Tracy Marrow is better known by his stage name, Ice-T.
Ice-T initially secured fame by being one of the early practitioners of a form of rap music known as gangsta rap. After co-founding the band Body Count, the urban music artist became even more famous for a public controversy that eventually ensued over his “Cop Killer” track, which glamorized the murder of police officers.
The storm surrounding “Cop Killer” reached its zenith in July of 1992, at an annual shareholders’ meeting for Time-Warner, the parent company of Ice-T’s record label. It would be here that Hollywood giant Charlton Heston would take to a stage of a different sort.
Heston had been given the opportunity to address the Time-Warner group because he himself owned shares in the media company. During his presentation, the legendary actor recited in dramatic fashion the lyrics from the “Cop Killer” tune, leaving the owners of the company in a stupefied state. The publicity that would follow would ultimately cause Time Warner Music to cancel the release of Ice-T's then-upcoming album.
Heston would go on to take a starring role in the Second Amendment drama that was taking place in our society. He became a stalwart defender of the right to bear arms and eventually became the leader and spokesperson for the National Rifle Association.
Fate has a way of writing tales that rival the best of human authors. Ice-T, the very same rap artist that Heston had so vociferously opposed, would undergo a professional conversion of his own that would transform him into the current TV and film A-list star that he is today. He, like his former adversary, has become a persuasive voice for the Second Amendment in helping to move forward Heston’s legacy issue.
Last year the rapper was being interviewed by Krishnan Guru-Murthy, an anchor for the British television station Channel 4, about a documentary dealing with the art of rapping. Ice-T was asked questions during the interview about the infamous Colorado theater shooting.
After being questioned as to why he was a defender of gun rights, Ice-T replied, “Well, I'd give up my gun when everybody else does.”
The brevity and directness of the rapper’s answer caught the anchor by surprise. Ice-T stepped in to fill the dead air, asking the interviewer, “Doesn't that make sense?”
Ice-T continued, “I mean if there were guns here, would you want to be the only person without one?”
Rather than responding, Mr. Guru-Murthy went on to ask the following additional questions: “So do you carry guns routinely? Do you have a gun at home?”
“Yeah, it's legal in the United States,” Ice-T said in reply. “It's part of our Constitution. You know, the right to bear arms, it's because that’s the last form of defense against tyranny. Not to hunt. It’s to protect yourself from the police.”
The rapper-actor is now the narrator of a limited release documentary titled “Assaulted: Civil Rights Under Fire.” The particular civil right highlighted in this film focuses on the right to keep and bear arms. Ice-T is placing his name on the documentary adjacent to another participant in the film, heavy metal guitar virtuoso Ted Nugent.
Dead Patriot Films has posted a trailer of the movie on a website, describing the project as one that “takes a critical look at current gun laws and the rising movement to restrict the rights guaranteed by our Second Amendment.”
The film explores the history of gun control and makes the striking claim that restriction was “used as a means to oppress certain minority groups.”
The film’s executive producer, writer, and director, Kris Koenig, told Fox News that “Assaulted: Civil Rights Under Fire” is a documentary that “turns the gun debate around.”
“It is a civil rights issue, and we take a look at the history of the Second Amendment. It’s a right that has been abused over the years and one that gets overlooked the most,” Koenig asserted.
The description of the trailer ends with a slogan. Displayed in large red letters are the words “After all, what you don't know can kill you.”
It is a pretty sure bet that if Heston were here, he would be beaming with approval.
James Hirsen, J.D., M.A., in media psychology, is a New York Times best-selling author, media analyst, and law professor. Visit Newsmax.TV Hollywood. Read more reports from James Hirsen — Click Here Now.
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