Ice T says rapping about what pisses him off keeps him on his toes.
The Body Count frontman is in his 50s and admits that what makes him angry these days is mostly the little things, like muddy festival sites and his wife Coco moaning that he spends too much time on his Xbox.
Body Count covered Suicidal Tendencies classic Institutionalized on their 2014 album Manslaughter, with Ice T personalising the song’s ranting verses.
He tells TeamRock Radio: “One of the keys to Ice T, I always try to write from the moment. I’m in my 50s, I can’t rap like I’m in my 20s. But shit still pisses me off.
“I’m still dealing with bullshit. There’s mud at this concert, this stage is gonna be wet. I find different things to rant about. I rapped about Coco worrying about me playing Xbox – and it worked.”
Ice T says Suicidal Tendencies frontman Mike Muir’s style appealed to him and that the 1983 classic Institutionalized still resonates today.
He adds: “We did Institutionalized to pay homage to Suicidal because they were the first band out of the west coast rocking the Dickies, the bandanas and having that west coast look. When we first came out, most of our fans were Suicidal fans. They migrated to our shows. So we did their song and we were happy that they liked it. Nothing but respect for Suicidal.
“I liked the record because it was more of a rant than a song. With a lot of punk rock back in the day, you always tried to get some kind of point across. Michael was kind of just saying, ‘I’m just going through it as a kid. Mom is telling me I’m on drugs, all I want is a Pepsi.’”
Body Count played the Maverick Stage at Download on Saturday (June 13), while Suicidal Tendencies headline Jake’s Stage tonight (July 14).
Body Count tour dates
Jun 14: Nijmegen Doornroosje, Netherlands
Jun 16: Warsaw Klub Progresja, Poland
Jun 17: Prague Roxy, Czech Republic
Jun 18: Copenhagen Copenhell, Denmark
Jun 19: Clisson Hellfest, France
Jun 20: Clisson Hellfest, France
Aug 22: Dallas Trees, TX, US
