Platinum Underground
Encyclopedia
Platinum Underground is the fifth studio album by American
rapper
Vanilla Ice
. Released on August 16, 2005, it is the rapper's third independent release, after Hooked and Bi-Polar. Allmusic reviewer Rob Theakston panned the album, writing that it "has more bad spots in it than most".
sounds, while Say Goodbye and Bounce were new school hip hop. The rest of the album featured mixes of Horrorcore
, Reggae
and Hardcore hip hop
.
The name of the album was a reference to Van Winkel's underground hip hop status while still having a loyal fanbase and having gone Platinum
in the past. Ultrax, with hopes of being able to sell the album to a mass audience released two version of the album, one censored.
After appearing on the second season of The Surreal Life
, Ice was more willing to accept his past after conversations with Tammy Faye Messner, who also appears on the album. With interest to re-visit the past, Ice re-recorded Ice Ice Baby
as he performs it currently during his tours. After getting requests to do Ninja Rap live, Ice decided to make a song entitled Ninja Rap 2 (also known as Go Ninja Go) which was set to be a hardcore remix. Despite the name, the song has very little connections to Van Vinkle's original 1991 single, but rather stays true to Ice's current lyricism, where Ice talks about his appreciation to his fans, his love to perform at clubs and playing at the Gathering of the Juggalos
with Insane Clown Posse
. Ninja Rap 2 was the first song to be released from Platinum Underground and was available to download for free off of Ice's official website.
The first single off the album; Survivor premiered on the NBC
Television special Hit Me Baby One More Time which documented Vanilla Ice writing, producing and finally performing the song live for a cheering crowd in England. The chorus and hook was based on Survivor by Destiny's Child
.
Dunn Natt was based on the song Hip Hop Rules recorded by Vanilla Ice and La the Darkman
, with new lyrics and production done by Trackstarz. Most of the other songs were produced Ice himself and DJ Zero with additional production by Cyco from Insane Poetry
and Zeno, who Vanilla Ice has known since they were rap acts for Ichiban Records
back in the late 80's. This is their second collaboration together, but they all performed together on Vanilla Ice's Hard to Swallow
and the death of friend Dimebag Darrell
. Ice goes on that there are somethings he regrets, other things that he won't take back, having no interest in pity and that he hopes the songs will live on when he dies. Dunn Natt has some similar lyrics but also references Ice's heavy drug use in the 90's, particularly cocaine
.
Hustlin has Ice describing being hated but having no fear or worrying about his career knowing that nothing will last forever and that nothing matters but his family, but he is going to continue making music as long as he'll have a following. Tell Me Why is a dramatic song about the world's current condition while Say Goodbye features Vanilla Ice heavily disrespecting an unnamed individual who he had a falling out with for disrespecting him and claiming to be the one who helped him rise to fame. Ice raps about talking to a judge as he's explaining why he murdered him by shooting him in the eye. The song could be referring to Chocolate, a rapper that collaborated with Vanilla Ice before he became famous and later claimed to have written Ice Ice Baby.
Ninja Rap 2 and Bounce, like older songs by Vanilla Ice are very club-oriented and feature Ice encouraging people to dance and party while Rollin in My is more relaxed, featuring Ice describing simply riding in his car while smoking a joint
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rapper
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
Vanilla Ice
Vanilla Ice
Robert Matthew Van Winkle , best known by his stage name Vanilla Ice, is an American rapper, extreme athlete and home improvement television personality...
. Released on August 16, 2005, it is the rapper's third independent release, after Hooked and Bi-Polar. Allmusic reviewer Rob Theakston panned the album, writing that it "has more bad spots in it than most".
Production
Platinum Underground was the first Vanilla Ice album with original content released by Ultrax since 1994. Van Vinkle was interested in using all the different genres he had experiences with in earlier albums, not focusing on marketing or trying to attract a certain audience. Songs like Trailer Park Mullet Wars and Step Up or Shut Up were a hybrid mix of different heavy metalHeavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
sounds, while Say Goodbye and Bounce were new school hip hop. The rest of the album featured mixes of Horrorcore
Horrorcore
Horrorcore is a subgenre of hip hop music based in horror-themed lyrical content and imagery. While the style is rarely popular, some performers have sold well in the mainstream scene.-Origins:...
, Reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
and Hardcore hip hop
Hardcore hip hop
Hardcore hip hop, also referred to as hardcore rap, is a sub-genre of hip hop music that developed through the East Coast hip hop scene in the 1980s. Pioneered by such artists as Schoolly D, Spoonie Gee, Boogie Down Productions, and Kool G Rap, it is generally characterized by anger, aggression and...
.
The name of the album was a reference to Van Winkel's underground hip hop status while still having a loyal fanbase and having gone Platinum
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
in the past. Ultrax, with hopes of being able to sell the album to a mass audience released two version of the album, one censored.
Music
Step Up or Shut Up was the first song to premiere of the album, originally played during Vanilla Ice's 2003 Metal Tour. Detonator and O.K.S. - Original Killa Shit were originally made for Bi-Polar.After appearing on the second season of The Surreal Life
The Surreal Life
The Surreal Life is a reality television series that sets a select group of past-their-prime celebrities and records them as they live together in Glen Campbell's former mansion in the Hollywood Hills for two weeks...
