How Eric B's Blue Bloods Role Changed His Life And Made Him Want To 'Fight' Ice-T

Eric B. made his imprint on hip-hop in 1987, when he and Rakim released their debut album, "Paid in Full." It's regarded as one of the greatest albums ever made, and in 2011, Eric B. & Rakim were nominated to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Over 20 years later, the renowned producer began dabbling in a new career: acting. In 2019, Eric B. joined the cast of "Blue Bloods" as Lieutenant Mike Gee.

Like Ice-T and LL Cool J before him, Eric B. is a member of the hip-hop to crime procedural pipeline. He only wishes he had joined sooner. In an interview with Rock The Bells, Eric B. admitted that television is much easier on his schedule than music. "The touring stuff to me... It's like, one day you wake up and your kids are 30," he said. "It's like, 'Where the hell have I been?' With my acting career, for me, the most important thing is coming home every day to your family. You can't discount that fact."

Eric B. blames Ice-T — who has been starring in "Law & Order: SVU" as Detective Fin Tutuola since 2000 — for withholding that career hack. "I told Ice-T we gotta have a celebrity boxing match 'cause he didn't tell anybody," he joked. "I'm gonna go public and call him out in front of everybody. He's been holding on to this for 23 years. I'm like s***, you should have told us this 20 years ago. I gotta call him out."

In CBS' "Blue Bloods," Lt. Mike Gee is the commanding officer of the 54th Precinct's Detective Squad. Eric B., however, was an acting novice when he took the role, having only appeared previously in music videos, a 2018 episode of "The Goldbergs," and a cameo appearance in "Who's the Man?"

Eric B. doesn't hold it against Ice-T for not letting him in on the acting secret. "He's a great, great guy," he said in the same interview with Rock The Bells. In typical Ice-T fashion, the "Law & Order" star clapped back with a straight-faced quip: "Eric is outta my weight class."

Ice-T has been similarly vocal about how "Law & Order" changed his life. "It's funny, though, because to survive as a musician, you have to do like 200 tour dates a year," he told Smashing Interviews Magazine. "But with this show, I'm able to do shows on the weekends... I have the ability to be home with my wife and my family and see my daughter every day. So I really appreciate that at this point in my life."

If Eric B. wants to maintain the same decades-long work-life balance that Ice-T has cracked, he'll have to find a new series. "Blue Bloods" has been officially canceled and will come to a close with Season 14.