Ice-T Violates Pledge by Promoters, Sings ‘Cop Killer’ on Stage

Controversial rap singer Ice-T angered police but thrilled concert-goers here Wednesday when he violated a promise made by promoters and sang his much-ballyhooed anthem, “Cop Killer,” with as much on-stage defiance and in-your-face fanfare as he could muster.

The bare-chested singer strode to the center of the stage and, as a finale to an hourlong set, pulled out a letter from the head of the 1,900-member San Diego Police Officers Assn.

The Sept. 23 letter, from association President Harry O. Eastus II to the show’s promoters, protested the late addition of Ice-T and his band, Body Count, to the concert featuring heavy-metal headliners Metallica and Guns N’ Roses.

Ice-T took the letter, read it aloud sarcastically, and then to chants of approval from the mostly white, early-20s crowd, crumpled it up and stuffed it in his pants, tucking it near his crotch.

He then sang the song, whose lyrics tell the story of an inner-city youth shooting a police officer with a sawed-off shotgun, as many in the crowd yelled the line “Die, pig, die!”

Eastus said afterward he half expected Ice-T to sing the song.

“This shows everyone what a butt he is,” Eastus said. “We figured that he would do something like this and take a shot at the Establishment.”

Eastus’ letter had set off a fierce round of politicking last week. Bill Wilson, the manager of Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego and a former Pasadena police officer, wrote Ice-T’s promoters and asked them to either cancel the rapper’s appearance or cut the song from the playlist.

Local officials said they were assured by the promoters, Avalon Attractions of Los Angeles and San Diego’s Bill Silva Presents, that Ice-T would not perform “Cop Killer.”

Fearing violence, promoters removed Ice-T from last Sunday’s Guns N’ Roses-Metallica show at the Los Angeles Coliseum and the Oct. 3 concert at the Rose Bowl.

Ice-T withdrew the song from Body Count’s debut album in July after various police organizations complained to Time Warner, which distributes the group’s records, that it encouraged violence against police officers.

Earlier attacks on the song came from Vice President Dan Quayle, who stopped short of urging a boycott of Time Warner because of its connection to “Cop Killer.” President Bush has also denounced the song.

Times staff writer Mark Platte contributed to this story.