"Cop Killer" song controversy
The "Cop Killer" song controversy centers around the track released by the heavy metal rap group Body Count, fronted by Ice-T, in 1992. The song's provocative lyrics advocated for retaliation against police brutality, which resonated with social tensions following the Rodney King police brutality trial verdict. Initially overlooked, the song gained significant attention and backlash, leading the Texas Fraternal Order of Police to threaten a boycott of Time Warner products unless the track was withdrawn. Prominent figures, including U.S. President George H.W. Bush and Oliver North, publicly condemned the song, labeling it as sick and inciting sedition. The resulting outcry included protests from Congress members, law enforcement representatives, and public figures, all calling for accountability from Time Warner. Amidst the escalating controversy, Ice-T ultimately decided to remove the song from the album, leading to its reissue without the track. The incident raised profound discussions about artistic expression, free speech, and societal reactions to controversial music.
Subject Terms
"Cop Killer" song controversy
Type of work: Rap song
Released: 1991
Writer and performer: Ice-T (Tracey Marrow, born c. late 1950’s)
Subject matter: Social protest against police brutality
Significance: The song’s message explicitly advocating that victims of police brutality retaliate by killing the police evoked such strong and widespread protests that the song was pulled from release
In 1992 the heavy metal rap group Body Count led by Ice-T released a self-titled recording “Body Count” on Warner Bros. Records, a subsidiary of Time Warner. The most controversial song on the recording was “Cop Killer,” whose lyrics contained the message that victims of police brutality should retaliate by killing the police. After the album debuted in 1991, it received little attention until after the verdict in the Rodney King police brutality trial. In 1992 the Texas Fraternal Order of Police threatened a boycott of all Time Warner products if the song were not pulled from release.
U.S. president George Bush denounced Time Warner as “wrong” and labeled Ice-T “sick.” Former National Security Council aide Oliver North led his Freedom Alliance to form a petition to bring the executives at Time Warner to trial for “sedition and anarchy.” Sixty members of Congress signed a letter of protest calling the song “vile and despicable.” Police representatives and critics, including actor Charlton Heston, attended the 1992 Time Warner shareholders’ meeting to denounce the company for the recording.
During the controversy, Ice-T claimed that his fifteen-year-old daughter had been pulled from her school class and questioned about her father. He has also stated that Warner Brothers Records staff members received death threats.
On July 28, 1992, Ice-T pulled the song from the release. He contended that the choice to pull the song was his, not the record company’s. The company then reissued the recording without the “Cop Killer” track. Also in 1992, Ice-T was released from his recording contract.