Body Count | |
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.jpg) Body Count atWacken Open Air 2019 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Los Angeles,California, U.S. |
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| Website | bodycountband |
Body Count is an Americanheavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1990. The group is fronted byIce-T, who first established himself as arapper but co-founded the group with lead guitaristErnie C out of their interest in heavy metal music. Ice-T took on the role of vocalist and writing the lyrics for most of Body Count's songs, while Ernie C has been responsible for writing the group's music.
Body Count'sself-titled debut album was released onSire Records in 1992, and garnered much attention due to a controversy around the song "Cop Killer". Their label, Sire Records, and their parent company,Warner Bros. Records, defended the song; however Ice-T chose to remove it from the album because he felt that the controversy had eclipsed the music itself. The group left Sire the following year, and they have since released seven more albums.
Three out of the band's original seven members are deceased: D-Roc died fromlymphoma,Beatmaster V fromleukemia, andMooseman in adrive-by shooting. Body Count's current lineup includes vocalist Ice-T, guitarists Ernie C andJuan Garcia, bassist Vincent Price, drummer Will "Ill Will" Dorsey Jr., and backing vocalists Sean E Sean and Little Ice (Ice-T's son).
The band received its second Grammy nomination and later won the award at the63rd Annual Grammy Awards in 2021 forBest Metal Performance with their song "Bum Rush" from the albumCarnivore.[5]
Ice-T's interest in heavy metal stemmed from sharing a room with his cousin Earl, who was a fan of rock music and only listened to the local rock stations. Ice-T particularly enjoyed heavy metal, citingEdgar Winter,Led Zeppelin andBlack Sabbath as his favorite bands.[6] Ice-T attendedCrenshaw High School, where a few classmates shared his interest in the genre, including musiciansErnie C, D-Roc the Executioner,Beatmaster V, andMooseman. Ice-T began a solo career as a rapper, and later decided to form Body Count with these friends.[6][7] Explaining the motivation behind the name, Ice-T later said:
"Body Count is an all-out metal group. We've got the stage props and everything and we're coming in for the kill. That's what the title Body Count means. In Los Angeles on a Sunday night the lady comes on the news and says "13 people killed in gang warfare this weekend, now sports." To me being a black man in Los Angeles make me just a statistic, another one in the body count.[8]
The earliest formation of Body Count was in 1989 when Ice-T had Ernie C, Mooseman, and Beatmaster V participated in live instrumentation on Ice-T's albumThe Iceberg/Freedom of Speech... Just Watch What You Say! They played on the tracks "The Girl Tried to Kill Me", "Hit the Deck", and "What Ya Wanna Do?"[9]
Ice-T co-wrote 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.[10] The original line-up consisted of D-Roc on rhythm guitar, Beatmaster V on drums and Mooseman on bass.
Ice-T introduced the band atLollapalooza 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.[11] Ice-T described it as "the best tour I've been on in my life as far as the music thing"[12] and some considered the Body Count performances to be the highlight of the tour.[13] The group made its first album appearance on Ice-T's 1991 solo albumO.G. Original Gangster. 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 asChuck Berry,Bo Diddley andLittle Richard, in addition to stating that "as far as I'm concerned, music is music. 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".[14]
Body Count'sself-titled debut album was released onSire/Warner Bros. Records on March 31, 1992. On the strength of the album, Body Count toured internationally, developing a strong following.[6]
The song "Cop Killer", intended to criticize corrupt police officers, encountered controversy, as it was seen as an attack against the entire police force.[10][15] 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 toTalking Heads singin' 'Psycho Killer'. 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'".[16]
