Vanilla Ice Height, Weight, Age, Body Statistics

Vanilla Ice is a white rapper, actor, and TV host from South Dallas, Texas, United States. “Vanilla” is his childhood nickname (which he received from his breakdancing group as he was the only white kid in the group) and “Ice” comes from one of the popular breakdancing moves, The Ice. Hence, the name “Vanilla Ice”. He has also tried motocross racing and jet ski racing on the professional level in the past.

Born Name

Robert Matthew Van Winkle

Nick Name

Vanilla Ice, Ice Man, Ice, V-Ice, Robbie

Sun Sign

Scorpio

Born Place

Dallas, Texas, United States

Residence

Palm Beach, Florida, United States

Nationality

Education

Vanilla Ice went to the R. L. Turner High School in Carrollton, Texas. However, he dropped out of high school after having studied for a very brief period.

Occupation

Rapper, actor, record producer, singer, television host

Family

• Father – He has never known his biological father.
• Mother – Camilla Beth Dickerson (She mostly raised Van Winkle on her own.)
• Others – His mother was married to William Basil Van Winkle at his birth and it is his surname that has been fixed to Vanilla Ice’s birth name.

Manager

Vanilla Ice is represented by Tommy Quon of TQ Management Agency.

Genre

Hip hop, rap rock, nu metal, rap metal

Instruments

Vocals, guitar, bass, drums, keyboards

Labels

• Ichiban (1987–1989)
• SBK/EMI (1990–1994)
• Republic/Universal (1996–1999)
• Liquid 8 (2000–2003)
• Ultrax (2004–2007)
• Cleopatra (2008)
• Radium (2008–2011)
• Psychopathic
• Arista Records

Build

Slim

Height

5 ft 11 in or 180 cm

Weight

76 kg or 167.5 lbs

Girlfriend / Spouse

Vanilla Ice has dated

1. Rowanne Brewer (1990) – Towards the end of 1990, Ice was linked with the model, Rowanne Brewer. They were introduced at the MC Hammer event held at the Miami Arena. Ice was roped in as the opening act of the event. After the event, they were spotted getting cozy in the backseat of the limo. They were spotted together for a couple of days after the event but their affair didn’t even last a month.
2. Connie Hamzy – Connie Hamzy, the music groupie who had sexual relations with several rock musicians, claimed that she has had a sexual encounter with rapper, Vanilla Ice.
3. Madonna (1992) – Vanilla started dating pop icon Madonna in February 1992. She publicly spoke about their relationship and went on to compliment his skills in the bed. They broke up in 1992 with Ice claiming that he had dumped her after she featured revealing pictures of them in her book, Sex, without his consent and he wasn’t happy to be a part of such sleazy endeavor.
4. Laura Giaritta (1996-2016) – Vanilla started going out with Laura Giaritta in 1996. They got married in 1997. Their marriage has been fairly volatile as he had been hauled to the court on a couple of occasions for having assaulted her. In 1998, she gave birth to their first daughter, Dusti Rain. She gave birth to their second daughter, KeeLee Breeze in 2000. In 2011, it was reported that he had moved out of their family home amid claims that his wife had cheated on him. In 2016, she filed for divorce and claimed in his court filings that the marriage was broken beyond repair.

Race / Ethnicity

White

On his mother’s side, he has German and English ancestry.

Hair Color

Dark Brown (Natural)

But, he has been seen in “Black” shades too.

Eye Color

Blue with a hint of green

Sexual Orientation

Straight

Distinctive Features

• Heavy jaw
• Often keeps goatee beard

Brand Endorsements

Vanilla Ice has done endorsement work for Nike and was featured in a number of print adverts for the iconic sportswear and footwear brand.

He has also appeared in the TV commercials for the following brands –

• Coca-Cola
• Ice Breakers Duo breath mints
• Kraft Macaroni and Cheese
• Castle Lite Beer

Religion

In his interviews, he has expressed his faith in fundamentals of the Christianity but has spoken against Biblical literalism. On a couple of occasions, he has spoken against the institutionalization of the religion.

Best Known For

• The immense commercial success of his studio album, To the Extreme, which made him a household name.
• The popularity of his live album, Extremely Live, which managed to reach as high as 30^th position on the Billboard 200. However, the album was severely criticized by the music critics.
• The underground following, he has accumulated with his music after he decided to turn away from commercial music.

First Album

In 1989, he released his debut studio album, Hooked, in collaboration with Ichiban Records. However, the album was re-recorded by SBK Records and released as To the Extreme in 1990. It turned out to be a huge success and spent 16 weeks on the top of Billboard 200 charts. The album has also sold over 15 million copies all over the world.

First Film

In 1991, Vanilla Ice made his theatrical film debut in the action superhero film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze as himself (club performer).

