| ActiveDen | Flash Marketplace |
| ThemeForest | Web & CMS Themes |
| GraphicRiver | Graphics, Vectors & Icons |
| VideoHive | Motion Graphics & Projects |
| AudioJungle | Loops & Effects |
| FreelanceSw | Freelance Jobs & Community |
| Rockable | Books & How-To |
| Creattica | Design Community |
| Mac.AppStorm | Mac Apps |
| Web.AppStorm | Web Apps |
| WorkAwesome | Be Awesome At Work |
| Envato | About Us |
| More Coming Soon! |
The idea of rock star as rebel dates at least as far back as Elvis and his girl-baiting hips on the Ed Sullivan Show. As pervasive as the rock and roll badass is, even more prevalent is the rock star decline from badass to mild-mannered musician.
Today, we look back on five musicians who once typified everything that was dangerous and threatening about music but eventually went on to be a sad, soft, shell of their former selves. Hey hey, my my.
Who He Was: As a founding member of the seminal west coast gangster rap group N.W.A., Ice Cube reached certified bad ass status at an age when most of us are still trying to have sex for the first time. By the time he left N.W.A. over a contract dispute in 1989, he had penned lyrics controversial enough to generate a letter from the FBI.
You would think it couldn't get much more awesome than that. You'd be wrong. His solo debut, Amerikkka's Most Wanted, while hailed as a groundbreaking classic within the rap media, was widely reviled by the rock media and general public for its blatantly misogynist and homophobic lyrics. The controversy clearly got to him and he toned things down on his second album, Death Certificate, which included songs about sexually assaulting his former N.W.A. bandmates, burning down Korean owned grocery stores and filling in unknowing fathers about the sordid details of their daughter's exploits.
Most Badass Moment: "No Vaseline" from the Death Certificate album, in which Cube spends five minutes singlehandedly destroying N.W.A., arguably the biggest rap group in the world at the time. They never released another album after this. I'm surprised they even left the house.
Who He Is Now: Oh boy. Somewhere along the line, Ice Cube started making movies: badass movies. His acting debut in John Singleton's Boyz In the Hood was a surprisingly impressive performance in a gritty tale about growing up in the gang infested streets of South Central Los Angeles. Naturally, Cuba Gooding Jr. plays the pussy in the movie.
Once he was bitten by the acting bug, there was no turning back. With a renewed focus on thesbianism, his music suffered to the point that he eventually stopped making solo records altogether for awhile.
At the same time, his movie roles went from playing the gangster with a heart to the conflicted hustler to the jovial barber that's still not to be f---ed with to...basically the black Tim Allen. Except, you know, Tim Allen actually spent some time in prison and whatnot.
2005's Are We There Yet? was the final nail in the coffin for badass Ice Cube. He could put 50 Cent in a coma with a pair of nunchucks and it would not be enough to erase the fact that "the ni**a ya love to hate" is now trying to topple Will Smith as the most loveable black guy in America.
Least Badass Moment:
Who He Was Then: The name means "Ladies Love Cool James." But there was a time, long long ago, when the fellas also thought LL Cool J was pretty damn awesome. With the release of his first album Radio way back in 1985 (how old do you feel right now?) LL came out of the gates swinging. The hits "Radio" and "I Need a Beat" established LL as one of the fiercest up-and-coming MC's of his day. With the follow up album, Bigger and Deffer, LL not only further cemented his status as a top-notch lyricist, but he also revealed himself to be a battle rapper of the highest order.
Following the album's release, "Uncle L" found himself in the midst of a beef with old school rapper Kool Moe Dee. Over the next couple of years, LL would out-rhyme, out-wit and out-ab his older adversary. This scenario would be repeated time and again with everyone from MC Hammer to Ice-T to Canibus. Challenge as they may, LL slayed them all.
Most Badass Moment: "To Da Break of Dawn," an ungodly harsh diss track that took about four minutes to make Kool Moe Dee, MC Hammer and Ice-T all wish they had just stuck to their day jobs.
Who He Is Now: These days, LL might as well be an R&B singer. As the years have gone by, he's taken the "Ladies Love" part of his name way too seriously. Granted, as the dude who basically invented the rap ballad, it's expected that his albums would incorporate some sort of ode to the ladies at some point. But somewhere around the mid-90's, LL took the 90% hard rhymes, 10% songs about chicks ratio and put that in reverse. These days, you're hard pressed to come across an LL single that doesn't feature some random R&B crooner singing the hook while LL rubs hot oil on his abs and licks his lips.
