Ice-T's MVP Show, at The Radio, Los Angeles, CA, June 3, 1983

This handbill promotes Ice-T's event at Radio, an all-ages Hip-Hop  club located in downtown Los Angeles. Radio opened its doors in 1982, becoming one of the first Hip-Hop clubs to exist on the West Coast.  Because Hip-Hop culture was relatively unknown in LA at this time, many of the artists who played at Radio flew in from New York, where rap music was already well established. Radio DJs included Henry G, Evil E, DST, Afrika Islam and, as cited here, Chris “The Glove” Taylor.  Years before his rise to superstardom, Rapper Ice T also dispensed his rhymes at Radio.

Ice-T (Tracy Lauren Marrow, b. 1958) is known as one of the earliest gangster rappers to emerge out of the west coast Hip-Hop scene. Born in Newark, New Jersey, Ice-T used rapping to save him from a life on the streets. Gaining inspiration from the pen name "Iceberg Slim" and his first name being Tracey, Ice-T was born. Ice-T signed with Sire Records in 1987 and then released his debut album, Rhyme Pays later that same year, which went gold in the 1990s. He is most notable for his controversial politics as a west coast rapper and the growth of his acting career such as starring in movies like New Jack City (1991) and Law & Order: SVU.