Robert Matthew Van Winkle (born October 31, 1967), known professionally by his stage name Vanilla Ice, is an American rapper, actor and television personality.

Born in Dallas, Texas, and raised in Texas and South Florida, he released his debut album, Hooked, in 1989 through Ichiban Records, before signing a contract with SBK Records, which released a reformatted version of the album in 1990 under the title To the Extreme; which became the fastest-selling hip hop album of all time and contained Ice's best-known hits: "Ice Ice Baby" and a cover of "Play That Funky Music". "Ice Ice Baby" was the first hip hop single to top the Billboard charts and has been credited with helping to diversify hip hop by introducing it to a mainstream audience.

In late 1990, Ice began an eight-month relationship with Madonna, and appeared in photographs for her book, Sex. In April 1991, Ice began to film the SBK-produced Cool as Ice, in which he played a leading role. Cool as Ice opened on October 18, 1991, in 393 theaters in the United States, grossing $638,000, ranking at #14 among the week's new releases. Reviews of the film were negative and he received a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst New Star.

Although he was successful, he later regretted his business arrangements with SBK, which had paid him to adopt a more commercial appearance and had published fabricated biographical information without his knowledge.

Ice attempted suicide with a heroin overdose on July 4, 1994, but was revived by his friends. After being revived, Ice decided that it was time to change his lifestyle. He was inspired to change his musical style and lifestyle. While his later albums haven't charted or featured much radio airplay because of their less mainstream, rock-oriented sound, he has a loyal underground following. His return to music in 1998, Hard to Swallow went gold while his other releases Bi-Polar and Platinum Underground have done well. Uncertain about his future career, Ice studied real estate and started working on the side renovating and selling houses. In late 1995, he set up a recording studio in Miami and joined a grunge band, Pickin Scabz.

In 2009, he began hosting The Vanilla Ice Project, a home renovation show in Florida, on DIY Network. In 2011, Ice published a book on the subject, Vanilla Ice Project – Real Estate Guide, on how to succeed in real estate. In June 2011, he filmed a role in the movie That's My Boy, starring Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg,

His sixth studio album, WTF - Wisdom, Tenacity and Focus, was released on August 19, 2011, through Radium Records. While the record featured an array of different styles, like other recent Vanilla Ice albums, it also featured Ice's return to Electronica.

In 2016, Vanilla Ice competed on season 23 of Dancing with the Stars. He was partnered with professional dancer Witney Carson. On January 4, 2019, Dave Franco was cast to star as Ice in a biopic chronicling the rapper's life.

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Vanilla Ice, né Robert Matthew Van Winkle à Dallas au Texas, le 31 octobre 1967, est un rappeur, acteur et animateur de télévision américain. Vanilla Ice publie son premier album, Hooked, en 1989 sur le label Ichiban Records, avant de signer un contrat avec SBK Records, un label dirigé par EMI Group qui publiera une version rééditée sous le titre de To the Extreme. Son single Ice Ice Baby, publié en 1990, est le premier single de hip-hop à atteindre les classements du Billboard.

Bien que populaire, Vanilla Ice regrette rapidement sa décision prise avec SBK, qui le rémunère afin d'adopter une approche plus commerciale et grand public et qui publie des informations biographiques fictives sans son consentement. Après une tentative échouée de suicide, Vanilla Ice décide de changer de style musical et de mode de vie. Les albums qui suivent, moins commerciaux, n'atteignent pas les classements ou sont rarement joués à la radio, mais Vanilla Ice parvient à garder un public fidèle. En 2009, Vanilla Ice anime The Vanilla Ice Project sur la chaîne DIY Network. Son dernier album WTF – Wisdom, Tenacity & Focus est publié en août 2011. Vanilla Ice est désormais en contrat avec le label Psychopathic Records.

Robert Matthew Van Winkle est né à Dallas, Texas, le 31 octobre 1967. Van Winkle n'a jamais connu son père biologique; il tient son nom de famille de l'homme que sa mère a épousé avant sa naissance. Sa mère divorce lorsqu'il est âgé de quatre ans. Plus tard, il grandit entre Dallas et Miami, où son nouveau beau-père était vendeur de voitures. Le hip-hop influence très tôt Van Winkle, qui, selon ses termes, «est une véritable passion pour moi, parce que j'adore la poésie. Ça m'a complètement affecté et ça a fait de moi ce que je suis devenu aujourd'hui.» Entre 13 et 14 ans, Van Winkle se met au breakdance, et ses amis le surnomment «Vanilla» (vanille) car étant le seul de son groupe n'ayant aucune origine afro-américaine. Il garde ce surnom bien qu'il le déteste. Peu après, Van Winkle se lance dans des battles et se fait surnommer MC Vanilla. Cependant, lorsqu'il décide de se mettre au breakdance, le surnom de Van Winkle devient «Vanilla Ice» mêlant son surnom Vanilla et un mouvement de breakdance appelé The Ice. Lorsque son beau-père lui offre la possibilité d'obtenir un meilleur travail à Carrollton, Vanilla Ice et sa mère reviennent habiter au Texas. Il s'inscrit à la R. L. Turner High School pendant une brève période avant d'abandonner ses études. Vanilla Ice écrit Ice Ice Baby à 16 ans, s'inspirant de paroles dites durant un weekend aux côtés de son ami et disc jockey D-Shay, originaire de Floride du Sud. Les paroles décrivent Vanilla Ice et Shay lors d'une fusillade au volant. ...

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