If you have any preconceptions about Vanilla Ice, aka Rob Van Winkle, cast them aside right now. That’s what I had to do during what I quickly discovered was one of the most entertaining interviews I’d do in 2013.
Rob, as he’s happy to be called (he’ll also take Vanilla or Ice, as you wish; he’s accommodating like that), performs on December 31 at Atlantis’ N’Dulge club, and promises a night of pure entertainment, talking up his show as you’d expect from someone who’s been in the business since he was 14. “I bring the excitement, I am there to feed off the crowd and energise everybody,” he said over the phone from Florida, in between filming scenes for his DIY TV show (surprise #1). “I’m bringing my DJ, and I’m gonna bring him back to the old school. We have pyro [technics] on stage, and the most amazing light show. It’s not just a basic rap show. This is something completely different. I’m gonna play Ice Ice Baby, Funky Music, and the Ninja Rap, which is huge. I’ve got people showing up as Ninja Turtles at my concerts. There will be some breakdancers, confetti, fire, pyro, water and great, great music.”
Rob, as you can see, just loves to chat. And then he’ll apologise for giving such long, in-depth answers (surprise #2; and since when is that a bad thing?). The man’s got a lot to say, which is probably why he still loves to write music (and says this year he sold three million records; surprise #3).
Apart from partying in Dubai (and tweeting about it a lot; follow him @vanillaice), the rapper is now a TV star, with 50 million people tuning in to watch each episode of The Vanilla Ice Project, and recently, Vanilla Ice Goes Amish (yes, really). Both shows allow him to showcase another side of his personality: the one that loves building and renovating houses. The inspiration comes from his stays at five-star hotels around the world, and gets tried out in his own crib, too.
“I built my own home,” he says. “It’s a smart home. I’ve got a lazy river controlled by my smart phone. I never have to look for the remote control. Drapes, lights, electric, air conditioning, hot water, outside lights, cameras, it’s all controlled by voice or a smart device, anywhere in he world. I’ve got an elevator, a 200-inch panoramic gaming room, I’ve got the world’s first Imax home theatre. It’s a passion of mine.” Rob learned early on he could make money renovating homes then selling them on, when he discovered he’d bought too many houses with his early rap money. Although he feared he’d make a loss getting rid of them, “I made millions!” he says with that ever-present throaty chuckle. “I am grateful for it but it’s a lot of work. I don’t have another team that comes in behind me after I film. I actually really do the work here.”
He laughs hardest when asked about the coolest thing he ever bought “at the height of his career”; the problem that always comes with interviewing someone famous for something back in the day.
He laughs out loud.
“You mean right now? I couldn’t get more busy. I am more busy than I was back in the day.” He’s got no issues with people knowing him for the old tracks, and unlike other blasts from the past touring these days, he’s not doing this gig on NYE because he needs the cash. “I buy all kinds of things, but I like to save my money. I have done really good with my investments”
“I’ve never ever really made music, ever, for money. I never thought I’d be famous or sell records or anything.”
