Body Count (band)

Ice-T's interest in heavy metal stemmed from sharing a room with his cousin Earl, who was a fan of rock music and only listened to local rock stations. Ice particularly enjoyed heavy metal citing Edgar Winter, Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath as his favorite bands. Ice attended Crenshaw High School, where a few classmates shared his interest in the genre including musicians Ernie C, D-Roc the Executioner, Beatmaster V and Mooseman. Ice began a solo career as a rapper and later decided to form Body Count with these friends. Explaining the motivating behind the name Ice later said:

"Body Count is an all-out metal group. We've got the stage props and everything and we're coming in for the kill. That's what the title Body Count means. In Los Angeles on a Sunday night the lady comes on the news and says "13 people killed in gang warfare this weekend, now sports." To me being a black man in Los Angeles make me just a statistic, another one in the body count.{{cite magazine |first=Jon |last=Bains |title=Ice (Motherfuckin') T part 1 |date=October 1991 |magazine=Convulsion |location=Edinburgh |url=https://bak.spc.org/obsolete/convulsion/interviews/convulse/1.3.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250427143836/https://bak.spc.org/obsolete/convulsion/interviews/convulse/1.3.html |archive-date=2025-04-27 |access-date=2025-04-27}}

The earliest formation of Body Count was in 1989 when Ice-T had Ernie C, Mooseman, and Beatmaster V participated in live instrumentation on Ice-T's album The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech... Just Watch What You Say!. They did live instrumentation on the tracks The Girl Tried To Kill Me, Hit The Deck, and What Ya Wanna Do?{{Cite web|url=https://metalstorm.net/bands/biography.php?band_id=4990&bandname=Body+Count|title=Body Count - Biography|website=Metalstorm.net|access-date=March 30, 2025}}

Ice-T co-wrote the band's music and lyrics with lead guitarist Ernie C, and took on the duties of lead vocalist, even though he felt that he did not have a great singing voice.{{cite book |author1=Ice T |last2=Sigmund |first2=Heidi |title=The Ice Opinion: Who Gives a Fuck? |year=1994 |publisher=Pan Books |isbn=0-330-33629-0 |pages=99–101; 166–180 }} The original line-up consisted of D-Roc on rhythm guitar, Beatmaster V on drums and Mooseman on bass.

After playing warm-up shows at small Los Angeles clubs Raji's and The Coconut Teaszer working with local promoter and Chameleon Records A&R Rep Chris "Hot Rod" Long, (one show set for the Whisky a Go Go was cancelled under pressure from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department after the band appeared in local magazine ads carrying guns) Ice-T introduced the band at Lollapalooza in 1991. Devoting half of his set to his hip hop songs, and half to Body Count song this increased his appeal with both alternative music fans and middle-class teenagers.{{Cite web|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|title=Ice-T {{!}} Biography & History|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ice-t-mn0000072003/biography|access-date=March 14, 2021|website=AllMusic|language=en}} Ice-T described it as "the best tour I've been on in my life as far as the music thing"{{cite magazine |first=Jon |last=Bains |title=Ice T - Part 2 |date=November 1991 |magazine=Convulsion |location=Edinburgh |url=https://bak.spc.org/obsolete/convulsion/interviews/convulse/icet2.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250427150900/https://bak.spc.org/obsolete/convulsion/interviews/convulse/icet2.html |archive-date=2025-04-27 |access-date=2025-04-27}} and some considered the Body Count performances to be the highlight of the tour.{{cite book |last=Apter |first=Jeff |title=Fornication: The Red Hot Chili Peppers Story |year=2004 |publisher=Omnibus Press |isbn=1-84449-381-4 |page=250 }} The group made its first album appearance on Ice-T's 1991 solo album O.G. Original Gangster. The song, "Body Count", was preceded by a spoken introduction in which Ice-T responds to allegations that he had "sold out" by incorporating rock elements into his rap albums by pointing out that rock music originated with African-American artists such as Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and Little Richard, in addition to stating that "as far as I'm concerned, music is music. I don't look at it as rock, R&B, or all that kind of stuff. I just look at it as music. [...] I do what I like and I happen to like rock 'n' roll, and I feel sorry for anybody who only listens to one form of music".Ice-T (1991). "Body Count". O.G. Original Gangster. Sire/Warner Bros. Records. {{ISBN|7-5992-6492-2}}

Body Count's self-titled debut album was released on Sire/Warner Bros. Records on March 31, 1992. On the strength of the album, Body Count toured internationally, developing a strong following.

