Rapper Ice-T faced major backlash after he and his heavy-metal side project Body Count released their dark, menacing track “Cop Killer.” They’d been performing the song for a year before it appeared on their 1992 debut album, but the record landed in stores just weeks before four police officers were acquitted in the trial for the beating of Black motorist Rodney King and riots over the verdict erupted in the streets of Los Angeles.
Police organizations accused “Cop Killer” of inciting violence across the country, and it became an ideal target for right-wing politicians, including President Bush and Vice President Dan Quayle, who aimed to strike down anything that challenged “family values.” With the FBI, the IRS, and the NRA on his back, Ice-T suddenly found himself at the center of a debate over the limits of freedom of speech.
In this episode, we explore the origins of “Cop Killer,” the outrage it sparked in 1992, and how Ice-T and his label reacted to the fallout. With special guests Ice-T and Body Count guitarist Ernie C.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Pop Music Takes on AIDS
Bonus Episode: Tori Amos Revisits ‘Little Earthquakes’ (The Full Interview)
Arrested Development: Hip-hop’s Lost Poets
Vanessa Williams’ "Save the Best for Last": The Moon and June Song
Nirvana vs. Guns N' Roses: Overboard and Self-Assured
“November Rain”: Requiem for a Hair Band
The Year of Scandal, Part 2: Sinéad O’Connor Takes on the Pope
Bonus Booty: A Juicy Chat With Sir Mix-a-Lot About "Baby Got Back"
Bound for Mu Mu Land: When Tammy Wynette Met the KLF
Before MeToo, "Me and a Gun": Tori Amos’ 'Little Earthquakes'
The Man and the Mullet: Billy Ray Cyrus’ Party in the Back
Damn, I Wish I Was Your Constant Craving: The Year of the Lesbian Anthem
“Baby Got Back”: The Story Behind the Behind
Introducing: Where Were You in '92?
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Superfancast
Derringer Discoveries - A Music Adventure Podcast
R&B Money
One Song
Bandsplain