First TV Show

In 1990, Vanilla Ice made his first TV show appearance in the music TV series, Saturday Morning Videos.

Vanilla Ice Favorite Things

• Chef – Rachael and Guy
• Signature Dish – Tailgate tofu lollipops
• Guilty Pleasure Food – Vanilla Ice Cream
• Alcoholic Drink – Beer
• Rappers – Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Jadakiss, Ludacris, and Public Enemy

Source – Food Network, Billboard

Vanilla Ice Facts

1. At the age of 18, he got in a street fight during which the attacker sliced his thigh and buttocks open with a knife. He had to be admitted to hospital and he lost four pints of blood because of the gruesome wound.
2. While studying in school, he had a habit of attracting attention by dressing up in outlandish ways which included turning up in mismatched shoes and with one leg of the jeans cut off.
3. While growing up, he used to practice breakdancing and as he was the only white kid in the group, his friends started calling him Vanilla.
4. When he initially started rapping, he was known by his stage name of MC Vanilla.
5. Because of his habit of seeking trouble in school, his mother got him into therapy when he was 8 years old. However, he refused to speak to the therapist.
6. He was offered a role in the Nightmare on Elm Street sequel but he had to turn it down because of his busy and tight work schedule.
7. In the 90s, he was followed by a female stalker who wanted to convert him to Satanism because his birthday falls on Halloween. She even followed him all the way to Japan and slipped Satanic bible into his hotel room.
8. His stage name Vanilla Ice comes from the combination of his nickname and one of his popular breakdancing moves, The Ice.
9. In his late teens, he used to perform on the streets with his breakdancing crew, which was called The Vanilla Ice Posse.
10. He had written his popular song Ice Ice Baby at the age of 16. It was inspired by the weekend he had with his friend and DJ D-Shay.
11. By 1985, he was focusing all his time and energy on motocross and even managed to win three championships. However, he broke his ankle in one race and had to take a break from professional racing.
12. In June 1991, he and his bodyguard were slapped with three weapon offenses after it was revealed that they had threatened a homeless man, who was trying to sell him a silver chain.
13. While recuperating from his ankle injury, he started employing his beatboxing and breakdancing skills in his street performances. He also used to perform in local malls with his friends.
14. Vanilla Ice was arrested for illegal drag racing in South Dallas in August 1988.
15. After being dared by his friend, he decided to perform in the open-mic event at the South Dallas nightclub, City Lights. He was asked by club’s manager to perform regularly, which led to Ice eventually signing a contract with City Lights owner Tommy Quon and his Ultrax management company.
16. After his Ice Ice Baby single became a huge hit, he was repeatedly intimidated by record producer Suge Knight to sign publishing rights of the single over to Knight. He had even threatened to throw Ice from the hotel balcony.
17. In 1993, he decided to take a break from music and started participating in jet skiing professionally and even managed to become the 6^th best jet ski racer in the world. He also managed to earn a sponsorship contract from Kawasaki.
18. After getting involved in the Rastafari Movement, he openly started smoking cannabis. Soon after, he started using heroin, cocaine, and ecstasy.
19. In July 1994, he tried to commit suicide by overdosing on heroin but he was saved by his friends. Post the suicide attempt, he decided to overhaul his lifestyle.
20. In January 2001, he was arrested in Florida and was charged with assaulting his wife. He later admitted that he had pulled his wife’s hair to prevent her from jumping out of the vehicle. He later pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct.
21. In April 2008, he was again arrested for assaulting his wife as it was claimed that he had hit and kicked her. However, his wife claimed that he had merely pushed her, while, their neighbor claimed they merely had an argument. The case was later dropped after his attorney managed to provide a conflicting evidence.
22. After he performed at the halftime of Houston Texas match, they went on to lose their remaining 14 matches of the season, which led to some players blaming the rapper for their poor run.
23. In February 2015, he was charged with grand theft and burglary after he stole bicycles, pool heater, furniture, and other items from a Florida house. In his defense, he claimed that he believed the house was vacant.
24. He eventually managed to reach a plea deal on the burglary charges, which led to the prosecution dropping the charges and Ice paying damages to the estate of the property owner and completing 100 hours of community service.
25. He has earned millions from renovating and selling real estate properties. He has even released a book, Vanilla Ice Project – Real Estate Guide, which featured his tips on the real estate business.
26. He holds the distinction of being the first white rapper to have achieved platinum certification for the sale of his debut album.
27. In 2002, he auditioned for the freestyle division of the X Games but wasn’t able to succeed.
28. In 2003, he managed to finish in the 7^th spot in the Suzuki Crossover Challenge.
29. In 1991, People magazine included him on the list featuring “50 Most Beautiful People in the World”.
30. Visit his official website @ vanillaice.com.

Featured Image by Vanilla Ice / Instagram