To the Extreme explained

To the Extreme
Type:studio
Artist:Vanilla Ice
Cover:Vanilla Ice-To the Extreme (album cover).JPG
Released:September 10, 1990
Recorded:1989 - 1990
Studio:Luminous Sound, Dallas, Texas
Genre:
Length:57:18
Producer:
  • Tommy Quon (exec.)
  • Vanilla Ice
  • David DeBerry
  • Kim Sharp
  • Khayree
  • Darryl Williams
  • Mario "Choc" Johnson
  • Earthquake
Next Title:Extremely Live
Next Year:1991

To the Extreme is the major label debut studio album of American rapper Vanilla Ice released on September 10, 1990 by SBK and EMI.[3] 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.[4] 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.[5] [6] 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.[7] [8] [9] "Play That Funky Music" was released as the album's first single, with "Ice Ice Baby" appearing as the B-side.[10] [11] 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".[12] 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.[13] [14] The video was financed by Vanilla Ice's manager, Tommy Quon, and shot on the roof of a warehouse in Dallas, Texas.[15]

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".[16] The EMI single contained the club and radio mixes of the song, and the shortened radio edit.[17]

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.[18] The lyrics describe a drive-by shooting and Vanilla Ice's rhyming skills.[19] The chorus of "Ice Ice Baby" originates from the signature chant of the national African American fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha.[20] [21] The song's hook samples the bassline of the 1981 song "Under Pressure" by Queen and David Bowie.[22] Freddie Mercury and David Bowie did not receive credit or royalties for the sample.[10] In a 1990 interview, Vanilla Ice joked the two melodies were slightly different because he had added an additional note.[23] [24] Vanilla Ice later paid Mercury and Bowie, who have since been given songwriting credit for the sample.[23] However, he ended up purchasing the rights to the song, because it was cheaper than licensing the sample.[25]

The stylistic origins of "Rosta Man" are based upon reggae toasting.[26] [27]

Critical reception

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",[28] 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."[28] Udovitch cited "Ice Ice Baby", "Play That Funky Music", "Dancin'" and "It's a Party" as the album's highlights.[28] 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".[29] 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."[30]

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."[26]

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.[31]

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.[32] 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.[33] [34] 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.[35] [36]

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.[37] Eventually, seven million copies were shipped across the United States.[38]

By March 1991, the album was closing in on 10.5 million units worldwide, just six months from being released.[39] 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.[40]

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.[26]

Personnel

The following people contributed on To the Extreme:[41]

Additional musicians

Technical personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1990–1991)Peak
position
Belgian Albums (BEA)[42] 7
Canadian Albums (RPM)[43] 1
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[44] 9
French Albums (SNEP)[45] 46
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[46] 13
Irish Albums (IRMA)[47] 7
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[48] 60
Spanish Albums (AFE)[49] 14
UK Albums (OCC)[50] 4
Zimbabwean Albums (ZIMA)[51] 4

Year-end charts

Chart (1991)Position
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[52] 59
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[53] 61
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[54] 34
US Billboard 200[55] 6
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[56] 43

