Vanilla Ice's Net Worth In 2024 Is a Lot of Cold, Hard Cash
Vanilla Ice's net worth in 2024 is probably higher than you might think.
The rapper, actor and entrepreneur is seriously loaded despite not having a charting single in decades, and it's mostly thanks to some really smart investing.
Robert Van Winkle not only released the fastest-selling hip-hop single of all time with "Ice Ice Baby," but he's made serious dough since transitioning to a real estate mogul — and even wrote a book about it.
Now, he's got houses and cars that even other hip-hop heavyweights would envy. Find out how much Vanilla Ice is worth and how he earned it.
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How did Vanilla Ice become famous?
Born in Dallas on Halloween 1967, Van Winkle was active in local breakdancing scenes and a life-long fan of hip-hop, which earned him the nickname "Vanilla."
He tells the story of his success pretty simply.
"I was heavy into breakdancing back in the day. I never thought anything would come from it," he told The Washington Post, adding that he'd often pop-lock as well. "I just stuck with it through that whole phase and started battling my high school friends across town, and I entered some talent contests on a dare and some talent scouts were in the audience and then went on tour with Ice-T, EPMD—the Stop the Violence tour. But after I signed with SBK, pretty much everyone knows the story from there. That's when 'Ice Ice Baby' hit."
From there, he blew up, releasing several more hits, including the memorable "Ninja Rap" from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze in 1994.
His rise to fame came with the usual vices and trappings, but with a twist, he later explained to The Miami New Times: His record label put out false and/or exaggerated biographical information ranging from the innocuous (that he grew up in Miami when he moved there at 19 to pursue his career) to the scary (his alleged beef with Suge Knight didn't really involve a balcony-dangling). His reputation took a major hit, as did his commercial performance, and eventually Van Winkle got into a dark enough place where he attempted to take his own life. He took a break from music, got sober and got his life together.
Related: Jelly Roll's Net Worth In 2024 Is a True Rags to Riches Story
What is Vanilla Ice's net worth in 2024?
Vanilla Ice's net worth in 2024 is estimated at $20 million, per Celebrity Net Worth — and most of that wealth didn't come from his music career (though he's still been active there, too).
On a recent episode of Steve-O's podcast Steve-O's Wild Ride, Van Winkle said that once he stopped selling "a million records a day," he realized he still had a ton of real estate nationwide that he'd purchased and never used.
"They sold really quick and I made millions for doing nothing," he said, still sounding somewhat incredulous at his luck. "I didn't even change the carpet. And I go, 'Holy s--t! Let's go buy a bunch more of them.'"
HGTV/DIY Network
He flipped his first property in 1992 when one of his homes was damaged in Hurricane Andrew, doing much of the renovations himself. Since then, he's been a real estate connoisseur, studying at design school and working as a general contractor. He generally buys properties that have tax liens or are otherwise in distress, as well as unlisted and off-market homes, which lets him buy homes for "pennies on the dollar."
He renovates and flips the properties, but his revenue streams don't stop there: He also had his own show on the Magnolia Network, The Vanilla Ice Project, that chronicled his house flips from 2010 to 2019, and as of 2022 is the star of The Vanilla Ice Home Show based in South Florida.
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How much is the Vanilla Ice car collection worth?
You know how for most of us, our Honda Civics depreciate in value as soon as we drive off of the dealer lot? Well, Vanilla Ice isn't like the rest of us. In fact, Van Winkle boasts a fleet of 31 cars that he says is worth an estimated $50 million.
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"I like cars, man," he said simply. "But it's not just about having a bunch of cars, but about special cars. Celebrity cars—they carry way more value when there's a story behind them."
One of Van Winkle's celebrity cars is a Continental previously owned by Rat Pack legend Dean Martin, which was the most expensive car in the world when it was released in 1956.
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How much did Vanilla Ice make for That's My Boy?
Van Winkle's salary for That's My Boy isn't publicly known. That said, it doesn't look like anyone in the cast earned back-end points, because the film—which Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg top-lined—only earned back $57 million on an estimated $57 million to $70 million budget (not even including marketing costs).
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How much does Vanilla Ice cost per show?
According to unsubstantiated estimates (so take it with a big grain of salt), Van Winkle commands a booking fee in the $40,000 to $75,000 range per show.
What Queen song does Vanilla Ice own?
None, thank you. That said, Van Winkle sampled the Queen and David Bowie masterpiece that is "Under Pressure" for his hit "Ice Ice Baby." While in an initial interview Van Winkle said that the bass line was different (claiming the bass line in "Ice Ice Baby" was "ding ding ding ding ding ding dink" to their "ding ding ding ding ding ding"), he said in a 2006 sitdown that he was kidding when he made the remark.
"That was a joke. That was a laugh and a joke. Yeah, I paid them," he said. "I sampled that song straight out. That's why when you read the credits on 'Ice Ice Baby' now it says Freddie Mercury and David Bowie, because they're on there."
Related: Get to Know the Love of Freddie Mercury's Life
Did Freddie Mercury sue Vanilla Ice?
Mercury and Queen didn't go after Vanilla Ice themselves, according to Brian May.
"I mean, we didn't go to war for it, but the publishers did," he said in a December 2023 interview. "So, they came to a settlement, which was that he pays us most of the money he's ever generated with that song. We're alright with that," he added with a laugh. "We became a part of the writing team, if you like."
Related: 75 Freddie Mercury Quotes
Did Queen take money from Vanilla Ice?
According to the man himself, Van Winkle paid Queen $4 million to sample "Under Pressure."
