Wikipedia

Hard to Swallow

For the You Me at Six song, seeHold Me Down.

Hard to Swallowis the thirdstudio albumby American rapperVanilla Ice.Released byRepublic Recordsin 1998, the album was the first album Vanilla Ice recorded after a four-year hiatus following the 1994 release ofMind Blowin.Vanilla Ice intended the new musical direction found on the album as an attempt to move away fromhip hop musicand discard his formerpopimage.Hard to Swallowinstead featured what he described as "skate rock", a fusion ofheavy metal,punk rockand hip hop. The album features appearances fromAmenvocalistCasey Chaos,Bloodhound GangvocalistJimmy Pop,andInsane Poetryfront man Cyco. Vanilla Ice employed a full band for the album's sessions, which included members from notable bands such as drummerShannon Larkin(Ugly Kid Joe/Godsmack), keyboardistScott Borland(Big Dumb Face/Lennon), guitaristSonny Mayo(Snot/Sevendust), bassistDoug Ardito(Cellophane/Puddle of Mudd), and turntablistDJ Swamp(Beck/Ministry).

Hard to Swallow
Studio albumby
Vanilla Ice
ReleasedOctober 20, 1998(1998-10-20)[1]
Recorded1998
StudioIndigo Ranch Studios (Malibu, California)
Genre
Length49:46
LabelRepublic
UD-53185
ProducerRoss Robinson
Vanilla Icechronology
Back 2 Back Hits
(1998) 		Hard to Swallow
(1998) 		The Best of Vanilla Ice
(1999)
SinglesfromHard to Swallow
  1. "Too Cold"
    Released: October 1, 1998
  2. "S.N.A.F.U."
    Released: February 11, 1999

Vanilla Ice took an interest in the musical style found onHard to Swallowwhile performing as a member of aMiamigrungeband, and was able to develop this sound through a friendship with producerRoss Robinson,with whom he shared an interest inmotocrossracing. Robinson produced the album after being advised against working with Vanilla Ice. The album's darker lyrical subject matter developed from conversations in which Robinson encouraged him to write about his past. Subjects included Vanilla Ice's abusive childhood, drug addiction and struggles with fame. While the album revived Vanilla Ice's career, it received largely negative reviews and did not chart. The album sold nearly 100,000 copies.[2][better source needed]

History

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Vanilla Ice was briefly a member of a band called Pickin' Scabs, which he described as being "like agrungeband. "[3]He had wanted to perform more hip hop-influenced rock music, but the band "didn't know how to play this sound that I was looking for."[3]

Monte Lipman,a founder ofRepublic Recordsand formerSBK Recordspromoter, told Vanilla Ice thatRoss Robinson,who had worked with bands such asKorn,Limp Bizkit,SepulturaandDeftones,was interested in working with him.[3]Vanilla Ice stated that he and Robinson were "totally clicking right off the bat" when it was discovered that they both shared an interest inmotocrossracing.[3]

According to Robinson, others had attempted to persuade him not to produce the album. "People kept saying to me, 'It might hurt your name, it might hurt your reputation. I said, 'Then I'm doing it.' It's the mostpunk-rockthing you could do. "[4]

Vanilla Ice stated that "It's unbelievable how this whole thing just came about. I really believe that it was an action of God. God pushing my wave and riding it. And Ross is one of those people and Monte is one of those people that God put in front of me and I'm being blessed right now."[3]

Production

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Initial publicity claimed that the album would feature guest appearances byLenny Kravitzand members of Korn and theBloodhound Gang.[5][6]Only the latter band's lead vocalist,Jimmy Pop,appeared on the final album.[5]"Freestyle" features an appearance by Cyco, a founding member of the influentialhorrorcoregroupInsane Poetry.[7]Preceding the release of the album, executives atRepublic Recordscompared Vanilla Ice's career direction to the revival of actorJohn Travoltaas a result of the success ofPulp Fiction,and believed that Vanilla Ice would be similarly successful.[8]

DrummerShannon Larkinsaid of the album "I'm proud of that one. That was a killer record. Producer Ross Robinson is very demanding when it comes to drums in the studio. Everything had to be 110% for that guy, and I love him for that."[9]Vanilla Ice stated of working with Robinson, "The vibe was totally so cool. We had the album finished in a month and a half because we kept the vibe."[10]

Musical and lyrical style

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In the early stages of the album's development, it was promoted as an album of "high-energyhip-hop."[5][11]Republic Records later described the album's musical style as "aggressive rock" in the stages preceding the album's release.[5]Vanilla Ice referred to the album's musical style as "skate rock."[8]The album's dark and thick sound fuses elements ofheavy metal,punk rockand hip hop.[12]Vanilla Ice stated that "I wanted to express myself in a very intense way, and there was no way it was going to happen with a drum machine. Basically, I'm bored with drum machines and samples and stuff. With a band, they can build the energy around me."[13]Many critics have noticed a similarity between the style of music present onHard to Swallowand that of bands such as Korn and Limp Bizkit.[14][15]Vanilla Ice stated that although he knew of the bands, he "didn't even listen to [...] any of them" before he made the album, and he was not trying to imitate the musical style of the bands. "It's just we have the same producer, and some of the guitars between that and Limp Bizkit are gonna sound similar. That's what happens when you've got the same guy producing them. [...] I had heard the Deftones more than any of them."[3]

"Stompin' Through the Bayou" (sample)
Problems playing this file? Seemedia help.

