ICE-T - ICE-T RUBBISHES HASSELHOFF REPORTS

LATEST: Rapper ICE-T has broken the hearts of DAVID HASSELHOFF fans around the world after lashing out at reports he plans to produce a hip-hop album for the former BAYWATCH star.

Rumours surfaced last month (MAY04) that Ice-T, real name TRACY MARROW, had plans to transform Hasselhoff into the middle-aged answer to EMINEM. But the rap star insists the rumours are completely false.

He says, "It's a total lie. It's absolutely not true.

"Basically, I was doing an interview with one of these newspaper cats and the guy said, 'I bet you could make anybody rap.' I said, 'For enough money I could make anybody rap.'

"And he said, 'Could you make David Hasselhoff rap?' And I said, 'For $5 million I would sign David Hasselhoff to my label.' And the guy said, 'Well, what would his name be?' And I'm like, 'HASSEL THE HOFF.'

"The next thing you know I read all in the press that I'm actually doing this album with him. I read in the (NATIONAL) ENQUIRER quotes out of my mouth. It's scary when you read quotes- when you actually see something you didn't say inside quotes. They just make it straight up out of nowhere.

"I don't know David Hasselhoff, I've never met him. I heard he's big in Germany. Since then, everybody's telling me all about David Hasselhoff, but I don't know him."

And since seeing one of Hasselhoff's music videos, Ice-T has now doubled the price tag for working with the actor/singer to $10 million (GBP5.5 million).

He adds, "If the money's right I'll have him rapping like WU TANG CLAN! For that much money, I can get JAY-Z and everybody in the video. I don't know if it would work. We'd just get it done."