Misplaced Pages

To the Extreme
Studio album by Vanilla Ice
Released	September 10, 1990
Recorded	1989–1990
Studio	Luminous Sound, Dallas, Texas
Genre	Hip hop pop rap
Length	57:18
Label	SBK EMI
Producer	Vanilla Ice David DeBerry Kim Sharp Khayree Darryl Williams Mario "Choc" Johnson Earthquake
Vanilla Ice chronology
To the Extreme (1990) Extremely Live (1991)
Singles from To the Extreme
"Ice Ice Baby" Released: August 22, 1990 "Play That Funky Music" Released: November 19, 1990 "I Love You" Released: February 14, 1991

To the Extreme is the major-label debut studio album by American rapper Vanilla Ice, released on September 10, 1990, by SBK Records and EMI Records. Recorded between 1989–90, it contains Vanilla Ice's most successful single, "Ice Ice Baby". It primarily contains hip hop and pop rap tracks produced by Earthquake, Kim Sharp, Khayree, and Darryl Williams.

Following the release of an early version of the album titled Hooked by Ichiban Records, Ice was signed by SBK for $325,000 and the mixtape was re-recorded and repackaged. It was supported by the release of three official singles: "Ice Ice Baby", "Play That Funky Music" and "I Love You".

The album was met with lukewarm reviews, with some critics praising Ice's abilities and showmanship, and others the simplistic lyrics and comparisons with fellow rapper MC Hammer. The album sparked controversy due to the unlicensed samples included on the album, including "Under Pressure" by David Bowie and Queen that was later settled out of court.

Despite this, To the Extreme appeared at the top of the US Billboard 200 albums chart for sixteen consecutive weeks and was certified seven times platinum by RIAA. The lead single "Ice Ice Baby" was the first rap single to top the Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified platinum in Canada, Australia and United Kingdom selling over 15 million copies in total. Ice was selected as the opening act of MC Hammer's 1990 tour, and later embarked on his To the Extreme World Tour, performing in North America, Europe, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and Japan in 1991, and in Latin America in 1992.

History

In early 1990, Vanilla Ice released an early version of To the Extreme under the title Hooked on the independent label Ichiban Records. "Play That Funky Music" was released as the album's first single, with "Ice Ice Baby" appearing as the B-side. The 12-inch single featured the radio, instrumental and a cappella versions of "Play That Funky Music" and the radio version and "Miami Drop" remix of "Ice Ice Baby". When a disc jockey played "Ice Ice Baby" instead of the single's A-side, the song gained more success than "Play That Funky Music". A music video for "Ice Ice Baby" was produced for $8,000. The video was financed by Vanilla Ice's manager, Tommy Quon, and shot on the roof of a warehouse in Dallas, Texas.

In 1990, Vanilla Ice signed to SBK Records, who reissued Hooked under the title To the Extreme. The reissue contained new artwork and music. "Ice Ice Baby" was given its own single, released in 1990 by SBK in the United States, and EMI Records in the United Kingdom. The SBK single contained the "Miami Drop", instrumental and radio mixes of "Ice Ice Baby" and the album version of "It's A Party". The EMI single contained the club and radio mixes of the song, and the shortened radio edit.

Music

Vanilla Ice wrote "Ice Ice Baby" at the age of 16, basing its lyrics upon the South Florida area in which he was raised. The lyrics describe a drive-by shooting and Vanilla Ice's rhyming skills. The chorus of "Ice Ice Baby" originates from the signature chant of the national African American fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha. The song's hook samples the bassline of the 1981 song "Under Pressure" by Queen and David Bowie. Freddie Mercury and David Bowie did not receive credit or royalties for the sample. In a 1990 interview, Vanilla Ice joked the two melodies were slightly different because he had added an additional note. Vanilla Ice later paid Mercury and Bowie, who have since been given songwriting credit for the sample. However, he ended up purchasing the rights to the song, because it was cheaper than licensing the sample.

