The Story Of Rapper Ice-T’s Relationship With Ex Darlene Ortiz Who's The Mom Of His Grown-Up Son

Aug 23, 2021

Ice-T is famous not only for his early rap career, in which he's known for '90s hits such as "New Jack Hustler," but also for his work as an actor. Famously, the entertainer has played the role of NYPD Detective/Sergeant Tutuola on NBC's "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" since 2000.

But outside of his music and acting career, Ice-T is just as famous for his personal life. Married to Nicole Natalie Marrow — who's better known as Coco Austin — the couple has been married since 2002. Well known for their appearances as a couple, Ice-T and Austin even had their first child together in 2015, a daughter named Chanel Nicole, who will turn 6 at the end of November.

But unbeknownst to some, Ice-T was actually in a long-term relationship before to a woman named Darlene Ortiz, and the couple has a son together who's all grown-up. Ice-T and Ortiz were together for 17 years and in fact, she played a role in the rapper's early career, as she appeared on various record covers of his. After appearing on the cover of his 1988 "Power" album, Ortiz widely became known as the first vixen of hip-hop.

After she and Ice-T split up around the start of the new millennium, years later Ortiz would release a book in 2015 titled "Definition of Down: My Life with Ice-T & the Birth of Hip-Hop." In it, she spoke about being the first cover girl of hip-hop and her time with the rapper. Let's take a look at her story.

Darlene Ortiz first met rapper Ice-T when she was 17 years old, just before he hit it big with his career. The pair met at a now-defunct club named Radiotron in Los Angeles in 1985. Ice-T was a budding rapper and the house MC and apparently, it was love at first sight. He told Ortiz that night that he wanted to put her on his album cover, but it would be two years before that eventuated, when Ortiz appeared on the rapper's debut album "Rhyme Pays" in 1987. However, Ortiz points out that the rapper never pretended to be further in his career than he was, telling Complex in 2015:

"When we went on our first date he was like, 'I don’t really even have an album.' He was up-front. He’s always been like that."

But after the album came out, Ortiz became known as the first cover girl of hip-hop. She added:

"It had nothing to do with, 'Oh, I’m gonna pose for some album.' I had never done stuff like that. I was a kid in high school. It was interesting that he said he was gonna do it. Everything he said he was gonna do, he ended up doing."

Following the release of "Rhyme Pays," Ice-T's career went from zero to full strength, and the following year he released his second album, "Power," to great success. Once again, Ortiz appeared on the cover in a provocative swimsuit, cementing her status as the vixen of hip-hop. A few years after that, the couple had a child together, a son named Ice Tracy Marrow Jr., who was born on Nov. 23, 1991. 

But despite their seemingly perfect pairing, the couple experienced many ups and downs throughout their 17-year relationship and eventually called it quits in 2002. However, it wasn't until over a decade later in 2015 that Ortiz would release her book, "Definition of Down: My Life with Ice-T & the Birth of Hip-Hop," which detailed her time with Ice-T, as well as the growth of hip-hop.

She explained that she waited that long so that her son would be old enough to understand why she put what she did in the book. Now 29-years-old, the couple's son is a "little entrepreneur." Ortiz told Complex that he's similar to Ice-T, adding:

"I couldn’t even think of anybody that can top his dad, but he is so much more than his dad. Ice would take up anything and master it. But this one? His little seed, this kid. It’s been so entertaining. He does everything: flies planes, plays poker, golf, already got a hole in one — who does that even in their life?"

These days, Ortiz is happily living her life as a successful author and businesswoman. She posts frequently to social media, but despite the odd throwback photo, her life does not revolve around Ice-T anymore. Instead, she focuses on her son, as well as her love of animals. For Mother's Day in May, Ortiz posted a collage of pictures of her and her son, from when he was a baby to the man he is today. As part of the caption she wrote:

"I just can’t get enough of this young man, I love being a mom."

Did you know Ice-T had a long-term relationship and child before his current marriage? What do you think of Darlene Ortiz's story? If you learned something from this article, be sure to pass it on to those you know!