Name	Remy Ma
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Reminisce Smith
Born	May 30, 1981
Origin	Castle Hill, Bronx, United States
Instrument	Rapping
Genre	Hip hop
Occupation	Rapper, songwriter
Years active	1999–present
Label	Sure Shot, Remynisce, Capitol
Associated acts	Big Pun, Cuban Link, Keyshia Cole, Papoose, Fat Joe, Terror Squad
Url	remyma.com

Reminisce Smith (born May 30, 1981), better known by her stage name Remy Ma, formerly known as Remy Martin and Remi Martin, is a Grammy nominated American rapper and former member of Fat Joe's rap crew, Terror Squad. Ma was featured on the group's hit song "Lean Back" from their second album True Story and M.O.P.'s "Ante Up (Remix)." Her debut solo album, , was released on February 7, 2006. She is one of seven female rappers to ever have a number one single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, with Terror Squad's number one single "Lean Back." She has also won two Vibe awards, two Source awards, an ASCAP pop award and a BET award for "Best Female Hip Hop", as well as two other nominations.

Biography

Remy grew up in a dysfunctional family in Castle Hill Projects in the Bronx and often saw the consequences and terrors of her family's drug abuse with her own eyes. She was forced to take care of her little brothers and sisters at a young age and retreated from her home issues by writing poetry. She learned about how hard society was on women and minorities. She then took out her anger by framing her poetry into raps that she would use against her school mates during lunch sessions. Her reputation quickly grew around the Bronx and word eventually got to the late MC, Big Pun of her and her work. After one meeting and a freestyle session, Pun immediately became her mentor. After the death of Big Pun, rapper Fat Joe signed Remy to his imprint label under SRC and Universal and made her a member of Terror Squad. Following the success of Lean Back, which garnered Remy a Grammy nomination, her debut solo album, , went on to sell only 150,000 units in its first year of release due to Universal Records' poor promotion. Fat Joe and Remy were frustrated at the way the album was being promoted by Universal and how the label wasn't releasing the right singles. With the solo albums lackluster debut, Remy decided to end her relationship with Fat Joe and the Terror Squad, breaking her deal with SRC/Universal in the process.

Remy Ma released 2 singles from her debut album There's Something About Remy, the club-anthems "Whuteva" and "Conceited". The album moved 37,000 units in its opening week and 158,000 units within the first year. The album received outstanding reviews from XXL Magazine with XL to Rollingstone and Vibe Magazine. She currently writes updates and posts it via Her official twitter and MySpace pages.

Reality show, second album and supergroup

After her departure from Terror Squad, which was confirmed on April 10, 2007, Remy had a slew of new deals and offers coming from both record companies and television alike. She was in talks to record her own reality TV show in which cameras would follow her hectic life as a female rapper in the male-dominated rap scene. She was also busy recording what would be her second album, titled PunisHER, named after her late mentor Big Pun. Also in the works was Remy's debut album as part of the all-female rap supergroup 3Sum, alongside female rappers Shawnna and Jacki-O. All of these plans were officially postponed and put on hold after taking part in a shooting incident that could possibly put her career to a complete halt.

Shooting incident

On July 14, 2007, Ma turned herself in to New York City police in relation to a shooting early that morning outside a Manhattan nightclub. Police say she was with a group of people including a 19 year old male named Rahjon Ross from Plainfield,NJ outside the Pizza Bar, a Manhattan nightspot, when a fight broke out at 4 a.m. A gunshot to the torso wounded Makeda Barnes-Joseph, accused of robbing Ma for thousands of dollars.

Police sources indicate that Barnes-Joseph identified Ma as the shooter. Security tapes from inside the club showed no evidence of any altercations or arguments. Ma pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder, assault, and criminal weapon possession. Smith was later charged with witness tampering and assault after an August 2007 incident in which she was accused of causing several male friends to attack a witness' boyfriend.

Remy retained the services of the attorney Ivan Fisher. However, on March 27, 2008, Smith was convicted of assault, illegal weapon possession and attempted coercion in connection with these charges. She was immediately taken into custody pending sentencing scheduled for May 13. She was acquitted of witness tampering and gang assault, charges which involved the purported intimidation of the boyfriend of a witness. At her sentencing, the Judge noted her disregard for the victim following the shooting—commenting that the rapper rifled through the victim's purse looking for the alleged stolen money, as Barnes-Joseph sat seriously wounded in the car. Ma then exited the vehicle, jumped into a waiting car and drove off, leaving Barnes-Joseph bleeding in the front seat. It was not disclosed if Ma had in fact retrieved any stolen money from the victim's purse.

Since the shooting, Makeda Barnes-Joseph has undergone several surgeries to repair damage done to her as a result of the shooting. She still experiences numbness in both legs and digestive problems as a result of the damage the bullet did to her intestines. In 2007, Barnes-Joseph filed an $80 million civil lawsuit against Remy Ma for damages and pain and suffering.

According to her lawyers, Remy Ma is serving her eight-year term at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women in Bedford Hills, New York located in Westchester County and is expecting to be released in early 2013. Ma wed her fiancee, rapper Papoose, while in prison in May 2008.

Remy Ma wrote a letter to her fans via GLobal Grind in Late 2009 stating "I really miss everything but I especially can't wait to get back in the studio and onstage again, I've been writing like crazy," she wrote in a blog entry. "First off I'd like to send love to C-Murder, his family and children...Some people are aware, but I realize that a lot of people don't know that I have a son. He just turned 9 years old and I was able to celebrate his birthday with him and Pap, they stayed with me for 5 days and 4 nights. We had so much fun. I cooked breakfast, lunch, and dinner . I baked cookies, cakes, and banana pudding. We watched movies, played board games and took a lot of pictures...I just want to say that I so love the 'Wendy Williams Show.' I try to watch it . I love watching the videos that are sent in of little kids saying 'How You Doin?' I couldn't pay my son to do that! I have to go on her show though when I get home."

