About this person
Vanilla Ice, born Robert Matthew Van Winkle, is an American rapper, singer, actor and television host. He was born in Dallas on 31 October 1967 and grew up in Miami.
Following the release of the hit Ice Ice Baby in 1990, he became the first white American solo rapper to achieve major commercial success. To the Extreme was the fastest-selling hip-hop album of its time, and Ice Ice Baby became the first hip-hop single to top the Billboard Hot 100.
He starred in the film Cool as Ice and later pursued rap rock and nu metal. Beginning in 2010, he hosted nine seasons of the home-renovation programme The Vanilla Ice Project and is also involved in motocross and real estate.