Decade-end charts

Notes and References

  1. Book: Forman . Murray . The 'hood Comes First: Race, Space, and Place in Rap and Hip-hop . 2002 . Wesleyan University Press . 0-8195-6397-8 . 61 . 'Welcome to the City' . https://archive.org/details/hoodcomesfirstra00form/page/61 .
  2. Web site: Tom . Breihan . The Number Ones: Mariah Carey's "Someday. . November 10, 2021 . December 20, 2023. ...two pop-rap blockbusters had utterly dominated those album charts...nothing was getting past...Vanilla Ice’s To The Extreme..
  3. Web site: RIAA. .
  4. Book: Charnas, Dan . The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop . 2011-11-01 . Penguin . 978-1-101-56811-8 . en.
  5. Web site: Vanilla ice special 1999 . https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/v7rst3311lM. 2021-12-12 . live. YouTube . 2008-01-15 . 2014-01-08.
  6. News: Jeske . Lee . October 19, 1991 . Vanilla Ice: Hollywood, Hollywood Baby . 7 . Cash Box .
  7. Web site: [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r77427|pure_url=yes}} Overview for ''Hooked'' ]. 2009-03-07 . AllMusic.
  8. Web site: Information for Hooked . 2009-03-07 . Discogs.
  9. Web site: The Next Ice Age. 2008-04-26. Price. Jason. Live-Metal.
  10. Book: Westfahl . Gary . Science Fiction, Children's Literature, and Popular Culture . 2000 . Greenwood Publishing Group . 0-313-30847-0 . 100 . Legends of the Fall: Behind the Music . https://archive.org/details/sciencefictionch00west_0/page/100 .
  11. News: Alona . Wartofsky . The Iceman Returneth; Vanilla Ice: Once Hated, He's Back With a Different Rap . https://web.archive.org/web/20121023110920/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-696609.html . dead . October 23, 2012 . . November 22, 1998 . 13 February 2009.
  12. Web site: Information for "Ice Ice Baby" (12") . 2009-02-13 . Discogs.
  13. News: Michael . Corcoran . Black and white & rap all over: Mass America moves to beat of hip-hop . . January 27, 1991 . 26 February 2009.
  14. News: Robert . Hilburn . Why Is Everyone Still Fussing About Ice? . . March 17, 1991 . 26 February 2009 . 15 April 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090415003752/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/61138632.xml?dids=61138632:61138632&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Mar+17%2C+1991&author=ROBERT+HILBURN&pub=Los+Angeles+Times+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&desc=COVER+STORY+WAR+OF+THE+RAP+EGOS+VANILLA+ICE+Why+Is+Everyone+Still+Fussing+About+Ice%3F&pqatl=google . dead .
  15. News: Ken Parish . Perkins . Building with Ice: Tommy Quon struggled for years running clubs -- then found a ticket out . . March 31, 1991 . 26 February 2009.
  16. Web site: Information for "Ice Ice Baby" (SBK) . 2009-02-13 . Discogs.
  17. Web site: Information for "Ice Ice Baby" (EMI) . 2009-02-13 . Discogs.
  18. News: Is this it? . 2009-02-13 . Rayner . Alex . November 3, 2007 . The Guardian.
  19. Book: Perullo . Alex . Fenn . John . Berger . Harris M. . Carroll . Michael Thomas . Global Pop, Local Language . 2003 . Univ. Press of Mississippi . 1-57806-536-4 . 25 . Ideologies, Choices, and Practicies in Eastern African Hip Hop . https://archive.org/details/globalpoplocalla0000unse/page/25 .
  20. Book: Keyes . Cheryl L . Rap Music and Street Consciousness . 2004 . University of Illinois Press . 0-252-07201-4 . 107 . Blending and Shaping Styles: Rap and Other Musical Voices . https://archive.org/details/rapmusicstreetco0000keye/page/107 .
  21. Book: Fine . Elizabeth Calvert . Soulstepping: African American Step Shows . 2003 . University of Illinois Press . 0-252-02475-3 . 145 . The Cultural Politics of Step Shows . https://archive.org/details/soulsteppingafri0000fine/page/145 .
  22. Book: Hess, Mickey . Is Hip Hop Dead? . 2007 . Greenwood Publishing Group . 978-0-275-99461-7 . 118 . Vanilla Ice: The Elvis of Rap . https://archive.org/details/ishiphopdeadpast00hess_0/page/118 .
  23. News: Word to your mother . 2009-02-13 . Stillman . Kevin . February 27, 2006 . . 2009-12-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20091204151103/http://www.iowastatedaily.com/articles/2006/02/27/news/20060227-archive5.txt . dead .
  24. Book: Adams . Nick . Nick Adams (comedian) . Making Friends with Black People . 2006 . Kensington Books . 0-7582-1295-X . 75 . When White Rappers Attack.