Discography

Albums

(2006)

Mixtapes

Most Anticipated (2005)

The BX-Files (2007)

Shesus Khryst (2007)

BlasRemy (2008)

DVDs

Remy Ma: From the Grind to the Glamor (2005)

Shesus Khryst (2007)

References

External links

Official website

Remy Ma page at MTV

Category:1981 births Category:African American rappers Category:American prisoners and detainees Category:Female rappers Category:Living people Category:People from Bergen County, New Jersey Category:People from the Bronx Category:Prisoners and detainees of New York Category:Rappers from New York City

Category:Terror Squad members

Name	Lil' Kim
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Kimberly Denise Jones
Alias	Kim, Queen Bee, Queen of Rap/Hip-Hop
Born	July 11, 1975 Kim is known for her succulent rapping behavior and as the "Queen of Hip Hop", in which the title is currently being feuded with the overpowering Young Money Artist Nicki Minaj. The beef between the two entertainers has exacerbated into a popular rapping battle with the releasing of Nicki Minaj's "Roman's Revenge" and Kim's "Black Friday".
- align	"center"
Name	Jones, Kimberly Denise
Alternative names	Lil' Kim
Short description	Rapper, songwriter, actress, model,
Date of birth	1975-07-11
Place of birth	Brooklyn, New York, United States

Category:1975 births Category:Living people Category:1990s singers Category:2000s singers Category:2010s singers Category:21st-century American criminals Category:African American rappers Category:American dance musicians Category:American perjurors Category:American rappers Category:Atlantic Records artists Category:Dancing with the Stars (US TV series) participants Category:Female rappers Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Participants in American reality television series Category:People from Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Category:Rappers from New York City

Name	WHUTEVA
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Desmond A. Douglas
Origin	Hollis, Queens, New York, United States
Genre	Hip hop, Inspirational/Christian Hip-Hop
Occupation	Rapper, Songwriter
Years active	1996–present
Label	KIK Records
Associated acts	Rockwilder, G-Unit, 50 Cent, Digital Underground, Big Punisher, Redman, Ice Cube
Url	www.whuteva.com

Desmond A. Douglas, p/k/a WHUTEVA, is an American hip-hop recording artist from Queens, New York. At the age of 15, Whuteva met and made a pact with Grammy Award winning producer Rockwilder, who immediately took Whuteva under his wing and assisted him in his career. Whuteva has traveled across the globe performing alongside 50 Cent, Eminem, Method Man and Redman. He's penned tracks such as "Mardi Gras" on the Friday After Next soundtrack and the rowdy fight anthem Here I Come for UFC fighter Mike "Quick" Swick, and highest selling song on action-sports album Rockwilder presents.....Blue Octane, with first single "Hustler". Whuteva has performed on TBN’s "Praise the Lord", BET's "106 n Park", ABC’s "The Jimmy Kimmel Show" and Gospel Music Channel's "Hotlist".

1996-1999

Whuteva was apart of a short-lived rap group called Derelict Camp who signed a record deal with Next Plateau Records in 1996. Derelict Camp's first single "Move It In, Move It Out" was featured on Yo MTV Raps, B.E.T, and "The Box". "Move It In, Move It Out" was also featured on labelmates album titled "Kool DJ Red Alert presents..." that same year.

In 1999, Whuteva recorded "The Mission" with Shock G of (Digital Underground) and Big Punisher.

2000-2003

"Mardi Gras", Whuteva's first solo single produced by Rockwilder, was released in 2002 by Hollywood Records and was featured on Ice Cube's Friday After Next movie soundtrack.

Whuteva has traveled the map as a hypeman with 50 Cent, as a part of G-Unit in 2003 during the time that 50 Cent released "Get Rich or Die Tryin". With G-Unit, Whuteva has made appearances on MTV, BET's 106 n Park, The Jimmey Kimmel show , VH1's Behind the Music- 50 Cent. Other live performances are included on "50 Cent: The New Breed" DVD which has shows with Eminem and D-12.

Whuteva has two albums released to date in addition to the many collaborations he's made with other artists. "Who is Whu?eva", was the first release in 2003 mixtape-album hosted by Boogie Black, with production from Rockwilder, B.EZ, and DJ Twinz.

2007-2010

Rockwilder presents.....Blue Octane, an action sports album inspired by Wakeboarding was released by Fuel/Warner Bros records in 2008 which included nine tracks featuring Whuteva. Blue Octane, was featured on Fuel TV, and other video productions. The most notable track, "Hustler", is the highest selling song on iTunes for that album. Also in 2008, Whuteva penned fight anthem for UFC's Mike "Quick" Swick. The song titled Here I Come. was used as the walk in music during Swick's fighting matches.

Whuteva has made television appearances on TBN's "Praise the Lord", and hosted video show, the "Hit list" for Gospel Music Channel. Whuteva has also performed at "Faith World", the church of Clint Brown (formerly pastored by Benny Hinn).

Discography

1996- Derelict Camp"- "Move It In, Move It Out (single)" (Next Plateau Records)

1996- Kool DJ Red Alert presents...Move It In, Move It Out- Derelict Camp (Next Plateau Records)

1999- Who's Got the Gravy- The Mission w/ Digital Underground, Big Pun, Stylez (Interscope Records)

2002- Friday After Next Soundtrack- Mardi Gras (Hollywood Records)

2003- Who is Whuteva (Hoodlum Fresh Records)

2006- Highway 2 Heaven (K.I.K. Records)

2008- Rockwilder presents... Blue Octane (Fuel/Warner Bros. Records)

Notes

References

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1459787/20030131/50_cent.jhtml

http://illspot.ning.com/group/interviews/forum/topics/1271544:Topic:69306?commentId=1271544%3AComment%3A69563&groupId;=1271544%3AGroup%3A69023

