Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

Ice is back... with a new look and sound by Jonathan Dunagin Gamecock Critic Few people have jumped to the top of the music scene like Vanilla Ice did in 1990. However, many musicians have failed to meet the public’s expectations with their follow-up albums, and have fallen into obscurity. Despite criticism and the doubts of the music mainstream, Vanilla Ice proved he still had what it takes July 12 at The Elbow Room; and Columbia got a little bit cooler. No one at the show could deny that Rob Van Winkle, better known as Vanilla Ice, could still energize a crowd and give a performance wor thy of attending. For nearly an hour and a half, he had the capacity crowd at The Elbow Room pumping their hands in the air, singing along and even getting involved in the performance. And although his name alone drew much of the crowd who just wanted to say that they had seen Vanilla Ice, many left the show impressed with his mu sic. Since his 1990 release, “To the Extreme ”, not much has been heard from the Iceman. Although he released subsequent albums, they were unable to hook the public’s attention. He was regarded as a fad and died out very quickly. But unwilling to become a joke in music’s history, Vanilla Ice kept experimenting with and changing his sound. He shed the persona and background developed for him by the record industry and started writing about his life experiences. Finally, in 1998, he hooked up with Korn and Limp Bizkit producer Ross Robin son and produced a rapcore (metal and rap) album full of emotion. With the release, “Hard to Swallow”, a new style of Ice was bom. It was this new style, fueled by emotion that Vanilla Ice brought to The Elbow Room this past Wednesday. To open the night, the Co lumbia-based band Hot Lava Monster performed. Originally, the slot was secured for another Columbia band, Mass Connection, but after a booking misunderstanding, it was given to Hot Lava Monster. This is a shame, since Mass Connection would have better filled this space because their musical style and on-stage eneigy is more along the same line as Vanilla Ice’s, but Hot Lava Monster was able to pull in enough fans to make the show memorable for them. Their driving rock music got the crowd involved, but after an hour and fifteen minutes, fans had heard enough and were ready for the Ice man. And they weren’t disappointed. Amid fog machines and turntable beats, Vanilla Ice exploded onto the stage, and the crowd erupted. Foiget all the criticism he’s endured over the years. Forget that some in attendance had just come to make fun of him. Foiget the fact that this is the guy who had “Word to your mother” on his jacket dur ing his heyday. This show was electric. When Vanilla Ice came out on stage, it immediately hushed all that doubted his ability to put on a powerful show. There was an anger in his lyrics that took hold of the crowd, permeated their consciousness and lifted them to another place. And among all this, there stood Vanil la Ice... and he was extraordinary. The only disappointment was that he was unable to perform the rapcore versions of his songs because his drummer was in drug rehab. But Vanilla Ice wasn’t about to disappoint his fans. So with the turntables spinning, he treated the audience to a display of rap ag gression. From the very beginning, a tone was set for the evening and the crowd loved it. At one point, an invitation was given to anyone who wanted to come on stage and do some free format rapping. With that, it was as if every white boy who was ever inspired to rap came up to show what he had. And although some were decent, a majority found out that it wasn’t as easy as it seemed. Never was Vanilla Ice’s hold over the crowd more evident than when he performed “Ice Ice Baby.” How ever corny it may seem to you, everyone knows the words, and everyone wanted to scream it the loudest. Immedi Jonathan Dunagin The Gamecock ately, the crowd was transported back to the early 90s, to a time when baggy pants were in and white rappers were a fast-growing com modity. By far, this was the best song of the night, as if there were ever any question. When the night finally ended, Vanilla Ice, always appreciative of his fans, signed autographs for everyone. He even allowed fans to sign the guest list for his upcoming show at the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach. If you’re a fan of heavy music, this show won’t disappoint you because his entire band is supposed to be present. And if you missed this past’s Wednesday’s show, you should certainly mark your calen dar for August 5; it’s a show not to miss. In addition, Vanilla Ice announced he has an album coming out lat er this year. Tentatively titled “Bomb the System”, the album is full of guest performances, including ones by Insane Clown Posse, Slip knot, Wu Tang Clan, Master P, and even his friend Lenny Rravitz. With the assortment of musicians featured on this album, it is clear that Vanilla Ice is back. JONATHAN UUNAGIN I HE UAMECOCK Above: Vanilla Ice grabs the microphone and entertains the capacity crowd at The Elbow Room music hall Wednesday July 12. The Iceman is currently on tour promoting his latest album Hard to Swallow. Top Left: Don’t confuse Rob Van Winkle with the Vanilla Ice of old. He’s got a new look and attitude to go along with an entirely new sound. Check out GamecockCentral.com for message boards, chat rooms, football, baseball, basketball, and more!! rind the best rrice on New and Pre-Owned Hondas www.nckhendrickhonda.com HONDA 791-5660 1650 Airport Boulevard • West Columbia, SC 29171 l c\c\ d:. I \y \s l\l VOI UOI IU L/IIVC W. Columbia, SC 29169 Enjoy a campus atmosphere without the dorm atmosphere. • State of the art Fitness Center • Multi Station Computer Lab • Fax & modem station linked to USC campus • Study area • Two on-site Laundry Facilities • Spacious 1,2,& 3 bedroom apartments • Swimming pools • Tennis court • Catering to students • Lounge area • On-site 24 hr. maintenance 794-2948 Fax 794-0017 www.riverbendapts.com