{{main|Body Count (album)|Cop Killer (song)}}

The song "Cop Killer", intended to criticize corrupt police officers, encountered controversy, as it was seen as an attack against the entire police force.{{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,976203,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930055333/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,976203,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 30, 2007 |title=Ice T Melts |access-date=October 9, 2007 |date=August 10, 1992 |magazine=Time }} According to Ice-T, "I thought I was safe. I thought within the world of rock'n'roll, you could be free to write what you want. Hell, I was listening to Talking Heads singin' 'Psycho Killer'. Fuck it, I'll make 'Cop Killer'! But, that was the cross of metal with something that was real. Now we're not just killing your family, we're killing somebody so real that everybody just went, 'oh shit'".{{cite web |url=http://www.escapimusic.com/eu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=108&Itemid=31 |title=Body Count |access-date=October 9, 2007 |publisher=Escapi Music Group |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928084335/http://www.escapimusic.com/eu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=108&Itemid=31 |archive-date=September 28, 2007}}

The Dallas Police Association and the Combined Law Enforcement Association of Texas launched a campaign to force Warner Bros. Records to withdraw the album.{{cite book |last=Osgerby |first=Bill |title=Youth Media |year=2004 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=0-415-23808-0 |pages=68–69 }} Within a week, they were joined by police organizations across the United States. Some critics argued that the song could cause crime and violence. Many defended the song on the basis of the group's right to freedom of speech. In The Ice Opinion: Who Gives a Fuck, Ice-T wrote that "The people who did have a platform were way off backing me on the First Amendment. That's not where all the anger should have been directed. The anger should have been generated back at the police. [...] Because people jumped on the wrong issue they were able to drive this thing totally through Warner Brothers."

Over the next month, controversy against the band grew. Vice President Dan Quayle branded "Cop Killer" as being "obscene", and President George H.W. Bush publicly denounced any record company that would release such a product. At a Time-Warner shareholders' meeting, actor Charlton Heston stood and read lyrics from the song "KKK Bitch" to an astonished audience and demanded that the company take action. The criticism escalated to the point where death threats were sent to Time-Warner executives, and shareholders threatened to pull out of the company. Finally, Ice-T decided to remove "Cop Killer" from the album of his own volition.{{cite web|url=http://www.theroc.org/roc-mag/textarch/roc-11/roc11-09.htm|title=Ice-T speaks out on censorship, Cop Killer, his leaving Warner Bros., and more|access-date=October 9, 2007|last=Heck|first=Mike|publisher=The Roc|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013112856/http://theroc.org/roc-mag/textarch/roc-11/roc11-09.htm|archive-date=October 13, 2007|url-status=dead}} In an interview, Ice-T stated that "I didn't want my band to get pigeon-holed as that's the only reason that record sold. It just got outta hand and I was just tired of hearing it. I said, 'fuck it,' I mean they're saying we did it for money, and we didn't. I'd gave the record away, ya know, let's move on, let's get back to real issues, not a record but the cops that are out there killing people."

