Customer Reviews

To the Extreme

5 star:		(73)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(44)

 

 

I'll defend this guy against the onslaught of criticism, Honestly, when I read the low reviews, I'd almost think they're talking about Saddam Hussein! Did I miss something, Was Vanilla Ice a ruthless dictator? It's almost a verbal crucifxcion! His names been severely beaten to a pulp as is. This mud-slinging is unnecessary! Maybe if their reviews dealt with the actual music content I'd be more understanding.

If anything white Rappers today should feel fortunate, because thanks to Vanilla Ice, they know everything NOT to do, In terms of marketing and image mistakes.

The fact "Ice, Ice Baby' borrowed heavily from David Bowie and Queen's "Under Pressure" is a moot point! It's an undeniably infectious tune. While the rhymes of "Hooked" are simple, the jazz-style beat makes up for it. I haven't listened to this album much since 1990. It's not perfect, but if you're looking for accessible pop-rap, "To the Extreme" is a fine choice.

This album was extremely popular when it came out. Everybody was playing "Ice Ice Baby" and nobody complained about it at the time. The same people that were bumping the song are now writing bad reviews because they feel stupid forever. Everyone has now labeled Vanilla Ice as the biggest wannabe rapper ever, so now this album is going to be considered lame. The truth of the matter is this album was pretty good for what it was. Vanilla Ice was a dancer that rapped, so take the album for what it's worth. It will still take you back to that time period if you let it. Vanilla Ice has appeal to the masses, he just ended up trying to be "too cool" and ruined his image. Don't let the haters fool you. This album might not be a rap masterpiece, but it has some catchy songs and during it's brief time was the hottest album around.

Everyone cracks on Vanilla, which he might deserve, but you can't deny this album. He wouldn't be so fun to crack on if he didn't have something going for him. This album was Vanilla Ice. If you ever wanted to know anything about Vanilla Ice or his music, get this album. Otherwise stop hating on the guy. He was an obvious wannabe, but you can't deny the album.

Vanilla Ice has denounced his former musical self and critics now bash this CD but back in the early 90's this CD was hot and it still is. The album opens up with the track "Ice Ice Baby." The lyrics may be a little corny but this is a really great song. I enjoyed all of the singles from "To The Extreme" including--"Stop That Train" and "Play That Funky Music." The love songs--"I Love You," and "Having A Roni" are pretty cool too. I admit I had a major crush on Ice back in 1991 and when I met him in 98 he turned out to be a pretty cool dude. Even though the mass media seems to want to write this off as a dark moment in music I think it was--and is a great CD the defines the music of an era--the early 90's Hammer/C&C Music Factory, Young MC, feel good pop/rap era..

Early 90's, I'll bet most of us were listening to this album. It's very easy to attack him now, but you don't think the same won't happen to the assembly-line MTV crap being put out today 14 years from now?

Another thing--there are entirely too many reviews here talking about Vanilla Ice dissing so and so or not respecting so and so when this happened. Unless I missed a book somewhere on lowlife history, the only people still concerned with any slights of the rap world from 14 years ago have either been gunned down or are probably upper-middle class white boys who wish desperately that they weren't. I await the response of the same informing me how "I jus don't know".

3 stars for nostalgia.

Remember back in the early 90's when this guy, MC Hammer, Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, and C & C Music Factory were ruling Top 40 radio? What's ironic about them all? Well, for starters, they all had short lived music careers. However, today if you were to play their music at a party or on a jukebox, listen to how many people will sing along to the lyrics or dance to the beat... pretty high number huh? People will try to act cool and act like they hate these old bands, but back in the day most people were jammin' this album with the others, and if they were to hear them today, they would get into it.

