Coordinates	53°11′21″N23°5′45″N
Whs	Archaeological Site of Troy
State party	Turkey
Type	Cultural
Criteria	ii, iii, vi
Id	849
Region	Europe and North America
Year	1998
Session	22nd
Link	http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/849

Troy (Hittite: Wilusa or Truwisa; Greek: , Ilion, and , Troia; Latin: Trōia and Īlium; Turkish: Truva and Troia) was a city, both factual and legendary, located in northwest Anatolia in what is now Turkey, southeast of the Dardanelles and beside Mount Ida. It is best known for being the focus of the Trojan War described in the Greek Epic Cycle and especially in the Iliad, one of the two epic poems attributed to Homer. Metrical evidence from the Iliad and the Odyssey seems to show that the name Ἴλιον (Ilion) formerly began with a digamma: Ϝίλιον (Wilion). This was later supported by the Hittite form Wilusa.

A new city called Ilium was founded on the site in the reign of the Roman Emperor Augustus. It flourished until the establishment of Constantinople and declined gradually during the Byzantine era.

In 1865, English archaeologist Frank Calvert excavated trial trenches in a field he had bought from a local farmer at Hisarlık, and in 1868 Heinrich Schliemann, wealthy German businessman and archaeologist, also began excavating in the area after a chance meeting with Calvert in Çanakkale. These excavations revealed several cities built in succession. Troy VII has been identified with the Hittite Wilusa, the probable origin of the Greek Ἴλιον, and is generally (but not conclusively) identified with Homeric Troy.

Today, Truva is a small Turkish city supporting the tourist trade visiting the Troia archaeological site. Troia was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1998.

Homeric Troy

(ca. 1200 BC)]] Ancient Greek historians placed the Trojan War variously in our 12th, 13th, or 14th century BC: Eratosthenes to 1184 BC, Herodotus to 1250 BC, Duris of Samos to 1334 BC. Modern archaeologists associate Homeric Troy with archaeological Troy VII.

In the Iliad, the Achaeans set up their camp near the mouth of the river Scamander (presumably modern Karamenderes), where they had beached their ships. The city of Troy itself stood on a hill, across the plain of Scamander, where the battles of the Trojan War took place. The site of the ancient city is some 5 km from the coast today, but the ancient mouths of alleged Scamander, some 3,000 years ago, were about that distance inland, pouring into a large bay which formed a natural harbour that has since been filled with alluvial material. Recent geological findings have permitted the reconstruction of how the original Trojan coastline would have looked, and the results largely confirm the accuracy of the Homeric geography of Troy.

Besides the Iliad, there are references to Troy in the other major work attributed to Homer, the Odyssey, as well as in other ancient Greek literature. The Homeric legend of Troy was elaborated by the Roman poet Virgil in his Aeneid. The Greeks and Romans took for a fact the historicity of the Trojan War and the identity of Homeric Troy with the site in Anatolia. Alexander the Great, for example, visited the site in 334 BC and made sacrifices at tombs there associated with the Homeric heroes Achilles and Patroclus.

In November 2001, geologists John C. Kraft from the University of Delaware and John V. Luce from Trinity College, Dublin presented the results of investigations, begun in 1977, into the geology of the region. They compared the present geology with the landscapes and coastal features described in the Iliad and other classical sources, notably Strabo's Geographia, and concluded that there is a regular consistency between the location of Schliemann's Troy and other locations such as the Greek camp, the geological evidence, descriptions of the topography and accounts of the battle in the Iliad. Further work by John Kraft and others was published in 2003.

After the 1995 find of a Luwian biconvex seal at Troy VII, there has been a heated discussion over the language that was spoken in Homeric Troy. Frank Starke of the University of Tübingen recently demonstrated that the name of Priam is connected to the Luwian compound Priimuua, which means 'exceptionally courageous'. "The certainty is growing that Wilusa/Troy belonged to the greater Luwian-speaking community", although it is not entirely clear whether Luwian was primarily the official language or in daily colloquial use.

A small minority of contemporary writers argue that Homeric Troy was not in Anatolia, but located elsewhere: England, Croatia, and Scandinavia have been proposed. These theories have not been accepted by mainstream scholars.

Chronology in the Search for Homeric Troy

Initially the layers of Troy VI and VII were overlooked entirely due to Schliemann favouring the burnt city of Troy II. It was not until the need to close ‘Calvert’s Thousand Year Gap’ arose—from Dörpfeld’s discovery of the walls of Troy VI—that archaeology turned away from Schliemann's Troy and began working towards finding Homeric Troy once more.

Calvert's Thousand Year Gap

Part of the city’s archaeological chronology occurred during what is called ‘Calvert’s Thousand Year Gap’ (1800-800 BC), a period not accounted for by Schliemann's archaeology and thus constituting essentially a black hole in the Trojan timeline. In Homer’s description of the city, a section of one side of the wall is said to be weaker than the rest. During his excavation of more than three hundred yards of the wall, Dörpfeld came across a section very closely resembling the Homeric description of the weaker section. Dörpfeld was convinced he had found the walls of Homer’s city, and now he would excavate the city itself. Within the walls of this stratum (Troy VI) much Mycenaean pottery dating from LH III A and III B was uncovered, suggesting a relation between the Trojans and Mycenaeans. The great tower along the walls seemed likely to be the ‘Great Tower of Ilios’. The evidence seemed to indicate that Dörpfeld had stumbled upon Ilios, the city of Homer’s epics. Schliemann himself had conceded that Troy VI was more likely to be the Homeric city, but he never published anything stating so. The only counter-argument, confirmed initially by Dörpfeld (who was as passionate as Schliemann about finding Troy), was that the city appeared to have been destroyed by an earthquake, not by men. There was little doubt that this was the Troy that the Mycenaeans would have known of.

Archaeological Troy

The layers of ruins in the citadel at Hisarlık are numbered Troy I Troy IX, with various subdivisions:

Troy I 3000–2600 BC (Western Anatolian EB 1)

Troy II 2600–2250 BC (Western Anatolian EB 2)

Troy III 2250–2100 BC (Western Anatolian EB 3 [early])

Troy IV 2100–1950 BC (Western Anatolian EB 3 [middle])

Troy V: 20th–18th centuries BC (Western Anatolian EB 3 [late])

Troy VI: 17th–15th centuries BC

Troy VIh: late Bronze Age, 14th century BC

Troy VIIa: ca. 1300–1190 BC, most likely setting for Homer's story

Troy VIIb₁: 12th century BC

Troy VIIb₂: 11th century BC

Troy VIIb₃: until ca. 950 BC

Troy VIII: around 700 BC

Troy IX: Hellenistic Ilium, 1st century BC

The archaeological site of Troy was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1998.

Troy I–V

The first city on the site was founded in the 3rd millennium BC. During the Bronze Age, the site seems to have been a flourishing mercantile city, since its location allowed for complete control of the Dardanelles, through which every merchant ship from the Aegean Sea heading for the Black Sea had to pass. Around 1900 BC a mass migration was set off by the Hittites to the east. Cities to the east of Troy were destroyed and although Troy was not burned, the next period shows a change of culture indicating a new people had taken over Troy.

Schliemann's Troy II

When Schliemann came across Troy II, he believed he had found Homer’s city. Schliemann and his team unearthed a large feature he dubbed the Scaean Gate, a western gate unlike the three previously found leading to the Pergamos. This gate as he describes was the gate which Homer had featured. As Schliemann states in his publication Troja: "I have proved that in a remote antiquity there was in the plain of Troy a large city, destroyed of old by a fearful catastrophe, which had on the hill of Hisarlık only its Acropolis with its temples and a few other large edifices, southerly, and westerly direction on the site of the later Ilium; and that, consequently, this city answers perfectly to the Homeric description of the sacred site of Ilios".

