Editing Vanilla Ice (section)

===Rock era (1997–2001)===
Ice later developed a friendship with producer [[Ross Robinson]], who had become known for producing music by [[Deftones]], [[Korn]], [[Limp Bizkit]] and [[Sepultura]]. Robinson and Ice shared an interest in [[motocross]] racing.<ref name="Peisner"/> Monte Lipman hoped that Robinson would produce a new Vanilla Ice album. According to Robinson, others had attempted to discourage him from working with Ice, saying it might hurt his reputation. Rather than being dissuaded, Robinson was encouraged by their reticence and agreed to work with Ice. In an interview, Robinson stated, "It's the most [[punk rock|punk-rock]] thing you could do."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C04EFD8173AF931A2575BC0A96E958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all|title=He's Back Back, Baby: A New (Improved?) Ice|access-date=February 18, 2008|last=Strauss|first=Neil|newspaper=The New York Times|date=August 12, 1998|archive-date=March 11, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220311165416/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/08/12/arts/the-pop-life-he-s-back-back-baby-a-new-improved-ice.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Despite not being happy with his old image, Van Winkle stated that he never had a problem with his older music. He decided against changing his stage name, as he felt no need to run from his past, despite being uneasy with some of it, and started performing again, booking a hundred shows a year.<ref name="Vanilla Ice: Interviews"/>

Ice's third studio album, ''[[Hard to Swallow]]'', featured a darker sound and lyrics than Ice's previous work, as well as various mixtures of different styles of hip hop and hard rock, which garnered media attention. Ice attracted a whole new audience when he started touring again, some who were even unfamiliar with his more mainstream sound.<ref>{{cite news|first=Donna|last=Freydkin|title=Vanilla Ice rolls the dice: The Iceman resurfaces with new rap-metal album|url=http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Music/9901/08/vanilla.ice/index.html|publisher=[[CNN|CNN Interactive]]|date=January 8, 1999|access-date=November 10, 2007|archive-date=October 28, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071028062847/http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Music/9901/08/vanilla.ice/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Reviews were generally negative; Jon Pareles of ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote,  "The most earnest new song, ''Scars'', condemns an abusive father. The sentiments would sound more genuine if Korn hadn't gotten there first."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D07EFDF113DF930A15753C1A96E958260|title=Ditching Rap for More Hardcore Metal|access-date=March 13, 2008|last=Pareles|first=Jon|date=October 23, 1998|work=[[The New York Times]]|archive-date=November 21, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071121210957/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D07EFDF113DF930A15753C1A96E958260|url-status=live}}</ref> Richard Torres of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' gave the album two out of five stars, writing that while "nothing, however, can redeem Ice's wack boasting," the album "isn't half-bad."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/vanillaice/albums/album/118944/review/5945083/hard_to_swallow|title=Hard to Swallow Review|access-date=November 10, 2007|last=Torres|first=Richard|date=November 13, 1998|magazine=Rolling Stone|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013031429/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/vanillaice/albums/album/118944/review/5945083/hard_to_swallow <!--Added by H3llBot-->|archive-date=October 13, 2007}}</ref> In ''[[Rolling Stone Album Guide|The New Rolling Stone Album Guide]]'', Rob Kemp gave the album three out of five stars, writing that it contained Ice's "most convincing music".<ref name="Kemp">{{cite book|last=Kemp|first=Rob|editor=Brackett, Nathan|editor2=Hoard, Christian|title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide|edition=fourth|year=2004|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=0-7432-0169-8|pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/843 843–844]|chapter=Vanilla Ice|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/843}}</ref> In promotion of ''Hard to Swallow'', Ice toured with a seven-piece live band which included future [[Weezer]] bassist [[Scott Shriner]].