Least Badass Moment: "Hey Lover" featuring, of all people, Boyz II Men.
Who He Was Then:
Back in the 80's, some things just went without saying. Parachute pants were awesome. Bob Saget was the best dad ever. Another thing that everyone knew...James Hetfield was the baddest dude on earth.For the better part of the 80's, nobody rocked harder than Metallica. Beginning with their debut album Kill 'Em All, the band put together a string of albums that stand even today as some of the greatest metal ever committed to tape. And within Metallica, nobody lived harder than James Hetfield. When not busy slamming booze onstage and doubling Kirk Hammett on face melting guitar solos, Hetfield could be found pursuing some of his favorite leisure activities such as customizing cars, watching the Oakland Raiders and fencing Sabre. That last one isn't quite as awesome as it may seem, but damn if it doesn't sound pretty cool.
Most Badass Moment: On stage in 1992, Hetfield stepped in the path of a chemical flame set to shoot from the stage. The heat was so intense that it melted his guitar strings. Hetfield received second and third degree burns...and then got right back to rocking 17 days later.
Who He Is Now: While their music started to lose some of its edge in the mid-90's, it seemed like our vision of Hetfield as badass would never go anywhere. Enter the 2004 documentary Some Kind of Monster. While holed up to record their St. Anger album, someone within the Metallica camp decided it would be a good idea to bring in a Cosby sweater wearing "therapist" to help the band get in touch with the feelings they have for each other. That Hetfield stood by and let this happen without eating that dude or something is bad enough. But to make matters worse, Het' at one point leaves to go to rehab and comes back, like, eight years later as an Alcoholics Anonymous mantra spouting softy who can only record during banker's hours and thinks getting screamed at by Lars Ulrich isn't reason enough to unleash a savage beating.
Least Badass Moment: How far away from his Satan-baiting lyric writing days has James Hetfield come? Check this line from the St. Anger album..."I don't want my anger to be me." Well, guess what James, we do.
Who She Was:
Sinead O'Connor? A badass? You bet, once upon a time anyway. There was a time when Sinead couldn't go to the store for cigarettes without coming home with a brand new controversy to be embroiled in. Take her performance at the Garden State Arts Center in 1990. Upon learning that the venue had a policy of playing the "Star Spangled Banner" prior to all performances, O'Connor advised she would not go on if the anthem was played. The arena eventually gave in, but later banned her for life. When explaining the incident later, O'Connor stated that going on after the playing of a nation anthem of a country that imposes censorship on artists would be "hypocritical and racist." Huh? How that qualifies as racist, I'm not sure. But to her credit, she probably had no idea either. Sinead O'Connor just didn't give a damn.Most Badass Moment: On an episode of Saturday Night Live, O'Connor performed an a capella version of "War" by Bob Marley. At the end of the performance, she held up a picture of the Pope John Paul II, ripped it into pieces, said "fight the real enemy" and threw the pieces at the camera. Naturally, most everyone watching at the time went ape shit.
Who She Is Now: A Catholic priest! Well, sort of. She was actually ordained by a splinter group called the Independent Catholic group. But still, coming from a woman whose career was pretty much defined by opposing the Catholic church, it seems like a bit of a sell-out. And by "a bit" I mean "a huge friggin' sell out." But who am I to judge? That's her job now.
Least Badass Moment: Um, did I mention she was is now an ordained priest?
Who He Was Then:
He bit the head off a bat. He bit the head off a live dove in a meeting with record executives. He pissed on the Alamo while wearing a dress. He snorted a line of ants. He was trampled by a pack of rabid elephants and lived to tell the tale. Alright, I totally made that last one up, but anyone who knows anything about music knows that there was a time when Ozzy Osbourne was the scariest thing on two legs.When I was a kid I once got caught watching an Ozzy Osbourne video on MTV (back when they played those) and was grounded for two weeks. Why? Because it was Ozzy Osbourne, and listening to him was a surefire path to Satan worship. In the most surefire proof that badassedness was afoot, Ozzy was sued not once, but twice, by families who claimed his song directly led to suicides. Both cases were eventually overturned. Ozzy was probably too high to notice.
Most Badass Moment: After releasing a pair of doves into the air at a meeting with record execs, Ozzy was unimpressed with their reaction. To remedy the situation, he grabbed one of the doves, bit its head off and spit the head onto the floor. People noticed.