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0293815/soundtrack

http://gospelmusicchannel.com/artists/detail/whuteva

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/whuteva

http://www.dasouth.com/features/columns/409-top-10-chh-stories-of-2008

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/who-is-whu-eva-street-buzz-edition/id6435508

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/highway-2-heaven/id303461210

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/who-got-the-gravy/id275516245

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/rockwilder-presents-blue-octane/id278940293

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1459787/20030131/50_cent.jhtml

External links

http://www.whuteva.com

http://www.gospelmusicchannel.com

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1459787/20030131/50_cent.jhtml

http://www.dasouth.com/features/columns/409-top-10-chh-stories-of-2008

Category:American rappers Category:Living people

Name	Nicki Minaj
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Onika Tanya Maraj
Born	December 08, 1984St James, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
Origin	New York City, New York, United States
Genre	Hip hop, R&B;
Occupation	Rapper, singer-songwriter
Years active	2004–present
Label	Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money, Universal Motown
Associated acts	Young Money, Lil Wayne, Drake
Url

Onika Tanya Maraj (born December 8, 1984), better known by her stage name Nicki Minaj, is a Trinidadian-American rapper and R&B; singer-songwriter. In August 2009, Minaj signed to Young Money Entertainment with distribution from Universal Motown. Minaj was dicovered by fellow American rapper, Lil Wayne and after the three mixtapes, Minaj signed a deal with Young Money Entertainment.

After signing the deal, Minaj began working on her debut album, titled Pink Friday, which charted at number-two on the US Billboard 200, with Susan Boyle holding her off the top spot. Minaj became the first artist ever to have seven songs within the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time. Her second single, "Your Love" reached number-one on the Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart, making Minaj became the first female artist to top the chart unaccompanied since 2002. Minaj became the first female artist to be included on MTV's Annual Hottest MC List One month after the release of Pink Friday, Minaj's album gained a Platinum certification in the United States. Minaj is also known for collaborating with other artists, performing guest raps on many popular singles.

Early life

Minaj was born on December 8, 1984 in Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago to parents of Indian and Afro Trinidadian descent. She lived in Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago with her grandmother until age five, because her parents were looking for a place to live in the Queens borough of New York City at the time. Her mother would occasionally visit, and one day, when Minaj was five, her mother picked her up to move to Queens. According to Minaj, her father drank alcohol, took drugs, and once tried to kill her mother by setting the house on fire.

She attended Elizabeth Blackwell Middle School 210, where she played the clarinet. She graduated from LaGuardia High School. At LaGuardia, a school specializing in music and the visual and performing arts, Minaj participated in the drama program.

Music career

2007–09: Career beginnings and mixtapes

Minaj released her first mixtape in 2007, after releasing, Playtime Is Over with an unknown label. She later released another mixtape on July 7, 2008, titled Sucka Free, under the label of Be. On April 18, 2009, Minaj released a third mixtape and appeared in XXL magazine. Under the label of Trapaholics Records. In 2008 she won the Female Artist of the Year award at the Underground Music Awards. Minaj released Beam Me Up Scotty, another mixtape, in April 2009 which received positive coverage on both BET and MTV.

2010–present: Pink Friday

After a major record label bidding war, Young Money Entertainment announced on August 31, 2009 that Minaj had been released a 360 deal with the label in which she retains and owns all of her 360 rights – including merchandising, sponsorships, endorsements, touring and publishing. In an interview with 95.8 Capital FM, Rihanna stated that after the two collaborated on "Raining Men" from her album Loud that the duo would be teaming up together for a possible second collaboration on Minaj's Pink Friday. Hip-hop rap artist and producer Kanye West was also confirmed for the album.

On August 3, 2010 Minaj revealed on a Ustream.tv channel for her fans that the albums name would be Pink Friday stating, “To carry on a great tradition of Black Friday, we are going to switch it up this year in honor of the Nicki Minaj album and call that day Pink Friday, and call my album Pink Friday,!” A deluxe edition of the album was also released after the standard addition. Nicki Minaj released the artwork for her album cover on Friday, October 15, 2010.

Minaj's debut album, Pink Friday was released on November 19, 2010. A buzz single, "Massive Attack", was released in April. In August, Minaj released "Your Love" as the first official single from her debut album. The single peaked at 14 on the Billboard Hot 100, 7 on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs chart and topped the Rap Songs chart. Minaj became the first female artist to be included on MTV's Annual Hottest MC List and the first female artist to top the chart unaccompanied since 2002. In October 2010, Minaj became the first artist to have seven songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart simultaneously. Minaj released a joint single with The Black Eyed Peas front man, will.i.am titled, "Check It Out", which is Minajs most successful single to-date around Europe. "Right thru Me" was released September 24, 2010. Written by Stephen Hacker, Joe Satriani, Andrew Thielk, B.Evans and Minaj herself. The music video was released in late October, which featured Minaj a boy-and-girl relationship drama. "Moment 4 Life" followed "Right thru Me" and was released as the fourth overall single. The track featured Canadian rapper, Drake, which was released on December 7, 2010, which failed to chart as succesfully in the Billboard Hot 100, where it placed itself at number 63. However the single charted at number 10 on the Hot Rap Songs. Minaj's album gained a Platinum certification in the United States a month after the release.

Musical style and image

Image

In an interview with Vibe Minaj discussed her sexual image stating, "[w]hen I grew up I saw females doing certain things, and I thought I had to do that exactly. The female rappers of my day spoke about sex a lot... and I thought that to have the success they got, I would have to represent the same thing. When in fact I didn’t have to represent the same thing." In an interview with Interview, Minaj commented on her sexual image again stating, "I made a conscious decision to try to tone down the sexiness, I want people—especially young girls—to know that in life, nothing is going to be based on sex appeal. You’ve got to have something else to go with that.”

