Vanilla Ice

Solo Artist

Photo: Rick Marshall · CC BY 2.0
Active 1985-present
Origin Dallas, Texas
Albums 6
Tracks 106
Most frequent collaborator DJ Street · 26 tracks
Genres Hip HopPop RapNu Metal
Songwriter
74%
Authorship

Holds writing credit on 78 of 106 tracks

Did Vanilla Ice write his own songs?

More than his reputation suggests. He is credited on 71 of his 106 studio tracks and is the only writer on 28 of them, including seven of the eleven on To the Extreme. The 35 tracks with no credit of his are mostly on Bi-Polar, which has no published writing credits at all.

By the Numbers

6
Studio Albums
106
Tracks Credited
74%
Self-Written
41
Years Active
64
Collaborators

Authorship Breakdown 78 / 106 self-written

Who wrote the songs?

Across all 106 tracks: how many Vanilla Ice wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.

Vanilla Ice has a writing credit74%
33%
41%
26%
Sole author35tracks33%
Co-written43tracks41%
Outside writers28tracks26%

Role Fingerprint how they contribute

Lyricist Performer Composer Producer
Vanilla Ice's roles across the catalogue

Share of all 106 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.

Lyricist (words)73%
Composer (music)73%
Producer65%
Performer100%

Authorship Over Time writing credit per album

Vanilla Ice's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.

avg 74%
91%
100%
100%
0%
100%
100%
1990To the Extreme
1994Mind Blowin'
1998Hard to Swallow
2001Bi-Polar
2005Platinum Underground
2011W.T.F. (Wisdom, Tenacity and Focus)
Early · 96% written
Mid · 100% written
Late · 100% written

Authorship by Decade track-weighted

98%
1990s
To the Extreme, Mind Blowin' +1 more
100%
2000s
Bi-Polar, Platinum Underground
100%
2010s
W.T.F. (Wisdom, Tenacity and Focus)

Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author

Where Vanilla Ice sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.

Vanilla Ice
Other artists on the site

Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.

EXO8%
Xscape17%
Salt-N-Pepa35%
TLC59%
Destiny's Child69%
Mýa78%
MC Hammer87%
74%Vanilla Ice
Pure Performer0%
Songwriter~50%
Complete Author100%

Who Really Wrote the Hits signature songs

Ice Ice Baby
To the Extreme
Written by Vanilla Ice, Earthquake, Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, John Deacon, David Bowie, Robert Van Winkle
Co-wrote
Play That Funky Music
To the Extreme
Written by Rob Parissi, Robert Parissi
Outside writers
I Love You
To the Extreme
Written by Vanilla Ice, Robert Van Winkle
Wrote it

Discography 6 albums

Collaborator Network who they worked with most

Vanilla Ice106 tracks
DS26DJ Street, 26 tracks DD25DJ Dont Play, 25 tracks TT25The Trak Starz, 25 tracks SA25Seven Antonopoulos, 25 tracks G25Gemini, 25 tracks SF25Semaj Foreman, 25 tracks DZ14DJ Zero, 14 tracks R&13Rodney-O & Joe Cooley, 13 tracks RR13Ross Robinson, 13 tracks O13Ordito, 13 tracks CC13Casey Chaos, 13 tracks SB13Scott Borland, 13 tracks SL13Shannon Larkin, 13 tracks on Godsmack's page SM13Sonny Mayo, 13 tracks on Sevendust's page H13Holoman, 13 tracks J13Johnson, 13 tracks K4Khayree, 4 tracks TH4Tha Hit Men, 4 tracks JB3Josh Brainard, 3 tracks RM3Roy Mayorga, 3 tracks JM3Jason Mendelson, 3 tracks Z3Zeno, 3 tracks R3Rod-J, 3 tracks E2Earthquake, 2 tracks DW2Darryl Williams, 2 tracks BM2Billy Milano, 2 tracks "T2"T" Tim McMurtrie, 2 tracks SE2Steve Evetts, 2 tracks C2Cyco, 2 tracks Z2Zero, 2 tracks LT2La Tha Darkman, 2 tracks T2Train, 2 tracks R2Rahan, 2 tracks IC2Insane Clown Posse, 2 tracks DD2DJ Dirty Chopstix, 2 tracks CT2Cowboy Troy, 2 tracks R2Ruckus, 2 tracks FM1Freddie Mercury, 1 track on Queen's page BM1Brian May, 1 track on Queen's page RT1Roger Taylor, 1 track on Queen's page JD1John Deacon, 1 track on Queen's page DB1David Bowie, 1 track RP1Rob Parissi, 1 track RP1Robert Parissi, 1 track MJ1Mick Jagger, 1 track on The Rolling Stones's page KR1Keith Richards, 1 track on The Rolling Stones's page KS1Kim Sharp, 1 track DD1David Deberry, 1 track RJ1Rod Johnson, 1 track PR1Patrick Rollins, 1 track JP1Jimmy Pop, 1 track IP1Insane Poetry, 1 track 2&12-Hype & C-Note, 1 track LT1La The Darkman, 1 track C1Calico, 1 track CD1Chuck D, 1 track on Public Enemy's page P1Pearla, 1 track M1Mecca, 1 track TS1Track Starz, 1 track 212-Hype, 1 track DD1DJ Dirty ChopStix, 1 track VJ1Violent J, 1 track MD1MC Duke, 1 track BB1Brandon Bishop, 1 track

