Mario 'Chocolate' Johnson, who is credited as a co-writer for the 1990 hit, claims that Vanilla Ice's contributions in creating the 1990 hit were non-existent.
- Jun 9, 2022
AceShowbiz - Vanilla Ice may be best known for his song "Ice Ice Baby", but he apparently has little to no role in creating the track. Stopping by for an interview on "The Art of Dialogue", songwriter Mario "Chocolate" Johnson accused the rapper/actor of lying so much about his songwriting credit on his 1990 hit that he started to believe his lies as truth.
"He lies so much… He's a liar, bro," said Johnson, who is credited as a co-writer for "Ice Ice Baby" along with Floyd Brown. Johnson claimed that Vanilla Ice's contributions in creating the song were non-existent, adding, "Every song I did on that album, he credited himself. He said he wrote 'Ice Ice Baby' at 16, he didn't write no parts of that song, and he really believed it. So imagine that."
During the interview, Johnson also clarified reports that he sued Vanilla Ice over "Ice Ice Baby", saying the problem was because he was paid to write five songs, but the rapper ended up putting all nine songs he wrote on his album.
"People think that we had a problem with 'Ice Ice Baby'. We didn't," he stressed. " 'Ice Ice Baby' was already in the can, paperwork done. We had a problem that when the record came out, I was sent to Texas to work with him on the album, I did nine songs, and he was supposed to pick five that I was getting paid for, but he ended up putting all nine on the album."
Johnson debunked rumors that Death Row Records founder Suge Knight hung the rapper upside down from a balcony until he agreed to give Johnson writing credit, calling it "urban legend." He stressed, "I was there."
Johnson further dissed Vanilla Ice as he agreed with claims that said "he couldn't rap, he couldn't beat, it was difficult working with him in the studio." He echoed the sentiment as saying, "Right," before elaborating, "He didn't have it. He just… He hit that era perfectly. No white rapper at the time and he just did it."
When asked by the interviewer how long it would take Vanilla Ice to record a song, Johnson exclaimed, "Oh, my goodness." He paused for a bit for offering a clearer answer, "He wasn't bad, but…[it took a] long time. It's hard to record a song that you don't write."
Vanilla Ice, whose real name is Robert Matthew Van Winkle, has not responded to Johnson's claims.