Alter egos

While growing up Nicki was surrounded by constant trouble and fighting between her parents. To escape her real life problems she would create characters and live her life through them. She stated that in songs like "Bottoms Up" with Trey Songz it is not Nicki rapping, but instead Roman Zolanski, and claims that Roman is her "twin sister". Roman has been compared to Eminem's alter ego Slim Shady, and on the song "Roman's Revenge" from Pink Friday, Minaj and Eminem collaborate, using these alter egos. In songs such as "All I Do Is Win (Remix)" it is Nicki rapping. Wearing a colorful scarf around her head, she went around as the "healer to her fans" as she visited them at The Garden of Dreams Foundation at Fuse studios in New York City. Minaj made an appearance on Lopez Tonight on December 6, 2010 and presented a different alter-ego for the Spanish-inspired occasion, named "Rosa" (pronounced Rrrrrosa).

Influences

Minaj has stated that artists who have influenced her musical style include Lil Wayne, Lauryn Hill, Jadakiss, Natasha Bedingfield, Foxy Brown, Lil' Kim and Missy Elliott.

Personal life

While some songs and interviews have implied that Minaj is bisexual, she has said that she does not date nor have sex with women, but added in an interview with Out magazine, "I don’t date men either". In an interview with Vibe she commented, "I just embrace all people of all lifestyles and I don’t tell them they are bad people. And I say girls are beautiful and girls are sexy and they need to be told that, and if they don’t have anyone to tell them that and mean it, I’m gonna tell them that. But I feel like people always wanna define me and I don’t wanna be defined." She reiterated her dislike of being labeled in an interview with OUT, saying: "The point is, everyone is not black and white. There are so many shades in the middle, and you’ve got to let people feel comfortable with saying what they want to say when they want to say it."

*Best Female Hip-Hop Artist (Won)

*Best New Artist (Won)

*Best Group (Young Money) - (Won)

*Best New Artist (Young Money) - (Nominated)

*Viewer's Choice: "BedRock" (Young Money feat. Lloyd) (Nominated)

2010 Teen Choice Awards

*Choice Breakout Artist – Female (Nominated)

2010 MTV Video Music Awards

*Best New Artist: "Massive Attack" (feat. Sean Garrett) (Nominated)

2010 BET Hip Hop Awards

*Rookie of the Year (Won)

*Made You Look (Won)

*People's Champ (Won)

*Hustler of the Year (Nominated)

*Lyricist of the Year (Nominated)

2010 MOBO Awards

Best International Act (Nominated)

2011 Grammy Awards

Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group: "My Chick Bad" (Ludacris feat. Nicki Minaj) (Pending)

2011 NAACP Image Awards

Outstanding New Artist (Pending)

References

External links

Category:1984 births Category:Living people Category:2000s rappers Category:2010s rappers Category:African American female singers Category:African American rappers Category:American musicians of Indian descent Category:American people of Trinidad and Tobago descent Category:Female rappers Category:Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts alumni Category:People from Queens Category:People from Port of Spain Category:Rappers from New York City Category:Singers from New York City Category:Trinidad and Tobago immigrants to the United States Category:Universal Records artists

Name	Lil Wayne
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr.
Born	September 27, 1982New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Instrument	Vocals, Guitars
Genre	Hip hop
Occupation	Rapper, CEO
Years active	1992–present
Associated acts	Big Tymers, Birdman, Drake, Cash Money Millionaires, Hot Boys, Juelz Santana, Kevin Rudolf, T-Pain, Young Money, Eminem
Label	Young Money, Cash Money, Universal Motown
Url

Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. (born September 27, 1982), better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included rappers Juvenile, B.G., and Turk. Hot Boys debuted with Get It How U Live! that year. Lil Wayne gained most of his success with the group's major selling album Guerrilla Warfare, released in 1999. Also in 1999, Lil Wayne released his Platinum debut album Tha Block Is Hot, selling over one million copies in the U.S.

Although his next two albums Lights Out (2000) and 500 Degreez (2002) were not as successful (only reaching Gold status), Lil Wayne reached higher popularity in 2004 with Tha Carter, which included the single "Go D.J." Wayne also appeared on the Destiny's Child top ten single "Soldier" that year. In 2005, the sequel to Tha Carter, Tha Carter II, was released. In 2006 and 2007, Lil Wayne released several mixtapes and appeared on several popular rap and R&B; singles.

His most successful album, Tha Carter III, was released in 2008 which went on to sell over 1 million copies in the U.S. its first week of release. It included the number-one single "Lollipop" and won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. Lil Wayne released his debut rock album, Rebirth, in 2010 to primarily negative reception from critics. The album eventually went gold. In March 2010, Lil Wayne began serving an 8 month prison sentence in New York after being convicted of criminal possession of a weapon stemming from an incident in July 2007. While in jail he released another album entitled I Am Not a Human Being in September 2010, featuring Young Money artists such as Drake, Nicki Minaj and Lil Twist.

Early life

Lil Wayne was born Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. and grew up in the Hollygrove neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana. Carter was born when his mother, a chef, was 19 years old. His parents were divorced when he was 2, and his father permanently abandoned the family. Carter enrolled in the gifted program of Lafayette Elementary School and in the drama club of Eleanor McMain Secondary School. In the summer of 1991, he met Bryan Williams, rapper and owner of Cash Money Records. Carter recorded freestyle raps on Williams's answering machine, leading him to mentor the young Carter and include him in Cash Money-distributed songs. He also recorded his first ever collaboration album True Story with rapper B.G.. At the time, Carter was 11, and B.G. was 14, and was billed as "The B.G.'z". When he was 12, he played the part of the Tin Man in his middle school drama club's production of The Wiz. At age 13, he accidentally shot himself with a .44 caliber gun, with the bullet missing his heart by two inches.