"Cop Killer" was replaced by a new version of "Freedom of Speech", a song from Ice-T's 1989 solo album The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech... Just Watch What You Say!. The song was re-edited and remixed to give it a more rock-oriented sound. Ice-T left Warner Bros. Records the following year because of disputes over the Ice-T solo album Home Invasion, taking Body Count with him. Despite the controversy, the album received some praise, including A− reviews from Entertainment Weekly and The Village Voice, who later ranked the album among their list of The 40 Best Albums of 1992.{{cite news |title=The 40 Best Albums Of 1992 |newspaper=The Village Voice |date=March 2, 1993 }} Variety reported that the album had sold 480,000 copies by January 29, 1993.{{cite magazine |last1=Augusto |first1=Troy J. |last2=Turman |first2=Katherine |title=WB board put Ice-T out in cold |url=https://variety.com/1993/music/news/wb-board-put-ice-t-out-in-cold-103473/ |magazine=Variety |date=January 29, 1993 |access-date=October 9, 2007 }}

File:Ice-T during the Body Count concert. Prague, August 2006.jpg

In 1993, Body Count recorded a cover of "Hey Joe" for the Jimi Hendrix tribute album Stone Free: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix.{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r188440|pure_url=yes}} |title=Stone Free: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix overview |access-date=October 9, 2007 |last=Erlewine |first=Stephen Thomas |website=AllMusic }} The band released their second album, Born Dead in 1994 on Virgin Records. Prior to the recording of Body Count's third album Violent Demise: The Last Days (1997), bassist Mooseman left the group and was replaced by Griz. Drummer Beatmaster V died of leukemia soon after the album was completed,{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/icet/articles/story/6436921/body_count_guitarist_dead |title=Body Count Guitarist Dead |access-date=October 9, 2007 |last=Devenish |first=Colin |date=August 19, 2004 |magazine=Rolling Stone |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013111109/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/icet/articles/story/6436921/body_count_guitarist_dead |archive-date=October 13, 2007 }} and a new drummer named O.T. filled in the position. Bassist Griz left the band later on, and in the meanwhile, former bassist Mooseman was shot in a drive-by shooting in February 2001 after recording an album and preparing for another tour with Iggy Pop in his band the Trolls. In late 2004, rhythm guitarist D-Roc died due to complications from lymphoma, leaving only Ice-T and Ernie C from the original line-up.

Ice-T has stated that "For me, honestly, after something like that, you can either come to a dead stop or you can go on. [...] It was so emotional. We were in the middle of making a new record together and he goes and dies? It was like, 'damn!' Soon enough, though, everybody was like, 'c'mon c'mon you gotta do it.' It was make-or-break. The key essence of Body Count is it's a band made up of friends. It's not about going out and hiring the best drummer or the best guitarist. If we don't know you, you can't be in the band."

In July 2006, Body Count released their fourth album, Murder 4 Hire on the indie record label Escapi Music. Its album cover, featuring Uncle Sam holding a cardboard sign reading "Will Kill for Money", compares the United States military to contract killers.{{cite web |url=http://www.decibelmagazine.com/features_detail.aspx?id=4908 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061020204850/http://www.decibelmagazine.com/features_detail.aspx?id=4908 |archive-date=October 20, 2006 |title=Interview with Ice-T |access-date=October 9, 2007 |last=Bennett |first=J |publisher=Decibel Magazine}} The then-line-up included drummer O.T., bassist Vincent Price and rhythm guitarist Bendrix. The band then took an extended hiatus for a couple of years; in regards to the future of Body Count, Ernie C stated, "We will carry on the band. I don't know if it will be Body Count, but in some form, Ice and I will always play together."