The stylistic origins of "Rosta Man" are based upon reggae toasting.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Robert Christgau	C−
Entertainment Weekly	B
NME	7/10
The Rolling Stone Album Guide
Select	(2/5)
Smash Hits	(8/10)

Entertainment Weekly reviewer Dom Lombardo gave the album a B, calling the album "so consistent in its borrowings that it could be a parody, if it weren't for its total absence of wit", but concluding that "if there's about a two-to-one ratio of winners to clunkers, that's not the worst track record for a debut album." Udovitch cited "Ice Ice Baby", "Play That Funky Music", "Dancin'" and "It's a Party" as the album's highlights. Robert Christgau gave the album a C− rating, writing that Vanilla Ice's "suave sexism, fashionably male supremacist rather than dangerously obscene, is no worse than his suave beats". Stephen Dalton from NME wrote, "To the Extreme is the highly competent debut from a major pop talent. Listen without prejudice." Select stated that the album "packs in just about every musical and lyrical code of rap, yet still says nothing" and that "Kids and neophytes have a right to love it, but grown-ups will find Vanilla Ice spectacularly hollow."

AllMusic reviewer Steve Huey wrote that:

Ice's mic technique is actually stronger and more nimble than MC Hammer's, and he really tries earnestly to show off the skills he does have. Unfortunately, even if he can keep a mid-tempo pace, his flow is rhythmically stiff, and his voice has an odd timbre; plus, he never seems sure of the proper accent to adopt. He's able to overcome those flaws somewhat in isolated moments, but they become all too apparent over the course of an entire album.

After audiences began to view Vanilla Ice as a novelty act, his popularity began to decline. He would later regain some success, attracting a new audience outside of the mainstream audience that had formerly accepted him, and then rejected him.

Commercial performance

To the Extreme was released in the US on September 10, 1990. On the issue of October 31, 1990 the album jumped from 23 to 7 on the US Billboard 200 selling over two million copies in its first five weeks of being released. The album reached the number one spot on the week of November 10, 1990 ending a 23-week run by M.C. Hammer's Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em and it stayed at the top for sixteen consecutive weeks. At the time, To the Extreme was named the fastest debut album of all time selling over 6 million on 14 weeks. In the same month, was certified gold, platinum, double-platinum, triple-platinum and quadruple-platinum in the next day, becoming one of the fastest-certified albums in history.

By January 1991, it was the fastest selling album since Purple Rain (1984) reaching six million copies sold in just three months and four days. Eventually, seven million copies were shipped across the United States.

By March 1991, the album was closing in on 10.5 million units worldwide, just six months from being released. To the Extreme was the best selling hip hop album up until that time. "Ice Ice Baby" has been credited for helping diversify hip hop by introducing it to a mainstream, white audience.

In Canada, the album peaked at the number one and was certified 6 times platinum and won the Best Selling Album by a Foreign Artist at To the Extreme at the 1992 June Awards.

Track listing

The first version was released in 1989 by the independent record label Ichiban Records under the title Hooked. Vanilla Ice eventually signed to SBK Records, who reissued the album under its current name, To the Extreme, with some differences in the track list. To the Extreme contains all tracks from Hooked except for "Satisfaction", and six extra tracks: "Yo Vanilla", "Stop That Train", "Ice Is Workin' It", "Life Is a Fantasy" and "Juice to Get Loose Boy". "Havin' a Roni" was a hidden track on Hooked.

Personnel

The following people contributed on To the Extreme:

• Vanilla Ice – vocals, lyrics, producer

Additional musicians

• Paul Loomis – keyboards, producer, engineer, keyboard bass
• Craig Pride – vocals

Technical personnel

• Deshay – overdubs, beats
• George Anderson – engineer
• Tim Kimsey – engineer
• Tommy Quon – executive producer
• Kim Sharp – producer
• Stacy Brownrigg – Engineer
• Gary Wooten – engineer
• Henry Falco – engineer
• Khayree – producer
• Janet Perr – art direction, design
• Michael Lavine – photography
• Darryl Williams – producer
• Michael Sarsfield – engineer
• David DeBerry – producer, bass, keys, programming, writer

