One-hit wonder Vanilla Ice was born Robert Matthew Van Winkle on October 31, 1968, in Miami Lakes, Florida. When Ice was four years old, his father left the family, and a succession of different stepfathers came and went. As a teenager, Ice performed poorly in school, and eventually dropped out at age eighteen, when he was still in the tenth grade. The late 80s saw Ice earning a living by washing cars, until he made the move to sign up at a local nightclub to perform. A natural rapper and dancer, Ice soon earned the nickname Vanilla Ice.

Ice released his first rap album in 1989 on an independent label. Called Hooked, the album sold just 48,000 copies, and is a collector’s item today. It was Ice’s next album the following year, To the Extreme, which launched him into the mainstream, on the success of his hit "Ice Ice Baby." The album went on to sell over 11 million copies, and earned Ice a spot in history as one of the most commercially successful rappers of all time. However, the catchy hook of "Ice Ice Baby" proved to be the very thing that also got Ice in trouble – it had been sampled without permission from the Queen and David Bowie collaboration, "Under Pressure."

Other problems began to surface for Ice at the peak of his popularity, particularly concerning his public image. Although he had claimed that he had attended an all-black high school and led a life of crime, these claims were proven to be fabrications to lend the rapper street credibility. This led to a backlash from the hip-hop community, similar to the fate suffered by his contemporary at the time, MC Hammer.

In 1991, Ice made a foray into film with his debut in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze. He followed up with his own movie, Cool as Ice, that same year, which featured a duet with Naomi Campbell on its soundtrack. The film was ridiculed, and saw Ice slip into obscurity for the rest of the 90s and become a motocross racer, as alternative and grunge music dominated the airwaves.

On July 4, 1994, Ice attempted suicide, citing drug abuse and anxiety following his public fall from grace. Also around this time, Ice claimed in a television interview that he had been dangled over a balcony by founder and CEO of Death Row Records, Marion "Suge" Knight, for unpaid royalties. Knight denied the incident, which has since been parodied in films.

Ice continued to release albums into the 90s and the new millennium, usually accompanied by a different image change. In 2001, he released the hip-hop album Bipolar , featuring collaborations with the Wu-Tang Clan, Chuck D from Public Enemy, and Insane Clown Posse. Ice’s association with the Insane Clown Posse earned the ire of their mutual rival Eminem, who has previously dissed Ice in his lyrics.

Ice has taken advantage of the new-found fame offered to b-list celebrities through reality television. He has appeared on such celeb-reality shows as Celebrity Boxing in 2002 with Todd Bridges; The Surreal Life in 2004, with Traci Bingham, Trishelle Cannatella, Erik Estrada, Tammy Faye Messner, Ron Jeremy, and Gary Coleman; Hit Me Baby One More Time in 2005; and The Surreal Life: Fame Games in 2007.

Ice was previously involved in an eight-month relationship with Madonna in the early 90s, and appeared in her controversial Sex book. He is currently married to his wife, Laura. The couple lives in Wellington, Florida, with their two daughters, Dusti Raine and Keelee Breeze; as well as their pet wallaroo, Bucky, and pet goat, Pancho.

YUDDY