The Flip Side of Ice

Ice-T as a rhinestone cowboy? That’s not exactly an image that comes to mind when the notorious rapper and actor is mentioned.

But as Ice prepares for a scene in the new NBC drama “Players” at a Universal Studios’ sound stage, he is indeed decked out in a black, rhinestone-studded cowboy outfit that has him looking like a kitschy cross between Johnny Cash and Vegas-era Elvis. In this particular episode, his Isaac “Ice” Gregory character goes undercover for the FBI as a country music star.

“Players,” which debuts Friday, is meant to be a breezy and humorous action-adventure romp for kids and adults alike. It’s ironic, to say the least, that a man who has stirred the ire of both right- and left-wing groups with his sexually explicit and violent lyrics is now starring in his own mainstream TV show airing in the 8 to 9 p.m. hour.

In 1992, he made headlines when “Cop Killer,” a graphic song by his thrash-metal side-band Body Count, drew criticism for its vengeful take on brutal cops. Even then-President George Bush took aim at Ice.

The question now is, Will middle America welcome Ice-T into its living room on a weekly basis?

“I’m sure there will be an outcry from some people who will say, ‘Oh, we don’t want him,’ ” says the straight-shooting product of Los Angeles’ mean streets during a break on the “Players” set. “We did that record six years ago. If somebody is still mad and says that Ice-T shouldn’t do this show, basically what they’re saying is, ‘I’m trying to hurt his career as long as he lives.’ That’s ridiculous.

“[‘Cop Killer’] came out when the United States was going through a very heavy period with the Rodney King situation and the [L.A.] riots. The song was an echo of that time when people were saying cops have to be accountable. One [journalist] told me, ‘Hey, after Mark Fuhrman and these other cats, you don’t seem like you were such an insane person. You’ve been vindicated for a lot of your anger that you put out.’ ”

Ice may feel vindicated, but anger is not what “Players” is about. Dick Wolf, one of the series’ executive producers, believes Ice will gain a very different reputation if the show is a hit. “People are going to see another side of him in this show that’s very appealing,” remarks Wolf, who first hired Ice as a guest star in three episodes of his “New York Undercover” series two seasons ago.

An ex-convict turned crime fighter, Ice’s character is a wise-crackin’ and tough-talkin’ dude who is also capable of moments of compassion and tenderness. Ice says the role is a natural for him because he and his character have very similar personalities.

In fact, it was Ice who approached Wolf with the idea for “Players.” The rapper’s original intention was to create a show with a gritty, in-your-face feel. Wolf, who also produces NBC’s “Law & Order,” convinced Ice that it would be a more viable project if its tone was softened and its cast broadened. Each week Ice and two other ex-cons (played by Costas Mandylor and Frank John Hughes) go undercover as FBI operatives.

It’s a concept that has thematic roots in movies like “The Sting” and “The Dirty Dozen” and TV series such as “Mission: Impossible.” However, Wolf dislikes comparisons with “The A-Team,” a similar convicts-fighting-crime series that was a big hit for NBC in the ‘80s. Though the two shows share a similar type of humor, Wolf says “Players” doesn’t contain the “A-Team’s” penchant for cartoon-like violence.

Ice-T is also acting as a script advisor for the show. It’s a logical tack given his background as a gang-centered youth on the wrong side of the law.

Ice-T, who had previously acted in feature films such as “New Jack City,” does acknowledge that NBC initially expressed thinly veiled trepidation about having him star in one of its shows. “It was like, ‘Let’s go through your dirty laundry. Let’s find out if you’re American [enough] to be on NBC.’ That was the [underlying] vibe,” he explains.

A founding father of a lyrically brutal and often misogynistic form of hip-hop called gangsta rap, Ice-T expresses disbelief when it is suggested that he is controversial.

“I’ve never been arrested,” states Ice, who says critics miss the humor in his music. “I’ve never been busted for messing with no girls. I haven’t been caught with no guns. You’ve never heard of Ice-T going to jail or getting in fights. When I did get in trouble [with ‘Cop Killer’], I didn’t break the law. So where’s the controversy?”

Conversely, Wolf labels Ice-T a “role model.” What’s probably less known about Ice is that he often speaks to kids and prison inmates about the value of staying clean and working within the system. He also works with gang members and encourages them to break out of the cycle of crime and violence that entraps them.

Ice-T reads Fortune Magazine and constantly has his antennae out for new business and creative opportunities. He’s one of the few rap artists to cross over into rock (with the aforementioned Body Count); he’s written a book containing his observations called “The Ice Opinion”; and he is now looking to launch his own record label.

As his music career has ebbed commercially in recent years, it’s easy to assume that Ice, the shrewd businessman, deemed it the right time to emphasize acting.

“It’s not necessarily the right time,” he disagrees. “I’ve always wanted to do everything. I didn’t get into rap and say, ‘That’s all I want to do.’ I always wanted to act. I wanted to write a book. As the opportunities open up for me I’m doing them.”

“Players” premieres Friday at 8 p.m. on NBC.