Over the past three decades, African Americans have faced a number of new challenges brought about by changes in the political, economic and social structure of America. Furthermore, this vastly changed social landscape has produced a number of resonant pop-cultural trends that have proved to be both innovative and admired on the one hand.

Over the past three decades, African Americans have faced a number of new challenges brought about by changes in the political, economic and social structure of America. Furthermore, this vastly changed social landscape has produced a number of resonant pop-cultural trends that have proved to be both innovative and admired on the one hand, and contentious and divisive on the other. This collection of essays critically engages with factors relating to black urban life and cultural representation in the post-civil rights era, using Ice-T and his myriad roles as musician, actor, writer, celebrity, and industrialist as a vehicle through which to interpret and understand the African American experience.

'Metcalf and Turner have assembled an impressive collection of essays regarding one of hip-hop's most controversial and important figures. Covering a vast range of cultural fields, from reality television to film, crime drama acting to politics, video games to entrepreneurship, ageing and masculinity, the book embraces the Renaissance Man spirit that makes Ice-T, and hip-hop culture, so complex and valuable.' Justin Williams, University of Bristol, UK 'These wide-ranging and analytically sharp essays speak to the maturity of hip-hop studies as a field and bring home the reach of contemporary hip-hop culture through the career of one iconic individual. Ice-T's success captures the immense creative and commercial versatility of hip-hop culture, and crystallizes trends in the conglomerated cultural industries - the power of rap celebrities to build and sustain their careers in a corporate-dominated media environment.' Eithne Quinn, University of Manchester, UK