Robert Matthew Van Winkle (born October 31, 1967), known by his
stage name,
Vanilla Ice, is an American
rapper, actor and television host. Born in
South Dallas, and raised in Texas and
South Florida, Ice released his debut album,
Hooked, in 1989 on
Ichiban Records, before signing a contract with
SBK Records, a
record label of the
EMI Group which released a reformatted version of the album under the title
To the Extreme. Ice's 1990 single "
Ice Ice Baby" was the first hip hop single to top the
Billboard charts.