Ice-T Rips Efforts to Suppress His ‘Cop Killer’ Song : Pop music: ‘They do not want to let me be able to speak to the masses,’ the rapper tells an industry gathering.

Los Angeles rapper Ice-T, in a spirited defense of his controversial “Cop Killer” recording, said Thursday that the song is intended to condemn racism and police brutality.

“The enemies on that album are racist people, parents who teach racism to their kids and brutal police,” he said in a keynote address at the New Music Seminar, an annual industry event here. “If those are my enemies, so be it.”

Ice-T, who spoke for about 20 minutes to a packed and enthusiastic audience at the Marriott Marquis Hotel near Times Square, said that he is appalled by the power police officers wield and by the lengths the “brotherhood of police” goes to protect its colleagues when they abuse their authority.

“We give the police the power of God,” he said. “That’s almost like holy. This is beyond my imagination. I don’t understand how we allow them to have this power. They’re nothing but public servants, like a fireman or a mailman.”

Ice-T’s song, which is contained on the rap-metal album “Body Count” and includes such lyrics as “I’m ‘bout to dust some cops off” and “die, die, pig, die,” has been the subject of a massive protest by law enforcement officials, politicians and religious groups across the country.

Law enforcement associations in both Texas and New York state have called for a boycott of products by Time Warner Inc., the media conglomerate that distributes the album. In Los Angeles, two police organizations have joined with local political figures in demanding that Time Warner voluntarily stop distribution of the song.

On Wednesday, Super Club Music Inc., an Atlanta-based record-store chain with 300 stores in 19 states, removed the disc from shelves in response to the outcry. Trans World Music of Albany, N.Y., also reportedly has pulled the record from some of its 600 stores around the country.

“Removing an album from sale is an extraordinary measure for our company, but management reluctantly made the decision because we did not want to be associated with the blunt message expressed in the lyrics of ‘Cop Killer,’ ” said Jeffrey Jones, Trans World’s senior vice president for finance.

During his New York appearance, Ice-T expressed both indignation and contempt at the efforts to suppress his album.

“What they’re really trying to do is shut down my platform,” he said. “They do not want to let me be able to speak to the masses. That’s what they want to do. So they’re going to shut my record down? I’m (just) going to talk about this record on the next record.”

Ice-T contended that police opposition to his song is rooted in irrational white fears of black rap artists’ speaking out against racial intolerance and injustice.

“The (sentiment in the) record I did, it ain’t new,” he explained. “It’s been in books, it’s been in movies. There ain’t nothing new.” But law enforcement authorities are “really, really frightened about it.”

He also said that the record was made a year ago--long before the acquittal of four police officers in the Rodney G. King beating case, a verdict that led to massive rioting in Los Angeles.

The rap star, who was dressed in a black baseball cap, black T-shirt and glittery jewelry, said that he would not be surprised if police tried to take revenge against him personally.

“Tell me if you see somebody out there with cross hairs, so I’ll know when to duck,” he quipped to the crowd in a hotel ballroom.

Time Warner, in a statement, said the company stands by its “commitment to the free expression of ideas for all our authors, journalists, recording artists, screenwriters, actors and directors.” Banning the song “will not make violence and rage disappear,” the company said.

Ice-T accused the rest of the music industry of being silent in the face of the protests, and he warned that no artist was safe from persecution.

“Basically, they’re after all of us,” he said. “Say something that’s not just straight down the line . . . and they’re coming to get you.”