Troy VI

Troy VI was destroyed around 1300 BC, probably by an earthquake. Only a single arrowhead was found in this layer, and no remains of bodies.

Troy VII

Troy VII, which has been dated to the mid- to late-13th century BC, is the most often-cited candidate for the Troy of Homer. It appears to have been destroyed by war.

Troy IX

from Troy during the Hellenistic period, 188–160 BC. Head of Athena in Attic helmet. Reverse female figure and owl with inscription: ΑΘΗΝΑΣ ΙΛΙΑΔΟΣ, ΚΛΕΩΝΟΣ ΙΛΙΟΥ, "Athēnas Iliados, kleōnos Iliou".]] The last city on this site, Hellenistic Ilium, was founded by Romans during the reign of the emperor Augustus and was an important trading city until the establishment of Constantinople in the 4th century as the eastern capital of the Roman Empire. In Byzantine times the city declined gradually, and eventually disappeared.

Beneath part of the Roman city, the ruins of which cover a much larger area than the citadel excavated by Schliemann, recent excavations have found traces of an additional Bronze-Age settlement area (of lower status than the adjoining citadel) defended by a ditch.

Excavation campaigns

With the rise of modern critical history, Troy and the Trojan War were consigned to the realms of legend. However, the true location of ancient Troy had from classical times remained the subject of interest and speculation, so when in 1822 the Scottish journalist Charles Maclaren reviewed the available material and published A dissertation on the topography of the plain of Troy he was able to identify with confidence the position of the acropolis of Augustus's New Ilium in north-western Anatolia. In 1866 Frank Calvert, the brother of the United States' consular agent in the region, made extensive surveys and published in scholarly journals his identification of the hill of New Ilium (which was on farmland owned by his family) as the site of ancient Troy. The hill, near the town of Çanakkale, was known to the Turks as Hisarlık.

Schliemann

In 1868 the German self-taught archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann visited Calvert and secured permission to excavate Hisarlık. In 1871–73 and 1878–9, he excavated the hill and discovered the ruins of a series of ancient cities dating from the Bronze Age to the Roman period. Schliemann declared one of these cities—at first Troy I, later Troy II—to be the city of Troy, and this identification was widely accepted at that time. Schliemann's finds at Hisarlık have become known as Priam's Treasure. They were acquired from him by the Berlin museums, but significant doubts about their authenticity persist.

Although it is widely believed that Heinrich Schliemann was responsible for starting archaeology on his own with the discovery of Troy, this is inaccurate. Schliemann became interested in digging at the mound of Hisarlık at the persuasion of Frank Calvert. The British diplomat, considered a pioneer for the contributions he made to the archaeology of Troy, spent more than 60 years in the Troad (modern day Biga peninsula, Turkey) conducting field work. As a principal authority on field archaeology in the region, Calvert's findings supplied evidence that Homeric Troy may exist in the hill, playing a major role in directing Heinrich Schliemann to dig at the Hisarlık.

Dörpfeld, Blegen

After Schliemann, the site was further excavated under the direction of Wilhelm Dörpfeld (1893-4) and later Carl Blegen (1932-8). These excavations have shown that there were at least nine cities built one on top of each other at this site. In his research, Blegen came to a conclusion that Troy’s nine levels could be further divided into forty-six sublevels .

Korfmann

In 1988 excavations were resumed by a team of the University of Tübingen and the University of Cincinnati under the direction of Professor Manfred Korfmann, with Professor Brian Rose overseeing Post-Bronze Age (Greek, Roman, Byzantine) excavation along the coast of the Aegean Sea at the Bay of Troy. Possible evidence of a battle was found in the form of arrowheads buried in layers dated to the early 12th century BC. The question of Troy's status in the Bronze Age world has been the subject of a sometimes acerbic debate between Korfmann and the Tübingen historian Frank Kolb in 2001/2002.

In August 1993 following a magnetic imaging survey of the fields below the fort, a deep ditch was located and excavated among the ruins of a later Greek and Roman city. Remains found in the ditch were dated to the late Bronze Age, the alleged time of Homeric Troy. It is claimed by Korfmann that the ditch may have once marked the outer defences of a much larger city than had previously been suspected. The latter city has been dated by his team to about 1250 BC, and it has been also suggested — based on recent archeological evidence uncovered by Professor Manfred Korfmann's team — that this was indeed the Homeric city of Troy.

Pernicka

In summer 2006 the excavations continued under the direction of Korfmann's colleague Ernst Pernicka, with a new digging permit.

Hittite and Egyptian evidence

In the 1920s, the Swiss scholar Emil Forrer claimed that the placenames Wilusa and Taruisa found in Hittite texts should be identified with Ilium and Troia respectively. He further noted that the name of Alaksandu, a king of Wilusa mentioned in a Hittite treaty, is quite similar to Homer's Paris, whose birthname was Alexandros. Subsequently, the Tawagalawa letter (CTH 181) was found to document an unnamed Hittite king's correspondence to the king of the Ahhiyawa, referring to an earlier "Wilusa episode" involving hostility on the part of the Ahhiyawa. The Hittite king was long held to be Mursili II (c.1321—1296), but since the 1980s, his son Hattusili III (1265—1240) is commonly preferred, although his other son Muwatalli (c.1296—1272) remains a possibility. Some scholars also connect Troy to the city mentioned in Hittite records as "Taruisas."

Inscriptions of the New Kingdom of Egypt also record a nation T-R-S as one of the "Sea Peoples" who attacked Egypt during the XIX and XX Dynasties. An inscription at Deir el-Medina records a victory of Ramesses III over the Sea Peoples, including one named "Tursha" (Egyptian: [twrš3]). It is probably the same as the earlier "Teresh" (Egyptian: [trš.w]) on the stele commemorating Merneptah's victory in a Libyan campaign around 1220 BC.

These identifications were rejected by many scholars as being improbable or at least unprovable. However, Trevor Bryce championed them in his 1998 book The Kingdom of the Hittites, citing a piece of the Manapa-Tarhunda letter referring to the kingdom of Wilusa as beyond the land of the Seha River (the classical Caicus and modern Bakırçay) and near the land of "Lazpa" (Lesbos). Recent evidence also adds weight to the theory that Wilusa is identical to archaeological Troy. Hittite texts mention a water tunnel at Wilusa, and a water tunnel excavated by Korfmann, previously thought to be Roman, has been dated to around 2600 BC. The identifications of Wilusa with Troy and of the Ahhiyawa with Homer's Achaeans remain somewhat controversial but gained enough popularity during the 1990s to be considered majority opinion.

Troy in later legend

Such was the fame of the Epic Cycle in Roman and medieval times that it was built upon to provide a starting point for various founding myths of national origins. The most influential, Virgil's Aeneid, traces the journeys of the Trojan prince Aeneas, supposed ancestor of the founders of Rome and the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Subsequently, the heroes of Troy, both those noted in Homer and those invented for the purpose, often continued to appear in the origin stories of the nations of Early Medieval Europe. The Roman de Troie was common cultural ground for European dynasties, as a Trojan pedigree was both gloriously ancient and established an equality with the ruling class of Rome. A Trojan pedigree could justify the occupation of parts of Rome's former territories.

