Like all dumb ideas, this starts off innocently enough. It sure sounds like he's getting a hell of an entrance, sounding as though the Death Star was lowering him to the stage. Once we get going, Ice gives the songs his all despite his limitations. Vocally, he sounds like he's really trying extra hard to sound 'street,' which he was already infamous for anyway, but it's even moreso here than on To The Extreme - if you can imagine that. This is sadly apparent in his attempts to hype up the crowd ("This pawdy is JOM-pin'!). Then you got the live rendition of the infamous "Havin' A Roni," which sounds so sad. Well, actually, it's not quite as sad as the live version of "I Love You." If this guy was any more smug, he'd morph into David Spade.
But it's when we hit track 4 when things get really weird. Ice and his, uh, homeboy give a little intro to the new song, "Rollin' In My 5.0," and suddenly, the crowd is drastically lowered in the mix to give the song extra spotlight. This isn't the only time it happens, and it sounds really awkward. Coupled with the crowd noise, which feels a little altered sometimes, this whole affair sounds like it was seriously touched up in the studio before it saw the light of day.
Another reason why this should have been a home video? "The VIP Posse One By One." What business does the introduction to each dancer have on an audio recording? On the other hand, it does serve to showcase the DJ and drummer, who don't mesh very well at all. Damn, a drummer for Vanilla Ice. That'd be a sight to see on your resume. Of course, being his backup MC would probably be worse.
This was obviously cobbled together to get another piece of Ice merchandise on the shelves before the hype faded, but not only did it fade, it disintegrated into a laughing stock. And this mess of a live album did him no favors. Long before Extremely Live is over, you can't help but think to yourself "no wonder the guy's bitter."
**
One of the all-time great "what were we thinking" moments for mainstream audiences (see also Durst, Fred), Vanilla Ice - the Ed Wood of lyricism - has achievements from this period that can't be denied, as he did sell millions of copies of To The Extreme at a time when the concept of a white rapper was shakier than it is now. That's not to say Ice is nearly as influential as he thinks he is. In actuality, he almost killed it for white rappers in the spotlight.
Let's face it - Ice's rhymes are so uniquely awful they kind of approach their own sort of absurd reality. Hell, it's almost prophetic when he raps "Now it's Saturday, the day you hate most / Why? Because I'm coast to coast." Seriously, what the hell is that? And what is "moanin' & groanin' like she could take on the A-Team"? Or "You be the hand and Iceman will be the glove"? There are so many failed attempts to come off cool on To The Extreme it could shrink your scroll bar down to the size of a pea. But I'll spare you for now and we'll just leave it that Ice writes some of the stupidest, non-sequiter-filled, grammar-killing, mind-numbing rhymes in hip hop history. Oh, and let's not forget his boasting, and he does a lot of that.
That said, it's a mostly listenable trainwreck thanks to some decent dance tracks, enjoyable samples (such as on "Stop That Train," where he uses the same sample the Beastie Boys used on "B-Boy Bouillabaisse" to lesser results), some funny moments and the sheer novelty value of some of these songs. After all, you certainly won't forget this album after you've heard it, and some lyrics might even make you chuckle long after. For example, "I Love You" is a love song that's here for the sole purpose of pushing Ice into the teen idol market, and it's so comic it's kind of classic. And "Rosta Man" has to be heard to be fully appreciated. However, some moments are just plain bad. "Hooked" is a song about not letting your significant other run your life, but the backing track is weak and Ice gives a lackluster performance that actually makes it worse. Then there's a sex song called "Life Is A Fantasy" (another non-sequiter!) that has a slow tempo that exposes him somewhat. And after a while, there gets to be so many samples - Jackson 5, Wild Cherry, James Brown (but then, a lot of rappers sampled the Godfather), Vincent Price (the laugh from "Thriller!"), and most famously Queen, plus many others - that it kind of sounds desperate. MC Hammer suffered from the same problem, come to think of it.
It's well worth hearing simply for a snapshot of a silly time in music history, or even if the bizarre spectacle attracts you. Oddly enough, it wasn't this album that signaled his fall from grace. Nor was it his movie, Cool As Ice, which is now a bad movie night staple. No, it was the image he and his label put on while promoting the release, such as his fraudulent biography (which Ice quickly disowned, to his credit) and the infamous claim that adding one note to the bass riff means it's not really a Queen sample (um, what?). Plus, his record label, which he would frequently bash in later years got him dressed up on tour in MC Hammer-esque outfits that made him look like a total buffoon. It's kind of a shame Ice couldn't quite grow and mature from this, as his subsequent public appearances (like his infamous Surreal Life appearance, and of course his trashing of the MTV set), as well as his albums, showed him bitter and short-tempered towards the whole mess, even if he can seem like a pretty cool guy in his more lighthearted moments. Check out Platinum Underground for a prime example of his difficulty with his past, and that's one of the only reasons to ever hear it.
**1/2
