Turns his talents to 'Surreal Life' chicagotribune.com chicagosports.com jobs cars homes apartm... Vanilla Ice's latest gig

BEAUMONT, Texas -- Robert Van Winkle, a.k.a. Vanilla Ice, maintains he was a guinea pig in the early 1990s. He regrets the way his image was manipulated during his "To the Extreme" heyday and later lampooned.

"Don't forget, I was the first white rapper," he said in a telephone interview. "I was selling millions of records. I never predicted it. I never prepared for it. I figured the record company knows what they're doing. I figured, I'll let these people control it all, and they did control it all. They had image consultants, publicists, all kinds of people. I was like, whatever. I was out to make the big bucks."

The singer is 38. Long gone are the white-streaked pompadour, baggy pants and colorful leather jackets. In publicity shots, Vanilla Ice now sports an arm full of tattoos, camouflage shorts and a goatee.

His last few albums, including 2001's "Bi-Polar" and 2005's "Platinum Underground," have been distinguished by sharp metal edges, and the sound is more reminiscent of Papa Roach than MC Hammer.

The Dallas native was the first white solo artist to make it big as a rapper, shooting to fame in 1990 with his multiplatinum-selling album "To the Extreme" and the now-classic single "Ice Ice Baby."

But his subsequent efforts failed to generate much heat, and his 1991 film "Cool as Ice" received a chilly reception from audiences and critics alike. By 1992, he was effectively off the charts (though "Ice Ice Baby" did reach No. 11 on Billboard's Hot Ringtones chart in 2004, and the tune remains a favorite of karaoke singers).

In spite of all the problems with his handlers, Vanilla Ice did make some shrewd real estate investments, and even after his star faded he managed to make a good living, he said, rather than descending down the "Behind the Music" road of poverty and drugs.

The singer has appeared on two seasons of "The Surreal Life" (including the current all-star version), which features b-list celebrities such as adult-film actor Ron Jeremy and former "Webster" TV star Emmanuel Lewis living in a house together.

"It's keeping the buzz out there," he said. "People get to watch you, like you, they get to have a good laugh. A lot of people tune in, love it, appreciate it. I got other deals to do television and movies from it."

Fans of the show know Vanilla Ice as a hothead, liable to scream at former "Baywatch" star Traci Bingham or throw a tantrum over former MTV veejay Kennedy rating the celebrity status of him and his friends.

If you can go over the top a little bit, do it. You stir up a little excitement. But it's like a little adventure. I enjoy the heck out of it."

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