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The Dallas Police Association and the Combined Law Enforcement Association of Texas launched a campaign to forceWarner Bros. Records to withdraw the album.[17] Within a week, they were joined by police organizations across the United States.[17] Some critics argued that the song could cause crime and violence.[17] Many defended the song on the basis of the group's right to freedom of speech. InThe 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."[10]
Over the next month, controversy against the band grew. Vice PresidentDan Quayle branded "Cop Killer" as being "obscene", and PresidentGeorge H.W. Bush publicly denounced any record company that would release such a product.[17] At aTime-Warner shareholders' meeting, actorCharlton Heston stood and read lyrics from the song "KKK Bitch" to an astonished audience and demanded that the company take action.[17] The criticism escalated to the point where death threats were sent to Time-Warner executives, and shareholders threatened to pull out of the company. Finally, Ice-T decided to remove "Cop Killer" from the album of his own volition.[10][15][18] 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."[18]
"Cop Killer" was replaced by a new version of "Freedom of Speech", a song from Ice-T's 1989 solo albumThe Iceberg/Freedom of Speech... Just Watch What You Say!. 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 albumHome Invasion,[10] taking Body Count with him. Despite the controversy, the album received some praise, including A− reviews fromEntertainment Weekly andThe Village Voice, who later ranked the album among their list ofThe 40 Best Albums of 1992.[19]Variety reported that the album had sold 480,000 copies by January 29, 1993.[20]
In 1993, Body Count recorded a cover of "Hey Joe" for theJimi Hendrix tribute albumStone Free: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix.[21] The band released their second album,Born Dead in 1994 onVirgin Records. Prior to the recording of Body Count's third albumViolent Demise: The Last Days (1997), bassist Mooseman left the group and was replaced by Griz. Drummer Beatmaster V died ofleukemia soon after the album was completed,[22] and a new drummer named O.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 after recording an album and preparing for another tour withIggy Pop in his band the Trolls.[22] 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.[22]
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."[16]
In July 2006, Body Count released their fourth album,Murder 4 Hire on the indie record label Escapi Music.[16] Its album cover, featuringUncle Sam holding a cardboard sign reading "Will Kill for Money", compares the United States military tocontract killers.[23] The then-line-up included drummer O.T., bassist Vincent Price and rhythm guitarist Bendrix. The band then took an extended hiatus for a couple of years; in regards to the future of Body Count, Ernie C stated, "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."[22]
The band's presence between after 2009 was sporadic: On September 6, 2009, Body Count made an appearance at theVans Warped Tour 15th-anniversary party at Club Nokia in downtown Los Angeles. The group played a 20-minute set, coveredSlayer, and closed with their controversial classic "Cop Killer".[24] Also on the bill wereNOFX,Katy Perry,Pennywise,Bad Religion andRise Against. Mike Sullivan ofExploreMusic caught up with Ernie C at the 2010 edition of the Vans Warped Tour. While briefly chatting, Ernie C divulged that the band was recording its fifth studio album.[25] Body Count wrote an exclusive song, "The Gears of War", for the video gameGears of War 3, and performed it at a party promoting the game.[26]
On December 9, 2012, Ice-T announced onTwitter that Body Count would begin production on a fifth studio album in January 2013.[27] The following day, Ice-T revealed that Body Count has signed withSumerian Records.[28] Ice-T suggested that the album was going to be titledRise![28] orManslaughter.[29][30] On May 10, 2013, Ice-T announced that work on the fifth studio album had begun and that it would be titledManslaughter. The album was released on June 10, 2014.[31] On May 13, 2014, Ice-T played the song "Talk Shit, Get Shot" as a teaser for the new album.
Their sixth album, titledBloodlust, was released in March 2017 viaCentury Media Records.[32] On December 28, 2016, Ice-T posted a preview of the first single "No Lives Matter" to Twitter. Guest musicians confirmed to appear on the album wereMax Cavalera,Randy Blythe andDave Mustaine. Upon the release ofBloodlust, it was confirmed that Ice T's son Tracy Marrow Jr, aka Little Ice, is now a part of the band, performing backing vocals.