Who He Is Now: A damn clown, that's what he is now. Thanks to his late career reinvention as a reality television pioneer on MTV's The Osbournes, we now know more than we ever would have hoped about "The Prince of Darkness." Before the show, most of us probably imagined that Ozzy lived in some sort of lair built into the side of a dark, remote mountain. But as it turned out, he lives in a mansion in California overrun with cats and the type of dogs that chicks carry around in purses. Granted, The Osbournes introduced Ozzy to a whole new legion of fans. Unfortunately, those fans didn't fall in love with "Bark At the Moon," they fell in love with Ozzy Osbourne: drunken, word-slurring buffoon.
Least Badass Moment: As if the reality show wasn't sad enough, Ozzy and his brood are set to star in a "variety type show" that will feature a mix of stunts, competition and performances. The working title is "The Osbournes: Loud and Dangerous, but execs are reportedly floating the idea of calling it The Osbournes' Super-Terrific Happy Hour. I only wish I was lying.
Subscribe to the AUDIOTUTS RSS Feed featuring great content for music and audio lovers.
Recommended
Keep reading with more great tutorials and articles!
We'd love your vote!
Source Files, Bonus Tutorials and
More for $9 a month for all TUTS+
sites in one subscription.
We pay $150 for user submitted tutorials and articles that we publish. Anyone can send in a contribution
Community Link Feed
Damn it feels good to be a Gangsta
The effects and techniques demonstrated in tutorials on the Tuts+ network can be used in whatever manner you wish without attribution.
The text, images and tutorials themselves are copyright their respective owners.
You cannot copy whole tutorials, either in English or translated to another language.
Writing a tutorial or article for the site is not only a great way to get exposure and give back to the community, but we'll also give you $150 cash to boot!
This is YOUR site, so if you have suggestions or feedback on how we can improve it for you, please let us know! We do our best to keep up!
User Comments
( ADD YOURS )Crystal August 29th
LOVE IT!
( )very August 29th
I enjoyed very much reading this! But no mention of such major disasters as MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice? Oh wait – they never were badasses…
( )Henry August 29th
Are you serious?
September 12th is coming. Death Magnetic.
Hetfield is god.
( )GraphicArtist2k5 August 29th
I, for one, am very proud of Ice Cube deciding to grow up and be a dad to his kids. Why does he still have to be something he obviously doesn’t want to be anymore, and did anyone ever think that his whole “badass” persona was just an act he portrayed because he was a “gangsta rapper”? Who here actually KNOWS who Ice Cube is as a real person? NOONE, that’s who, so stop acting like you all know him. And as for James Hetfield, maybe he came to realize that anger was a pointless thing to base his life on, seeing as how it’s EXTREMELY destructive, and anger can lead any one of us to doing all sorts of wicked things. And I NEVER cared for Ozzy Osbourne. That’s right, I said it. I NEVER LIKED HIM, or his stupid ass MTV show, and I’m pretty damn sure that I’m not going to like his “new” MTV show either. He’s a prime example of someone who doesn’t want to grow the hell up. Why should I watch him display his childishness on TV, as well as his APPARENT lack of parenting skills? If you don’t believe me, then how else can you explain why his kids act like the assholes they are? At lease Sinead O’Connor is the one who didn’t get herself all wrapped up in trying to be something she wasn’t. I have to give her credit for that.
( )Keith August 29th
I know it’s not a single person, but c’mon, Aerosmith went from being the Toxic Twins + a couple of other dudes to soundtrack-ballad-spewing pussies.
( )Seraphim Collective August 29th
@ very
On the contrary, M.C. hammer was a “Bad Ass” he is well connected in the streets. Vanilla Ice on the other hand is as fake as they come, he just acts like a brat and smashes things to seem hard
… but this article was about people that made “grate music”.
( )Anonymous August 29th
I disagree that Ice Cube lost his way. I say he’s even more of a badass now because he makes movies his kids can enjoy regardless of how much it hurts his cred. He’s basically telling all the people out there that they can eat a dick if they don’t like it. I mean, I don’t think the guy is doing it for the money. Something like XXX 2 was a money project. Plus, he might take over for Mr. T in the A Team movie. His last album was pretty damn good too.
( )jojo August 29th
um. do some research into sinead, why she ripped up the picture of the pope and the sect she’s joined. please
( )Clay August 29th
WHERE THE HECK WAS BONO???
Go see U2 in 3D and watch him destroy every U2 song ever
( )Tim August 29th
What…no Eminem?
( )Paradym August 29th
What about Axl Rose? Seriously one bad*ss! Brought back hard and dirty rock and then got a weave.
( )dpmad August 29th
You forgot David Lee Roth!
