For some of you youngsters out there, this may seem hard to believe, but back in the early days of the Internet, there were actually a finite number of websites. Whenever somebody expended enough time and energy to create an online footprint, the effort itself seemed worthy of attention, regardless of the quality of their content. In the heady days of Web 1.0, building a personal webpage counted as a significant accomplishment, so even casual browsers felt compelled to “surf on in”.
But even back before social media—in the Stone Age, really— kids were already learning that the Internet never forgets. And at some point, three young men from Toccoa, Georgia helped drive that point home by serving as an object lesson for an entire generation of netizens.
Sometime around the turn of the century, a group of young men were inspired by the music of contemporary rappers, and endeavored to launch their own musical careers. The “Icy Hot Stuntaz” seem to have been heavily influenced by showy rap groups, musicians who emphasized the flashy “bling” of diamond jewelry over any kind of meaningful content.
And even though the Icy Hot Stuntaz were probably still living with their suburbanite parents, nothing could stop this trio from making their mark. Adopting colorful nicknames to match their flashy online personas, “Freeze”, “Blade”, and “Da Flame” created a simply Geocities website in order to promote their songs.
It’s hard to say exactly what happened next— but it looks like the Icy Hot Stuntaz must have abandoned their website at some point, leaving it unattended and alone in the wilds of the Internet. Who knows why? Maybe the group went off to college, or maybe they got their first grown-up jobs, and abandoned their adolescent dreams of musical greatness? But even though Freeze, Blade and Da Flame may have gone on to bigger and better things, their website remained exactly the same, a digital testament to the weird aspirations of young men.
Eventually, the Icy Hot Stuntaz must have realized that their website was still live, and took steps to shut it down… but not before millions of netizens had also discovered the site, and forwarded it along to friends. Over the years, the Icy Hot Stuntaz have inspired an entirely new generation of musicians and content creators, sparking an endless amount of tribute videos, parodies, and of course, memes.
Sure, the Icy Hot Stuntaz never quite reached the top of the hip-hop scene… but I recently learned that one of their members is still pursuing his passion for music! Bryan Edmonds— aka “Da Flame”— has successfully rebranded himself as “B-Shoc”, a Christian rapper who’s grown a substantial following by rhyming about his personal spiritual journey. And I’ve got to say, even if Christian rap doesn’t sound like your thing, his music is worth a listen, to see how his interests (and musical ability) have matured over the years.
Even though the Icy Hot Stuntaz have become a piece Internet history— a largely forgotten yet still amusing warning about the lack of privacy online—the immortal rap group still gets a good laugh from all of us netizens who’ve reached “a certain age”. Most importantly, the ‘Stuntaz’ still serve as a reminder that we should never judge the younger generation too harshly.
After all— weren’t we all young and stupid once?