Ice-T was shocked to find out that the music industry 'is all fake'
On The Late Show With Stephen Colbert Wednesday, rapper and longtime Law & Order SVU actor Ice-T reflected on what surprised him when he first got into the music industry in the mid ‘80s. The main shock was that musicians weren’t actually living the lives they portrayed in their videos.
“The biggest thing that surprised me about music is you could lie. I mean, I was watching music videos, I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s their house. That’s their car. That’s their girl.’ Then when I got in there, like, oh, you can rent a car. MTV Cribs, ‘You don’t have to have this house, we’ll put you in a house that’s not yours.’ I’m like, this is all fake, you know. And I didn’t know that. And when I got in there, you know, I always had to use my own cars.”
Ice-T pointed to the cover of his 1988 album, Power, as proof that he was keeping it real.
“That’s my girl,” Ice-T said, pointing to the album Colbert was holding. “That’s my son’s mom, Darlene, those are my guns, and that was my life at that time, you know? And, hey, I didn’t know you could lie. I was like, what?”
And he went on to reveal other ways in which musicians embellish their lifestyles in music videos.
“They’ll come and put jewelry on you for the video, and then take it back,” Ice-T said. “Or you got all the girls in the jacuzzi, and their boyfriends are sitting right out of frame, waiting on them, like…So I was coming from a real world, Steve. I didn’t know about this. Show business is so fake."
Video Transcript
[WHOOSH]
ICE-T: The biggest thing that surprised me about music was could lie. I mean--
STEPHEN COLBERT: What do you mean?
ICE-T: I was watching music videos. I'm like oh, that's their house. That's their car. That's their girl. And then when I got in there, like oh, you can rent a car.
KYLIE MAR: Ice-T joined "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" Wednesday where the rapper and longtime "Law and Order SVU" actor reflected on revelations he'd had when he began his music career in the mid '80s.
ICE-T: I'm like this is all fake. And I didn't know that. And when I got in there, I always had to use my own cars. I had a rhyme where I said I rap about girls I ain't caught, guns I ain't shot, or things I ain't bought. The game to me is too deep. If I did, I honestly believe I'd die in my sleep.
KYLIE MAR: Ice-T pointed to the cover of his 1988 album "Power" as proof of his dedication to being real.
ICE-T: I've always been held to the code of being honest.
STEPHEN COLBERT: So let's talk about this cover right here, OK.
ICE-T: That's my girl.
STEPHEN COLBERT: That's your girl.
ICE-T: That's my son's mom's. That's Darlene. Those are my guns, and that was my life at that time. And hey, I didn't know you could lie. I was like, what?
KYLIE MAR: And besides houses and cars, Ice-T pointed out some of the other ways musicians sell an alternate reality in their videos.
ICE-T: They'll come and put jewelry on you for the video and then take it back. Or, you've got all the girls in the Jacuzzi and their boyfriends are sitting right out of frame waiting on them like--
