It had one of the modest identifiable hits of the 1990s before fading away.
But Vanilla Ice then reinvented himself as a real estate aficionado and home renovator, and now has a staggering net worth of $20 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
The rapper (whose real name is Robert Van Winkle) initially made a fortune with his hit single Ice Ice Baby in 1990, but became isolated after it fell off the charts by purchasing a series of houses at the time, most of which never lived in.
In 2018, DailyMail.com revealed that Vanilla Ice, 56, was worth around $9 million and grossed around $800,000 per year.
And on a recent episode of Steve-O’s podcast Wild ride!The rapper explained how he made ‘millions doing nothing’ thanks to his luck building a real estate empire.
Vanilla Ice, 56, amassed an enormous fortune thanks to his real estate interests, years after his early hits disappeared from the charts; photographed in 2022 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
DailyMail.com revealed that he was worth $9 million in 2018 and earned $800,000 a year, but now has a net worth of $20 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth; seen in 1989
The rapper recalled the success of Ice Ice Baby, telling the Jackass star: “We were selling a million records a day, easy!”
Van Winkle technically avoided the one-hit label thanks to his popular cover of Wild Cherry’s Play That Funky Music, but his success quickly declined as the ’90s progressed.
But while he still had plenty of cash, Vanilla Ice said he snapped up houses “all over the country,” even though he “never used them.”
But he was surprised when he decided to sell several of the houses and discovered that their value had increased significantly.
‘They sold very quickly and I made millions without doing anything!’ she gushed. “I didn’t even change the carpet… and I was like, ‘Shit, let’s buy a bunch more.'”
In addition to his newfound skill as a real estate mogul, Vanilla Ice developed a taste for renovating old, dilapidated properties after one of his many homes was severely damaged by Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
He decided to renovate the house himself before putting it on the market, and credited the DIY experience with developing a passion for real estate that has sustained him for decades since he stopped being a successful musician.
Vanilla Ice shared that the experience inspired him to go to design school to learn more about his new trade and later worked as a general contractor.
While still flush with cash thanks to his single Ice Ice Baby, Vanilla Ice said he snapped up houses “all over the country”, even though he “never used them”; seen in 1990 in New York
‘They sold very quickly and I made millions without doing anything!’ he told Steve-O on his Wild Ride podcast. “I didn’t even change the carpet… and I said, ‘Holy crap, we’re going to buy a bunch more.’
She subsequently spent nine seasons renewing her properties on her reality series The Vanilla Ice Project, which aired from 2010 to 2019.
He later went to design school and became a general contractor for years after developing a passion for remodeling and renovating homes.
He even managed to combine his public persona with his love of real estate and renovations with his reality series The Vanilla Ice Project, which began airing in 2010.
For each of its nine seasons, it purchased a house to remodel, and each episode was dedicated to renovating a different room in the house.
According to him, he prefers to buy homes off the market and focuses on distressed homes and properties under tax liens.
The rapper said he “issues property tax records,” so he can then snap up the homes “for pennies on the dollar.”