The people who did have a platform were way off backing me on the First Amendment. That's not where all the anger should have been directed. The anger should have been generated back at the police. [. . . ] Because people jumped on the wrong issue they were able to drive this thing totally through Warner Brothers. "[1]
Over the next month, controversy against the band grew. Vice President Dan Quayle branded "Cop Killer" as being "obscene," and President George H.W. Bush publicly denounced any record company that would release such a product. James Danforth "Dan" Quayle (born February 4 1947 is an American politician and a former Senator from the state of Indiana. George Herbert Walker Bush (born June 12 1924 served as the forty-first President of the United States from 1989 to 1993 [10] At a Time-Warner shareholders' meeting, actor Charlton Heston stood and read lyrics from the song "KKK Bitch" to an astonished audience and demanded that the company take action. Time Warner Inc ( is the world's largest media and entertainment conglomerate, headquartered in New York City. Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4 1923 &ndash April 5 2008) was an American Actor of [10] The criticism escalated to the point where death threats were sent to Time-Warner executives, and stockholders threatened to pull out of the company. A mutual shareholder or stockholder is an Individual or company (including a Corporation) that legally owns one or more shares of Finally, Ice T decided to remove "Cop Killer" from the album of his own volition. [1][2][8] In an interview, Ice T stated that "I didn't want my band to get pigeon-holed as that's the only reason that record sold. It just got outta hand and I was just tired of hearing it. I said, 'fuck it,' I mean they're saying we did it for money, and we didn't. I'd gave the record away, ya know, let's move on, let's get back to real issues, not a record but the cops that are out there killing people. "[2]
"Cop Killer" was replaced by a new version of "Freedom of Speech," a song from Ice T's 1989 solo album The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech...Just Watch What You Say. The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech Just Watch What You Say is the third album by Ice-T. The song was re-edited and remixed to give it a more rock-oriented sound. Ice T left Warner Bros. Records the following year because of disputes over the Ice T solo album Home Invasion,[1] taking Body Count with him. Home Invasion is the fifth solo album by Ice T. Released in 1993, the album was Ice T's first release on Rhyme Syndicate Records. Despite the controversy, the album received some praise, including A- reviews from Entertainment Weekly and The Village Voice, who later ranked the album among their list of The 40 Best Albums of 1992. Entertainment Weekly (sometimes abbreviated as EW) is a Magazine published by Time Inc This article is about a New York newspaper For the Ottawa Hills Ohio magazine see The Village Voice of Ottawa Hills. [11] Variety reported that the album had sold 480,000 copies by January 29, 1993. Variety is a weekly entertainment trade newspaper founded in New York in 1905 by Sime Silverman Events 904 - Sergius III comes out of retirement to take over the papacy from the deposed Antipope Christopher. Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar) [12]
In 1993, Body Count recorded a cover of "Hey Joe" for the Jimi Hendrix tribute album Stone Free: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix. Hey Joe (disambiguation "Hey Joe" is an American Popular song from the 1960s that has become a rock standard and as such has been performed in James Marshall Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix) (November 27 1942 – September 18 1970 was an American Guitarist, Singer and Songwriter A tribute album is a recorded collection of Cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions Stone Free A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix is a 1993 album recorded by various artists in tribute to Jimi Hendrix. [13] The band released their second album, Born Dead in 1994 on Virgin Records. Born Dead is the second album released by Body Count. Among other tracks the album features a cover of Billy Roberts ' " Hey Joe," Virgin Records is a British Record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell Prior to the recording of Body Count's third album Violent Demise: The Last Days (1997), bassist Mooseman left the group and was replaced by Griz. Violent Demise The Last Days is the third album by Body Count. Drummer Beatmaster V died of leukemia soon after the album was completed,[14] and a new drummer named O. Leukemia or leukaemia (Greek leukos λευκός, "white" aima αίμα, "blood" is a Cancer of the Blood T. filled in the position. Bassist Griz left the band later on, and in the meanwhile, former bassist Mooseman was shot in a drive-by shooting in February 2001 while working for Iggy Pop. James Newell Osterberg Jr (born April 21, 1947) better known by his Stage name Iggy Pop, is an American rock singer Songwriter [14] In late 2004, rhythm guitarist D-Roc died due to complications from lymphoma, leaving only Ice T and Ernie C from the original line-up. [14]
Ice T has stated that "For me, honestly, after something like that, you can either come to a dead stop or you can go on. [. . . ] It was so emotional. We were in the middle of making a new record together and he goes and dies? It was like, 'damn!' Soon enough, though, everybody was like, 'c'mon c'mon you gotta do it. ' It was make-or-break. The key essence of Body Count is it's a band made up of friends. It's not about going out and hiring the best drummer or the best guitarist. If we don't know you, you can’t be in the band. "[9]
In July 2006, Body Count released their fourth album, Murder 4 Hire on the indie record label Escapi Music. Murder 4 Hire is the fourth album by Ice T 's rap metal band Body Count. [9] Its album cover, featuring Uncle Sam holding a cardboard sign reading "Will Kill for Money," compares the United States military to contract killers. Uncle Sam is a National personification of the United States (US with the first usage of the term dating from the War of 1812 and the first The United States Armed Forces are the overall unified military forces of the United States Contract killing occurs when a private contractor or a government hires someone to kill a specific person or people for a sum of money [15] Their current line-up includes drummer O. T. , bassist Vincent Price and rhythm guitarist Bendrix. Body Count plan to continue to play live and record. According to Ernie C, "We will carry on the band. I don't know if it will be Body Count, but in some form, Ice and I will always play together. "[14]
Body Count's early music is primarily rooted in the heavy metal and hardcore punk genres, but has also been associated with genres such as speed metal,[16][17] thrash metal,[18][19] and rapcore. Hardcore punk (now usually referred to as simply hardcore) is a subgenre of Punk rock that originated in North America in the late 1970s Speed metal is a sub-genre of Heavy metal music originating in the late 1970s and early 1980s that was the direct musical progenitor of Thrash metal. Thrash metal (sometimes referred to simply as thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized by its fast tempo and aggression Rap rock is a fusion genre of rock and hip-hop. It blends vocal and instrumental parts of hip-hop and various forms of rock including punk and rock [20] According to Ernie C, "We wanted to be a big punk band [. . . ] Our first record is almost a punk record. "[6] When the band's debut album was released, Ice T defined it as being "a rock album with a rap mentality. "[18] The album has since been credited for paving the way for the rise of rap-metal or rapcore groups. [14][21]
Ice T later stated that "When we initially came out, my agenda was not to be a rap/rock band. My agenda was to redefine hardcore metal. If you listen to the first record, I don't rap! I didn't want to go out there and perform with Korn. Korn, occasionally typeset as KoЯn or KoRn, is an American Nu metal band from Bakersfield California, and is often credited with popularizing I wanted to go out with Slayer!"[9] On another occasion, Ice T stated that "What I saw was a direction in music. Slayer is an American Thrash metal band founded by Guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King in I was like, 'This will work because rap is rock, and rock is rap. ' It's all the same. "[14] According to Ernie C, "A lot of rappers want to be in a rock band, but it has to be done sincerely. You can’t just get anybody on guitar and expect it to work. [. . . ] Ice and I, on the other hand, really loved the music we were doing, and it showed. "[6]