Lifestyle

“Ice Ice Baby” by Vanilla Ice to be Honored by the Smithsonian

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Tony Maples Photography

 

The Smithsonian will release a 120-song hip hop compilation album dubbed the “Smithsonian Anthology of Hip-Hop and Rap” next year, and they’ve leaked a few of the songs that will be included. Among the tunes are the usual suspects like Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power” and Lauren Hill’s “Doo Wop (That Thing),” but one choice is making some curl their nose – “Ice Ice Baby” By Vanilla Ice.

News outlets like MySA.com think the Smithsonian’s choice shows that they’re a bit out of touch with pop culture since “Ice Ice Baby” isn’t exactly a well-respected song. MySA.com also adds, “why does the Smithsonian still think people want CDs?” But the fact remains that even though the song is often joked about, “Ice Ice Baby” was the first hip hop song to hit number one on the Billboard charts, and it remained on the charts for 21 weeks when it debuted in 1990.

The Washington Post writes that historians and hip hop artists collaborated in making up the song list that they know will be met with controversy since it’s difficult to nail down a musical movement in only 120 tracks. Former Def Jam executive and Public Enemy producer joked, “I already told everybody that the minute the set is released, you should disengage from social media because it’s going to be a nightmare.”