Just-Ice (born Joseph Williams Jr.) A former bouncer at punk clubs, Just-Ice was one of the first New York MCs to embrace hardcore hip-hop and when he burst out of Fort Greene, Brooklyn as Just-Ice, he gained instant notoriety. Muscle-bound, tattooed, and aggressive he resembled Mike Tyson in more ways than just looks. With a mouthful of gold teeth, which was the very popular around Brooklyn, Ice set out to rip any open mic he could find, you could often find him rocking the crowds at the local, neighborhood park jams. His dedication would pay off when in 1986 he got his first record deal with New York based, independent label, Fresh/Sleeping Bag Records. Upon it’s release, his slickly produced debut single "LaToya/Put that Record back On" became an instant hit. However, a more down-and-dirty sound could be found on the 12" B- Side, that track was called "That Girl is a Slut”. For that time it was considered profane and some say it owed it’s inspiration to Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick's "La Di Da Di." Soon to follow, his debut album Back to the Old School proved he was more than just a pretty face and it would sound like no other hip-hop album before. Thanks to his fast paced, forceful rhymes, human beatbox DMX, and the distinctive production of “Kurtis Mantronik”, Just-Ice would make his own mark and solidify his place in hip-hop. He was also one of the first MCs to embrace the teachings of the Nation of Gods and Earths on a recording, as well as being one of the first to incorporate dancehall-style toasting into hip-hop rhymes. The album is best known in Hip Hop circles for the single "Cold Gettin' Dumb"; the universally known beat can be found reworked on Redman's single "It's Like That" featuring K-Solo. Declaring war on D.C.'s go-go scene and loudly criticizing Run-D.M.C. (very popular in New York at this time), Just-Ice set a pattern for many a future hip-hop feud. Little could halt Just- Ice's ascension to hip hop stardom, though the departure of Mantronik from Sleeping Bag was a bad omen. KRS-One stepped in to produce 1987's Kool & Deadly (Justicizms), an album that swapped Mantronik's hi-tech skills for raw, elemental beats and rhymes. 1989's release, The Desolate One (with KRS-One back in the producer's seat) was yet again a compilation of raw, hardcore, authentic hip-hop beats and rhymes . Just-Ice’s last album for Fresh / Sleeping Bag Records entitled Masterpiece would be produced by the legendary, hip-hop hall of famer, Grandmaster Flash. By 1990, Sleeping Bag Records appeared to be quickly fading as a new generation of labels overtook them. Just-Ice continued to release albums at intervals across the 1990s, on smaller independent labels except one, 1993's Gun Talk, which had major-label distribution while five of the album's 10 cuts were produced again by Kurtis Mantronik. Just-Ice eventually became a member of hip-hop’s super session “The Stop the Violence All Stars”, which released the legendary single ("Self Destruction") in 1990. This song would become a major hit and help to promote peace in the communities. In recent years, Just Ice released several white label 12-inch singles with production by hip hop superstar producer DJ Premier. In 2009 he released another independent album entitled “32 Degrees” on his own Just Ice Music label. Now in 2010, Just-Ice has teamed up once again with hip-hop legend KRS-ONE to release the highly anticipated, "The Just-Ice & KRS-ONE EP Volume #1".