Body Count

"When the President of the United States says your name in anger," Body Count frontman Ice-T once said, "the shit has hit the fan." The original gangsta's success as a rapper and actor is closing in on two decades, even after his hardcore-metal project Body Count endured 15 minutes of infamy that could have buried a less-driven figure. "Cop Killer," the most blistering track from its 1992 debut, earned the outspoken wrath of authorities from the Fraternal Order of Police to George Bush, ending the band's run in mainstream media.

The most controversial band in crossover history certainly wasn't among its elite. The performances that made Body Count a highlight of the first Lollapalooza seldom translated to disc. The band's three albums meander from devastating thrash blasts to bombastic guitar and drum solos to suspect ballads with questionable attempts at singing. A decade after Body Count's first splash, a new Bush administration and hardcore renaissance have made the time right for T and his crew to return for unfinished business.