, Ice was more willing to accept his past after conversations with Tammy Faye Messner, who also appears on the album. With interest to re-visit the past, Ice re-recorded Ice Ice Baby
Ice Ice Baby
"Ice Ice Baby" is a hip hop song written by American rapper Vanilla Ice and DJ Earthquake. The song samples the bassline of "Under Pressure" by Queen and David Bowie, who did not initially receive songwriting credit or royalties until after it had become a hit...
as he performs it currently during his tours. After getting requests to do Ninja Rap live, Ice decided to make a song entitled Ninja Rap 2 (also known as Go Ninja Go) which was set to be a hardcore remix. Despite the name, the song has very little connections to Van Vinkle's original 1991 single, but rather stays true to Ice's current lyricism, where Ice talks about his appreciation to his fans, his love to perform at clubs and playing at the Gathering of the Juggalos
Gathering of the Juggalos
The Gathering of the Juggalos is an annual festival put on by Psychopathic Records, featuring performances by the entire label as well as numerous well-known musical groups and underground artists. It was founded by Robert Bruce, Insane Clown Posse , and their label in 2000...
with Insane Clown Posse
Insane Clown Posse
Insane Clown Posse is an American hip hop duo from Detroit, Michigan. The group is composed of Joseph Bruce and Joseph Utsler, who perform under the respective personas of the "wicked clowns" Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope. Insane Clown Posse performs a style of hardcore hip hop known as horrorcore...
. Ninja Rap 2 was the first song to be released from Platinum Underground and was available to download for free off of Ice's official website.
The first single off the album; Survivor premiered on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
Television special Hit Me Baby One More Time which documented Vanilla Ice writing, producing and finally performing the song live for a cheering crowd in England. The chorus and hook was based on Survivor by Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American R&B girl group whose final line-up comprised lead singer Beyoncé Knowles alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Formed in 1997 in Houston, Texas, Destiny's Child members began their musical endeavors in their pre-teens under the name Girl's Tyme...
.
Dunn Natt was based on the song Hip Hop Rules recorded by Vanilla Ice and La the Darkman
La the Darkman
As a teenager in New York City, the Crown Heights, Brooklyn-bred emcee born Lason Jackson negotiated his first deal just as he was finishing high school...
, with new lyrics and production done by Trackstarz. Most of the other songs were produced Ice himself and DJ Zero with additional production by Cyco from Insane Poetry
Insane Poetry
Insane Poetry is an American hip hop group from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1988, Insane Poetry is considered to be one of the first horrorcore groups.-History:...
and Zeno, who Vanilla Ice has known since they were rap acts for Ichiban Records
Ichiban Records
Ichiban Records was a hip hop record label founded in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1985. Wrap Records and Nastymix Records were some of its subsidiary labels. Urgent! Records was distributed by Ichiban. Most of its discography is now out of print. Besides hip hop groups, Ichiban also released albums by...
back in the late 80's. This is their second collaboration together, but they all performed together on Vanilla Ice's Hard to Swallow
Lyrics
Survivor deals with Vanilla Ice's past, where he mentions how he survived the music industry, being used by executives to sell items, his suicide attempt and relationship with MadonnaMadonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
and the death of friend Dimebag Darrell
Dimebag Darrell
Darrell Lance Abbott , also known as Diamond Darrell and Dimebag Darrell, was an American guitarist. He was best known as a founding member of the heavy metal bands Pantera and Damageplan. Abbott also contributed to the album Rebel Meets Rebel, a collaboration between Pantera and David Allan Coe...
. Ice goes on that there are somethings he regrets, other things that he won't take back, having no interest in pity and that he hopes the songs will live on when he dies. Dunn Natt has some similar lyrics but also references Ice's heavy drug use in the 90's, particularly cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
.
Hustlin has Ice describing being hated but having no fear or worrying about his career knowing that nothing will last forever and that nothing matters but his family, but he is going to continue making music as long as he'll have a following. Tell Me Why is a dramatic song about the world's current condition while Say Goodbye features Vanilla Ice heavily disrespecting an unnamed individual who he had a falling out with for disrespecting him and claiming to be the one who helped him rise to fame. Ice raps about talking to a judge as he's explaining why he murdered him by shooting him in the eye. The song could be referring to Chocolate, a rapper that collaborated with Vanilla Ice before he became famous and later claimed to have written Ice Ice Baby.
Ninja Rap 2 and Bounce, like older songs by Vanilla Ice are very club-oriented and feature Ice encouraging people to dance and party while Rollin in My is more relaxed, featuring Ice describing simply riding in his car while smoking a joint
Joint (cannabis)
Joint is a slang term for a cigarette rolled using cannabis. Rolling papers are the most common rolling medium among industrialized countries, however brown paper, cigarettes with the tobacco removed, and newspaper are commonly used in developing countries. Modern papers are now made from a wide...
.