Music career

1997–99: The Hot Boys

In 1997, Carter joined the Hot Boys along with rappers Juvenile, B.G., and Turk. At age 15, Carter was the youngest member at that time. Hot Boys' debut album Get It How U Live! was released the same year, followed in 1999 by the group's major-label debut Guerrilla Warfare, Carter was also featured on Juvenile's single "Back That Azz Up", which reached No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 5 on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks. Let 'Em Burn, a compilation album of unreleased tracks recorded during 1999 and 2000, came out in 2003, several years after the group disbanded. It reached No. 3 on the Top R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 14 on the Billboard 200.

Carter's debut solo album Tha Block Is Hot at age 17 featured significant contributions from the Hot Boys and was certified 2x platinum, climbing to No. 3 on the Billboard album charts. and also became a Top Ten hit. Critics pointed to the lack of coherent narratives in his verses as evidence that he had yet to mature to the level of his fellow Hot Boys. The lead single was "Get Off The Corner" which was noticed for an improvement in lyrical content and style, it also received a music video. The second single which received less attention was "Shine" featuring The Hot Boys. Near the release of Lights Out, Lil Wayne was featured on the single, "1# Stunna" with Big Tymers and Juvenile, which rose to 24th place on the Hot Rap Tracks charts.

In 2001, Lil Wayne was shot in the chest in Florida after "some groupies" fired two shots through his tour bus window. He recalled the incident in 2008 interview: 'It [the bullet] 'didn’t go all the way in, ’cause the window slowed it down.' The lead single was "Way Of Life" which like the album failed to match the success of his previous singles. After the release of 500 Degreez, he was featured in the single "Neva Get Enuf" by 3LW.

2004–07: Tha Carter, Tha Carter II and collaborations

In the summer of 2004, Wayne's album Tha Carter was released, marking what critics considered advancement in his rapping style and lyrical themes. In addition, the album's cover art featured the debut of Wayne's now-signature dreadlocks. After the release of Tha Carter, Lil Wayne was featured in Destiny's Child's single "Soldier" with T.I., which peaked at No. 3 on the U.S. Hot 100 and the U.S. R&B; Charts. The song Get Something (featuring Mannie Fresh) was supposed to appear on the album but failed to make the cut, however the music video was released.

Tha Carter II, the follow-up to the original Tha Carter album, was released in December 2005, this time without production by longtime Cash Money Records producer Mannie Fresh, who had since left the label. Tha Carter II sold more than 238,000 copies in its first week of release, debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, and went on to sell 2,000,000 copies world wide. The lead single, "Fireman," became a hit in the US, peaking at 32 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Other singles included "Grown Man", "Hustler Muzik", and "Shooter" (featuring R&B; singer Robin Thicke). Lil Wayne also appeared on a remix of Bobby Valentino's "Tell Me", which rose to No. 13 on the U.S. R&B; Charts.

In 2005, Lil Wayne was named president of Cash Money, and in the same year he founded Young Money Entertainment as an imprint of Cash Money. However, as of late 2007, Lil Wayne reported that he has stepped down from the management of both labels and has handed management of Young Money over to Cortez Bryant.

on July 23, 2007]]

In 2006, Lil Wayne collaborated with rapper Birdman for the album Like Father, Like Son, whose first single "Stuntin' Like My Daddy", reached No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100. Instead of a follow-up solo album, Lil Wayne reached his audience through a plethora of mixtapes and guest appearances on a variety of pop and hip-hop singles. and Vibe

Despite no album release for two years, Lil Wayne appeared in numerous singles as a featured performer, including "Gimme That" by Chris Brown, "Make It Rain" by Fat Joe, "You" by Lloyd, and "We Takin' Over" by DJ Khaled (also featuring Akon, T.I., Rick Ross, Fat Joe, and Birdman), "Duffle Bag Boy" by Playaz Circle, "Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)" by Wyclef Jean (also featuring Akon), and the remix to "I'm So Hood" by DJ Khaled (also featuring T-Pain, Young Jeezy, Ludacris, Busta Rhymes, Big Boi, Fat Joe, Birdman, and Rick Ross). All these singles charted within the top 20 spots on the Billboard Hot 100, Hot Rap Tracks, and Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs charts. On Birdman's 2007 album 5 * Stunna, Lil Wayne appeared on the singles "100 Million" and "I Run This" among several other tracks. Wayne also appeared on tracks from albums Getback by Little Brother, American Gangster by Jay-Z, and Graduation by Kanye West and Insomniac by Enrique Iglesias. "Make it Rain", a Scott Storch production that peaked at number 13 on the Hot 100 and number two on the Hot Rap Tracks chart, was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for 2008.

Vibe magazine ranked a list of 77 of Lil Wayne's songs from 2007 and ranked his verse in DJ Khaled's "We Takin Over" as his best of 2007, with "Dough Is What I Got" (a freestyle over the beat of Jay-Z's "Show Me What You Got") from Da Drought 3 the second song. The New Yorker magazine ranked him "Rapper of the Year", In 2008 he was named "Best Rock Star Alive" by Blender magazine

2008–09: Tha Carter III and We Are Young Money

Initially planned to be released in 2007, Tha Carter III's largest delay came after the majority of the tracks were leaked and distributed on mixtapes, such as "The Drought Is Over Pt. 2" and "The Drought Is Over Pt. 4". Lil Wayne initially decided to use the leaked tracks, plus four new tracks, to make a separate album, titled The Leak. The Leak was to be released December 18, 2007, with the actual album being delayed until March 18, 2008, The release of The Leak in this format never came to fruition, but an official EP titled The Leak and containing five tracks was released digitally on December 25, 2007.

