ThrowbackThursday: “Ninja Rap” by Vanilla Ice
by Sean Smith
The reboot of the iconic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film franchise is being released to theaters nationwide tomorrow. This latest re-working of TMNT for the silver screen is produced by Michael Bay and stars the likes of Megan Fox, Johnny Knoxville, and Whoopi Goldberg. As a person that grew up watching the TMNT, I am very much looking forward to seeing how this modern take on the classic turtles story compares to the original films of the early 1990s.
A few weeks back we learned that rappers Juicy J, Wiz Khalifa, and Ty Dolla $ign collaborated on the song “Shell Shocked” which will be featured in the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. If you haven’t heard it yet you can check it out in the related media below. When I first heard “Shell Shocked” I couldn’t help but to compare it to “Ninja Rap” by Vanilla Ice, which of course was featured in the 1991 film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze. I’ll be honest and say that I prefer “Ninja Rap” to this new song but that may just be my nostalgia talking. Vanilla Ice seems to prefer his TMNT themed song to “Shell Shocked” as well. In a recent interview with GQ, the Ice man said the following about the new song:
“With respect to all of the artists, the song doesn’t really do it for me. It feels a little artificial. What I mean by that is that it sounds like a bunch of executives in the corporate world put it together. It really does not fit the theme of the Ninja Turtles legend. I think you have to understand, and be a true Ninja, to possess the Magic to really pull off the secret sound.”
Now Vanilla Ice’s “Ninja Rap” was featured prominently in the 1991 TMNT 2 film. In fact, Vanilla Ice appeared in the film performing his song in a dance club during the climactic fight scene toward the end of the movie. While the song was never officially released as a single, “Ninja Rap” proved to be one of the most notable songs he put out over his career. I would argue that it is the second biggest hit of his career, only behind the immortal “Ice Ice Baby.”
So with the release of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles new film being released tomorrow, today we remember the hero in a half-shell inspired Vanilla Ice song “Ninja Rap.” Enjoy!
Vanilla Ice
“Ninja Rap (Go Ninja Go Ninja Go)”
Atlantic Records
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2014 trailer
Nickelodeon Movies/Paramount Pictures