<ref name="Luerssen">{{cite book|last1=Luerssen|first1=John D.|title=Rivers' Edge: The Weezer Story|year=2004|publisher=ECW Press|isbn=1-55022-619-3|page=371|chapter=I wish you luck}}</ref> The band opened with rock-oriented material from ''Hard to Swallow'' and concluded with older hip hop songs.<ref>{{cite news|first=Neva|last=Chonin|title=The New Vanilla Ice Leaves Bland Taste At Maritime Hall|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1999/02/11/DD73607.DTL&hw=bless+Neva+Chonin&sn=004&sc=1000|work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]]|date=February 11, 1999|access-date=March 26, 2009|archive-date=April 15, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090415014009/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F1999%2F02%2F11%2FDD73607.DTL&hw=bless+Neva+Chonin&sn=004&sc=1000|url-status=live}}</ref> The setlist also included "Power", based upon [[Led Zeppelin]]'s "[[Immigrant Song]]".<ref>{{cite news |title=''At the 9:30, Pain Vanilla'' |first=Mike |last=Musgrove |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/42619189.html?dids=42619189:42619189&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jun+23%2C+1999&author=Mike+Musgrove&pub=The+Washington+Post&desc=At+the+9%3A30%2C+Pain+Vanilla&pqatl=google |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=June 23, 1999 |access-date=December 13, 2009 |archive-date=June 19, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120619085154/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/42619189.html?dids=42619189:42619189&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jun+23%2C+1999&author=Mike+Musgrove&pub=The+Washington+Post&desc=At+the+9%3A30%2C+Pain+Vanilla&pqatl=google |url-status=dead }}</ref> Ice said that writing the songs and performing them were like therapy, as he had tried to hide his anger when making his older songs but Robinson was the first producer who told him to use it to create.{{citation needed|date=December 2017}}

Vanilla Ice was a member of the softball team ''The Hip Hop Stars'' alongside [[Dr. Dre]], [[Snoop Dogg]] and [[Method Man]] in a 1999 game shown on [[MTV Rock N' Jock]] . Later in 1999, MTV asked Vanilla Ice to join their cast to "retire" the music video for "Ice Ice Baby" on the MTV special ''25 Lame'', in which Ice himself was asked to destroy the video's master tape. When Ice was given a baseball bat, he ended up destroying not only the film but the show's entire set as well.<ref name="EntertainmentWeekly"/><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/1999/05/14/vanilla-ice-cracks/|title=Vanilla Ice cracks|access-date=February 13, 2009|last=Karger|first=Dave|date=May 14, 1999|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|archive-date=May 2, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090502013116/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,273353,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2001, DJ ReAnimator remixed "Ice Ice Baby" with Vanilla Ice re-doing his vocals for the track. ''Ice Ice Baby 2001'' was released as a single and music video for the European market, spawning a wave of new overseas interest in Vanilla Ice.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1435112/20001026/vanilla_ice.jhtml|title=Vanilla Ice Picks "Skabz" On Next LP|access-date=February 5, 2008|last=Saidman|first=Sorelle|date=October 26, 2000|publisher=[[MTV News]]|archive-date=January 21, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080121094455/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1435112/20001026/vanilla_ice.jhtml|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Having attracted a following outside of his former mainstream audience, Ice began recording independently, despite still being signed to Universal. During a recording session, Ice met the all-female American [[hard rock]] band from [[Southern California]], [[Betty Blowtorch]]. [[Bianca Halstead]] bonded with Ice and asked if he wanted to contribute a rap interlude to their track ''Size Queen''. On Ice's collaboration with the band, lead vocalist and bassist Halstead was quoted saying, "I asked him if he could rap over [the track] and he said he can rap over anything. And he could!"