Tha Carter III was released on June 10, 2008, selling more than a million copies in its first week of release, the first to do so since 50 Cent's The Massacre in 2005. The first single "Lollipop", featuring Static became the rapper's most commercially successful song at that point, topping the Billboard Hot 100, making it the first Top 10 single for Lil Wayne as a solo artist, as well as his first No. 1 on the chart. His third single from Carter III', "Got Money" featuring T-Pain, peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard 100. Along with his album singles, Lil Wayne appeared on R&B; singles "Girls Around the World" by Lloyd, "Love In This Club, Part II" by Usher, "Official Girl" by Cassie, "I'm So Paid" by Akon, "Turnin' Me On" by Keri Hilson, and "Can't Believe It" by T-Pain; rap singles "My Life" by The Game, "Shawty Say" by David Banner, "Swagga Like Us" by T.I., "Cutty Buddy" by Mike Jones, All My Life (In the Ghetto) by Jay Rock and the remix to "Certified" by Glasses Malone; and pop single "Let It Rock" by new Cash Money artist Kevin Rudolf. On July 14, 2008, the Recording Industry Association of America certified Tha Carter III two times platinum. In an October 2008 interview with MTV News, Lil Wayne announced plans to re-release this album with all new tracks, including a duet with Ludacris and remixes of "A Milli". concert in Vancouver in January 2009.]]

The lineup for New Orleans' 2008 Voodoo Experience concert, held in October, featured Lil Wayne. Jonathan Cohen of Billboard magazine reported that the event would mark his biggest hometown headlining set of his career. Lil Wayne stated that he would reunite with Hot Boys alongside Juvenile, Turk, and B.G. They plan to release an album after B.G.'s solo album Too Hood to Be Hollywood was completed. Wayne also performed as the 2008 Virgin Mobile Music Fest with Kanye West, performing the remix of "Lollipop" with West and also lip-syncing to Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You". Lil Wayne also performed at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards with Kid Rock ("All Summer Long"), Leona Lewis ("DontGetIt (Misunderstood)") and T-Pain ("Got Money"). On the season premiere of Saturday Night Live, he performed "Lollipop" and "Got Money". He later performed at the homecoming rally at Vanderbilt University and the 2008 BET Hip Hop Awards with 12 nominations. He won the "MVP" title at the BET Hip Hop Awards and seven others. It was revealed that M.I.A. dropped out of performing on the tour due to her pregnancy, however Jay-Z is expected to perform with Wayne on the song "Mr. Carter" at select shows.

On November 11, 2008, Wayne became the first hip-hop act to ever perform at the Country Music Association Awards. He played alongside Kid Rock for the song, "All Summer Long", in which Wayne did not rap but instead inaudibly strummed guitar strings alongside the guitarist in Kid Rock's band. Shortly after, Wayne was nominated for eight Grammys – the most for any artist nominated that year. Wayne was then named the first ever MTV Man of the Year at the end of 2008. He won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance for "A Milli", Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for his appearance in T.I.'s single "Swagga Like Us", and Best Rap Song for "Lollipop". Tha Carter III won the award for Best Rap Album.

DJ Drama stated that there would be a third installation of the Dedication mixtape series with Lil Wayne, who insisted that it will would be a full album under the title. However despite the fact Wayne wanted to release Dedication 3 as an album, it was released as a mixtape on November 14, 2008.

MTV listed Lil Wayne number two on their 2009 list of the Hottest MCs In The Game.

On December 23, 2009, Wayne released a collaboration album with Young Money, with the first single confirmed as "Every Girl". The second single is "BedRock", featuring Lloyd. The third single is "Roger That". On May 24, 2010, the album was certified gold by the RIAA with over 500,000 copies sold.

Wayne is featured on the song, "Revolver", with Madonna for her 2009 greatest hits album, Celebration. He was also featured on a Weezer song, "Can't Stop Partying", on their 2009 album, Raditude.

2008–present: Rebirth, I Am Not a Human Being, and Tha Carter IV

In late 2008, Wayne stated that he would re-release The Carter III with leftover tracks and call it Rebirth, several months later, however, he announced Rebirth would instead release as his debut rock album, maintaining its title as Rebirth. To support the release of Rebirth and a collaboration album with Young Money Entertainment, Wayne headlined the 'Young Money Presents: America's Most Wanted Music Festival'... a United States and Canada–only concert tour which started on July 29, 2009. The Rebirth album was originally scheduled for a April 7, 2009 release, however after numerous delays, the album was released on February 2, 2010. For the anticipation of Rebirth, Wayne was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone.

"Prom Queen", the first official single, debuted on January 27, 2009 immediately after a live Internet broadcast on Ustream of his concert in San Diego. "Prom Queen" peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. On December 3, 2009, Lil Wayne's second single from the album, "On Fire", was released on iTunes. "On Fire" was produced by Cool & Dre with Lil Wayne playing the guitar with the aid of Pro Tools. "On Fire" peaked at number 33 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. "Drop the World", which features Eminem, is the third single from the album. Following Tha Carter III's achievement of selling over 2 million copies, becoming 2008's best-selling record, Wayne re-signed with Cash Money Records for a multi-album deal. Wayne said Tha Carter IV will be released in 2009 just before the holidays. Birdman had previously stated that Tha Carter IV would be packaged with Rebirth as a double disc album. However, Wayne denied this idea saying that "Tha Carter IV deserves Tha Carter IV". He went on to say that We Are Young Money may be packaged with Rebirth. However, it was later confirmed that Rebirth and We Are Young Money will be released separately and that Tha Carter IV will be released during 2011. He started from scratch on Tha Carter IV since getting released from jail. He recorded his first track since being released from jail and it was described as being "a 2010 version of A Milli'' on steroids." The album is set to feature multiple guests, including Tech N9ne. The album will be released February 2011. The first single "6 Foot 7 Foot" featuring Cory Gunz was released on December 15, 2010. It was available for digital download on iTunes December 16, 2010. The song is produced by Bangladesh, who also produced Lil Wayne's single A Milli in 2008. Tha Carter IV is expected for release in Winter 2011.

