Body Count

Body Count was formed in 1990 in Los Angeles. Ice-T, a prominent hip-hop artist at the time, decided to join forces with his close friend, Ernie C, with whom he shared a love for heavy music.

The band didn’t have to wait long to break through. In 1991, it was introduced to the world at the stage of the now-cult Lollapalooza festival, where Ice-T’s set was one part his solo material, one part Body Count. He planted the seed and a snowball effect quickly followed. Even before the release of their self-titled debut album, the single “Cop Killer” caused a lot of controversy as it talked about police brutality in the U.S. In the end, the single, despite being a cult classic to this day, was not included on their debut album, for it would overshadow other songs on it. Nevertheless, the album was a success, going gold both in the U.S. and Germany.

The other two albums the band released in the ‘90s were also well-received, but Body Count’s career was entering ever more shaky grounds. In less than a decade, three members of the band died and after releasing “Murder 4 Hire”, Ice-T and Ernie C decided that they needed to take a break.

Body Count came back in 2014 with the very well-received “Manslaughter” and they’ve backed down since. In 2020, they won a Grammy for their song “Bum-Rush.” The band’s upcoming eighth album, titled Merciless, is scheduled to be released sometime in 2024, following their most recent full-length album “Carnivore” (2020).