Vanilla Ice Recalls Friendship with Pablo Escobar and Thinking His People Were ‘Just Racers’
In a recent interview on TMZ Live, Vanilla Ice delved into the unexpected friendship he claimed to have had with notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar during the 90s, shedding light on their shared interest in boat racing.
The “Ninja Rap” artist detailed his encounters with Escobar, revealing that the Columbian trafficker and his associates were aware of his passion for racing boats. Speaking on TMZ Live, Vanilla Ice explained, “[Escobar and his people] knew that I was into racing boats, and back then, we didn’t have, y’know, Google. You couldn’t check people out, and you really didn’t ask anybody what you did for a living.”
The 56-year-old rapper continued, stating that Escobar’s involvement significantly impacted the boat racing community. “He really did a lot of great things for the boat industry because the money he spread around to, I guess, traffic the drugs also spread into the racing boat community. All that money and stuff was going into the boat racing community, which I was a part of.”
Vanilla Ice recalled the time spent with Escobar’s associates, including “drug runners” utilizing special boats made of black carbon fiber around Beer Can Island in Florida. Oblivious to the criminal connections, Vanilla Ice perceived them as “just racers” until the FBI questioned him, leading to the realization of their true identities.
Last month, Vanilla Ice initially revealed his friendship with Escobar and members of the Medellín Cartel, recounting wild hangout sessions at his Miami Beach mansion. Describing his interactions with the notorious crime boss, the rapper shared, “I hung out with Pablo Escobar many, many times. They would land helicopters in my house constantly on Star Island, come into my house, I had food just for them in the refrigerators.”
While acknowledging that he never questioned their background due to the absence of Google, Vanilla Ice emphasized the enjoyment of shared activities like boat racing. He painted a picture of Escobar as a personable figure, stating, “Pablo was a great person in person. I have no idea, bro. The guy’s loaded, he has a [Ferrari] Testarossa, I had a Porsche that’s smoking. We raced. I raced Pablo Escobar.”
Despite the lack of clarity on specific timelines, Vanilla Ice’s revelations have sparked intrigue and discussions about his unconventional friendship with the infamous drug lord.
