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''Hard to Swallow'' is the third studio album by American rapper Vanilla Ice. Released by Republic Records in 1998, the album was the first album the performer recorded after a four-year hiatus following the 1994 release of ''Mind Blowin''. Vanilla Ice intended the new musical direction found on the album as an attempt to move away from hip hop music and discard his former pop image. ''Hard to Swallow'' instead featured what he described as "skate rock", a fusion of heavy metal, punk rock and hip hop. The album features appearances from Amen vocalist Casey Chaos, Bloodhound Gang vocalist Jimmy Pop, and Insane Poetry front man Cyco. Session musicians included drummer Shannon Larkin, keyboardist Scott Borland, and Snot guitarist Sonny Mayo. Vanilla Ice took an interest in the musical style found on ''Hard to Swallow'' while performing as a member of a Miami grunge band, and was able to develop this sound through a friendship with producer Ross Robinson, with whom he shared an interest in motocross racing. Robinson produced the album after being advised against working with Vanilla Ice. The album's darker lyrical subject matter developed from conversations, in which Robinson encouraged him to write about his past. Subjects included Vanilla Ice's abusive childhood, drug addiction and struggles with fame. Although Republic Records believed that the album would revive Vanilla Ice's career, it received largely negative reviews and did not chart. The song "S.N.A.F.U." was remade in Rhythm Party (Boom Boom Dance) as "BEFREE" with additional verses from Vanilla Ice himself and production from Konami in house artist Des-ROW. ==History== Vanilla Ice was briefly a member of a band called Pickin' Scabs, which he described as being "like a grunge band." He had wanted to perform more hip hop-influenced rock music, but the band "didn't know how to play this sound that I was looking for."〔 Monty Lipman, a founder of Republic Records and former SBK Records promoter, told Vanilla Ice that Ross Robinson, who had worked with bands such as Korn, Limp Bizkit, Sepultura and Deftones, was interested in working with him.〔 Vanilla Ice stated that he and Robinson were "totally clicking right off the bat" when it was discovered that they both shared an interest in motocross racing.〔 According to Robinson, others had attempted to persuade him not to produce the album. "People kept saying to me, 'It might hurt your name, it might hurt your reputation. I said, 'Then I'm doing it.' It's the most punk-rock thing you could do." Vanilla Ice stated that "It's unbelievable how this whole thing just came about. I really believe that it was an action of God. God pushing my wave and riding it. And Ross is one of those people and Monty is one of those people that God put in front of me and I'm being blessed right now."〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Hard to Swallow (album)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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