The album features a noticeably darker sound and lyrical subject matter than Vanilla Ice's previous albums, such asTo The ExtremeandMind Blowin.The album was described byCNNas a "shrill confessional" on which Vanilla Ice "flays his '80s persona, his fractured family andAttention Deficit Disorder,which he has. "[10]Vanilla Ice explained that the album "just comes out dark because that's the way I feel I've been treated"[13]and that the album "wasn't intended to be so dark. I opened up to Ross and I told him a lot of things that happened to me in the past. It was like, really deep conversation, and he was like, you should write about that. And I was like, dude, I didn't want people to judge me for that. But he was right. It was like total therapy."[10]

The subjects focused on in the album's lyrics include Vanilla Ice's abusive childhood and drug addiction. He stated that "I wrote 'Fuck Me' 'cause I know how I've been perceived." I can look back at the whole Vanilla Ice thing, and it was played way out. It was just an image thing. I was always real to the music. But it built a huge hurdle for me to get over musically. A lot of people didn't even want to admit they bought a Vanilla Ice record. "[13]"Too Cold" is arap rockremake of Vanilla Ice's biggest hit, "Ice Ice Baby".[16]Vanilla Ice stated that he remade the song because "I wanted to let people know that I'm not running from anything. This is me. This is what I'm about. I think the music speaks for itself. If the music was whack, nobody'd even care to hear anything about no Vanilla Ice. I just think the music is so strong people are kinda comin' out of the closet. It's like, 'You know, hey, I bought it back in the day, and the new stuff is slammin'.' I think there's some hip-hop influenced, stage-diving, body piercing, tattooed white boys out there who are embracing this new sound."[13]"Too Cold" was originally intended to be released as ahidden trackorB-side.[13]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Entertainment WeeklyD−[17]
Iowa State Daily(favorable)[18]
MSN[19]
New York Times(unfavorable)[20]
Rolling Stone[21]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[22]
Wall of Sound62/100[23]

"Too Cold" became a radio hit in some markets.[13]Reviews of the album were generally mixed to negative. A reviewer for theNew Timesin Los Angeles referred to the album as "stupid, exploitive, derivative rap-metal by the man who once did nearly irreparable damage to hip-hop."[13]Jon Pareles ofThe New York Timeswrote that "If history is any guide, Vanilla Ice's adoption of rap-metal means thathard rockis about to move on. "[20]Richard Torres ofRolling Stonegave the album two out of five stars, writing that while "nothing, however, can redeem Ice's wack boasting," the album "isn't half-bad."[21]The New Rolling Stone Album Guidegave the album three out of five stars.[22]TheIowa State Dailycalled the album "the greatest pop culture comeback of all time".[24]The album did not chart.[25]The album appeared onThe A.V. Club's list of the "Least Essential Albums of the '90s,"[26]at number 24 onMaxim's list of the "30 Worst Albums of All Time",[27]and number 26 onQ's list of the "50 Worst Albums Ever!"[28]Vanilla Ice released a follow-up album,Bi-Polar,in 2001, which continued his artistic and career direction.[29]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Rob Van Winkle, Ross Robinson, Ordito,Casey Chaos,Scott Borland,Shannon Larkin,Mayo, Holoman and Johnson

No.TitleLength
1."Living"3:45
2."Scars"4:56
3."Ecstasy"0:09
4."Fuck Me" (featuringCasey Chaos)4:32
5."Valley of Tears"0:12
6."Zig Zag Stories"5:26
7."Too Cold"3:24
8."Prozac"4:27
9."S.N.A.F.U." (featuringJimmy Pop Ali)4:46
10."A.D.D." (featuringCasey Chaos)5:14
11."Stompin' Through the Bayou"3:24
12."The Horny Song"4:33
13."Freestyle" (featuring Cyco ofInsane Poetry,2-Hype & C-Note)4:58
Total length:49:46

Sample credits

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S.N.A.F.U.

