Vanilla Ice Songs That You Missed

Vanilla Ice is mostly known for one song -- "Ice Ice Baby" -- the #1 hit from his first album To The Extreme. 

You may not know that he kept creating music on five studio albums -- and experimented with different styles.

A backlash after Ice's first big hit caused many people to ignore his later music. But it's not too late to "stop, collaborate and listen."

Some of his songs may be most interesting from a historical perspective, but others just might get you dancing.

(Hear my 1990 and 1993 interviews with Vanilla Ice, which I'm sharing for the first time on I Couldn't Throw It Out podcast) 

"Play That Funky Music" (1990) was the first single from Vanilla Ice's first album, with "Ice Ice Baby" on the flip side.  It borrows heavily from the 1976 #1 hit by the band Wild Cherry. In the title and lyrics, he leans into his role as a white rapper, but the flip side song is the one that became a hit.

"I Love You" (1990) shows just how willing Vanilla Ice was to try different styles on his first album.  After this mushy love song, he wisely left the romance genre to another '90s icon, Fabio.

"Ninja Rap" (1991) from Vanilla Ice's concert scene in the movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of Ooze delivers a catchy "Go Ninja go Ninja go" chant. But appearing in a movie for kids probably wasn't the best career move, as music writer David Browne points out in our podcast episode.

"The People's Choice" (1991) from the movie Cool As Ice, gave Vanilla Ice his first starring role as a motorcycle riding bad boy who steals the beautiful girl from her nerdy boyfriend. But rushing into a clunky movie that critics panned damaged his credibility as a rapper.

"You Don't Hear Me" (1993) puts Vanilla Ice together with Rodney O. and Joe Cooley, who would produce his second album. This sure sounds like a fun and legit direction, though as Rodney O. told me in 1993, some rap fans weren't ready to give Ice a chance.

"Roll 'Em Up" (1994) shows off the tougher sound of Vanilla Ice's "Mind Blowin'" album, which came out nearly four years after his debut. The rhymes about rolling up a blunt pre-date Ice's later no-drugs policy. The song may sound a little too much like House of Pain's "Jump Around," but the chorus is pretty catchy.

"The Wrath" (1994) is Ice's response to the rappers 3rd Bass, who made a diss song about him called "Pop Goes The Weasel."  His dreadlocks, heavy bass line, and audio references to 2 Live Crew's rap song "Me So Horny," are a long way from "Ninja Rap."

"Too Cold" (1998) may have the same lyrics as Vanilla Ice's first hit, but musically it's another sudden turn. This time, he's releasing his angry side with rap metal.  If you're into this, it sounds about right.  But whoa, it ain't what his early fans expected. 

"Get Your Ass Up" (2002) takes Ice to the classic hip-hop side of his "Bi-Polar" album, which also features some rap metal. I had never heard this song till now, but I'm putting it on repeat now. Why it wasn't a hit on dance floors is a mystery. Maybe it got buried under all the rap metal?

"The Weed Song" (2002) goes off in another direction -- auto-tune singing with a guest rasta rapper, praising weed. Seems like Ice's anti-drug phase might have gone on pause.

"Hustlin'" (2005) includes sampling that is way more sophisticated and unusual than Ice's earlier tunes -- but after 10 years, it has less than 1000 views on Youtube.  Doesn't seem right.

"Put Your Hands Up" (2023) is a single with another chant that invites you to join in.  Ice seems to be having fun again in the video.

"Rollin' in my 5.0" (2025) brings things full circle with Adam Sandler and DJ Earthquake joining Ice in a remake of a song from his first album. Once again, the fun is back.  And by the way, for those who don't know, a 5.0 is a vintage mustang with a 5-liter V8 engine. (Okay, I admit it.  I had to look it up.)

Listen to my 1990 and 1993 interviews with Vanilla Ice -- which I'm sharing for the first time -- on I Couldn't Throw It Out podcast:  How Cool is Vanilla Ice?