Ice-T is best known as an old-school rapper, but he just won a Grammy for Best Metal Performance. The award was for the song “Bum-Rush” off his band Body Count’s 2020 album Carnivore.
The song was up against Code Orange’s “Underneath,” This Moment’s “The In-Between,” Poppy’s “Bloodmoney” and Power Trip’s “Executioner’s Tax (Swing the Ax).”
Ice-T told Metal Hammer in 2020 that “Bum-Rush” “is a very Public Enemy-inspired record. And the beats give me the vibe of The Prodigy. I love that, man. I’m all about vibes. The song is kind of like No Lives Matter [from Bloodlust (2017)]. Once we really understand that we mostly have all the same enemies, now we’re powerful and you can’t stop that power. So if we stop becoming distracted by what the media is trying to tell us then we unite as one and put everyone on the same side; then you can’t stop that bum rush.”
Body Count has released seven studio albums since forming in 1990. They’re known for their self-titled debut from 1992 but have enjoyed consistent acclaim ever since.
Ice-T won his previous Grammy in 1991 for “Back on the Block.” It was the inaugural win for the new category called Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.