To the Extreme is the major label debut studio album of American rapper Vanilla Ice and his best selling album. The album was initially released in 1989 by independent record label Ichiban Records under the title Hooked. Vanilla Ice signed to SBK Records, who reissued the album under its current title. The album contains Vanilla Ice's most successful singles, "Ice Ice Baby" and "Play That Funky Music". Although reviews of the album were mixed, To the Extreme spent 16 weeks at the top of the Billboard 200, and sold 15 million copies worldwide.To the Extreme is the major label debut studio album of American rapper Vanilla Ice and his best selling album. The album was initially released in 1989 by independent record label Ichiban Records under the title Hooked. Vanilla Ice signed to SBK Records, who reissued the album under its current title. The album contains Vanilla Ice's most successful singles, "Ice Ice Baby" and "Play That Funky Music". Although reviews of the album were mixed, To the Extreme spent 16 weeks at the top of the Billboard 200, and sold 15 million copies worldwide.false2022-08-12 18:11:07To the Extreme5.519901990-09-041990-09-0458Hip HopPopPop RapHip House1147502430125ae103b0a-b932-4009-acb6-388db1cf890b2d5583be-aafd-41ec-addd-df85913855ef0931b81f-ab66-35dd-9cf2-3b7676be6212Vanilla IceAlbumArtist/config/metadata/People/V/Vanilla Ice/folder.jpgVanilla IceArtist/config/metadata/People/V/Vanilla Ice/folder.jpgVanilla IceVanilla IceRobert Matthew Van Winkle (born October 31, 1967), known professionally as Vanilla Ice, is an American rapper, actor, and television host. Born in Dallas and raised there and in Miami, he was the first solo white rapper to achieve commercial success following the 1990 release of his best-known hit "Ice Ice Baby".
Ice released his debut album, Hooked, on the independent Ichiban Records before signing a contract with SBK Records, a record label of the EMI Group, which released a reformatted version under the title To the Extreme; it became the fastest-selling hip hop album of all time and "Ice Ice Baby" was the first hip hop single to top the Billboard charts. Followed by the live album Extremely Live (1991), Ice made a cameo appearance on the film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991) where he performed "Ninja Rap", which he co-wrote. He was soon offered and starred in his own film, Cool as Ice (1991), which included the single "Cool as Ice (Everybody Get Loose)" with Naomi Campbell; the film itself was a box office failure.
His fast rise in popularity was quickly marred by media controversies about his background, and criticism about his appeal of hip hop to a mainstream audience alongside MC Hammer. Ice later regretted his business arrangements with SBK, who had also published fabricated biographical information without his knowledge. Ice's second studio album, Mind Blowin' (1994), featured a major image change but was commercially unsuccessful. Following rap rock performances in the underground scene and playing in a local grunge band, Ice released the dark nu metal album Hard to Swallow (1998), followed by the independently-released Bi-Polar (2001) and Platinum Underground (2005).
In the 2000s, Ice began appearing on television reality shows including The Surreal Life. In 2010, Ice began hosting The Vanilla Ice Project on DIY Network which ran for nine seasons until 2019. In 2022 he started another home improvement television program, The Vanilla Ice Home Show. He is also involved in motocross racing and real estate.