Charts

Certifications

References

1. Forman, Murray (2002). "'Welcome to the City'". The 'hood Comes First: Race, Space, and Place in Rap and Hip-hop. Wesleyan University Press. p. 61. ISBN 0-8195-6397-8.
2. Breihan, Tom (November 10, 2021). "The Number Ones: Mariah Carey's "Someday". Stereogum. Retrieved December 20, 2023. ...two pop-rap blockbusters had utterly dominated those album charts...nothing was getting past...Vanilla Ice's To The Extreme.
3. "Ice Ice Baby". Amazon. Retrieved 2019-12-01.
4. "Play That Funky Music". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2019-11-09.
5. "Awards", AllMusic. Retrieved April 27, 2013
6. "RIAA". Recording Industry Association of America.
7. Charnas, Dan (2011-11-01). The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop. Penguin. ISBN 978-1-101-56811-8.
8. "Vanilla ice special 1999". YouTube. 2008-01-15. Archived from the original on 2021-12-12. Retrieved 2014-01-08.
9. Jeske, Lee (October 19, 1991). "Vanilla Ice: Hollywood, Hollywood Baby" (PDF). Cash Box. p. 7.
10. "Overview for Hooked". AllMusic. Retrieved 2009-03-07.
11. "Information for Hooked". Discogs. Retrieved 2009-03-07.
12. Price, Jason. "The Next Ice Age". Live-Metal. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
13. ^ Westfahl, Gary (2000). "Legends of the Fall: Behind the Music". Science Fiction, Children's Literature, and Popular Culture. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 100. ISBN 0-313-30847-0.
14. Wartofsky, Alona (November 22, 1998). "The Iceman Returneth; Vanilla Ice: Once Hated, He's Back With a Different Rap". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved 13 February 2009.
15. "Information for "Ice Ice Baby" (12")". Discogs. Retrieved 2009-02-13.
16. Corcoran, Michael (January 27, 1991). "Black and white & rap all over: Mass America moves to beat of hip-hop". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 26 February 2009.
17. Hilburn, Robert (March 17, 1991). "Why Is Everyone Still Fussing About Ice?". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 15 April 2009. Retrieved 26 February 2009.
18. Perkins, Ken Parish (March 31, 1991). "Building with Ice: Tommy Quon struggled for years running clubs -- then found a ticket out". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 26 February 2009.
19. ^ Huey, Steve. "Review of To the Extreme". AllMusic. Retrieved 2009-03-07.
20. "Information for "Ice Ice Baby" (SBK)". Discogs. Retrieved 2009-02-13.
21. "Information for "Ice Ice Baby" (EMI)". Discogs. Retrieved 2009-02-13.
22. Rayner, Alex (November 3, 2007). "Is this it?". The Guardian. Retrieved 2009-02-13.
23. Perullo, Alex; Fenn, John (2003). "Ideologies, Choices, and Practicies in Eastern African Hip Hop". In Harris M., Berger; Michael Thomas, Carroll (eds.). Global Pop, Local Language. Univ. Press of Mississippi. p. 25. ISBN 1-57806-536-4.
24. Keyes, Cheryl L (2004). "Blending and Shaping Styles: Rap and Other Musical Voices". Rap Music and Street Consciousness. University of Illinois Press. p. 107. ISBN 0-252-07201-4.
25. Fine, Elizabeth Calvert (2003). "The Cultural Politics of Step Shows". Soulstepping: African American Step Shows. University of Illinois Press. p. 145. ISBN 0-252-02475-3.
26. Hess, Mickey (2007). "Vanilla Ice: The Elvis of Rap". Is Hip Hop Dead?. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 118. ISBN 978-0-275-99461-7.
27. ^ Stillman, Kevin (February 27, 2006). "Word to your mother". Iowa State Daily. Archived from the original on 2009-12-04. Retrieved 2009-02-13.
28. Adams, Nick (2006). "When White Rappers Attack". Making Friends with Black People. Kensington Books. p. 75. ISBN 0-7582-1295-X.
29. "Vanilla Ice Apparently Owns the Rights to 'Under Pressure'". Exclaim.ca. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
30. Perkins, William Eric (1996). "Whiteface mimicry: dissin' race and culture". Droppin' Science: Critical Essays on Rap Music and Hip Hop Culture. Temple University Press. p. 199. ISBN 1-56639-362-0.
31. ^ Christgau, Robert (1990). "Review of To the Extreme". The Village Voice. Retrieved 2009-03-07.
32. ^ Udovitch, Mim (November 2, 1990). "Review of To the Extreme". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 2009-04-15. Retrieved 2009-02-13.
33. ^ Dalton, Stephen (12 January 1991). "Long Play". NME. p. 26. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
34. Cross, Charles R. (2004). "Vanilla Ice". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 843-44. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
35. ^ Brown, Russell (February 1991). "Reviews". Select. p. 73.
36. Andrews, Marc. "Review: Vanilla Ice: To the Extreme (SBK)". Smash Hits (12–25 December 1990). EMAP Metro: 54.
37. "Catching Up With... Vanilla Ice". The Washington Post. February 17, 2006. Retrieved 13 February 2009.