The band's presence between after 2009 was sporadic: On September 6, 2009, Body Count made an appearance at the Vans Warped Tour 15th-anniversary party at Club Nokia in downtown Los Angeles. The group played a 20-minute set, covered Slayer, and closed with their controversial classic "Cop Killer".{{cite news|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.Net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=126679 |date=September 9, 2009 |title=Body Count Is Back! |access-date=September 11, 2009 |work=Blabbermouth.net |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090913052821/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=126679 |archive-date=September 13, 2009 }} Also on the bill were NOFX, Katy Perry, Pennywise, Bad Religion and Rise Against. Mike Sullivan of ExploreMusic caught up with Ernie C at the 2010 edition of the Vans Warped Tour. While briefly chatting, Ernie C divulged that the band was recording its fifth studio album.{{cite web |url=http://www.exploremusic.com/explore-music-radio/2010-07-06/Heres-The-Deal-MySpace-Google-Iron-Maiden-Body-Count |title=Interview with Ernie C |access-date=July 7, 2010 |publisher=ExploreMusic}} Body Count wrote an exclusive song, "The Gears of War", for the video game Gears of War 3, and performed it at a party promoting the game.{{cite web|url=http://kotaku.com/5809789/what-do-ice+t-gears-of-war-3-and-heavy-metal-have-in-common |title=This Was Ice-T's Gears of War 3 Concert |publisher=Kotaku.com |date=June 8, 2011 |access-date=March 1, 2012}}

File:Body Count Feat. Ice-T - Rock am Ring 2015-8831.jpg 2015]]

On December 9, 2012, Ice-T announced on Twitter that Body Count would begin production on a fifth studio album in January 2013.{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/FINALLEVEL/status/277873968701132800 |title=Twitter / FINALLEVEL: BodyCount Fans: BodyCount is |publisher=Twitter.com |access-date=February 18, 2013}} The following day, Ice-T revealed that Body Count has signed with Sumerian Records.{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/FINALLEVEL/status/278109056772763648 |title=Twitter / FINALLEVEL: FYI: The BodyCount deal is |publisher=Twitter.com |access-date=February 18, 2013}} Ice-T suggested that the album was going to be titled Rise! or Manslaughter.{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/FINALLEVEL/status/279255464938721280 |title=Twitter / FINALLEVEL: BodyCount starts recording |publisher=Twitter.com |access-date=February 18, 2013}}{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/FINALLEVEL/status/281541286345986048 |title=Twitter / FINALLEVEL: BodyCount at 'Warpped Tour' |publisher=Twitter.com |access-date=February 18, 2013}} On May 10, 2013, Ice-T announced that work on the fifth studio album had begun and that it would be titled Manslaughter. The album was released on June 10, 2014.{{cite news|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/ice-t-says-new-body-count-album-manslaughter-is-brutal/ |title=Ice T Says New Body Count Album 'Manslaughter' Is 'Brutal' |work=Blabbermouth.net |date=May 5, 2014 |access-date=May 8, 2014}} On May 13, 2014, Ice-T played the song "Talk Shit, Get Shot" as a teaser for the new album.

Their sixth album, titled Bloodlust, was released in March 2017 via Century Media Records.{{cite web|url=http://www.metalsucks.net/2016/06/29/body-count-release-new-album-2017-cover-raining-blood-like-fucking-boss/ |title=Body Count to Release New Album in 2017, Cover "Raining Blood" Like a Fucking Boss |date=June 29, 2016 |access-date=July 12, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817111935/http://www.metalsucks.net/2016/06/29/body-count-release-new-album-2017-cover-raining-blood-like-fucking-boss/ |archive-date=August 17, 2016 }} On December 28, 2016, Ice-T posted a preview of the first single "No Lives Matter" to Twitter. Guest musicians confirmed to appear on the album were Max Cavalera, Randy Blythe and Dave Mustaine. Upon the release of Bloodlust, it was confirmed that Ice T's son Tracy Marrow Jr, aka Little Ice, is now a part of the band, performing backing vocals.

