BODY COUNT — Body Count (review)

Album · 1992 · Crossover Thrash

5/5 · 2015-08-05
Vim Fuego

Anyone with a metal background would not dream of doing what Ice-T did here. What did he do? Well, it's basically gangsta rap themes and lyrics stuck over a metal backing band.

Many remember 1992 as the year Grunge hit the headlines. By far the biggest musical controversy of the year though, was Body Count. Ice-T and his homies hit all the right buttons to upset the self-appointed moral protectors of the world. Gang warfare, murder, racism, voodoo, promiscuity, drug addiction, the self-righteous morality police missed Ice's opinions on the whole lot. What they got up in arms about was the infamous "Cop Killer".

Yes, a black man singing a song about killing police, how wicked, how evil, he must be stopped! Conveniently, it was forgotten that Ice and other gangsta rappers had been rapping about the same thing for at least a decade. Outrage turned to threats. Threats of legal action, threats against Ice-T, threats against Warner Brothers. When the threats turned to death and bomb threats, allegedly from police officers, Warner had no choice but to pull the plug on 'Cop Killer'. I'm glad these protectors of the community are looking after MY moral well-being...

Anyway, back to Ice and his posse... Controversy aside, if Ice-T hadn't already been an established artist, this album probably would not have seen the light of day. The themes already mentioned here had hardly ever been mentioned anywhere in metal prior to this release. Major labels don't generally like gambling on such things as originality. Right from the first track, a little spoken interlude where Ice and bass player Mooseman ambush and murder a police officer, you can tell this is going to be far from your standard metal fare.

Some of the lyrics are just downright idiotic. "Voodoo" is just dumb, a filler track in every sense. "Evil Dick", "KKK Bitch" and "Momma's Gotta Die Tonight" are also somewhat lame when you read the lyrics, but are trying to convey a serious message. While most of the lyrics are fictional, they are written from the first person point of view, making it easy for the ignorant or vindictive to miss the irony. Anyone who thinks Ice-T really had anal sex with Tipper Gore's niece at a KKK rally, or that he dismembered his mother with a bread knife needs serious help.

There's also the rap penchant for self-promotion. Two tracks are basically the name Body Count chanted repeatedly.

The band does get it right from time to time though. "Cop Killer" and "There Goes The Neighbourhood" manage to combine biting irony, a touch of comedy and deliver their message with a real punch. The best of the whole album is "The Winner Loses", the only song Ice-T didn't write (lead guitar maestro Ernie C penned it). It is a heartfelt story of drug addiction and death. It also shows a little subtlety can go a long way.

Most importantly to metal fans though, what does Body Count actually sound like? Well, it sounds like Body Count. Ice-T managed to gather an impressive bunch of musicians around him. The guitar duo of Ernie C and D-Roc are not out and out speed freaks, but can thrash out when required. The rhythm section is solid, while not impressive. Beatmaster V does break into a drum solo at one stage, which is kept mercifully short.

For those who spell rap with a silent "c", even you could stomach this. There is not a single record scratched anywhere on the album, the rhythms are straight metal, rather than anything funky, and while there are breakdowns on most tracks, Ice-T talks rather than raps the lyrics. And he likes to say bad words starting with the letters F, MF, P and N. A lot.

Messy in places, and overrated due to the "Cop Killer" controversy, Body Count's debut is still an entertaining listen, if you can look past a few well-meaning but amateurish mistakes.