Thus, the Franks filled the lacunae of their legendary origins with Trojan and pseudo-Trojan names: in Fredegar's 7th-century chronicle of Frankish history, Priam appears as the first king of the Franks. The Trojan origin of France was such an established article of faith that in 1714 the learned Nicolas Fréret was Bastilled for showing through historical criticism that the Franks had been Germanic, a sore point counter to Valois and Bourbon propaganda.

Similarly, Geoffrey of Monmouth reworked earlier material such as the Historia Brittonum to trace the legendary kings of the Britons from a supposed descendant of Aeneas called Brutus.

Snorri Sturluson, in the Prologue to his Prose Edda, converts several half-remembered characters from Troy into characters from Norse mythology and refers to them having made a journey across Europe towards Scandinavia, setting up kingdoms as they went.

Notes

References and further reading

Carter, Jane Burr; Morris, Sarah P. The Ages of Homer. University of Texas Press, 1995. ISBN 0292712081.

Easton, D.F.; Hawkins, J.D.; Sherratt, A.G.; Sherratt, E.S. "Troy in Recent Perspective", Anatolian Studies, Issue 52. (2002), pp. 75–109.

Fantasies of Troy: Classical Tales and the Social Imaginary in Medieval and Early Modern Europe, edited by Alan Shepard and Stephen D. Powell. Toronto: Centre for Reformation and Renaissance Studies, 2004.

Ilios. The city and country of the Trojans: the results of researches and discoveries on the site of Troy and through the Troad in the years 1871-72-73-78-79; (searchable facsimile at the University of Georgia Libraries, requires dejavu-plugin)

Farnham Bishop and Arthur Gilchrist Brodeur wrote a novel, In the Grip of the Minotaur which was serialized in Adventure magazine in 1916. Set around 1400 B.C., it tells the story of a group of Northmen who visit the ancient Mediterranean on a trading mission and become embroiled in intrigues between the rising power of Troy and the mistress of the Mediterranean, Crete—the latter then ruled by King Minos. Brodeur was a professor at Berkeley who translated The Prose Eddas by Snorri Sturluson and was a well-known Beowulf scholar. The novel has recently been printed in book form for the first time. (2010) ISBN 978-1-928619-98-7 by .

External links

General

*Troy on the Internet Educational website, University of Cincinnati

Archaeology

*Project Troia - The new excavations at Troy

**digital reconstructions of the city

**Greek, Roman and Byzantine Pottery at Ilion (Troia)

**Coins from Ilion (Troia)

*Troy VII and the Historicity of the Trojan War

Geography

* Geology corresponds with Homer’s description of ancient Troy, article by Neil Thomas on the University of Delaware site.

Media

Category:Archaeological sites in Turkey Category:Destroyed cities Category:Locations in Greek mythology Category:Troas Category:Trojans Category:Ancient Greek sites in Turkey Category:Ancient Greek cities Category:World Heritage Sites in Turkey Category:National parks of Turkey Category:Populated places established in the 3rd millennium BC Category:Former populated places in Turkey Category:Çanakkale Province

Coordinates	53°11′21″N23°5′45″N
Caption	Troy Polamalu during the 2007 NFL season.
Currentteam	Pittsburgh Steelers
Currentnumber	43
Currentpositionplain	Strong safety
Birthdate	April 19, 1981
Birthplace	Garden Grove, California
Country	United States
Heightft	5
Heightin	10
Weight	207
Debutyear	2003
Debutteam	Pittsburgh Steelers
College	USC
Draftyear	2003
Draftround	1
Draftpick	16
Pastteams
Status	Active
Highlights
Statweek	17
Statseason	2010
Statlabel1	Tackles
Statvalue1	515
Statlabel2	Sacks
Statvalue2	8.0
Statlabel3	INTs
Statvalue3	27
Nfl	POL041872

Troy Aumua Polamalu () (born Troy Aumua on April 19, 1981) is a U.S. professional American football strong safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted in the first round (sixteenth overall) of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Steelers. He played college football at the University of Southern California.

College career

Polamalu spent his first year at USC as a backup where he became a hybrid player, playing at both safety positions. While he was only a backup player at the time, Polamalu still made his mark in the eight games he played in, collecting two sacks, two forced fumbles and blocking a punt. He would become a full-time starter at the strong safety position the following year. He added three blocked punts and two forced fumbles in the season and saw time on punt return duty.

In 2002, his last year at USC, Polamalu would start in all but one game against Pac-10 rival California, giving him 36 total starts in his college career. He made 68 tackles for the season, 9 for losses, as well as 4 pass deflections and one of his college career. , Walter Camp and ESPN while earning second-team honors from The Sporting News. This would make him the first two-time All-American selection for USC since offensive lineman Tony Boselli. He became a two-time All-Pac-10 first teamer and was awarded the Most Inspirational Player Award by his teammates. Polamalu was named as a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the nation's best defensive back, with then-Ohio State safety Mike Doss and the eventual winner then-Kansas State cornerback Terence Newman.

Polamalu finished his career at USC as a 3-year starter. In all, he made 278 total tackles with 29 of them being behind the line scrimmage, 6 interceptions, 13 pass deflections and 4 blocked punts.

Professional career

2003 NFL Draft

Polamalu was drafted 16th overall in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Polamalu was actually the team's second option at safety, as they had planned on signing Dexter Jackson that offseason. Jackson, the reigning Super Bowl MVP with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, even had a verbal agreement to sign with the Steelers, only for him to back out at the last minute and sign with the Arizona Cardinals instead. The Steelers then went to "Plan B" and drafted Polamalu instead.

The Chargers, who had the 15th overall pick, had a major need at safety to replace Rodney Harrison but instead chose to go with quantity over quality forgoing the opportunity to select Polamalu by trading down and getting Sammy Davis and Terrence Kiel. The Steelers, ecstatic that Polamalu slid past the Chargers, quickly made a move to bring Polamalu to their team. The Steelers believed so much that Polamalu could have a positive impact on their defense that they traded up from the twenty-seventh spot to the sixteenth spot, originally held by the Chiefs. The Steelers traded away the ninety-second and two hundredth overall pick for the rights to switch first round picks and select Troy Polamalu. Essentially, the trade was Polamalu for Larry Johnson, Julian Battle, and Brooks Bollinger (the Bollinger pick was subsequently traded to the Jets in the same draft). He has the distinction of being the only safety ever drafted by the Steelers in the first round.

In the last game of his college career against Iowa in the Orange Bowl, Polamalu injured his hamstring in pre-game warm-ups and had very limited action in the game that day. Subsequently, the hamstring caused Polamalu to miss the Senior Bowl and 2003 NFL Combine as well. Polamalu was able to perform for scouts at his USC pro day. He was then drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round and signed a five-year, $8,275,000 contract.

{| class="wikitable" | colspan="10" align="center" | Pre-draft measureables |- !Wt !40y !20ss !3-cone !Vert !BP !Wonderlic |- | ALIGN="center" |206 lb | ALIGN="center" |4.31s | ALIGN="center" |X | ALIGN="center" |X | ALIGN="center" |43" | ALIGN="center" |29 | ALIGN="center" |24* |}(* represents NFL Combine)

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers use Polamalu in a high percentage of defensive plays, in a wide variety of defensive roles. In only his third season (2005), he tied the NFL record for most sacks, 3, in a single game by a safety. The 2007 Pro Bowl was his third consecutive Pro Bowl appearance; he started at strong safety for the AFC, playing next to the Baltimore Ravens starting free safety Ed Reed. The rivalry they share based on their teams' divisional rivalry was evident, as the two battled for possession of an overthrown halfback pass from former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber; Reed came down with the interception. He made the AP NFL All-Pro Second Team in 2005, followed by being named to the First Team in 2006.

