Dig the Player

Ice-T is almost 50 years old. One of the first rappers to reach the half-century mark, the man born Tracy Marrow practically invented West Coast gangsta music. Despite a successful acting career, the man who borrowed his alias from famed author/pimp Iceberg Slim is still in the hip-hop game — and he's still a player, MCing this year's Player's Ball. Ice-T the actor has appeared in flicks like New Jack Cityand the soundtrack-inspired Trespass; currently, he's slapping cuffs on NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. But at this Thursday's ball, Ice is back in the game, so to speak, headlining this insiders' gathering of porn stars, musicians, and all manner of entertainer (well, maybe not vaudeville). Get your suit ready, and make sure those pinstripes match. Pimpin' ain't easy.

Player's Ball with Ice-T begins at 9 p.m. Thursday, August 3, at Revolution, 200 W. Broward Blvd., Fort Lauderdale. Tickets cost $30 to $50. Call 954-727-0950, or visit www.jointherevolution.net.