38. Holden, Stephen (October 17, 1990). "The Pop Life: Vanilla Ice invades the rap scene Some Marvin Gaye treasures are released Slow and steady gets James Ingram a No. 1 single". The New York Times. pp. C17. ISSN 0362-4331. 108481914 – via Proquest.
39. "Billboard" (PDF). Worldradiohistory.com. December 22, 1990. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
40. Perkins, William Eric (1996). "The great white hoax". Droppin' Science: Critical Essays on Rap Music and Hip Hop Culture. Temple University Press. p. 37. ISBN 1-56639-362-0.
41. "Hammer, Aerosmith, Ice Tops in Nov. Certs". Billboard. December 15, 1990. p. 9. 226974223 – via Proquest.
42. "Garth Ropes An RIM Sales Record Bolton, Cole, Van Halen Also Soar In Nov" (PDF). Billboard. December 14, 1991. p. 12.
43. "It Was Feast Or Famine In '90 Cens Platinum Ranks Thin, But Smashes Soar" (PDF). Billboard. January 12, 1991. p. 9.
44. Kihn, Martin (May 18, 1992). "Charles in Charge". New York. 25 (20): 40.
45. Hilburn, Robert (1991-03-17). "COVER STORY : WAR OF THE RAP EGOS : VANILLA ICE : Why Is Everyone Still Fussing About Ice?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
46. Kyllonen, Tommy (2007). "An unorthodox culture: hip-hop's history". Un.orthodox: Church. Hip-Hop. Culture. Zondervan. p. 92. ISBN 978-0-310-27439-1.
47. "Credits for To the Extreme". AllMusic. Retrieved 2009-03-07.
48. "Australiancharts.com – Vanilla Ice – To the Extreme". Hung Medien.
49. "Austriancharts.at – Vanilla Ice – To the Extreme" (in German). Hung Medien.
50. "Billboard Magazine". Billboard. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
51. "RPM 100 Albums". RPM. 53 (7). archived at Library and Archives Canada. January 19, 1991. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
52. "Dutchcharts.nl – Vanilla Ice – To the Extreme" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
53. source: Pennanen, Timo: Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972. Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava, 2006. ISBN 9789511210535. page: 280
54. "Tous les Albums de l'Artiste choisi". InfoDisc. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
55. "Die ganze Musik im Internet: Charts, Neuerscheinungen, Tickets, Genres, Genresuche, Genrelexikon, Knstler-Suche, Musik-Suche, Track-Suche, Ticket-Suche - musicline.de". musicline.de.
56. "Irish Charts". Irish Charts. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
57. Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
58. "Charts.nz – Vanilla Ice – To the Extreme". Hung Medien.
59. "Norwegiancharts.com – Vanilla Ice – To the Extreme". Hung Medien.
60. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
61. "Swedishcharts.com – Vanilla Ice – To the Extreme". Hung Medien.
62. "Swisscharts.com – Vanilla Ice – To the Extreme". Hung Medien.
63. "VANILLA ICE | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
64. "Vanilla Ice Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
65. "Vanilla Ice Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard.
66. * Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: albums chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
67. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1991". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
68. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
69. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1991". hitparade.ch. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
70. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1991". Billboard. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
71. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1991". Billboard. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
72. Geoff Mayfield (December 25, 1999). 1999 The Year in Music Totally '90s: Diary of a Decade - The listing of Top Pop Albums of the '90s & Hot 100 Singles of the '90s. Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
73. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
74. "Canadian album certifications – Vanilla Ice – To the Extreme". Music Canada. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
75. "Ohayon Eye No.3 Spot for EMI France" (PDF). Music & Media. 21 September 1991. p. 7. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
76. "New Zealand album certifications – Vanilla Ice – To the Extreme". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
77. Sólo Éxitos 1959–2002 Año A Año: Certificados 1979–1990 (in Spanish). Iberautor Promociones Culturales. 2005. ISBN 8480486392.
78. "NewspaperSG".
79. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('To the Extreme')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
80. "British album certifications – Vanilla Ice – To the Extreme". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
81. "American album certifications – Vanilla Ice – To the Extreme". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 16, 2019.

• 1989 debut albums
• Ichiban Records albums
• Vanilla Ice albums
• SBK Records albums
• Juno Award for International Album of the Year albums