Line #48 Music/BodyCount


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Body_Count.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:On With The Body Count]]
3
4	->''"This next record is dedicated to some personal friends of mine -- the L.A.P.D. For every cop that has ever taken advantage of somebody, beat 'em down or hurt 'em, 'cause they had long hair, listened to the wrong kind of music, wrong color, whatever they thought was the reason to do it - for every one of those fuckin' police, I'd like to take a pig out here in this parking lot and shoot 'em in their motherfuckin' face."''
5	-->-- Introduction to "Cop Killer"
6
7	Body Count is an American HardcorePunk and ThrashMetal band formed in Los Angeles in 1990. The group was founded by rapper Music/IceT. Ice founded the group out of his interest in heavy metal, and took on the role of vocalist, writing the lyrics for most of the group's songs, while the music was written by his high school friend, lead guitarist Ernie C. Three other classmates (rhythm guitarist D-Roc, also one of Ernie's guitar students; bassist Mooseman; and drummer Beatmaster V) rounded out the band, and after debuting on the song "Body Count" from Ice's 1991 album ''O.G. Original Gangster'', their self-titled debut album was released on Creator/SireRecords in 1992.
8
9	The song "Cop Killer" was the subject of much controversy. Although Sire Records' parent company, Creator/WarnerBrosRecords, defended the single, Ice chose to remove the track from the album because he felt that the controversy had eclipsed the music itself. The group left Sire the following year.
10
11	After a long hiatus (partially caused by the deaths of D-Roc, Mooseman, and Beatmaster V[[note]]D-Roc & Beatmaster V both died of cancer, while Mooseman was killed in a drive-by shooting that targeted someone else[[/note]]) that saw the group only release one album in seventeen years, in 2012 Body Count signed with Sumerian Records and released their fifth album ''Manslaughter'' in June 2014. After the ''Manslaughter'' tour ended, they signed with Century Media for their sixth album ''Bloodlust'', which was released in March 2017.
12
13	In 2018, Body Count was nominated for a Grammy Award for ''Best Metal Performance'' for the song "Black Hoodie" from their album ''Bloodlust''. Although many predicted that they would be the likely recipients of the award, it was instead given to Music/{{Mastodon}}. Their seventh album ''Carnivore'' was released in March 2020, peaking at a very respectable #28 on the Billboard Top Album Sales chart, second only to the original ''Body Count'' album, which hit #26, and the lead single "Bum-Rush" won the 2021 Best Metal Performance Grammy.
14
15	They are currently working on their eighth album ''Merciless'', with a release date planned for 2024.
16
17	----
18	!!Discography
19	* ''[[Music/BodyCountAlbum Body Count]]'' (1992)
20	* ''Born Dead'' (1994)
21	* ''Violent Demise: The Last Days'' (1997)
22	* ''Murder 4 Hire'' (2006)
23	* ''Manslaughter'' (2014)
24	* ''Bloodlust'' (2017)
25	* ''Carnivore'' (2020)
26	* ''Merciless'' (2024)
27
28	!!Current lineup:
29	* Music/IceT: lead vocals
30	* Ernie C: lead guitar, backing vocals
31	* Sean E. Sean: sampler, backing vocals
32	* Vincent Price: bass, backing vocals
33	* Ill Will: drums
34	* Juan of the Dead[[note]]Not to be confused with the [[Film/JuanOfTheDead Cuban Zombie film]][[/note]]: rhythm guitar, backing vocals
35	* Tracy Marrow Jr. a.k.a. Little Ice: hype man, backing vocals
36
37	!!Guest Collaborators:
38	* Raw Breed - rapping on "My Way" (''Violent Demise'')
39	* Trigga tha Gambler - additional rap vocals on "Invincible Gangsta" (''Murder 4 Hire'')
40	* Jamey Jasta (Music/{{Hatebreed}}) - vocals on "Pop Bubble" (''Manslaughter'') and "Another Level" (''Carnivore'')
41	* Dave Mustaine (Music/{{Megadeth}}) - guitar and spoken word on "Civil War" (''Bloodlust'')
42	* Max Cavalera (Music/{{Soulfly}}, ex-[[Music/{{Sepultura}} Sepultura]]) - vocals on "All Love is Lost" (''Bloodlust'')
43	* Randy Blythe (Music/LambOfGod) - vocals on "Walk with Me..." (''Bloodlust'')
44	* Riley Gale (Power Trip) - vocals on "Point the Finger" (''Carnivore'')
45	* Dave Lombardo (ex-[[Music/{{Slayer}} Slayer]]) - drums on "Colors 2020" (''Carnivore'')
46	* Amy Lee (Music/{{Evanescence}}) - vocals on "When I'm Gone" (''Carnivore'')
47	----
48	!!Trope Hoodie:
49
50	* AntiPoliceSong: "Cop Killer" is by far their most famous example, but since they started putting out music again in 2014, they've done several. ''Bloodlust'' had "Civil War", "No Lives Matter", and "Black Hoodie", while ''Carnivore'' has "Point The Finger" and "Bum Rush".