Future projects

He has announced several possible upcoming projects, including a collaboration album I Can't Feel My Face with rapper Juelz Santana that has been in production for several years. He has discussed a possible R&B; album titled Luv Sawngz, for which he will heavily rely on a vocoder. He has also talked with singer Lloyd about doing a collaboration album in the future. On June 19, 2008, Lil Wayne and T-Pain formed a duo called T-Wayne and planned to release an album. On June 8, 2010, Drake confirmed that he and Wayne are planning to release a joint album in the future. Lil Wayne and Baby will release a second Like Father, Like Son album around Fathers Day 2011. Wayne and Drake will release a collaboration album sometime in the near future.

Television and film career

Lil Wayne was a guest debater going up against Skip Bayless on the "1st & 10" segment on the January 6, 2009 edition of ESPN First Take. On February 10, 2009 he also appeared on ESPN's Around the Horn and beat out veterans Woody Paige, Jay Mariotti and fellow New Orleanian Michael Smith to win that show's episode. Wayne is set to produce and compose music for the film Hurricane Season. A documentary of Lil Wayne titled The Carter was released at the Sundance Film Festival. Prior to the 2009 Grammy Awards, Wayne was featured in an interview with Katie Couric. He then appeared on an April 24 episode of The View – talking about his GED and addictions. In September 2009, Wayne was profiled in an episode of VH1's Behind the Music and was a presenter of the 2009 MTV Movie Awards.

Personal life

Family

Lil Wayne has four children. His first child, daughter Reginae, was born when he was 15, Internet rumours started circulating in August 2008 that Wayne's daughter had died in a car crash, which however he quickly cleared up as false saying "Please allow me to dispel any rumors or speculations and report that my daughter is alive, healthy and surrounded by family who care and love her dearly. The rumors are completely false and unfounded; neither Reginae nor any other member of my family has been involved in any car accident." His second child, Dwayne III, was then born on October 22, 2008 at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati. His third child, Lennox Samuel Ari, was born to actress Lauren London on September 9, 2009. He had his fourth child, Neal, on November 30, 2009 with singer Nivea.

In a CBS interview with Katie Couric, Wayne described why he goes by the name of "Wayne" instead of his given name, Dwayne. Carter explained, "I dropped the D because I'm a junior and my father is living and he's not in my life and he's never been in my life. So I don't want to be Dwayne, I'd rather be Wayne". Couric asked Wayne if his father knew of this and Wayne replied with a smile, "He knows now". He also revealed on The View that he switched to the University of Phoenix and majored in psychology taking online courses. An article in Urb magazine in March 2007 asserted that Wayne had been earning high grades at Houston.

Sports and musical interests

In an interview with Blender magazine, Lil Wayne revealed one of his favorite bands from childhood to be rock group Nirvana, and cites them as a major influence in his music.

On September 24, 2008, Lil Wayne published his first blog for ESPN in their issue, ESPN The Magazine. Wayne revealed he was a fan of tennis, the Green Bay Packers, the Boston Bruins, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Red Sox. Wayne has continued writing for ESPN, notably reporting at the ESPN Super Bowl party.

Lil Wayne made his debut on ESPN's daily sports round table show Around The Horn on February 10, 2009.

Along with Mack Maine, Wayne was in attendance of Game 3 of the opening round NBA playoff series between the Denver Nuggets and the home team New Orleans Hornets on April 25, 2009.

Religion

Lil Wayne is a practicing Christian, who takes time to read the Bible regularly. He then asked the Newark crowd if they also believed, and they responded affirmatively with a roar.

According to his Rikers Island inmate ID and prison records, Wayne is specifically a Roman Catholic.

Philanthropy

On February 19, 2008, Lil Wayne and Cortez Bryant revisited their alma mater McMain Secondary School to get students to design an invitation to the gala introducing Lil Wayne's nonprofit One Family Foundation. The website Change.org states: "The mission of One Family Foundation, Inc. is to empower urban youth by engaging them in opportunities to cultivate their talents and skills, educating them to become productive and economically self-sufficient, and motivating them to dream beyond their circumstances."

Drug use and arrests

Wayne told CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric on her All Access Grammy Special in 2009 that he enjoys smoking marijuana recreationally. He also stated that he is "not addicted" to drinking purple drank (codeine cough syrup) any longer, like some claimed he was. He has been arrested for use or possession of marijuana and other drugs.

Following a performance at Qwest Arena in Boise, Idaho, Lil Wayne was arrested October 5, 2007 on felony fugitive charges after Georgia authorities accused the rapper of possessing a controlled substance. The incident was later described as a "mix-up" and the fugitive charges were dropped.

On January 23, 2008, Lil Wayne was arrested alongside two others. His tour bus was stopped by Border Patrol agents near Yuma, Arizona. A K-9 Unit recovered of marijuana, almost of cocaine, of MDMA, and $22,000 in cash. Lil Wayne was charged with four felonies: possession of narcotic drug for sale, possession of dangerous drugs, misconduct involving weapons and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was granted permission to travel outside of the state and remain out of custody on the $10,185 bond he posted. On May 6, 2008, Wayne returned to court in Arizona to plead not guilty to the charges. A bench warrant was issued on March 17, 2010 when Lil Wayne didn't show for a final trial management conference. However, the rapper was already in prison, serving a year-long sentence in Rikers on weapons charges. On June 22, 2010 Wayne plead guilty to the charges. As part of the plea deal he may serve 36 months of probation. On June 30, 2010, he was sentenced to 3 years probation.

On December 18, 2009, Wayne and 11 others were detained at the Falfurrias, Texas border patrol checkpoint after an unknown amount of marijuana was found on two of his tour buses.

New York weapon case

On July 22, 2007, Lil Wayne was arrested in New York City following a performance at the Beacon Theatre; the New York City Police Department discovered Lil Wayne and another man smoking marijuana near a tour bus. After taking Lil Wayne into custody, police discovered a .40 caliber pistol on his person. The gun, which was registered to his manager, was in a bag located near the rapper. He was charged with criminal possession of a weapon and marijuana.

