The legendary rapper also explained how feuds became more dangerous after rap's golden age
While beefing might be the name of the game, Ice-T thinks it has become too dangerous in rap music.
In an interview with Boss Talk 101, the West Coast rapper reflected on the changing definition and stakes of feuds in hip-hop over the years. "Hip-hop has always been competitive, so saying 'I'm better than you' is part of hip-hop.'" Ice-T, 66, said.
Host E CEO brought up Ice-T's since-settled beef with LL Cool J and noted that "the beef was going, but it was on wax," meaning the animosity was kept within the music via diss tracks. "They wasn't tripping like they started to do later on," he added. The Body Count frontman agreed, saying, "The problem with beef is it can escalate away from you."
Related: Ice-T Says Controversy Doesn't Make Money: 'You Get a Lot of Buzz, but Now You Need Lawyers'
Ice-T then presented a hypothetical situation about beefing with Naughty by Nature member Treach, saying, "I could run into one of his fans on the street who wants to get active." He then recalled the aftermath of his controversial 1992 single "Cop Killer," which he released with Body Count.
"When I had the 'Cop Killer' beef, I wasn't worried about a cop. I could run into a cop's brother or son who wants to start an altercation," he said. "Having beef is just not smart if you can avoid it."
Ice-T also acknowledged that the stakes of rap beef changed with social media. "Social media is an amplifier to everything," he said. "It forces reaction that really could be squashed so much simpler. Why people would have a problem and take it to social media is beyond me, especially if you know a n---- phone number."
The "Mind Over Matter" musician is no stranger to rap beefs, having been in a famous feud with LL Cool J, 56, in the '80s and '90s. After LL allegedly said he was "the baddest rapper in the history of rap itself," Ice-T recorded a number of disses aimed at the New York rapper on his 1988 album Power, including an interlude on the song "I'm Your Pusher" of a rap fan declining to buy an LL record, per All HipHop and Genius.
Related: Ice-T Reveals How His Tour Bus Has Changed as He's Aged: 'Now It Smells Like Bengay' (Exclusive)
LL went on to respond on "To da Break of Dawn" in 1990 and levied a number of insults at Ice-T, including calling him "a downtown car thief" as a strike against his past before becoming a rapper. While the feud never escalated past some disses being traded, it was a momentous occasion when the pair took the stage together at the 65th Grammy Awards rehearsals in honor of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop in 2023.
In a statement made to AllHipHop in February 2023, Ice-T said the feud has long been settled: "LL and I have been together on different occasions. I've worked with him on Rock The Bells, we've done podcasts and stuff, but as far as an actual physical picture of us? I think there's probably one other one out there. And I think the other one was before we actually really sat down and talked like grown men about it. But yeah, that's over and lol the beef never really escalated. It was just rap beef."
Related: Ice-T Snaps Sweet Photo of Wife Coco Austin and Daughter Chanel Posing with Easter Bunny
Recently, Ice-T has been dropping nuggets of wisdom he's taken away over the years as he reflects on his 40-plus-year career. In an October interview with The Guardian, he recalled seeing the real-life implications of "Cop Killer" and why saying controversial things could prove to be an expensive task.
"The heat came when they started sending bomb threats to Warner Bros. I threw the rock, that's my heat," he admitted. "But when other people could get hurt, that's nerve-racking."
Ice-T continued: "But I got news for people: Anybody that thinks controversy is a way to make money, it's not. You get a lot of buzz, but now you need lawyers. So don't just say something stupid and then back-pedal -- if you're going to say something, stand on it."