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The same attraction that Ice-T once felt for life on the edge holds for rap fans today, and he knows it. "There's no feeling like robbing somebody. It's a weird, warped thrill," he acknowledges. But with convoluted logic, he warns, "It's wrong, and it can also get you killed." He simplistically assumes listeners can draw the line between sitting back and enjoying the thrill and participating in it. The rapper claims his music encourages people to action but not to crime. "My raps aim to give people courage. Listening to me gives you the ability to say 'Screw the system' if it's doing you wrong."
That attitude, and the fact that young people are listening to it, says Ice- T, is what has traditional America running scared. Law-enforcement authorities spend time monitoring rap groups like N.W.A. and 2 Live Crew, and only end up bringing more attention to the groups. "That rap is considered more dangerous than heavy metal, even Satan worship, only shows where America's fears lie," he says.
Strange, then, that one of America's most fearsome rappers will soon be a comic-book star. DC Comics has planned a three-part series featuring the rapper. Ice-T is also using his experience with gangs for more than albums. He frequently speaks to high school students about the dangers of a life of crime. In the meantime, as Ice-T sings on the title track of the O.G. album,
I rap for brothers just like myself
Dazed by the game
In a quest for extreme wealth.
But I kick it hard and real
One wrong move, your cap's peeled . . .
Point blank and untwisted
No imagination needed, cause I lived it.
This aint no f---ing joke
This s--- is real to me.
I'm Ice-T.