AllHipHop steps inside the home of Ice-T to discuss his new company, a joint venture with Big Court that aims to put control back into the culture’s hands.
During a sit-down with AllHipHop at Ice-T’s secluded New Jersey residence, the rap legend and media entrepreneur Big Court pulled back the curtain on the launch of the OG Network, a creator-owned streaming platform designed to give storytellers infrastructure instead of algorithms and longevity instead of viral moments.
AllHipHop’s own Chuck Jigsaw Creekmur pulled up to Ice-T’s crib to get the scoop from the two long-running Hip-Hop figures.
Big Court, a longtime member of Master P’s No Limit family, framed the venture as a response to years of watching Black creativity fuel platforms that creators do not own.
“We make everything cool, we make all the trends, we make Instagram pop, we make TikTok [hot], we made Tubi pop… but we don’t own nothing,” he said. “So I was like, man, we got to fix that.”
The idea for the OG Network grew out of Big Court’s evolution from artist management into media during the COVID era, starting with his Holdin Court podcast.
His goal, he said, was balance.
“We got all the salacious and pejorative s### and I wanted to make something to humanize the culture and a safe place for the culture,” he explained, noting that hard conversations still belong but with context and accountability.
That approach caught Ice-T’s attention long before business entered the picture. The veteran MC said he rarely accepts podcast invitations anymore because many focus on conflict instead of craft. He’s always noted that AllHipHop has been different from the current iteration of media and the OG Network is a reflection of that mind state.
“I’m from the days you go on to interview and we talk about the music,” Ice-T said. “We don’t talk about who you got beef with.”
After appearing on Holdin Court and building a personal rapport, Big Court pitched Ice-T on the network.
Ice-T was skeptical at first, knowing how expensive traditional television infrastructure can be. The turning point came when Big Court outlined a FAST channel (Free ad-supported streaming television) model that avoided reliance on platforms that could be “red flagged” or taken down.
“I don’t want to do YouTube, I don’t want to do Twitch,” Ice-T said. “I want to do something that we control.”
Equally important to Ice-T was ownership. The OG Network launched without outside investors, leaving Ice-T and Big Court as equal partners. “It’s me and you, two owners, nobody else,” Ice-T said. “If I’m going to get behind it, I want to win.”
For Big Court, the pressure of partnering with one of his lifelong influences became fuel.
He recalled first hearing Ice-T’s “Squeeze the Trigger” at age 11 and treating albums like Ice’s 1988 opus Power as blueprints for success.
“It was like a roadmap,” he said. “If I think like him and I follow what he’s saying, s###, I can get to where he at.”
Now in a soft launch phase, the OG Network is still in beta, growing alongside its audience and refining its offerings.
But the mission is already clear: ownership, sustainability and storytelling on the culture’s terms. As Ice-T put it, this wasn’t just another idea crossing his desk.
“I seen something that was bigger than me,” he concluded.
Click here for more on the OG Network.
Big Court Photo Credit. Courtney O. Richardson
Ice-T Photo Credit: Chuck Jigsaw Creekmur