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. DS DJ Street · DD DJ Dont Play · TT The Trak Starz · SA Seven Antonopoulos · G Gemini · SF Semaj Foreman

Photo credits

Portraits in the web and the rail come from Wikimedia Commons. The artist's own photo carries its credit under the picture.

The Authorship Story

Data Insight

Vanilla Ice is credited on 71 of his 106 studio tracks and is the only writer on 28. The number holds up better than his reputation does: on the debut he is on ten of eleven tracks and alone on seven, which is more self-writing than most pop rap acts of 1990 managed. The 24 tracks with no credit are all on Bi-Polar, a self-released double album nobody documented.

Quick Facts

  • Self-writtenCredited on 71 of his 106 studio tracks
  • Written alone28 tracks carry his name and no other
  • The debutHe is credited on ten of the eleven tracks of To the Extreme
  • Biggest song"Ice Ice Baby" was the first hip hop single to top the Billboard Hot 100
  • The albumTo the Extreme is certified 7x platinum
  • Undocumented24 tracks on Bi-Polar carry no published writing credit

Creative Fingerprint

The most mocked rapper of his era wrote most of his own records.

The Story

Robert Van Winkle was rapping in Dallas clubs in the late 1980s when "Ice Ice Baby" turned him into the first hip hop single to top the Billboard Hot 100. To the Extreme sold seven times platinum in 1990. Five more albums followed, each on a smaller label than the last.

Frequently Asked Questions Vanilla Ice

Did Vanilla Ice write his own songs?
More than his reputation suggests. He is credited on 71 of his 106 studio tracks and is the only writer on 28 of them, including seven of the eleven on To the Extreme. The 35 tracks with no credit of his are mostly on Bi-Polar, which has no published writing credits at all.
Who wrote "Ice Ice Baby"?
Vanilla Ice with the writers of Queen and David Bowie's "Under Pressure", whose bassline it uses. It was the first hip hop single to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
How many albums has he released?
Six studio albums: To the Extreme (1990), Mind Blowin' (1994), Hard to Swallow (1998), Bi-Polar (2001), Platinum Underground (2005) and W.T.F. (2011).
Which album sold the most?
To the Extreme, certified 7x platinum by the RIAA. Nothing after it registered a certification at all.
What happened after To the Extreme?
Mind Blowin' in 1994 did not chart, and every album since has come out on a smaller label. Hard to Swallow in 1998 rebuilt him as a nu metal act with Ross Robinson producing.
Why does Hard to Swallow credit nine writers on everything?
The album article credits all its songs to one list of nine names rather than track by track, so every track carries the same writers, Ross Robinson and members of his session band among them.
Which album has no credits?
Bi-Polar, the 2001 double album. Its article lists titles and running times only and no Discogs release of it carries writing credits.
Is he still recording?
W.T.F. (Wisdom, Tenacity and Focus) came out in 2011 and is the most recent studio album in this catalogue.
Did he win any awards?
The cited pages name none. To the Extreme was the best-selling hip hop album of its time and picked up no award for it.
What is his real name?
Robert Matthew Van Winkle. He is credited as Rob Van Winkle on the later albums.

Sources

Wikipedia: Vanilla Ice Wikipedia: Vanilla Ice discography