Body Count

Body Count is an American crossover thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in the early 1990s, fronted by rapper and actor Ice-T alongside his high-school friend and lead guitarist Ernie C. The group grew out of Ice-T's love of hard rock and metal, and the band's name first appeared as a track on his 1991 album «Original Gangster» before becoming a full-fledged group with its own identity.

The band's self-titled 1992 debut caused a national uproar over the song «Cop Killer», which drew condemnation from police organizations and even the White House, forcing the label to pull the track from later pressings. That controversy defined Body Count's reputation for confrontational, socially charged lyrics tackling racism, police violence, and street life delivered through raw, punk-inflected thrash metal.

After a period of inactivity following the death of founding bassist Mooseman, Body Count returned strongly in the 2010s with albums like «Manslaughter», «Bloodlust», and «Carnivore», the latter era earning the band a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance. Songs such as «Institutionalized 2014» and covers on «Bloodlust» reaffirmed their standing as pioneers who broke down genre barriers between rap and metal audiences, remaining one of the most politically outspoken acts in heavy music.