MC Hammer And Vanilla Ice To Bump Into Each Other Onstage Tonight

Tonight in Orem, Utah, concertgoers will be able to take in a historic double bill of Vanllia Ice and MC Hammer; the Salt Lake Tribune preview is loaded with great quotes from Vanilla Ice, and when I checked the wires for a recent picture of one or both of the hip-pop stars, I found the above shot of MC Hammer riding a bumper car in the Wisconsin Dells. Combined, it’s just too much for a blogger to resist.

The biggest pop-rappers of the early ’90s haven’t shared a stage in nearly twenty years, but somehow, a promoter in Orem, Utah, pulled off the impossible.

In an interview, Vanilla Ice — who identified himself by his real name, Robert Van Winkle — said it simply was an offer they couldn’t refuse. “Me and him, we set the world on fire,” Ice said. “We’re going to do it up in Utah.”

…

The success of the two artists helped move hip-hop and rap to the mainstream. Or as Ice tells it: “Eminem can use my career as a guideline.”

In November, after years spent on the reality-TV circuit, Ice released “Vanilla Ice Is Back: Hip Hop Classics,” a compilation of classic songs that he re-recorded, such as Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power,” Sir Mix-A-Lot’s “Baby Got Back” and Cypress Hill’s “Insane in the Brain.” “It turned out pretty entertaining,” said Ice, who counts Public Enemy and EPMD as his biggest influences.

Ice promised to raise the entertainment level at the McKay Events Center. “I’m going back to the old school, with cannons and pyrotechnics.”

Sure, the show is going to be awful. And probably not just awful, but trainwreck, disastrously bad. That hasn’t stopped the fine people of the McKay Events Center from charging $32.50 to $38, with meet and greet passes starting at $100. The upside, the tickets aren’t being sold by Ticketmaster. Also, most of the audience and Hammer will have one thing in common: magic pants. (Zing! Tip your waitresses!)

I’ve always been a pretty big fan of Vanilla Ice’s film tour de force Cool As Ice, so enjoy this exciting tribute to the film, created by someone who might want to reconsider how they spend their time.

Music: Vanilla Ice and M.C. Hammer reunite in Orem [Salt Lake Tribune]