In May 2018, Ice-T revealed to Loudwire that Body Count would enter the studio around September to start recording tracks for their seventh studio album Carnivore. On the meaning of the album title, the rapper said, "It's basically: 'Fuck vegans.' We figure, anything carnivorous pretty much kicks ass. We're carnivorous! I'm not [really] saying 'Fuck vegans.' Everyone's so pussy right now, [so] we're carnivores".{{cite web|url=https://www.theprp.com/2018/05/20/news/body-count-have-plans-to-work-on-their-new-album-carnivore/|title=Body Count Have Plans To Work On Their New Album "Carnivore"|publisher=theprp.com|access-date=May 20, 2018|date=May 20, 2018}} The recording sessions began in April 2019.{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/FINALLEVEL/status/1115359153134948352|title=BodyCount News: We officially started writing and recording the new album 'Carnivore' today... This one is gonna be vicious! @BodyCountBandpic.twitter.com/cNk1SFk2cs|first=ICE|last=T|website=Twitter.com|date=April 8, 2019}} The title track was released as the first single on December 13.{{cite web|url=https://metalinjection.net/video/body-count-hits-hard-on-new-song-carnivore|title=BODY COUNT Hits Way Hard On New Song "Carnivore"|website=Metal Injection|date=December 13, 2019 }} The album was released on March 6, 2020.{{cite web|url=https://consequenceofsound.net/2019/12/body-count-new-song-carnivore/|title=Body Count unleash title track from upcoming album Carnivore: Stream|website=Consequenceofsound.net|date=December 13, 2019}}

On June 22, 2021, Body Count announced on their Facebook page that they had started work on their eighth studio album Merciless.{{cite web|url=https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/body-count-begins-work-on-new-album-merciless/|title=BODY COUNT Begins Work On New Album, 'Merciless'|publisher=Blabbermouth.net|date=June 22, 2021|access-date=June 23, 2021}} In 2022, it was ranked by Metal Hammer as the 46th most anticipated metal release of that year.{{cite web |last1= Hobson |first1=Rich |title=New metal albums 2022: The 50 most anticipated releases this year |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-50-most-anticipated-metal-albums-of-2022/5 |website=Metal Hammer |publisher=Future plc |access-date=9 September 2023 |date=21 September 2022}} After several delays, Merciless was finally released on November 22, 2024.{{cite web|url=https://blabbermouth.net/news/body-count-recruits-david-gilmour-for-cover-of-pink-floyds-comfortably-numb|title=BODY COUNT Recruits DAVID GILMOUR For Cover Of PINK FLOYD's 'Comfortably Numb'|publisher=Blabbermouth.net|access-date=September 26, 2024|date=September 20, 2024}}

Ice-T's lyrics focus on reality-based themes, including gang life, because he felt it would be scarier than the fantasy-based horror themes of most heavy metal bands. The band's third album, Violent Demise: The Last Days, featured album cover art depicting the hand signs of these gangs. According to Ice-T, "We named the group Body Count because every Sunday night in L.A., I'd watch the news, and the newscasters would tally up the youths killed in gang homicides that week and then just segue to sports. 'Is that all I am,' I thought, 'a body count?'"

When the band's debut album was released, Ice-T defined it as being "a rock album with a rap mentality".{{cite book |last=Dellamora |first=Richard |title=Postmodern Apocalypse: Theory and Cultural Practice at the End |year=1995 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |isbn=0-8122-1558-3 }} Like Ice-T's hip hop albums, the group's material focused on various social and political issues, with songs focusing on topics ranging from police brutality to drug abuse. Ernie C has stated that "We were just a band that played the songs that we knew how to write. Everybody writes about whatever they learned growing up, and we were no exception. Like the Beach Boys sing about the beach, we sing about the way we grew up."{{cite news |last=Yoxheimer |first=Aaron |title=Despite a high body count of its own, band is a survivor |url=https://www.popmatters.com/pm/article/despite-a-high-body-count-of-its-own-band-is-a-survivor |newspaper=The Morning Call |date=April 6, 2007 |access-date=October 9, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090704022047/http://www.popmatters.com/pm/article/despite-a-high-body-count-of-its-own-band-is-a-survivor|url-status=dead |archive-date=July 4, 2009}}

