Ice T on Coining the Iconic Term "OG" and Staying True to His Brand (EXCLUSIVE)
"I think the key word in my life has been originality."
Published June 13 2025, 11:37 a.m. ET
In an era where so many beloved musicians have fallen or left the entertainment industry altogether, Ice-T (real name: Tracy Lauren Morrow) staying power isn’t up for debate.
From educating the masses about what “Colors” to wear in the streets to playing one of the cops cleaning up the streets on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit for 26 seasons and counting as Sgt. Odafin "Fin" Tutola, Ice continues to show he has nothing but wins ahead.
And we didn't even mention his metal rock career!
However, one of his most significant flexes is his album, Original Gangster. While Distractify caught up with Ice as he celebrated National Iced Tea Day with Raising Cane’s in June 2025, he shared how he’s still living by his phrase 30-plus years later.
Ice-T says "originality" is the key to chasing your dreams.
During a press conference, Ice told us his fourth studio album, O.G. Original Gangster, is something he still holds true today. The pioneer of gangsta rap said the phrase wasn't only a successful musical project, but it also became a mantra for his life and career.
“It’s important to be honest and tell the truth," Ice-T said. "At the end of the day, it’s a brand and I’ve been able to stay honest and try to myself."
The New Jersey native also shared that OG, a phrase that's still very much part of hip-hop culture's vocabulary, came from his yearning to stand out among other up-and-coming rappers.
“OG stands for original gangster, which comes from LA gang terminology, and it also means 'original' in LA jargon," he explained. "When gangsta rap came out... the press called it gangster rap, but I was out two years before NWA, so I said, Okay, well, if it's gangster rap, then I'm the original gangster."
Ice further explained that, while he's more than established himself as an OG, he wouldn't have been successful had he not focused on being himself.
"I think the key word in my life has been originality," he said. "Be original. I'm from an era of hip-hop where you couldn't be like anybody else, you couldn't sound like anybody else. You couldn't dress like anybody else. And that has been my key to life. I would say, look and see what everyone else is doing. Don't do that if you want to be original and be yourself. And I only respect originality."
Ice-T said his rebrand was so successful some fans forgot he's a rapper.
After finding success with O.G. in 1994, Ice became the first rapper to solidify himself as an actor. His first role came in 1984 with a role in the musical film, Breakin', followed by Rappin' and his iconic role in New Jack City alongside Wesley Snipes.
However, Ice's tenure at SVU is something he's become even more legendary for. So much so that he told us longtime fans of the crime drama forget acting is just another one of his successful moves.
"Right now, if you told kids I’m a rapper, they get confused,” said Ice-T. “I was out the other night, and a girl was going to the club, and she was 23 years old, and she said, 'Ice, I've been watching you on TV my whole life.' And I'm like, 'come on.' But now, we're on Season 27, and I've actually been on SVU your entire life. Yeah. So you don't really have a reference point of me doing music."
Though his reference point may have changed, Ice is ensuring his name and OG status never goes away, especially with aligned partnerships like celebrating with Raising Cane's and "The Official Iced Tea of Ice-T."
"I'm going to choose stuff that matches me," he said of the partnership. "I'm not just doing anything, you know, but this is all me all day, you know, some chicken and some iced tea."