"To The Extreme" is a classic example of the music industry: lightning striking once not twice, a typical one hit wonder. "Ice Ice Baby" made Ice Man the top star in the music industry for a short period of time. However, once time passed, the song dropped off the charts, and Ice never could reach the pinnacle he once had and his name would go on to become a Trivial Pursuit answer to the question "What was the first rap song to reach number one on the Top 40?" Yeah, his career became kind of a joke after this album: associating himself with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II movie probably wasn't a good idea to be taken seriously as a hip hop artist. Then changing his name to V-Ice and becoming "heavy metal rap" wasn't probably a good idea. Neither was probably the move of going psycho on the MTV special "The Lamest Music Videos in History" (Jon Stewarts cries of "Vanilla! Vanilla!" while Ice was going ape on the studio made me roll on the floor laughing), and his latest move on the NBC show "Hit Me Baby One More Time", a show were a bunch of one hit wonder artists and bands from the 70's-90's competed for really nothing more than five more minutes to their initial fifteen. However, with this album, Ice had one hit single, and a few tracks that were worth listening to once in a while, and then a bunch of filler. Right now you might cringe when you think of the days when you would play this album 24/7, but don't tell me that you don't smile and sing along today when you hear "Ice Ice Baby", because chances are you still do, and if a song can still do that today, then it must of done something right. So for that reason, I give this album 3 and a half stars, which rounds up to four.

You LOVED this CD in 1990. It was just good music that didn't take itself too seriously and it is still fun now. He's the one laughing . . . he made a mint off of it off of us young music lovers.

I admit, I was hard pressed to stop listening to Backstreet Boys and David Hasslehoff. However my very good friend T.E. Mullane (who sits in cube 510.05) plays this music all the time and it is wonderful. He says it is the hippest. Sometimes it is a little hard to work with 'da ice dog' so loud in the office. The words get all mixed up in my head and sometimes my reports have the lyrics in them which is pretty embarrassing when I am giving reports to the VP's, let me tell you.

Still, I like to see T.E. Mullane dancing and grooving to this beat. He seems so happy to sing along with his pal Vanilla. Sometimes when he is jumping around and making the Vanilla moves, he knocks stuff on other peoples desks over but that is OK by me. As long as he is happy, I am happy. Thank you Vanilla!

A New Fan From Cube 510.06,

I can't believe the way you guys are acting over Vanilla Ice.Give the guy a break.This was all an image that he didn't want to precieved as but when money offers are thrown in your face you'll go with it.Don't act like you didn't like this when he came out,it's because of the people in which had the success so don't act like you hated it.I read one review saying how Vanilla Ice ruined your life.Thats crazy.How did he ruined your life.Vanilla Ice has nothing to do with that,Vanilla Ice,Eminem,or no other rapper will change the opinions of what people think about you,thats crazy seriously.Anyway if this album is a piece of crap then why it was so successful,people grow up and let's be honest.He suffered a lot of hardship and you're not making it any easier for him,give the guy a break and let him do is thing.

This is by far the best album people would like to forget. If this album were sang by LL Cool j or Dr Dre it would go down as the best rap album in history. But it was sung by Vanila Ice so it wasn't>

Can we be honest for just a minute? If Vanilla Ice was black and hung out with someone like, lets say Run DMC, then he would have had more staying power. Come on now! Dont lie! Listen! I was living in FLA when the album came out and gave some bros. a ride to the store. Guess which CD came up missing after I had dropped the bros. off? The Ice Man! If anyone is living on the Gulf coast and familiar with 93 WBLX in the Pensacola area then you know that is the premier station of choice for the black audience. Guess which rapper got some extended play and requests back in the day on BLX? The Ice Man! Admit it! Vanilla Ice had talent. No it wasnt the discovery of the dead sea scrolls but if you overlooked the man's abilities to rap and dance then you should go back to shooting up your heroine while listening to Nirvana, Matchbox 20, JayZ, or whatever your passion. Its a shame that one is subjected to epic profanity, lyrics suggesting violence against the police, condoning drug use, proliferation of rape, and so forth and so on in today's music. Now I'm not Mr. Squeeky Clean, but today's music lacks a purpose unless you didnt get past 3rd. grade. Vanilla Ice at least had a notion that music was supposed to be fun. And like one of the previous commentors admitted, you can at least understand what Ice was saying. And yes he could dance! Ah come one now. You know he could! Its comical to hear people trash the man all the while you know SOMEONE was buying those albums of his.