Ice-T on Why He Changed ‘Cop Killer’ Lyrics to ‘ICE Killer’

Ice-T recently told “The Breakfast Club” (via Entertainment Weekly) why he swapped the lyrics from his 1992 track “Cop Killer” to “ICE Killer” during a live performance. The Grammy winner explained that when he first did it during a Los Angeles show in July, it wasn’t a premeditated change.

“I have political things I think about,” Ice-T said. “Now when I did that, that didn’t happen just recently. It happened when we played in L.A. at the Warped Tour. When I was there, ICE was active out there. So it’s like, I’m in the midst of ICE raids and stuff like that, and I’m in front of an L.A. audience, and it just came out. I didn’t know I was gonna do it.”

He added, “My brain just said, ‘Do “ICE Killer.”‘ And it went over.”

Tensions with ICE have been at an all-time high in the U.S. following the killing of two American citizens at the hands of federal agents: Minnesota residents Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Ice-T maintained that whether he says “Cop Killer” or “ICE Killer,” the message is the same. He said of the song’s purpose, “I’m just protesting.”

“I think we’re headed to some really ugly terrain,” he said. “And Black people really ain’t got nothing to do with it. It’s bad. I think the moment somebody shoots an ICE agent, it’s gonna get bad.”

Despite protesting with his music, Ice-T said the only ones who should have any authority on social issues are the people “that really carry it with them daily.”

“If that’s who you are. If it’s not, don’t do it for publicity. Don’t do it for hype,” he said. “Don’t let your publicist tell you, ‘Speak on this topic.’ Because if you’re not educated enough to speak on it, you’re going to end up caught out there.”