( )jezza August 29th
You just don’t get it do you… Ozzy was as funny as hell being a totally disfunctional… well anything… Get a life… as they say on the other side of the pond. And yeah, Metallica were not worth listening to, ever… sorry dorks. Sinead was a total dyke.. which is sort of OK.. but… if you’re not into that… LL Cool J and Ice T – well, some time you have to grow up, and you know what?
( )fnorgby August 29th
Sinead O’Connor always has been catholic, but of a group that never rejoined the Vatican-led church following the schism in the middle ages.
( )Greg Donald August 29th
Yup, it’s fucking sad about James. I blame Bob Rock.
I’m an old school Metallica fan. I’d absolutely love another great Metallica album.. something like Ride the Lightening or Master of Puppets. But I think those days are over.
( )Lord McCormick August 29th
Although not as popular as the others, I would also mention former Faith No More guitars Jim Martin. He was a friend of late Metallica bassist Cliff Burton, known for trashing hotel rooms and being an overall ass to members of Faith No More. Nowadays, he is known for his record breaking 235th largest pumpkin ever, at 1,064 lbs.
( )Justin August 29th
i’m verklempt.
( )jonny 5 August 29th
That was awful.
Ozzy is twice as badass.
You can’t diss the Het’.
Sinead Oconner wasnt really ever badass.
Ice Cube? LL Cool J? so not badass.
( )Krazd August 29th
I couldn’t believe that Ice Cube decided to do Are We There Yet? … He lost a lot of street cred after doing so
( )Jeff August 29th
I love reading stuff like remember back in ‘85 on these websites. No, I wasn’t born for years. I’m so glad I was born when I did and can barely remember the Clinton years.
( )Chad August 29th
Canibus >
Seriously, c’mon
( )Joel Falconer August 29th
Jeff: But you do get to remember the Bush years
( )codyp August 29th
Wow, have you ice cubes recent albums? some of the best hiphop to be coming out of the (c)rap industry.. So what he made some kid movies? The guy is on the real. You can’t talk shit about him with out looking like a dumb ass… Which I think you look like just for the first one.
( )codyp August 29th
Also, he is one of the only rappers who hang around after a show for hours just chilling and talking to fans. Thats real, and real is bad ass.
( )matt August 29th
alright these are a portion to what you referred to as St. Anger, except these are the real lyrics.
yeah, and I want my anger to be me
and I need to set my anger free
[x4]
SET IT FREE!
Fuck it all and no regrets,
I hit the lights on these dark sets.
I need a voice to let myself
To let myself go free.
Fuck it all and fuckin’ no regrets,
I hit the lights on these dark sets.
Let down your noose, I’ll hang myself.
Saint Anger ’round my neck
I feel my world shake
Like an earthquake
Hard to see clear
Is it me? Is it fear?
I’m madly in anger with you
( )Chimbles August 29th
Ohh cmon Ozzy and LL still got it. Metallica is just sold out crap, and if anyone should be pointed out and loughed out in that band its Lars… he’s such a baby
( )Bub Logan August 29th
umm…what about Axel Rose?
( )michelle August 29th
It’s nice to see that we aren’t the only ones who have to grow up. Of course, it was cool then, but as you get older, you can only hope the people you admired when you were young can grow with you. Sappy, I know…
( )but it’s true. It seems kind of strange when you are a 50 year old rocker or rapper who does exactly what he (or she) did 20 years ago. Do you? Probably not.
mike August 29th
Ice Cube – Yeah he’s doing dumb movies now but my guess is when you have a family (read: kids, college funds, etc) and you’re offered millions more for doing not so much, how are you going to turn it down? BTW check out his new album. Some decent stuff.
LL – He was always a ladies man. He had songs that I didn’t like on his first couple classic albums. Doesn’t surprise me he does some R&B crap but we all know that’s LL.
James – Why pick on him? He’s gone through a lot of shit. I agree about the Cosby therapist, but when you have millions and a ton of problems, you probably wouldn’t think twice about hiring a “professional.”
Sinead – Well hey if she is being herself (not saying I agree with her choice) then more power to her.
Ozzy – You can’t pick on this guy. Sharon is the one running the show. She’s his manager and she is a businesswoman. Look at all of the Ozzbournes shows and most of the time Ozzy was hiding out in his room doing art or something, basically not caring so much about the show. He may not be the best dad but he’s a DAD – he’s not biting heads off doves anymore! I’d say out of everyone on this list (which sucks BTW – I agree Axl would’ve been a better choice) he shouldn’t be on here at all.
( )tim August 29th
bashing Hetfield for going to rehab is pretty low. there are millions of other reasons he’s a pussy now, but not because of rehab. going to rehab is actually pretty badass.
