“Ice Ice Baby” became a number one hit late in 1990, thanks to the pulsating bass riff from David Bowie and Queen’s “Under Pressure.” To the Extreme also went to the top of the charts, spending 16 weeks at number one. Vanilla Ice’s second major album was a live version of To the Extreme. Entitled Extremely Live, it was certified gold. In 1996, Ice made his next appearance (credited as “Rob Van Winkle”), on the track “Boom” by suburban Philadelphia rappers The Bloodhound Gang. The track’s deep bass groove and Ice’s uncharacteristic tough guy flow on the first verse led to a quasi-ironic underground revival in popularity, and the first new Vanilla Ice CD in four years, Hard to Swallow. In August 2005, Van Winkle released his fifth studio album, Platinum Underground. In September 2008, Van Winkle recorded the cover album, Vanilla Ice Is Back! at the label’s request. The album was released in November 2008, and contained covers of songs by Public Enemy, House of Pain, Bob Marley and Cypress Hill. In 2009, Van Winkle started filming a reality television series called The Vanilla Ice Project, which premiered on DIY Network in October 2010. The season is focused on renovating a house in Palm Beach, Florida with each episode dedicated to a different room in the house. Van Winkle, the man once known as Vanilla Ice, continues to tour and draw big crowds.