51	* CarefulWithThatAxe: ''"But you see, I live in South Central Los Angeles, and unfortunately''...'''''SHIT AIN'T LIKE THAT!"'''''
52	* ClusterFBomb: Absolutely normal for [[Music/IceT Ice-Motherfuckin'-T]], [[ThisIsForEmphasisBitch Bitch]].
53	* ControversyProofImage: The backlash against the song "Cop Killer" didn't hurt Body Count. In a [[NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity subversion]], the album actually went Gold because of the controversy. Although they continued to release albums, none of them have had as much mainstream success as their debut.
54	* CopKiller: The band sang the trope namer.
55	* CoverVersion: "Hey Joe", done [[CoveredUp in the style of]] Music/JimiHendrix' version of the song. Appeared on a Hendrix tribute album and Body Count's ''Born Dead'' album. ''Manslaughter'' had a cover of Music/SuicidalTendencies's "Institutionalized" that updates the song to the point of view of a grown and somewhat angry man who faces situations that cause him to rage (unsurprisingly, Ice plays this 'character' in the video). They also covered Music/{{Slayer}}'s "Raining Blood" on a Periscope broadcast while recording the ''Bloodlust'' album, and it was so well-receieved that they put it on the record, combined with "Postmortem". ''Carnivore'' features them covering Music/{{Motorhead}}'s iconic "Ace of Spades".
56	* DarkerAndEdgier: ''Bloodlust'' is significantly heavier and features more rapping than any of their previous albums, while ''Carnivore'' continues in the same vein.
57	* DatingWhatDaddyHates: Entire concept of "KKK Bitch":
58	--> ''She said "I love you, but my daddy don't play, he's the fuckin' Grand Wizard of the KKK'
59	* DeathRow: "Dead Man Walking"
60	* DrugsAreBad: "The Winner Loses," where Ice-T's friend is a cocaine addict who robs people for money and ultimately [=ODs=]
61	* DystopianEdict: The voiceover which opens "Civil War".
62	-->''This message is transmitted at the request of the President of the United States of America, and the Office of Homeland Security. In compliance with the United Nations, the President of the United States has declared martial law. Curfew is now in place. Return to your homes. Any congregating of two or more people outside of your homes will result in immediate arrest on sight. Anyone possessing a firearm, or any item or instrument that can be used as a weapon, will be deemed an enemy of the state and will be arrested on sight. UN peacekeeping garrisons have severed all data transmissions and telephone communications for national security. Any violation of martial law will result in immedate arrests and trial for treason. All traitors will be shot. America is now engaged in civil war.''
63	* ForGreatJustice: The song "Born Dead" states that BC stands for "truth, justice and '''FUCK THE AMERICAN WAY'''".
64	* HollywoodVoodoo: The song "Voodoo".
65	* HumansAreBastards: The general theme of their album ''Bloodlust''.