( )Michelle August 29th
Can Adam do an article about older bands that kept their sound and still rock the same, or whatever they do exactly. That would be interesting, too!
( )Tim August 29th
Jeff…we are waiting for Generation Douchebag to produce ANYTHING of real value and artistic merit. tick-tock-tick-tock.
You deserve the Bush administration, American Idol, and other assorted vapidness associated with you flip-flop wearing fuckheads.
I believe that a certain Pete Townsend once said “those who fight the establishment eventually become the establishment.” – Pete used to be the biggest badass ever, now he is a kiddie porn watching tit.
There are so many more who should be on this list.
( )The Average White Guy August 29th
Kind of a lame list in my opinion.
Musicians are notoriously NOT badasses… They put the persona on, but most of them are just plain sissy…
( )Noman August 29th
People change. How many of us act the way we did 20 years ago? How silly would Ozzy be if he bit a head off a bat today, at 50 something? And Ice Cube just started making better choices. What example would he set for his children and young African Americans if he still rapped about busting caps in people’s asses? I do agree with the Hetfield one though…..I mean, I guess they did sell lots of records and still do, but geez man, most of the post Black album stuff really bites. Sinead O’ Connor? She probably had some sort of love-hate relationship with the church that comes from her childhood…LL Cool J? You cannot dis the man, the fact that he’s still being talked about after all these years is a testament to him. He’s really the last of his breed that is still pumping out jams, and you have to give him his props for maintaining his career for so long. Most rappers are here today, and gone tomorrow, so it’s amazing that he’s still in the game. I agree with the Axl Rose….I mean, he has no business calling what he’s doing “Gun’s N Roses”….it’s like he’s saying that it’s all about HIM, and the other original members can just go F*** themselves, because they weren’t important…Sorry, but that’s like Robert Plant going out and hiring some young dudes and calling it “Led Zeppelin”….Really bizarre….
( )Not “bad ass” behavior at all……
Listener August 30th
I was lambasted for this last time, but I just want to say that I love the tuts but hate the roundups.
( )machina August 30th
This sh*t was dead on and funny as hell! The pic of Ice Cube from “Are we there yet?” says it all. XD
( )ghost August 30th
first off, ll cool j did not beat cannibus, no way no how and any rapper or dj will tell you that. secondly ice cube is a sellout. how could you be proud of him, he didnt cahnge to be a better person, he changed for a dollar. he could still do movies, but when did they have to be all kid movies, i guess him and eddie murphy have the same agent and you can add steve martin to that list too.
( )Someone in Pittsburgh August 30th
One musician I can think of that is still a “bad ass” would be Varg Vickerns. In the early nineties he went to prison for murder, arson, terrorism, firearms possession, conspiracy, and possession of several hundred pounds of commercial-grade TNT. Several years ago they, for reasons I cant imagine, decided to give him a weekend furlough. With his free time he jacked a car from a family at gun-point after contacting several members of his associates and tried to connect with them to obtain prepared false documentation and disappear into eastern Europe. However the police were able to catch him and ended up surrounding him with assault rifles and bringing him back in before he could skip the country. He is still going to be set free in a few years, which is mind-blowing, you know if he doesn’t do something else in the mean time.
( )Sexy Pinay August 31st
Ice cube is a badass. he loves souljah LOL
( )Rafyta September 2nd
Love it, but Dave Mustaine was more Badass than James Hetfield; That’s why Dave was kicked out of Metallica (which gave us Megadeth).
( )Brakuno September 2nd
HEY HETFIELD HASN’T LOST HIS WAY IN NO WAYS!!! HE STILL FREAKING ROCKS!!!
( )lastperfectday September 2nd
Well you stirred the pot there, great idea – lets make a definitive `bad dudes of music’ compilation.
( )Try out Kieth Moon (The Who) for further interest. Makes the `rock star` of today look rather tame.
regards
Emmett Cooke October 15th
Pretty funny stuff. Keith moon was definitively a bit mad – gets a blood transfusion every year or so…madness
( )thejackyl October 26th
I’m glad you included Hetfield. May the world never forget how much Metallica sold out…
( )matt November 2nd
What about Gene Simmons?
( )Tojo November 3rd
Nothing Else Matters!! Awesome song by James! the best ever!
( )Aaron September 17th
To be fair, Ice Cube is being a responsible father. And his new album is pretty good other than mostly lame beats. Can’t be a badass when you’re a 40 year old millionaire who moved out of the ghetto 15 years ago. Ice Cube is still the shit
( )