Is this your first time performing at a Kings game?
"Yes, first time. I’m excited!"
Tell us about the tour you’re currently on. What have been your favorite stops so far?
"They’ve all been fantastic! Every one sold out and I just can’t believe it. It’s a young crowd – it’s college kids who come out. It’s me, it’s Salt-N-Pepa, you’ve got Naughty By Nature on there, Coolio, Sir Mix-A-Lot, and it’s really a great time."
Are you excited to be performing with other throwback acts, like Salt-N-Pepa and Coolio?
“We’re playing huge arenas, and it’s been fantastic. The lines around the building look like it’s a Justin Bieber concert or something… It’s phenomenal! People get to relive the old school, and that’s what it’s all about. When you hear the music, it’s like a photographic memory. So it kind of puts you back in that time – you remember who you were dating or maybe you shaved an eyebrow with the lines in it, or maybe you put the zig zags in the back of your hair. Maybe you’re like me and had Z Cavaricci pants or something! So it’s fun to remember it, and the music does that for you."
'Ice Ice Baby' is arguably your most iconic song. What do you like to do to keep it fresh when you perform it live today?
"Next to the ('Ninja Rap’)! It’s pretty close. It’s always fresh. Every time I play it, it’s a brand new day. It’s amazing and timeless. It never gets old to me, and if the crowd is into it, then I’m into it. That’s how it works, you feed off that energy. People go nuts [over it]. I go nuts. It’s a blast, and I love it!"
Any new albums in the works?
"It takes me eight months out of the year to film my TV show ('The Vanilla Ice Project'), and another couple of months to go film with Adam Sandler. I’m doing another movie with him soon – I’ve done a couple with him before. I’ve done ‘That’s My Boy,’ 'The Ridiculous 6,’ where I play Mark Twain, and I have another one coming up now. So nine-to-10 months out of the year, it’s hard for me to get in the studio. I don’t really like having to go into the studio though. For me, it’s more of a personal thing, like a diary."
Are you excited to be back in Sacramento for the Legends of Hip Hop show next month?
"March 18th, Legends of Hip Hop Tour coming through here, and I’m super excited! We head to the airport right after this halftime show, but I’m going to stay a couple days when I come back."
What is your favorite song you’ve ever made?
"I don’t have a favorite. I think they’re all my favorite. It doesn’t translate to me, but other people tell (me) their favorites. Everybody knows 'Ice Ice Baby', but I think the (Ninja Turtle) generation is grown now so I think they’re in connection with (’Ninja Rap’). People come dressed up [to concerts] as Ninja Turtles a lot, so it’s pretty cool!"
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