Ice-T's Tale of Rap and Crack

Ice-T has been everywhere on the tube—from his role as a detective on Law and Order to the reality show featuring his daily life with wife Coco. But now Ice is singing a very serious tune with his new VH1 documentary on hip-hop and the development of crack cocaine in poor urban communities. Crack, the smokable and highly-addictive form of coke, swept through impoverished areas of cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Miami in the early '80s with devastating effects—especially for black and Latino Americans—leading to astronomical rates of incarceration. The 53-year-old rapper is the executive producer of Planet Rock: The Story of Hip Hop and the Crack Generation, which will also feature rappers Snoop Dogg, Cypress Hill's B-Real and Wu-Tang Clan members RZA and Raekwon. The two-hour special will air for the first time September 18 at 10 pm ET, VH1 announced today.