  25. Web site: Vanilla Ice Apparently Owns the Rights to 'Under Pressure'. Exclaim.ca. 6 January 2022.
  26. Web site: [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r28388|pure_url=yes}} Review of ''To the Extreme'' ]. 2009-03-07 . Huey . Steve . AllMusic.
  27. Book: Perkins . William Eric . Droppin' Science: Critical Essays on Rap Music and Hip Hop Culture . 1996 . Temple University Press . 1-56639-362-0 . 199 . Whiteface mimicry: dissin' race and culture . https://archive.org/details/droppinsciencecr0000unse/page/199 .
  28. Review of To the Extreme . 2009-02-13 . Udovitch . Mim . November 2, 1990 . . 2009-04-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090415125856/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,318500,00.html . live .
  29. News: Review of To the Extreme . 2009-03-07 . Christgau . Robert . 1990 . The Village Voice.
  30. Select. Reviews. Brown. Russell. 73. February 1991.
  31. News: Catching Up With... Vanilla Ice . . February 17, 2006 . 13 February 2009.
  32. News: 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. . C17 . The New York Times . subscription . 0362-4331 . 108481914 . Proquest.
  33. Web site: Billboard. December 22, 1990. Worldradiohistory.com. 6 January 2022.
  34. Book: Perkins . William Eric . Droppin' Science: Critical Essays on Rap Music and Hip Hop Culture . 1996 . Temple University Press . 1-56639-362-0 . 37 . The great white hoax . https://archive.org/details/droppinsciencecr0000unse/page/37 .
  35. December 15, 1990 . Hammer, Aerosmith, Ice Tops in Nov. Certs . 9 . Billboard . subscription . 226974223 . Proquest.
  36. December 14, 1991 . Garth Ropes An RIM Sales Record Bolton, Cole, Van Halen Also Soar In Nov. . 12 . Billboard .
  37. January 12, 1991 . It Was Feast Or Famine In '90 Cens Platinum Ranks Thin, But Smashes Soar . 9 . Billboard .
  38. Kihn . Martin . May 18, 1992 . Charles in Charge . . 25 . 20 . 40.
  39. Web site: Hilburn . Robert . 1991-03-17 . COVER STORY : WAR OF THE RAP EGOS : VANILLA ICE : Why Is Everyone Still Fussing About Ice? . 2023-08-07 . Los Angeles Times . en-US.
  40. Book: Kyllonen . Tommy . Un.orthodox: Church. Hip-Hop. Culture . 2007 . Zondervan . 978-0-310-27439-1 . 92 . An unorthodox culture: hip-hop's history.
  41. Web site: [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r28388|pure_url=yes}} Credits for ''To the Extreme'' ]. 2009-03-07 . AllMusic.
  42. Billboard Magazine. Billboard . July 30, 2017.
  43. RPM 100 Albums . . 7 . January 19, 1991 . 53 . . July 26, 2017.
  44. source:Pennanen, Timo: Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972. Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava, 2006. . page: 280
  45. Web site: Tous les Albums de l'Artiste choisi. InfoDisc. July 24, 2017.
  46. Web site: Die ganze Musik im Internet: Charts, Neuerscheinungen, Tickets, Genres, Genresuche, Genrelexikon, Knstler-Suche, Musik-Suche, Track-Suche, Ticket-Suche - musicline.de. musicline.de.
  47. Web site: Irish Charts. Irish Charts. July 27, 2017.
  48. Book: Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Oricon Entertainment. Roppongi, Tokyo. 2006. 4-87131-077-9.
  49. Book: Salaverri, Fernando. Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002. 1st . September 2005. Fundación Autor-SGAE. Spain. 84-8048-639-2.
  50. Web site: VANILLA ICE | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company. Officialcharts.com. 6 January 2022.
    • Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: albums chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
  52. Web site: Jaaroverzichten – Album 1991. dutchcharts.nl. August 22, 2021.
  53. Web site: Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts. de. GfK Entertainment. offiziellecharts.de. August 22, 2021.
  54. Web site: Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1991. hitparade.ch. August 22, 2021.
  55. Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1991. Billboard. August 22, 2021.
  56. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1991. Billboard. August 22, 2021.
  57. Book: Geoff Mayfield . 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 . . December 25, 1999 . October 15, 2010.

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