His first Super Bowl appearance was in Super Bowl XL in 2006, when the Pittsburgh Steelers gained the franchise's fifth Super Bowl (against a former USC teammate Lofa Tatupu) with a 21–10 win over the Seattle Seahawks.

in the Steelers' Super Bowl XLIII victory parade in February 2009.]] On July 23, 2007, before training camp, the Steelers gave Polamalu the biggest contract in team history extending him through 2011. In an article on ESPN.com, Polamalu said, "I did not want to be a player who is jumping from team to team. I've always felt comfortable here, I think this organization, this tradition they have here, is very legendary and I always wanted to be part of this." The four-year contract extension, worth just over $30 million with about $15 million in guarantees, made Polamalu one of the highest paid defensive backs in the league and the highest paid safety in the league (though this distinction was taken by Bob Sanders on December 28, 2007 when he signed a five-year, $37.5 million contract with $20 million in guarantees).

Polamalu was named a reserve to the 2008 Pro Bowl despite having no interceptions and only playing in eleven games during the 2007 season. Polamalu's injury-plagued 2007 season led him to partake in a California rehab program. He suffered a hamstring injury late in his off-season workout, causing him to miss Pittsburgh's 2008 training camp. He returned to practicing with the team days after the camp's conclusion, however. Polamalu was named to the 2009 Pro Bowl as the AFC's strong safety after being given a unanimous vote by five experts. He was joined by his Pittsburgh Steelers teammates James Harrison and James Farrior on the AFC Pro Bowl team. Polamalu's 4th quarter interception return for a touchdown in the 2009 AFC Championship game against the Baltimore Ravens helped the Steelers clinch a victory en route to another Super Bowl appearance. At Super Bowl XLIII, he only got two assisted tackles in the Steelers victory over the Cardinals, 27–23.

In the spring of 2008, NFLShop.com reported that Polamalu's #43 jersey was the 15th-highest-selling jersey in the NFL. The only Pittsburgh Steeler to sell more was Ben Roethlisberger's #7 jersey, at the 10th spot.

In the 2009 AFC Championship Game, Polamalu was key in helping the Steelers win the game and reach the Superbowl that they would ultimately win when he intercepted a pass in the final minutes of the game and ran it back for a touchdown, thereby sealing victory for his team.

2009 Season

In the 2009 season opener against the Tennessee Titans, Polamalu recorded six tackles and one interception before getting injured while trying to recover a blocked field goal. He sustained a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee, and missed the next four games. He returned to play in the sixth week of the season in a match-up against the Cleveland Browns. He later reinjured himself against the Bengals.

2010 Season

In the 2010 season opener against the Atlanta Falcons, Polamalu made a possible game saving interception with 1:45 left in the game. The Steelers went on to win in overtime. In week 13 of 2010, Polamalu made a game changing play against the Baltimore Ravens forcing a fumble with a sack to set up a 9-yard touchdown pass to Isaac Redman with 2:51 left to give the Pittsburgh Steelers a 13-10 victory. In week 14 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Polamalu cut in front of intended receiver Terrell Owens to intercept Palmer's pass and return it 45 yards for a touchdown. Polamalu re injured an ankle on this interception, but stayed in the game. He would later record another interception. He missed the next 2 games with an ankle injury but returned for the last game of the season against the Cleveland Browns. In the last week of the 2010 regular season Polamalu picked off Colt McCoy which led to a Steelers' touchdown.

Personal life

Polamalu is of Samoan descent and was raised by his mother's family. Born Troy Aumua, he petitioned in 2007 to change his legal name to his mother's maiden name of Polamalu, which he had been using for the previous fifteen years. Polamalu's uncle Kennedy Pola is an offensive coordinator for USC and formerly coached the Jacksonville Jaguars for five years, during which time the Jaguars defeated Polamalu's Steelers in four of their five meetings. Another uncle, Aoatoa Polamalu, played nose tackle at Penn State from 1984–1988.

Polamalu is married to Theodora and has two sons named Paisios, born on October 31, 2008, and Ephraim, born September 16, 2010. His wife Theodora is the sister of NFL player and USC Trojans alumnus Alex Holmes.

Polamalu's favorite pastimes include surfing, growing flowers, making furniture and playing the piano. Despite Polamalu's hard-hitting style on the gridiron, he is known off the field as a soft-spoken family man.

Polamalu is also well read in the history and theology of early Christianity, which ultimately led him and his wife Theodora to convert to Greek Orthodox Christianity in 2007. He makes the Sign of the Cross after every play (from right to left, in the Orthodox Christian manner, as opposed to the Roman Catholic left to right motion). Among his spiritual activities is a pilgrimage to Orthodox Christian sites in Greece and Turkey, taken in 2007. He seldom gives interviews, but when he does, he often speaks of the role his spirituality plays in his life. Polamalu has said that he tries to separate himself from his profession as much as possible, including not watching football games at home. He prays after each play and on the sidelines. His children, Paisios, and Ephraim, are both named after well-known Greek Orthodox Christian saints.

Polamalu and his wife Theodora founded the Harry Panos Fund to honor Theodora's grandfather, who served in World War II.

Hair

Polamalu's hair is one of his most distinguishing characteristics, allowing him to be easily spotted on the field. In the CBS Playoffs Pre-game Show, Polamalu said the last time he had gotten a haircut was in 2000 at USC Johnson was penalized for rising to his feet while retaining grasp of Polamalu's hair (pulling him up in the process).

Polamalu has a contract with Procter & Gamble to endorse Head & Shoulders shampoo. In August 2010, P&G; paid for a million-dollar insurance policy from Lloyd's of London for Polamalu's hair.

In the media

In 2005, Pittsburgh-area band Mr. Devious wrote and recorded the novelty song "Puhlahmahlu", a parody of the song "Mah Nà Mah Nà". Guitarist Glenn Shirey said that the song was inspired by a Fox Sports announcer's (Dick Stockton's) mispronunciation of Polamalu's name.

Polamalu is featured on the cover of the Scholastic children's book National Football League Megastars which profiles Polamalu and 14 other NFL stars.

During Super Bowl XLIII, a commercial of Polamalu aired that had him do a remake of the famous "Mean Joe" Greene Coca-Cola commercial, except it was advertising for Coca-Cola Zero instead. Two Coke "brand managers" take the Coke Zero bottle away right when the kid was to give it to Polamalu, with Polamalu subsequently tackling one of the managers. Then, instead of giving the kid his own jersey, he rips the shirt off the brand manager he had tackled and tossed it to the kid. Greene, who like Polamalu lives a very quiet life off the field in contrast to his on-field play, liked the commercial and gave his stamp of approval.

He is on the cover of Madden NFL 10 with Larry Fitzgerald.

On Eminem's new album, Recovery, Track 17 references Troy and his hair.