In May 2018, Ice-T revealed toLoudwire that Body Count would enter the studio around September to start recording tracks for their seventh studio albumCarnivore. On the meaning of the album title, the rapper said, "It's basically: 'Fuck vegans.' We figure, anything carnivorous pretty much kicks ass. We're carnivorous! I'm not [really] saying 'Fuck vegans.' Everyone's so pussy right now, [so] we're carnivores".[33] The recording sessions began in April 2019.[34] The title track was released as the first single on December 13.[35] The album was released on March 6, 2020.[36]
On June 22, 2021, Body Count announced on their Facebook page that they had started work on their eighth studio albumMerciless.[37] In 2022, it was ranked byMetal Hammer as the 46th most anticipated metal release of that year.[38] After several delays,Merciless was finally released on November 22, 2024.[39]
Ice-T's lyrics focus on reality-based themes, including gang life, because he felt it would be scarier than the fantasy-based horror themes of most heavy metal bands.[6] The band's third album,Violent Demise: The Last Days, featured album cover art depicting the hand signs of these gangs.[6] 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?'"[10]
When the band's debut album was released, Ice-T defined it as being "a rock album with a rap mentality".[40] 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 theBeach Boys sing about the beach, we sing about the way we grew up."[41]
While a good portion of Body Count's lyrics are current issues, Ice-T notes that he also considers Body Count "grindhouse", and that some of the songs are humorous exaggerations of violence;[42] he also expects fans to be able to tell the difference.[43]
Body Count's musical style derives from the dark, ominous tones of traditionalheavy metal bands such asBlack Sabbath andthrash metal bands such asSlayer,[6] as well ashardcore punk's aggressiveness. According to Ernie C, "We wanted to be a bigpunk band [...] Our first record is almost a punk record."[41] The presence of a rapper in a heavy metal band has been credited for paving the way for the rise ofrap metal andnu metal,[44][45][46][47] even though Ice-T does notrap in most Body Count songs and considers it to solely be a rock band.[6] 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."[41]
Current[edit]
| Former[edit]
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| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [48] | AUS [49] | AUT [50] | BEL (FL) [51] | BEL (WA) [52] | GER [53] | NLD [54] | NZ [55] | SWI [56] | UK [57] | |||
| Body Count | 26 | 12 | — | — | — | 25 | — | 18 | — | — | ||
| Born Dead |
| 74 | 5 | 5 | — | — | 5 | 27 | 16 | 10 | 15 | |
| Violent Demise: The Last Days |
| — | — | — | 37 | — | 45 | 92 | — | — | 129 | |
| Murder 4 Hire |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Manslaughter |
| 102 | — | — | 143 | 129 | 92 | — | — | — | — | |
| Bloodlust |
| 157 | 12 | 24 | 24 | 47 | 13 | 89 | — | 18 | — | |
| Carnivore |
| — | 27 | 8 | 39 | 34 | 5 | — | — | 10 | — | |
| Merciless |
| — | — | 22 | 122 | — | 12 | — | — | 15 | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that country. | ||||||||||||
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [49] | GER [58] | NZ [55] | SWI [59] | UK [60] | |||||
| 1992 | "There Goes the Neighborhood" | 86 | — | 35 | — | — | Body Count | ||
| "The Winner Loses" | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 1993 | "Hey Joe" | 67 | — | 31 | — | — | Stone Free: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix | ||
| 1994 | "Born Dead" | 52 | 32 | — | 44 | 28 | Born Dead | ||
| "Necessary Evil" | — | — | — | 41 | 45 | ||||
| "Medley" | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 1997 | "Truth or Death" | — | — | — | — | — | Violent Demise: The Last Days | ||
| "I Used to Love Her" | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 2014 | "Back to Rehab" | — | — | — | — | — | Manslaughter | ||
| 2017 | "No Lives Matter"[61] | — | — | — | — | — | Bloodlust | ||
| 2019 | "Carnivore" | — | — | — | — | — | Carnivore | ||
| 2020 | "Bum-Rush" | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2024 | "Psychopath" | — | — | — | — | — | Merciless | ||
| "Fuck What You Heard" | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Comfortably Numb" | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released. | |||||||||
| Year | Award | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Best Metal Performance | "Black Hoodie" | Nominated | [62] |
| 2020 | "Bum-Rush" | Won |
Back in the day, Body Count was categorized as "rap metal" or "nu metal." Manslaughter sounds like just a straight-up metal album, without the hip-hop tropes that -- because of your background (and ethnicity) -- the band was initially categorized by.
Moreover, the band's second album, 'Born Dead,' released on Virgin Records in September 1994, peaked at a lowly 74. Upon its release, the Los Angeles Times remarked that 'it's time to pull the plug on this genre [of rap-metal]. The novelty has worn off.'
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