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1441232/vanilla-ice-boastin-braggin-betty-blowtorch.jhtml|title=Vanilla Ice Boastin', Braggin' On Betty Blowtorch Track|access-date=February 5, 2011|last=Kemp|first=Rob|date=May 25, 2001|publisher=[[MTV News]]|archive-date=March 12, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140312184419/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1441232/vanilla-ice-boastin-braggin-betty-blowtorch.jhtml|url-status=dead}}</ref> Per his stepfather's request, Ice started working with his former manager Tommy Quon again. While hoping to re-create some of the magic that they worked hard on in the early 1990s, Ice denied any interest in trying to become big again, stating that his only passion was music, not fame.<ref name="WashingtonPost"/>

In May 2000, Ice wrestled in a match promoted by [[Juggalo Championship Wrestling|Juggalo Championshit Wrestling]], filling in for [[Insane Clown Posse]] member [[Shaggy 2 Dope]], who had been injured during a match. [[MTV News]] reported that Insane Clown Posse would make an appearance on Ice's next album, tentatively titled ''Bomb Tha System''.<ref name="Johnson">{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1430310/20000425/i_c_p.jhtml|title=Vanilla Ice Wrestles ICP For New Album|access-date=February 5, 2008|last=Johnson|first=Tina|date=April 25, 2000|publisher=[[MTV News]]|archive-date=August 29, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080829200517/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1430310/20000425/i_c_p.jhtml|url-status=dead}}</ref> In July 2001, Ice performed at the second Gathering of the [[Juggalo]]s.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bruce|first=Joseph|author-link=Violent J|author2=Hobey Echlin |editor=Nathan Fostey|title=ICP: Behind the Paint|url=https://archive.org/details/icpbehindpaint00viol|url-access=registration|edition=2nd|publisher=Psychopathic Records|location=Royal Oak, Michigan|isbn=978-0-9741846-0-9|pages=[https://archive.org/details/icpbehindpaint00viol/page/470 470–496]|chapter=Hatchet Rising|date=August 2003}}</ref> On October 23, 2001, Ice released the album ''[[Bi-Polar (Vanilla Ice album)|Bi-Polar]]''. Initially conceived as a double album consisting of one disc of rock music (''Skabz'') and one disc of hip hop music (''Bomb Tha System''), both parts were released on one disc.<ref name="Discography">{{cite web|url=http://www.vanillaice.com/bipolar.htm|title=Vanilla Ice discography – ''Bi-Polar''|access-date=April 4, 2008|publisher=Ultrax Records|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080629024300/http://www.vanillaice.com/bipolar.htm|archive-date=June 29, 2008}}</ref>  The album also featured [[La the Darkman]], Perla, [[Insane Poetry]] and [[Bob Kakaha]]. Bradley Torreano of [[Allrovi]] disliked the album, criticizing it as "wildly uneven and at times hilariously bad," but also stating "Vanilla Ice is still better than a lot of the rap-metal bands that erupted in 2000/2001" and that the rap beats on ''Bomb Tha System'' "are surprisingly solid."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allrovi.com/music/album/bipolar-mw0000015334|title=Review of ''Bipolar''|access-date=January 5, 2008|last=Torreano|first=Bradley|publisher=[[Allrovi]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005120158/http://www.allrovi.com/music/album/bipolar-mw0000015334|archive-date=October 5, 2013}}</ref> In ''The New Rolling Stone Album Guide'', Rob Kemp gave the album one out of five stars, calling the album "utterly listless".<ref name="Kemp"/> According to a [[Sony BMG]] executive, sales of ''Bi-Polar'' were "not bad...for Vanilla Ice. That's pretty respectable. Seriously."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://vanillaicecentral.com/july402interview.html |title=Ice Ice Maybe |access-date=November 10, 2007 |last=Wilonsky |first=Robert |newspaper=[[Dallas Observer]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090414234010/http://vanillaicecentral.com/july402interview.html |archive-date=April 14, 2009  }}</ref><ref name="Vanilla Ice">{{cite web|title=Hot Sex|url=http://www.vanillaice.com/hotsex.htm|access-date=January 20, 2012|author=Vanilla Ice|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111132524/http://www.vanillaice.com/hotsex.htm|archive-date=January 11, 2012}}</ref>