Ice Cream Tee

Not to be confused with Ice-T or Ice Cube, Ice Cream Tee was an obscure female rapper who came out of the Philadelphia rap scene of the 1980s. The MC was born and raised in Philly, where she met DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince before they became well known. In 1987, they featured Ice Cream prominently on "Guys Ain't Nothing but Trouble," the sequel to their hit "Girls Ain't Nothing but Trouble." Ice Cream soon pursued a solo career, and in the late '80s, she was being managed by Lady B -- a DJ and ex-rapper who was known for her show on Philly's urban contemporary station Power 99 FM and had, in 1979, recorded the single "To the Beat, Y'all" for Tec Records, later reissued by Sugarhill. Lady B, in fact, was the first female rapper to record as a solo artist. Ice Cream was being managed by Lady B when, in 1989, she recorded her first solo album, Can't Hold Back, for Strong City. In contrast to the lighthearted pop leanings of "Guys Ain't Nothing but Trouble," Can't Hold Back was a tougher, harder, more aggressive effort along the lines of MC Lyte, Roxanne Shanté, and Queen Latifah. Can't Hold Back wasn't a big seller nationally, and Ice Cream never recorded a second album. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide