WE TV’s series Untold Stories of Hip-Hop features interviews with hip hop’s most memorable and ground-breaking artists. The six-episode first season concludes today. Ja Rule, Snoop Dogg, Cardi B, Ice Cube, Queen Latifah and Nelly were some of the guests. The final episode features chats with Ice-T, Swizz Beatz, and Wyclef. Ice-T mentioned a story that he has shared before, but not all that often. He used to rob jewelry stores:
Ice-T is getting real about his past on Untold Stories of Hip Hop.
The 61-year-old rapper sits down with Angie Martinez on Thursday’s season finale of the WE tv series, and only ET has an exclusive sneak peek of his candid conversation detailing his “difficult” past.
“You were a bank robber?” Martinez asks in the clip.
“Fact — but that’s not all I robbed,” Ice-T confesses. “We robbed mostly jewelry stores, and we started off not being armed.”
Martinez’s interest is piqued. “How do you rob a bank without being armed?” she replies.
“You don’t rob a bank, but you rob jewelry stores without being armed… just walk in with some sledge hammers,” he answers with a laugh/ “Just walk in, ‘Hey, hey everybody. Everybody, please back away from the case. This is about to be a bash.'”
Martinez advises viewers not to “do this at home,” and Ice-T expresses his agreement.
“I wouldn’t advise it, because it’s easy for someone to get killed and shot, and then that murder will follow you forever,” he somberly says. “So, fortunately I ducked all those mistakes.”
Ice-T says he doesn’t really “like to talk about [those experiences] too much,” pointing out that he still knows people who are in prison. Angie Martinez wisely doesn’t press him. I appreciate his candor in this clip. It’s not easy to admit to someone who is asking probing questions of you that you used to rob jewelry stores. It’s also not easy to say that on television, and open yourself up to the criticisms of people who fancy themselves armchair psychologists.
ET notes that Ice-T talked about this phase of his life in a 2012 episode of The Adam Carolla Podcast. He was discharged from the Army in 1979 and then shortly after, began robbing places. Because the statute of limitations has long-run out, it’s easier for him to talk freely about the robberies that he committed. Anytime I happen to see an interview with Ice-T, he always seems so engaged in what he’s talking about, and super smart. I’m going to see if I can figure out some way to catch this at some point.
Photos credit: Getty and via YouTube
I have no use for Ice T. HBO had a docu series in the 90s about prostitutes and pimps, and he was still pimping women, he did that too in his younger days.
He said it out of his own mouth, and this was after his “acting” career started.
How ironic given his main acting role is an SVU detective.
Using a hammer is being armed…
I think it’s good that he’s opening up and being honest about it and how he doesn’t advise anyone to do it, how he still knows people who are in jail for these types of crimes etc because there are a lot of younger kids/teens out there who idolize him or someone like Nelly etc and think if they did it, I should too. So it’s good he’s at least attempting to steer in the right direction. HOWEVER, he comes off as a humble brag the way he says it so freely.
I adore Ice T.
I love that as a teen, when his girlfriend got pregnant he did the most responsible thing he could think to do- he went into the army. His eldest daughter is near 40.
Then he has a son, who is in his 20s, and now little Chanel.
He and Coco seem to adore each other. And their dogs are adorable, I follow the dogs on Instagram.
He has lived a hell of an interesting life.
And seems to have an amazing hustle and work ethic.