4. Ice-T, Power
Before NWA, Ice-T was dubbed a spokesperson for the West. The precautionary tales mixed with his syncopated cadence distinguished him from the other rappers coming out of California. So when he dropped the album Power, he wanted to make a statement that was “powerful” and bold. What statement could be more powerful than a sexy woman in a skimpy bathing suit with a big gun, with two brothers standing stately beside her? If you turn to the back of the cover, you see that they are also packing military-sized heat. In talking about the cover, Darlene Ortiz, Ice-T’s former girlfriend, said, “I look back at that picture and think, ‘Girlfriend, you have no idea what’s getting ready to unfold after that’ … I was just happy to represent and do for my man what we were both intending to do which was to help out his career.”
She continued, “People forget – especially when they see my solo picture – underneath our three poses it says ‘Power.’ People forget that’s what it was representing. I’m very proud.”