While a good portion of Body Count's lyrics are current issues, Ice-T notes that he also considers Body Count "grindhouse", and that some of the songs are humorous exaggerations of violence;{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuBBSZCMC9s|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231022043739/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuBBSZCMC9s|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 22, 2023|title=The Jasta Show #500 - Ice T (Body Count)|publisher=YouTube|date=February 1, 2020|author=The Jasta Show}} he also expects fans to be able to tell the difference.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_5mTKl2ie0 | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211116/Y_5mTKl2ie0| archive-date=2021-11-16 | url-status=live|title=Body Count 'Carnivore' Q&A with Ice-T |publisher=YouTube |date=March 4, 2020 |access-date=March 15, 2020}}{{cbignore}}

Body Count's musical style derives from the dark, ominous tones of traditional heavy metal bands such as Black Sabbath and thrash metal bands such as Slayer,{{cite book |last1=Marrow |first1=Tracy |last2=Century |first2=Douglas |title=Ice: A Memoir of Gangster Life and Redemption—from South Central to Hollywood |year=2011 |publisher=Random House |isbn=978-0-345-52328-0 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/icememoirofgangs00icet/page/127 127–140] |chapter=Freedom of Speech |chapter-url-access=registration |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/icememoirofgangs00icet/page/127 }} as well as hardcore punk's aggressiveness. According to Ernie C, "We wanted to be a big punk band [...] Our first record is almost a punk record." The presence of a rapper in a heavy metal band has been credited for paving the way for the rise of rap metal and nu metal,{{cite web|title=Body Count's Ice-T Talks Shit but Does the Shooting|url=http://decibelmagazine.com/blog/featured/body-counts-ice-t-talks-shit-but-does-the-shooting|website=Decibel Magazine|access-date=May 2, 2015|date=June 4, 2014|quote=Back in the day, Body Count was categorized as "rap metal" or "nu metal." Manslaughter sounds like just a straight-up metal album, without the hip-hop tropes that -- because of your background (and ethnicity) -- the band was initially categorized by.|archive-date=March 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303204619/http://decibelmagazine.com/blog/featured/body-counts-ice-t-talks-shit-but-does-the-shooting|url-status=dead}}{{cite book|last1=Metcalf|first1=Metcalf|editor1-last=Turner|editor1-first=Will|title=Rapper, Writer, Pop-Cultural Player: Ice-T and the Politics of Black Cultural Production|publisher=Ashgate Publishing Company|page=109|quote=Moreover, the band's second album, 'Born Dead,' released on Virgin Records in September 1994, peaked at a lowly 74. Upon its release, the Los Angeles Times remarked that 'it's time to pull the plug on this genre [of rap-metal]. The novelty has worn off.'}}{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Music/9910/27/ice.t/ |title=No thaw for rapper Ice T |access-date=October 9, 2007 |last=Freydkin |first=Donna |date=October 27, 1999 |publisher=CNN |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050212155357/http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Music/9910/27/ice.t/ |archive-date=February 12, 2005}}{{cite book |last=Taylor |first=Steve |title=A to X of Alternative Music |year=2006 |publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-8264-8217-4 |page=127 |chapter=Ice-T }} even though Ice-T does not rap in most Body Count songs and considers it to solely be a rock band. According to Ernie C, "A lot of rappers want to be in a rock band, but it has to be done sincerely. You can't just get anybody on guitar and expect it to work. [...] Ice and I, on the other hand, really loved the music we were doing, and it showed."

Body Count feat. Ice-T With Full Force 2018 06.jpg|Ice-T

Body Count feat. Ice-T With Full Force 2018 09.jpg|Ernie C

Body Count feat. Ice-T With Full Force 2018 17.jpg|Vincent Price

Body Count feat. Ice-T With Full Force 2018 10.jpg|Ill Will

Body Count feat. Ice-T With Full Force 2018 21.jpg|Juan of the Dead

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

• Ice-T – lead vocals (1990–2006, 2009–present)
• Ernie C – lead guitar, backing vocals (1990–2006, 2009–present)
• Sean E. Sean – turntables, sampler, keyboards, backing vocals (1990–2001, 2009–present)
• Vincent Price – bass guitar, backing vocals (2001–2006, 2009–present)
• Ill Will – drums (2009–present)
• Juan of the Dead – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2013–present)
• Little Ice – hype man, backing vocals (2016–present)

