So officially “Play That Funky” music came out in 1990 as the second single from “To the Extreme”, which was actually put forth by SBK Records. It served as such on a project called “Hooked”, which was an earlier version of “To the Extreme” – the latter being recognized as Ice’s actual debut album. “Ice Ice Baby” (1990), a track which in its own way revolutionized rap music and is Vanilla’s signature song, was originally the B-side to “Play That Funky Music”. This is the song which actually led to Vanilla Ice signing his first record deal, having done so with Atlanta-based Ichiban Records. When did Vanilla Ice release “Play That Funky Music”? the fact that he is indeed White and came out during a time when Caucasian rappers were viewed more as anomaliesĪnd that is obviously something he was aware of and capitalized on, considering once again that he refers to himself as a “White boy”, albeit a “funky” one, on this track.And the main factors which contributed to him becoming an overnight success include: In fact after now having analyzed both of Vanilla Ice’s only-two hits (this and “Ice Ice Baby”) yes, it must be concluded that the man has heart, as well as exceptional talent.īut said talent wasn’t rapping. He was a mediocre rapper, at best. Rather Ice was and probably still is really good at dancing. Such language would definitely be unacceptable if one were to drop such a phrase now, in the social-media age. But back then, given once again that by and large no one was really interested in what Vanilla Ice had to say in the first place (as in it wasn’t his raps which made him famous) then it’s like that line totally got past the censors and critics. The line in question finds Vanilla asserting that he’s “steppin’ so hard like a German N*zi”. Then as far as the quality of the actual song goes, it isn’t really exceptional in any way, shape or form. But there is a line which must be pointed out. However, in this case there is slightly more of an emphasis on Ice being a playa, i.e. YES, this is a braggadocious song, the type you would expect from a rapper from the early-1990s. In fact it is fundamentally the same in content as Ice’s iconic hit song “ Ice Ice Baby“. Other Topics in “Play that Funky Music”īut now with all of that out of the way, dancing is not the only theme of this song. For in addition to touting his abilities in that regard, Vanilla Ice also exalts his exceptional rapping and lady-attracting abilities. In short, what that basically alludes to it is something exceptional, if you will, for a White musician to be able to perform Black music. And just to note the full title, as relayed in the chorus, is actually “play that funky music, White boy”.Īnd in a roundabout way such is also an acknowledgment of the aforementioned ‘White people having no rhythm’ stereotype. We know this not only due to the sound of the tune but also the original “Play That Funky Music” (1976) which it is based on. Or stated more specifically, the titular music is being played in the name of getting the venue, i.e. Take a look at the music video to this song for instance. Dude was no joke, executing flips on stage and everything. And please don’t try that at home kids, because attempting to pull off such moves without proper training and again the intrinsic skills can even result in fatal injuries.Īnd with all of that being noted, “Play that Funky Music” is intrinsically a dance song. Exceptional Dancing Skills in Music Video Furthermore, he was able to rely on that skillset to establish himself as a superstar. Well Vanilla Ice, at least as far as his own personage is concerned, definitely broke that stereotype. And that’s especially true as far as “Play That Funky Music” is concerned, a track which honestly sounded a bit corny even by early-1990s’ standards.īut when people talk about how visuals have impacted the music industry, such is not an exaggeration. For instance, the late Michael Jackson, in all his glory, would probably never have been able to claim the crown as King of Pop if he didn’t have music videos to rely on.Īnd likewise, going back to the first sentence of this post, Vanilla Ice shocked viewers, White and Black alike, by being a Caucasian who was fully able to dance hip-hop. In order words, he was a far better dancer than rapper, and there is a pervasive stereotype, likely going back centuries, that White people can’t really get down and boogie.
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