References

External links

Troy43.com Official Website

bio - file interview with Troy Polamalu

Steelers Player Bio

Career Statistics

Forvo Pronunciation

Category:American football safeties Category:People from the Greater Los Angeles Area Category:American people of Samoan descent Category:Pittsburgh Steelers players Category:USC Trojans football players Category:American Conference Pro Bowl players Category:Greek Orthodox Christians Category:Converts to Eastern Orthodoxy Category:Eastern Orthodox Christians from the United States Category:Players of American football from California Category:1981 births Category:Living people Category:People from Garden Grove, California Category:American Samoan players of American football

Coordinates	53°11′21″N23°5′45″N
Name	Pete Rock
Landscape	Pete Rock, October 2007
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Peter Phillips
Alias	Soul Brother #1The Chocolate Boy Wonder
Born	June 21, 1970New York City, New York, United States
Origin	Mount Vernon, New York, United States
Instrument	Turntable, sampler, keyboard, bass guitar
Genre	East Coast hip hop, jazz rap
Occupation	Music producer, disc jockey, rapper, singer
Years active	1987–present
Label	Elektra, Loud/RCA/BMG, Rapster/BBE, Nature Sounds/Caroline/Virgin/EMI
Associated acts	CL Smooth, Marley Marl, INI, Heavy D, The UN, YGz, DJ Premier, J Dilla, 9th Wonder, DJ Green Lantern, Rakim, Nas, Wu-Tang Clan, Pharoahe Monch, Krumbsnatcha

Peter Phillips (born June 21, 1970), better known by his stage name Pete Rock, is an American record producer, DJ and rapper. He rose to prominence in the early 1990s as one half of the critically acclaimed group Pete Rock & CL Smooth. After the duo went their separate ways, Rock continued with a solo career that has garnered him worldwide respect, though little in the way of mainstream success. Along with groups such as Stetsasonic, A Tribe Called Quest, The Roots and Gang Starr, Rock played a major role in the merging of elements from jazz into hip hop music (also known as jazz rap). He is widely recognized as one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time, and is often mentioned alongside DJ Premier and RZA as one of the mainstays of 1990s East Coast hip hop production. Pete Rock is also the older brother and younger cousin, respectively, of rappers Grap Luva and Heavy D.

Editors from About.com ranked him as #2 in their "Top 50 Hip-Hop Producers" list. the sixth of seven children of Jamaican immigrant parents. His family moved to Mount Vernon, New York when he was seven years old. During high school, he met his future recording partner CL Smooth. According to Rock, his father was also a part-time DJ who had an impressive record collection. Rock would often accompany his father to a cricket club called Wembley in The Bronx and watch as he spun records for the guests. His first job was as a paperboy, in his neighborhood. In addition, he and DJ Premier have announced that they are working on a joint album together, although further details are unknown. Recently in London he confirmed that Big Pooh & C.L. Smooth will be on his half of the VS album and he plans on dropping 5 albums in 2011 including reuniting with C.L. Smooth for a third album & drop his 4th album on Nature Sounds.

Affiliates

Proteges

Through the years, Rock has helped to jump-start the careers of several artists. His first project outside of Pete Rock & CL Smooth was the hardcore duo YG'z, who released an EP called Street Nigga in 1993, with four out of the six tracks produced by Rock; however, they were quickly dropped from their deal with Reprise Records. His next venture, INI, was a group featuring Rock, his younger brother Grap Luva, Rass and rapper Rob-O. They released a single, "Fakin' Jax", through Elektra Records in 1995, before their debut album, , was shelved by the label. The other two members continue to record solo material, albeit only sporadically. In an interview Rock elaborated on the situation:

Another mid-1990s artist, DeDa, also met the same fate with his album The Original Baby Pa, although both this and INI's album were eventually released as a double album package in 2003. Other associated artists include Meccalicious, who recorded a few songs under Pete Rock's guidance (sometime around 1997), before disappearing from the music scene altogether.

Rock has had some success, however, overseeing and jump-starting the career of hardcore underground favorites The UN, a group featuring four MCs, including former Flipmode Squad member Rock Marciano. Rock premiered the group on the single "Nothin' Lesser" from his PeteStrumentals album, and they went on to release the fairly successful album UN or U Out in July 2004, featuring production by Rock, Large Professor, and several others.

Relationship with CL Smooth

Since their split in 1995, Pete Rock's relationship with CL Smooth has been highly unpredictable. Although the pair briefly united for the reflective "Da Two" from Rock's Soul Survivor album in 1998, they avoided entertaining requests for a reunion album until 2001, when they once again teamed up for "Back on Da Block" from Rock's PeteStrumentals. In their interviews during this period, it appeared as though a new album was underway. As Rock would explain:

The pair went on a short international tour culminating in their well-received show at London's Jazz Cafe; however, soon after this they declined to comment any further on the new album, which never materialized (although Smooth did make three separate appearances on Soul Survivor II). Eventually, Smooth would confirm rumors of a rift in an interview with AllHipHop.com, in which he appeared angry and frustrated with his former partner, saying "I didn’t ask him to be a superhero" and "I’m not the problem." In an interview taken in December 2006, Rock ruled out any further collaborations with Smooth but stated that he holds no grudges against his former partner. He recently confirmed that he will be recording a third album with C.L. Smooth.

Musical style

Production

Pete Rock builds his beats from samples, the majority of which are taken from obscure R&B;, funk, and jazz records. Early on in his career he would also sample drum breaks such as Black Heat's "Zimba Ku" for Heavy D & The Boyz's "Letter To The Future". Pete Rock heavily used the E-mu SP-1200 as well as the AKAI [S950]—later moving onto using the MPC—for his productions. Pete Rock tends to use the samples as palettes for his beats, chopping (cutting the sample into smaller parts), filtering (altering the frequencies of the sample), and layering several samples, often within the same song. While this technique was applied long before Rock (on De La Soul's Three Feet High and Rising or the work of The Bomb Squad for example), Rock's work is distinctive for the way in which he uses samples to achieve a hazy, droning effect. He is also noted for his resonant basslines, horn samples, and gritty sounding drums. His beats often sound as though they were being played from an old vinyl record; he samples many of his sounds straight off these records.

Another trait of his, more so in the earlier part of his career, is the way he uses horn samples to supplement his grooves. With perhaps the most famous example being "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)" (on which he uses a horn sample from Tom Scott's "Today"), Rock has also used horns on several other productions such as "Straighten It Out", Public Enemy's "Shut 'Em Down", Rah Digga's "What They Call Me", and A.D.O.R.'s "Let It All Hang Out".

Along with Gang Starr, The Roots and A Tribe Called Quest, Pete Rock played a large role in the fusing of jazz and funk music into Hip hop. The aforementioned "Reminisce..." withstanding, Rock used many jazz samples on his album Mecca and The Soul Brother, such as Cannonball Adderley's "Country Preacher", for the song "Return of the Mecca", or "Capricorn" for the song "In the House" from The Main Ingredient. Pete Rock's heavy use of intro and outro beats has also been widely influential. To introduce feature songs, he often plays a short instrumental excerpt, completely different from the rest of the song. Aside from their role as transitions, these are widely regarded as a way of displaying his large collection and as a challenge to other hip-hop producers to identify the records that the breaks come from. Mecca & the Soul Brother and The Main Ingredient use intro/outro beats on nearly every track to great effect, and the tradition continues to the present on Rock's recent releases.

Remixes

"Another Pete Rock Remix" is Pete Rock's trademark catchphrase, heard on countless singles which he has remixed. In addition to Hip-hop artists he has done remix work for artists from other genres such as his 1995 remix of "Before You Walk Out Of My Life" for R&B; singer Monica. In 1992 he collaborated with Mary J. Blige on the What's the 411? single "Reminisce", which utililized the same sample from his own single "T.R.O.Y. (They Reminisce Over You)". Rock claims to have done several high profile remixes which remain unreleased including one of Madonna's "Secret".