{{col-2}}

• D-Roc the Executioner – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1990–2004; died 2004)
• Beatmaster V – drums, backing vocals (1990–1996; died 1996)
• Mooseman – bass, backing vocals (1990–1996; died 2001)
• Sean E. Mac – hype man, backing vocals (1990–2001)
• Jonathon "the Kidd" James – drums (1996–1997)
• Griz – bass, backing vocals (1996–2001)
• O.T. – drums, backing vocals (1997–2006)
• Bendrix – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2004–2006, 2009–2013)

{{col-end}}

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bar:SeanE text:"Sean E. Sean"

bar:SeanM text:"Sean E. Mac"

bar:Little text:"Little Ice"

PlotData=

width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)

color:vocals

bar:IceT from:start till:09/01/2006

bar:IceT from:06/01/2009 till:end

color:lguitar

bar:Ernie from:start till:09/01/2006

bar:Ernie from:06/01/2009 till:end

color:rguitar

bar:DRoc from:start till:08/17/2004

bar:Bendrix from:08/18/2004 till:09/01/2006

bar:Bendrix from:06/01/2009 till:11/01/2013

bar:Juan from:11/01/2013 till:end

color:bass

bar:Mooseman from:start till:02/01/1996

bar:Griz from:02/01/1996 till:06/01/2001

bar:Vincent from:06/01/2001 till:09/01/2006

bar:Vincent from:06/01/2009 till:end

color:drums

bar:Beatmaster from:start till:04/30/1996

bar:Jonathon from:05/01/1996 till:09/01/1997

bar:OT from:09/01/1997 till:09/01/2006

bar:Ill from:06/01/2009 till:end

color:sample

bar:SeanE from:start till:06/01/2001

bar:SeanE from:06/01/2009 till:end

color:hype

bar:SeanM from:start till:06/01/2001

bar:Little from:06/01/2016 till:end

}}

;DVD

• Murder 4 Hire (2004)
• Live in L.A. (2005)
• Smoke Out Festival Presents: Body Count (2005)

;Music videos

{{div col}}

• The Winner Loses (1992)
• There Goes the Neighborhood (1992)
• Body Count's in the House (1992)
• Hey Joe (1993)
• Born Dead (1994)
• Necessary Evil (1994)
• Medley: Masters of Revenge/Killin' Floor/Drive By/Street Lobotomy (1994)
• I Used to Love Her (1997)
• Relationships (2006)
• Talk Shit, Get Shot (2014)
• Institutionalized 2014 (2015)
• No Lives Matter (2017)
• Black Hoodie (2017)
• Here I Go Again (2017)
• Raining in Blood / Postmortem 2017 (2017)
• The Ski Mask Way (2017)
• This Is Why We Ride (2017)
• All Love Is Lost (2018)
• Bum-Rush (2020)
• Point the Finger (2020)
• Thee Critical Beatdown (2020)
• The Hate Is Real (Version 1)(2021)
• The Hate Is Real (Version 2) (2021)
• Psychopath (2024)
• F*** What You Heard (2024)
• Comfortably Numb (2024)
• Merciless (2024)

{{div col end}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Body Count (musical group)|Body Count}}

• [http://bodycountband.com/ Official Body Count website]
• {{allmusic}}
• {{IMDb name|nm2360417}}

{{Body Count}}

{{Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:African-American heavy metal musical groups

Category:Grammy Award winners

Category:Ice-T

Category:Sire Records artists

Category:Virgin Records artists

Category:Sumerian Records artists

Category:Century Media Records artists

Category:Musical groups from Los Angeles

Category:Musical groups established in 1990

Category:American political music groups

Category:Hardcore punk groups from California

Category:Crossover thrash groups

Category:American rap metal musical groups

Category:Obscenity controversies in music

Category:Warner Records artists

Category:1990 establishments in California