66	* {{Instrumentals}}: "C Note" and "Mr. C's Theme"
67	* IntercourseWithYou: "Bring It to Pain", "KKK Bitch," "Evil Dick", "Black Voodoo Sex".
68	* ItWillNeverCatchOn: Ice has admitted people tried to dissuade him from forming the band, but he ignored them and debuted Body Count on the first Lollapalooza tour, not telling anyone what he was going to do. Every show, he did half an hour of Ice T, then half an hour of Body Count, which started the band's buzz.
69	* KentBrockmanNews: "Now Sports":
70	-->"This weekend, seventeen youths killed in gang homicides\
71	Now sports"
72	* LoudnessWar: Their first four albums aren't so bad, but their records from ''Manslaughter'' onward suffer from this.
73	* MrExposition: Ice takes on this role for the intro to the album version of "Raining Blood."
74	-->'''Interviewer:''' Ice, explain Body Count.
75	-->'''Ice T :''' Body Count is a band I put together just to let one of my best friends Ernie C. play his guitar. He's always been playing guitar, we all went to Crenshaw High School together in South Central Los Angeles. And I had the idea, let's make a ''metal'' band, let's make a ''rock'' band, because I had been to Europe and I noticed that the kids would ''mosh'' off of ''hip-hop''. So we put the band together, and I used the three bands that were my favourites at the time to set the tone. We used the impending doom of a group like Music/BlackSabbath, who pretty much ''invented'' metal; the punk sensibility of somebody like [[Music/SuicidalTendencies Suicidal]], who basically put that gangbanger style from Venice, California into the game; and the ''speed'' and the ''precision'' of Music/{{Slayer}}, one of my favourite groups and always will be.
76	* MuggingTheMonster: In "Momma's Gotta Die Tonight", about a teenager murdering his racist mother, and "Cop Killer", about murdering crooked, racist police.
77	* NewSoundAlbum: Their debut was mostly HardcorePunk, ''Born Dead'' was mostly ThrashMetal, and ''Violent Demise'' was mostly HeavyMetal. ''Murder 4 Hire'' returned to the band's thrash/hardcore roots. ''Manslaughter'', meanwhile, features many modern metal elements such as groove metal/metalcore breakdowns and even subtle djent influences, as well as more prominent rapped vocals (prior albums had maybe one or two songs with rapping, and their debut and ''Born Dead'' had none at all, while ''Manslaughter'' features rapping on 4 songs). ''Bloodlust'', on the other hand, features their heaviest material to date (one song, "Walk With Me", even flirted with DeathMetal) as well even more frequent rapping than its predecessor, featuring rapping on the majority of tracks, and ''Carnivore'' continues this trend.
78	* PrecisionFStrike: "Fuck the police! Fuck the police!" Also doubles as a ShoutOut to the similarly titled song from Music/{{NWA}}.
79	* PoliceBrutality: "Cop Killer" is about this. "No Lives Matter" and "Black Hoodie" from ''Bloodlust'' also qualify, as does "Point The Finger" from ''Carnivore''.
80	* PowerBallad: "The Winner Loses"
81	* {{Prison}}: "Bowels of the Devil"
82	* RapMetal: Often pegged as this thanks to Ice-T being their frontman, but they didn't actually have any songs with rapping until their third album, after which they gradually incorporated it more with each record. Even then, Ice opts for thrash/hardcore-style shouting, spoken word, or occasional clean singing as well, so they aren't a full-fledged example.
83	* SpokenWordInMusic: When the vocals aren't yelled/chanted, sung, or rapped.
84	* SpoofAesop: From "KKK Bitch":
85	-->"So what we really tryin' to say is Body Count loves everybody.\
86	We love Mexican girls, Black girls, Oriental girls,\
87	It really don't matter. If you from Mars, and you got a pussy,\
88	We will fuck you. You know, that's all we're sayin', word."
89	* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: The main character in "Momma's Gotta Die Tonight" sets his mother on fire, beats her to death with a Louisville slugger, chops up her body, and spreads the parts across the country.

Context Music / BodyCount