Many other producers, including Kev Brown and Kanye West, have also found themselves compared to Pete Rock, with the latter glowingly referring to himself as "the new version of Pete Rock" on Slum Village's "Selfish" from the group's 2004 album Detroit Deli (A Taste of Detroit). Pete Rock has acknowledged his relevance to these artists, releasing an instrumental record with 9th Wonder (Class Is in Session), as well as recording his own remix of West's "Heard 'Em Say". Rock himself has named his main musical influences as being influential hip hop producer and close friend Marley Marl and legendary soul musician James Brown.

Discography

; Studio albums

Soul Survivor (1998)

PeteStrumentals (2001)

More PeteStrumentals (2003) (Unreleased)

(2003)

Soul Survivor II (2004)

(2005)

NY's Finest (2008)

TBA (Working title) (2011)

References

External links

Pete Rock — official website

Pete Rock discography at Discogs

Pete Rock at MySpace

Pete Rock Interview - February 2008

Pete Rock Interview Part 1

Pete Rock Interview Part 2

Riot Sound, Hip-Hop, Rap & Urban Culture - Pete Rock Interview

Interview with Pete Rock

Category:1970 births * Category:Living people Category:African American rappers Category:Rappers from New York City Category:American hip hop record producers Category:American rappers of Jamaican descent Category:People from Westchester County, New York Category:Members of the Nation of Gods and Earths Category:1990s rappers

Troy James Hurtubise (born November 23, 1963 (age 47 )(Hamilton, Ontario) is an inventor and conservationist from North Bay, Ontario, Canada noted for his often bizarre creations that he tests on himself in spectacular ways. Some of these inventions include the Ursus personal armor suit, firepaste, an ablative heatproofing material, various ray generators, and, recently, Trojan, which is a type of body armor.

Early life and career

After completing a grade 12 equivalent at Mohawk College in Hamilton, Ontario Hurtubise enrolled in Natural Sciences at Sir Sandford Fleming College in 1987. He is married, and has one son. He previously ran a scrap metal business in North Bay, until he lost it due to financial difficulties.

History

Hurtubise's obsession with bears began on August 4, 1984, when he was 20 years old and survived a skirmish with a grizzly bear he refers to as "the Old Man", while hiking near Humidity Creek in central British Columbia.

The encounter had a profound effect on Hurtubise. Returning to his home province of Ontario, he decided to learn as much about grizzlies as he could. However, he realized that due to the bear's fierce nature, it is very difficult to get close enough to study them without physical danger, and he believed that drugging the animal would have its own undesirable consequences.

One day after enrolling in a college program (November 1987), Hurtubise experienced an epiphany while watching RoboCop in his college dorm, which led to the Ursus series of protective suits. He decided to build a research suit that would be strong enough to survive a close encounter while preventing harm to the occupant. Such a robo-bear suit would allow him to search for bears, and answer important questions such as: would pepper spray work in the field? What is bear behaviour in the den like? What are the signs of agitation, such as jaw popping, the dance on the front feet, slobbering, roaring? It is possible to study these signs at a distance, but Hurtubise wanted to see them from the bear's perspective.

Seven years and $150,000 later, Hurtubise had worked his way up to the Mark VI, the suit he believed could protect him from a grizzly. In order to test it, Hurtubise consulted with professors of physics and asked them how to simulate a bear attack. The entire experience was recorded as a National Film Board documentary and called Project Grizzly, with many memorable scenes in which Hurtubise tested the capabilities of the suit using himself as the guinea pig.

Hurtubise approached a tall, heavy biker and his colleagues, and paid them to attack him while wearing the suit, with baseball bats, splitting mauls, and wooden two by fours. The suit survived, as did Hurtubise, while the weapons were reduced to splinters. Other tests included an impact by a swinging 300-pound log, a feat that the Ripley's Believe It or Not! television program later attempted with a BMW, as well as tossing him down the side of an escarpment.

Project Troy

Project Troy is the moniker given to the current stage of a 15-plus year effort undertaken by Hurtubise to develop protection suit technology. It began as a desire to create a suit capable of withstanding a bear attack, but the process has developed ideas and technologies whose purposes go beyond simple bear attack protection.

Some of the testing the 145-pound (65 kg) Ursus Mark VI underwent included live bear tests in British Columbia, Canada. After initial fear of the strange looking suit the 545-kg (1200-lb) male Kodiak bear began tearing apart the chainmail. This clarified to Hurtubise that going with less expensive butcher's chainmail from France instead of shark chainmail was not the best decision. The biggest safety concern with the Ursus Mark VI is that a bear is able to rip the helmet off of the suit.

The current iteration of the suit, the Ursus Mark VII, is the 6th prototype that uses a few of the concepts and technologies developed by Hurtubise. It was initially created using a large amount of titanium. While the titanium suit was strong yet not overly heavy, it still did not provide the amount of protection Hurtubise desired. The suit was then entirely rebuilt to replace the titanium with stainless steel. The resulting suit is extremely strong, much stronger than the Mark VI, but due to its materials it now weighs a total of 84 kg (186 pounds)(the upper and lower halves are each 93 pounds). To solve the helmet issues found in the Mark VI, the Mark VII makes the helmet part of the upper portion of the suit instead of a separate item, splitting it in half down the middle as the top half of the suit is opened (the upper half of the suit is hinged in the back). Like the Mark VI, the Mark VII is internally padded with a type of cushion Hurtubise developed which is soft enough to cushion serious blows, yet stiff and strong enough to handle extensive use.

The ultimate goal is the creation of a suit that would encompass all the concepts in their final form. This form would have the ability to protect against injury from riot, explosions, fire, and high velocity projectiles, and weigh less to allow better mobility (with a goal to weigh equal or less than the heaviest equipment a firefighter might wear, 130 pounds). When/if it happens, its main protective materials will include Hurtubise's 1313 paste (discussed below), as well as his firepaste, instead of titanium or steel.

Part of the project was documented as Project Grizzly, which was based on his book White Tape — An Authentic Behind The Scenes Look At Project Grizzly. He has appeared on numerous television programs, such as Daily Planet; performed guest lecturing at schools of all levels including Harvard; has been interviewed on hundreds of radio programs from around the world; and has been written about in countless magazines and newspapers throughout the world. In 1998 Hurtubise won an Ig Nobel in Safety Engineering for his suit development.

Without any support from outside sources such as government, or private investment, and with previous business partners faltering, the project has bankrupted him once and almost cost him his marriage. But with the support of family and friends, and with the backing of an investor, the Ursus Mark VII was completed and Project Troy was launched.

Firepaste

Firepaste is a white paste that, when dry, is flame and heat resistant. It has a consistency and texture similar to clay when wet, and dries into a gray ceramic material which resembles concrete. The impetus for firepaste came from a failed fire test with the Ursus Mark VII where the metal exoskeleton heated up, popped the air bags and left Hurtubise with numerous burns. Like Project Grizzly, Hurtubise has tested the material on himself. For a dramatic demonstration for the media and the military in summer 2004, he made a thin mask of the material, put it over his face, and aimed a specialized blowtorch at thousands of degrees directly at the mask. The temperature was intentionally much hotter than the temperatures reached by the Space Shuttle on reentry. A thermometer located between his face and the mask measured no appreciable temperature change below the mask after nearly ten minutes, and the integrity of the material stood strong.

Hurtubise keeps the list of ingredients for his concoction secret, but during a segment aired on Discovery Channel's daily news show Daily Planet, he revealed one secret to be Diet Coke. Images from electron microscopes show that the particles in the paste are very porous, which makes it a good insulator. Other tests showed the paste contained lithium and bromine, bound into compounds in the paste. Microscopically, it looks like a diatom absorbent, such as kitty-litter or any common industrial oil absorbent.

