Ice-T: O.G. Original Gangster (Sire)

FOR ALL the descriptions of graphic violence, sexism and general anti-establishment stances, Ice-T is a committed moralist at heart. Not for nothing did he portray an authority-figure in New Jack City, the film that's made him the most bankable rap star extant. He's also an observer, watching the harrowing events on his home-turf in South Central Los Angeles and reporting back in a language only his homeboys would ever fully understand.