Veteran rapper Ice T and his Body Count band stirred controversy in 1992 when they released Cop Killer – an anti-police brutality song that drew criticism from several public figures. The 66-year-old, born Tracy Morrow, recently touched on the song as Body Count prepares to release their Merciless album.
In a Q&A feature on The Guardian, a fan asked the rapper and actor if there was ever a moment where he felt any heat during the uproar that ensued after the song was released.
“I never really questioned myself, but the heat came when they started sending bomb threats to Warner Bros. I threw the rock, that’s my heat,” the Law and Order: Special Victims Unit star said.
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“But when other people could get hurt, that’s nerve-racking. But I got news for people: anybody that thinks controversy is a way to make money, it’s not. You get a lot of buzz, but now you need lawyers. So don’t just say something stupid and then back-pedal – if you’re going to say something, stand on it.”
As previously stated, Body Count drew the ire of a section of the public after the song was released. Dennis R. Martin, who was the then-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police said that the song contributed to “inflamed racial tensions in cities across the country” and played a part in incidents where two police officers were shot, PEOPLE reported.
But Ice T in an interview with The Associated Press denied he was instigating violence. “At no point do I go out and say, ‘Let’s do it.’ I’m singing in the first person as a character who is fed up with police brutality. I ain’t never killed no cop. I felt like it a lot of times. But I never did it,” the Colors rapper said.
Ice T ultimately announced he was going to remove the song from upcoming copies of their debut album after death threats were sent to Warner Bros. executives and shareholders.
“When people go after the company, that’s a real punk move,” Ice-T said about withdrawing the song during a press conference in 1992, The Washington Post reported. “They’re afraid to go after me. This is my fight — and Sister Souljah’s fight, Ice Cube’s fight.”
Prior to making the announcement, a 40-minute civil rights documentary was played for the reporters to watch. “I don’t understand why I’m supposed to like the police,” the 66-year-old said after the documentary ended.
“None of my leaders liked them. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X. They’ve never been a friend of black people. As for the ones that are handling the job correctly, I have all the respect in the world for them. As for the brutal ones, I’d rather get rid of them before they get rid of me.”