1313 Paste

One of Hurtubise's latest projects has been the creation of a new paste that he's called 1313 and believes could be put to good military use. It is a mixture of all his previous concoctions applied to a kevlar fiber pad and then subjected to high pressure for the period of a day in a press. The result is a board or tile-like panel. The panel is placed in layers with other materials such as tiles. The resulting composite material can withstand a direct assault by shotgun slugs, rifle fire, and enough high explosive to demolish a car, yet is quite inexpensive to manufacture.

At an enthusiastic demonstration taped by Daily Planet, Hurtubise displayed its capability to a Canadian military observer. In one of Hurtubise's demonstrations, the composite material was placed in cushions meant to be placed over the outside of a Humvee. In the tests, the material successfully blocked explosive charges greater than those of a rocket propelled grenade, although they were not shaped charges, and was able to block shot after shot on exactly the same point of impact by a sniper rifle (which is a feat no material in use by the U.S. nor any other military has matched in public demonstrations).

It is Hurtubise's desire to see military vehicles, currently in service in Afghanistan, equipped with such protection in order to stand up to a landmine explosion, which has already claimed the lives of Canadian soldiers serving there. That, along with his younger brother serving in the Canadian military, inspired the creation of 1313.

Angel Light

Most recently, Hurtubise said he designed what he calls the Angel Light, a large device that he claims can allow people to see through objects, detect stealth aircraft, see into flesh, and disable electronic devices. Hurtubise says that the design for the Angel Light came to him in a series of three dreams, and that he was able to build a working device from memory, without the aid of schematics.

According to Hurtubise, the device makes walls, hands, stealth shielding, and other objects transparent. He also claims that beams from the device have the side-effects of frying electronic devices and killing goldfish. After testing the device on his own hand, Hurtubise claims he could see his own blood vessels and muscle tissue as clearly as if the skin had been pulled back, but the beam caused numbness and he began to feel ill. He also claims to be able to read the license-plate on a car in his garage from his workshop, and can see the road salt on it.

Hurtubise also claims to have tested the device covertly with the help of scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

After he discovered that it had harmful effects, he dismantled it. However, Hurtubise said the French government sent agents to North Bay to witness a demonstration of the Angel Light. He said the reps were so impressed with the device they gave him $40,000 in cash to finish it. The French, Hurtubise adds, have also agreed to pay him a “substantial” amount of money to use the technology if it passes rigorous tests in France.

Trojan armour

In early 2007, Hurtubise made public his new protective suit which was designed to be worn by soldiers. Calling it the "Trojan Ballistics Suit of Armor", Hurtubise describes it as the "first ballistic, full exoskeleton body suit of armour." Weighing in at 40 lbs, he claims that the suit can withstand bullets from high powered weapons (including an elephant gun). Hurtubise claims that he has been unable to test the suit against live ammunition because no one is willing to shoot him in it. It also features a knife holster and air conditioned helmet.

The suit has many features including a solar powered air system, recording device, compartments for emergency morphine and salt, and a knife and gun holster. He estimates that the cost of each suit to be roughly $2,000 if mass produced. It has been called the Halo suit, after the fictional MJOLNIR battle armor worn by the Master Chief character in the Xbox and PC game series HALO.

In early February, after failing to receive any offers to buy the Trojan, Hurtubise—now bankrupt from the expense of creating the suit—was forced to put the prototype up for auction on eBay in the hopes that it would bring in enough money to sustain his family. The auction's reserve bid was not met. There was a raffle for the suit on the Mission Trojan website, whose goal is to raise money for further prototypes and testing of the Trojan Suit to demonstrate its abilities for military applications. The suit was won by Sara Markis of Florida.She re-donated the proto type back to Hurtibise for work on his next prototype.She never had it in her possession.

The money raised from the raffle of the Trojan T model armour was used to finance the Trojan S type armour. This new model is superior to the T model in many ways as detailed on his website and YouTube channel.

The new type S armour purports to be lighter, tougher, more flexible, cheaper to produce and provide more complete body coverage than any other type of armour anywhere.

References

External links

Troy Youtube Channel

Category:1963 births Category:Living people Category:Canadian inventors Category:People from Hamilton, Ontario Category:People from North Bay, Ontario Category:Ig Nobel Prize winners Category:Pseudoscientists Category:Franco-Ontarian people

Coordinates	53°11′21″N23°5′45″N
Name	Pastor Troy
Landscape	Georgia
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Micah LeVar Troy
Alias
Born	November 18, 1977
Origin	Augusta, Georgia, United States
Genre	Hip hop, Crunk, Hardcore rap
Occupation	Rapper, songwriter, singer
Years active	1999–present
Label	SMC, Money And The Power, Real Talk
Associated acts	D.S.G.B., Mr. Mudd, Criminal Manne

Micah LeVar Troy (born November 18, 1977) is an American rapper and record producer and a member of the hardcore rap group D.S.G.B. (Down South Georgia Boys).

Biography

Micah LeVar Troy was born on November 18, 1977 in Augusta, GA. His father, Alfred Troy, is a Haitian-American drill instructor turned pastor.

Pastor Troy released his first album, We Ready (I Declare War), in 1999. Subsequently, he was featured in several songs by other artists and helped get other up and coming artists get a name for themselves, i.e. Rasheeda/Que bo gold ("do it"), & underground hip-hop producer Joey Cutless, who now produces soundtracks for network television and composes film scores. Ludacris featured Troy on his album Back for the First Time in the song "Get Off Me." In addition, Pastor Troy is also the front man of the rap group D.S.G.B. (Down South Georgia Boys).DSGB originated in Augusta, Georgia. He was also featured on the collaborative album Kings of Crunk by Lil Jon in the song "Throw it Up".]] Troy and then friend Lil' Jon reached the top of the charts in the south with songs such as "Vice Versa" and "Throw it Up". Since being in the music industry, Pastor Troy has been in public beefs with Master P, The album debuted at #13 on the Billboard 200. In 2003, Troy appeared on Young Jeezy's 2003 album Come Shop wit' Me on the track titled "GA".

Troy later released one of his more commercial albums, By Any Means Necessary, in 2004. This album featured songs like the hit "Ridin' Big". Following this release, Pastor Troy was released from his Universal contract because of creativity disputes. Currently, Pastor Troy is signed with two record labels. SMC (Stay Tru, Tool Muziq) and Money and Power Records (Face Off Part 2, Atlanta 2 Memphis).

Pastor Troy owns a Customised Ford F-650 truck, which was highlight on The Raw Report DVD , Vol. 1. He has also been mentioned in two songs by Kanye West: "Get 'Em High" (featuring Talib Kweli and Common): "And I will cut your girl like Pastor Troy / And I don't usually smoke, but pass the 'dro", as well as [ "'03 Electric Relaxation"] (featuring Consequence): "Original rude boy like Pastor Troy/The G-500 is my favorite toy/Cause it don't look like a thug or a hood/But he keep dem gorillas so we still be good." Pastor Troy also just did a deal with Atlanta Base Big Cat Records and is coming out with an album very soon.

Pastor Troy is often seen with a replica of the Big Gold Belt, which was the championship belt featured in the now defunct World Championship Wrestling, which was based in Pastor Troy's home state of Georgia.

Pastor Troy released his 16th solo album entitled Ready For War on June 9, 2009 on Real Talk Ent. Ready For War is Pastor Troy's 2nd album released on Real Talk Ent. The first album Pastor Troy released on Real Talk Ent. was entitled Attitude Adjuster on February 19, 2008.

Troy's song Crank Me Up was also used by the 2008 Notre Dame Football team as a pump up song at practice and before games.