Freestyle

Personnel

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References

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  1. ^abChilders, David M."Hard to Swallow:Review".AllMusic.All Media Network.RetrievedAugust 23,2009.
  2. ^"The Vanilla Ice Fan Club - Vanilla Ice Discography".vanillaicefanclub.RetrievedFebruary 23,2021.
  3. ^abcdefPeisner, David (1998)."Vanilla Ice: The Well Rounded Interview".Well Rounded Entertainment. Archived fromthe originalon June 6, 2002.RetrievedFebruary 13,2009.
  4. ^Strauss, Neil (August 12, 1998)."THE POP LIFE; He's Back Back, Baby: A New (Improved?) Ice".The New York Times.RetrievedFebruary 18,2008.
  5. ^abcd"Vanilla Ice Lands New Deal".MTV News.May 21, 1998. Archived fromthe originalon July 1, 2001.RetrievedFebruary 5,2008.
  6. ^Thompson, Stephen (May 6, 1998)."Interview with Vanilla Ice".The A.V. Club.RetrievedFebruary 18,2008.
  7. ^Jost, Matt."Review ofFaith in Chaos".Rap Reviews.RetrievedAugust 5,2008.
  8. ^ab"Vanilla Ice Explains His" Skate Rock "Comeback".MTV News.October 27, 1998. Archived fromthe originalon July 27, 2003.RetrievedFebruary 5,2008.
  9. ^John Farinella, David."Shannon Larkin: Showman".Modern Drummer.Archived fromthe originalon March 28, 2006.RetrievedJune 24,2008.
  10. ^abcFreydkin, Donna (January 8, 1999)."Vanilla Ice rolls the dice: The Iceman resurfaces with new rap-metal album".CNN Interactive.RetrievedNovember 10,2007.
  11. ^Fischer, Blair R. (March 12, 1998)."To The Extreme and Back: A clean-and-sober Vanilla Ice returns again withHard to Swallow".Rolling Stone.Archived fromthe originalon May 9, 2006.RetrievedMarch 23,2008.
  12. ^Singer, Kristi (August 4, 2000)."A new start for Vanilla Ice: Rob Van Winkle struggled with image and depression but now embraces the new Ice".Wilmington Morning Star.RetrievedJune 24,2008.
  13. ^abcdefgMoss, Corey (October 29, 1998)."Survival of the phattest - Old school rap returns (part II): The Iceman under pressure".Iowa State Daily.RetrievedJune 24,2008.[permanent dead link‍]
  14. ^Hess, Mickey (2007)."White Rappers".Is Hip Hop Dead?.Greenwood Publishing Group. p.128.ISBN978-0-275-99461-7.
  15. ^Wilonsky, Robert(October 22, 1998)."Korn holed: It's Hard to Swallow, but Vanilla Ice goes...metal?".Dallas Observer.RetrievedNovember 10,2007.
  16. ^Hess, Mickey (2007)."Vanilla Ice".In Hess, Mickey (ed.).Icons of Hip Hop.Greenwood Publishing Group. p.94.ISBN978-0-313-33903-5.
  17. ^Mirkin, Steven (November 13, 1998)."Hard to Swallow:Music Review:Entertainment Weekly".Entertainment Weekly.RetrievedAugust 23,2009.
  18. ^Moss, Corey (September 28, 1998)."Swallow this - Ice returns".Iowa State Daily.RetrievedSeptember 9,2009.[permanent dead link‍]
  19. ^"Hard to Swallow[Explicit Version][Explicit] by Vanilla Ice on MSN Music".MSN.Archived fromthe originalon June 21, 2011.RetrievedAugust 23,2009.
  20. ^abPareles, Jon (October 23, 1998)."POP REVIEW; Ditching Rap for More Hardcore Metal".The New York Times.RetrievedMarch 13,2008.
  21. ^abTorres, Richard (November 13, 1998)."Hard to SwallowReview ".Rolling Stone.Archived fromthe originalon October 13, 2007.RetrievedNovember 10,2007.
  22. ^abKemp, Rob (2004). Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.).The New Rolling Stone Album Guide(fourth ed.). Simon and Schuster. pp.843–844.ISBN0-7432-0169-8.
  23. ^Mar, Kathy."Wall of Sound Review: Hard To Swallow".Archived fromthe originalon February 10, 2001.RetrievedMarch 9,2024.
  24. ^Moss, Corey (September 28, 1998)."Swallow this - Ice returns".Iowa State Daily.Archived fromthe originalon January 26, 2013.RetrievedNovember 10,2007.
  25. ^"Artist Chart History for Vanilla Ice".Billboard.RetrievedJune 23,2008.
  26. ^Phipps, Keith; Rabin, Nathan; Thompson, Stephen (December 22, 1999)."Least Essential Albums of the '90s".The A.V. Club.Archived fromthe originalon February 21, 2009.RetrievedMarch 28,2008.
  27. ^"30 Worst Albums of All Time".Maxim.RetrievedJune 24,2008.[dead link‍]
  28. ^"The 50 Worst Albums Ever!".Q238.Q.May 2006. Archived fromthe originalon October 13, 2018.RetrievedFebruary 22,2008.
  29. ^Vontz, Andrew (January 3, 2002)."Ice capades".Salon.Archived fromthe originalon November 21, 2007.RetrievedJune 19,2008.

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