Ice-T: The OG of Friendship
Rapper and TV star Ice-T recently received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and credited his success to his detractors. In a rousing speech from the podium, he thanked the “haters” for motivating him. Ice-T (real name: Tracy Lauren Marrow) was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Friday, and gave a speech that was full of appreciation for the people who have tried to “cancel” him over the years.
“I really want to thank the mother******* haters, cause you really make me get up in the morning and be the best I can be,” he said. “All the naysayers, all the people that wanted to end my career, now I’m on the Walk of Fame. And that’s the motivation. You got to let the haters motivate you. If it wasn’t for the haters, I definitely wouldn’t have pulled this off, I swear to God.”
In addition to his wife and daughter, Ice-T was joined by several friends, including rappers Ice Cube, Chuck D, and Law & Order creator Dick Wolf. But it was the speech from his long-time SVU co-star, Mariska Hargitay, in which she called him “the OG of friendship,” that really stunned the crowd.
“The reason that you have fame in my heart is because you are the OG of friendship,” Hargitay told Ice-T from the podium. “You are my real deal, my true blue, authentic, unshakable friend, and I cannot tell you what that means to me.”
Hargitay went on to thank Ice-T for being an embodiment of loyalty, truth, and “keeping it real.”
Ice-T has had a long and successful career, spanning four decades and including a number of albums, films, and TV shows. But it was his outspokenness and willingness to challenge the status quo that has kept him relevant and successful over the years. As Ice-T said in his speech, “When someone tells me you can’t do it, that means I got to do it.”
Ice-T is an inspiration to many, and his message of using negative energy from “haters” as motivation is one that will continue to resonate with people for years to come.