Discography

Albums

{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;" |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" !align="center"|Year !align="center"|Solo |- |1999 |We Ready (I Declare War) |- |rowspan="2"|2000 |I Am D.S.G.B. |- |Pastor Troy for President |- |2001 |Face Off |- |rowspan="2"|2002 |Hell 2 Pay |- |Universal Soldier |- |2004 |By Any Means Necessary |- |2005 |Face Off, Part II |- |rowspan="2"|2006 |Stay Tru |- |By Choice or by Force |- |2007 |Tool Muziq |- |rowspan="3"|2008 |Attitude Adjuster |- |A.T.L. (A-Town Legend) |- |TROY |- |rowspan="3"|2009 |Feel Me or Kill Me |- |Ready For War |- |Love Me, Hate Me |- |rowspan="4"|2010 |G.I. Troy – Strictly 4 My Soldiers |- |Zero Tolerence |- |Attitude Adjuster 2 |- |King of All Kings |- |-bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" !align="center"|Year !align="center"|D.S.G.B. (Down South Georgia Boyz) |- |2001 |The Last Supper |- |2003 |Til Death Do Us Part |- |2010 |The Return Of Cut 3 * |- |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" !align="center"|Year !align="center"|Collaborations |- |2000 |Book I (with The Congregation) |- |2006 |Atlanta 2 Memphis (with Criminal Manne) |- |2008 |A.T.L. 2 (A-Town Legends 2) (with Lumberjacks) |- |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" !align="center"|Year !align="center"|Mixtapes / Compilations / Remix Albums |- |2001 |A Thin Line Between The Playaz And The Hataz |- |2002 |Revelations |- |2004 |I Am American (Compilation) (presented by Lil Jon & Pastor Troy) |- |rowspan="2"|2005 |Hood Hustlin': The Mix Tape, Vol. 1 (with Nino of P.K.O.) |- |Hood Hustlin': The Mix Tape, Vol. 2 (Slowed & Chopped) (with Nino of P.K.O.) |- |2006 |Down South Hood Hustlin (with Nino of P.K.O.) |- |rowspan="2"|2009 |Still No Play In Georgia (Best Of) (Mixtape) |- |Ready for War (The P.T. Mixes) |- |2010 |Crown Royal (Mixtape) |}

Singles

Featured Guest Appearances

2000: "Big Mouth, Big Talk" - Hypnotize Camp Posse feat. Pastor Troy

2000: "War Face" - Baddazis feat. Pastor Troy & Muffie

2000: "Get Off Me" - Ludacris feat. Pastor Troy

2000: "Do It" - Rasheeda feat. Pastor Troy, Quebo Gold & Re Re

2002: "ATL Hoe" - Baby D feat. Lil Jon, Archie Eversole & Pastor Troy

2002: "Throw It Up" - Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz feat. Pastor Troy

2002: "ATL Eternally" - Ying Yang Twins feat. Lil Jon & Pastor Troy

2003: "Fuck Em" - David Banner feat. Pastor Troy

2003: "Teacher's Pet" - T-Rock feat. Pastor Troy

2004: "We Ain't Playin'" - Lil Flip feat. Pastor Troy, Baby D, Killer Mike & Shawty Beezlee

2004: "Ride & Smoke" - Xzibit feat. Pastor Troy

2004: "Get Some Crunk In Yo System" - Trillville feat. Pastor Troy

2005: "Take It Outside" - Jody Breeze feat. Lil Jon & Pastor Troy

2005: "Southern Takeover" - Chamillionaire feat. Pastor Troy & Killer Mike

2006: "Tilt Ya Hat" - CUTTBOY G DINERO feat. Pastor Troy & 2Meka

2006: "Make Me Know It Then" - B.A. Boys feat. Pastor Troy

2006: "Say Say Lil Fine Ass" - Joi feat. Pastor Troy, Bun B & Trauma Black

2007: "And I Love You" - Rich Boy feat. Pastor Troy & Big Boi

2007: "My Posse" - Prophet Posse (Scarfo, Koopsta Knicca, Blackout, MC-Mack) feat. Pastor Troy & Yo Gotti

2008: "Keep It 100" - Yung Envy feat. Pastor Troy

2008: "Put Em Up" - Baby D feat. Sean P & Pastor Troy

2008: "Power Up" - 100 Grand feat. Pastor Troy & C.P.

2008: "Break The Rules" - Prophet Posse (Scarfo, Scan Man, K-Rock & Indo G) feat. Pastor Troy

2009: "Dreads Hang" - Sho feat. Pastor Troy [Produced by Shawty Redd]

2009: "Pussy Poppin'" - Juney Boomdata feat. Project Pat & Pastor Troy

2009: "17.5" - Gucci Mane feat. Shawty Lo & Pastor Troy

2009: "All The Way Crunked Up" - Lil Jon feat. Pastor Troy & Waka Flocka Flame [Produced by Vybe Beatz]

2010: "Throw It Up, Pt. 2 (Remix)" - Lil Jon feat. Pastor Troy & Waka Flocka Flame [Produced by Drumma Boy]

Production credits

Pastor Troy

Book I (by Pastor Troy & The Congregation):

"Havin' A Bad Day"

Face Off:

"This Tha City" "My Niggaz Is The Grind" "Move To Mars" "Throw Your Flags Up" "No Mo Play In GA" "Eternal Yard Dash" with Big Toombs "Oh Father"

Universal Soldier

"Universal Soldier" "Bless America"

Face Off (Part II):

"WWW (Who, Want, War)" "Where Them Niggaz At" "Respect Game"

Tool Muziq:

"I'm Down"

D.S.G.B.

The Last Supper:

"We Dem Georgia Boyz" "My Folks" "Brang Ya Army" "Above The Law II" "Southside" "Repent"

Til Death Do Us Part:

"I'm Outside Ho" "Sittin' On Thangs" with Taj Mahal

References

Category:1977 births Category:Living people Category:American people of Haitian descent Category:Paine College alumni Category:Prophet Posse Category:Rappers from Atlanta, Georgia

Coordinates	53°11′21″N23°5′45″N
Name	Lil' Troy
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Troy Birklett
Alias
Origin	Houston, Texas
Genre	Southern Rap
Occupation	rapper
Years active	1997–present
Label	Short Stop Records

Troy Birklett, better known by his stage name Lil' Troy is an American rapper from Houston, Texas.

Before his rapping career, Birklett was a successful drug dealer, who funded his music business with the money he earned from selling drugs. He eventually was convicted of "using a communications device to commit a felony" and was sentenced to 18 months in prison, although served only nine months in Beaumont, Texas federal detention.

Lil' Troy, who featured in his songs many members of Houston's thriving rap scene of the late 1990s, managed to reach national audiences with his single "Wanna Be a Baller" produced by Bruce "Grim" Rhodes. Lil Troy released his follow up in 2001, titled Back to Ballin. This album didn't contain a charting single and didn't fare nearly as well as his debut. He released his third and to date last album, Paperwork, in 2006.

Lil' Troy is a co-owner and manager of his own club in downtown Houston called "The Orbit Room", which frequents famous Houston rappers and raves. He is often seen on the campus of Stephen F Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas with one of his sons (and SFA student) TiDarian "T" Birklett performing free, but grizzly shows.

Discography

1998: Sittin' Fat Down South

2001: Back to Ballin

2006: Paperwork

References

External links

Category:Living people Category:African American rappers Category:American drug traffickers Category:Rappers from Houston, Texas Category:Underground rappers Category:Businesspeople from Texas Category:Year of birth missing (living people)