Buy and sell, baby

"If there was a problem, yo, I'll solve it."
The kids who danced to "Ice Ice Baby," coated in hairspray and grooving like suburban gangsters, surely never expected to hear Vanilla Ice say those words on television decades later when some high-end cherry cabinets wouldn't fit in the kitchen of his Palm Beach house-flipping project.
But Rob Van Winkle, known best as white rapper Vanilla Ice, has spent recent years laying down tile rather than tracks destined for the Billboard charts.
He's playing Fly 92.3's Summer Jam on Saturday at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, showing he hasn't given up music. He's working on a new album, called "WTF (Wisdom, Tenacity, Focus)," a techno hip-hop blend with no explicit lyrics. But he'll also deliver a second season of "The Vanilla Ice Project," a home improvement series on the DIY Network, in which you can watch Van Winkle tackle the Palm Beach real estate market by flipping luxury homes.

His interest in buying up foreclosures and renovating them for a profit started early in his career. He was 16 when "Ice Ice Baby" was released and within a couple of years owned homes in Miami, Los Angeles, New York City and Salt Lake City, but never had the time to stay at them. He sold them all for a profit, and that's when his career as rapper/real estate mogul began.
He's renovated or built hundreds of homes during the last 15 years.
Q: Where did you learn how to do home improvement? Exposure as a kid?
A: No, self-taught. I bought a 15,000-square-foot mansion, and lived in it for 15 years. I was 16 when I did "Ice Ice Baby," and I turned this thing into the most massive bachelor pad ever. It had purple walls, starry skies, etched glass. It was done by professional decorators. ... After I lived there for a few years, I started hating it. I thought I was living in a nightclub. I would spend nights in my friends' house, in their one-bedroom efficiency, to get out of there.
Instead of hiring another decorator to come in, I started doing it myself. I changed all the doors, the paint, the carpet. I changed it to earth-tone colors. I looked at a lot of design magazines. There wasn't a lot of design shows out in the early '90s. ... I wanted to make it feel like a home when I came there, Christmas-y and cozy. I did it, and it came out fantastic, and I crossed my arms at the end of it and said, 'Wow. I did that.' It was a very proud moment.
I've been going to seminars and reading books on how to make money on real estate, and I've really known how to hit the demographics. I decorate based on the demographics of who can afford the home that I'm flipping.
Q: So season two of "The Vanilla Ice Project" features another house in Palm Beach?
A: Palm Beach is one of the few areas that really didn't get hit too bad in the economy. There's a lot of money here. Palm Beach is Palm Beach. It's one of the most beautiful places here in Florida. That works out good for my demographics as well. Miami and Fort Lauderdale, they got hit really hard (by the real estate slump). You better know your areas. That's first and foremost.
Q: "The Vanilla Ice Project" is relatable -- things go wrong. That seems like the kind of stuff that discourages people from home improvement projects. How do you push through?
A: Even though you've got it down to a science, you're still going to make mistakes. A lot of stuff I freestyle. I am the designer, and I may just change an idea in the middle of it. This is really what I do, and the camera's filming me do it. It's my money. I'm putting it into the homes. I'm really doing it. You run into little hurdles here and there. There's no hurdle I can't jump over.
You have to be pretty thorough and organized -- keeping lists, time frames, keeping everything computerized, making sure bills are paid.
Q: People often have trouble with their contractor or subcontractor on home improvement shows. How do you keep things moving?
A: Here in Florida, we have the beach to contend with. A lot of contractors would rather be on the beach. We're always jackassing around and having a good time. These contractors don't just do it for the sake of the paycheck. I try to form good relationships with all of these people, and they'll do it for me because they know I do a lot of projects. I create a good smiling environment, and they get to tell everyone they're working with Vanilla Ice. I get in there and swing a hammer with them, so they respect me a lot more.
Q: There are a lot of references to "Ice Ice Baby" in the television show. That single hit more than 20 years ago. Does it bother you that you're still so strongly associated with it?
A: I embrace it, you know why? Because everything I tackle now, I tackle with a smile. People want to hear it. People know it. It's me. I'm not running. I still love the song and the music.
Q: What's more difficult, the real estate industry or the music industry?
A: The real estate industry is more difficult, because there's a lot more aspects, a lot more details involved, a lot more follow up, a lot more organization to take place. The music? I've got them (both) down to a science, but I'd definitely say the real estate. You really have to babysit. It's every day all day. In town, out of town, all day, every day, my work never stops.
Reach Jennifer Gish at 454-5089 or jgish@timesunion.com.

At a glance
FLY 92.3's Summer Jam
Featuring Big Time Rush, Jason Derulo, Vanilla Ice, Runner Runner, The Ready Set
When: 1 p.m. Saturday
Where: SPAC, Route 50, Saratoga Springs
Tickets: $20-$45
Info: (800) 745-3000; http://www.spac.org

Source http://www.timesunion.com/