On October 22, 2009, Lil Wayne pleaded guilty to attempted criminal possession of a weapon. He was due for sentencing in February 2010 and was expected to receive a one-year jail sentence, but on February 9, 2010, Lil Wayne's attorney announced that the sentencing was delayed until March 2 due to dental surgery, which was performed on February 16. The surgery included eight root canals, the replacement of several tooth implants, as well as the addition of a few new implants and work on his remaining original teeth.

On March 2, 2010, sentencing was postponed again when the courthouse reported a fire in the basement.

On March 8, 2010, Lil Wayne was sentenced to a year in prison, which he served in Rikers Island. His lawyer said the rapper expected to be held in protective custody, separated from other prisoners. He was released on good behavior. However, in May 2010 Wayne was found by Rikers Island correctional staff to be in possession of contraband (an MP3 player, charger, and headphones). However at that time, it was reported by MTV and HipHopDX (and later confirmed) that Lil Wayne was to be released four months early in November.

In April 2010, Lil Wayne's friends created a website called Weezy Thanx You, which publishes letters written by Wayne in prison. In the first letter, titled "Gone 'til November", the rapper described his daily routine, saying he works out a lot, and reads the Bible every day.

Lawsuits

In February 2009, production company RMF Productions filed a $1.3 million lawsuit against Wayne, following a $100,000 advance payment for three shows, all of which were cancelled by the artist.

On October 2009, Lil Wayne, Birdman, Cash Money Records and various music distribution outlets were sued for copyright infringement by Thomas Marasciullo, who claims his voice was used without permission. The rappers asked him to record some "Italian-styled spoken word recordings" in 2006. The lyrics were allegedly used on "Respect" and other tracks from the rappers' collaboration album Like Father, Like Son and Birdman's 5 * Stunna.

Public references by Barack Obama

Lil Wayne has been referenced in public speeches by President Barack Obama on at least two occasions, in mixed contexts. Speaking to a largely African-American audience during a general election campaign town hall speech in Georgia, then-U.S. Senator Obama exhorted children to stay in school and achieve their dreams through education and perseverance instead of hoping for shortcuts to fame and riches, stating: "You are probably not that good a rapper. Maybe you are the next Lil Wayne, but probably not, in which case you need to stay in school."

After assuming the Presidency, Obama later echoed this theme of personal and familial responsibility—and the difficulty of achieving Lil Wayne's lyrical skills or success—during an address to a meeting commemorating the 100th anniversary of the NAACP, telling the audience:}}

Obama also mentioned listening to Lil Wayne on his iPod:

Discography

; Studio albums

1999: Tha Block Is Hot

2000: Lights Out

2002: 500 Degreez

2004: Tha Carter

2005: Tha Carter II

2008: Tha Carter III

2010: Rebirth

2010: I Am Not a Human Being

2011: Tha Carter IV

Filmography

Awards

References

External links

Lil Wayne at MTV

Category:1982 births Category:Living people Category:1990s rappers Category:2000s rappers Category:2010s rappers Category:21st-century American criminals Category:African-American Catholics Category:African American rappers Category:American dance musicians Category:American shooting survivors Category:Cash Money Records artists Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Hip hop singers Category:People convicted of drug offenses Category:Rappers from New Orleans, Louisiana Category:University of Houston alumni Category:World Music Awards winners

Name	Fat Joe
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Joseph Cartagena
Born	August 19, 1970 Around the release of All or Nothing, Fat Joe became involved in a highly publicized feud with another New York City-based rapper 50 Cent, who attacked Fat Joe in his song "Piggy Bank". His most popular song in which he performed was his Remy Ma duet "Lean Back" with Terror Squad. The song was a number-one hit in the summer of 2004.
Name	Fat Joe
Date of birth	August 19, 1970

Category:1970 births Category:Living people Category:1990s rappers Category:2000s rappers Category:2010s rappers Category:American entertainers of Cuban descent Category:American people of Puerto Rican descent Category:Atlantic Records artists Category:D.I.T.C. members Category:Hispanic and Latino American rappers Category:Imperial Records artists Category:Rappers from New York City Category:People from the Bronx Category:Terror Squad members Category:Virgin Records artists

Name	Big Pun
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Christopher Rios
Alias	Big Punisher
Born	November 10, 1971New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	February 07, 2000White Plains, New York, U.S.
Genre	Hip hop
Years active	1993–2000
Label	Loud
Associated acts	Terror Squad, Fat Joe, Busta Rhymes, Joe, Wyclef Jean, Cam'ron

Christopher Rios (November 10, 1971 – February 7, 2000), better known by his stage name Big Pun (short for Big Punisher), was a Puerto Rican rapper who emerged from the underground rap scene in The Bronx in the late 1990s. He first appeared on albums from The Beatnuts, on the track "Off the Books" in 1997, and on Fat Joe's second album Jealous One's Envy in 1995, on the track "Watch Out", prior to signing to Loud Records as a solo artist. Big Pun's career was cut short in 2000 at age 28 when he died of a heart attack.

Biography

Early life

Rios grew up in New York City's South Bronx neighborhood and is of Puerto Rican descent. By all accounts from Pun's family, his early years were very difficult, including witnessing his mother's drug abuse, his father's death, and a stepfather who was very hard on Pun. According to his grandmother, Pun would become angry and self-destructive, punching holes in the walls of his family's apartment. He used video games as an outlet for his frustration. His favorite video game was Bad Dudes. Rios dropped out of high school and for some time was homeless staying in abandoned buildings or at friends' homes.

Music career

During the 1980s, Big Punisher was already a rapper. At this point Big Pun was operating under the alias Big Moon Dawg. Rios met fellow Puerto Rican and Rutland rapper Fat Joe in 1995 and made his commercial debut on Joe's second album, Jealous Ones Envy, in addition to appearing on a b-side to Joe's "Envy" single, "Fire Water" and "Watch Out."

Later, "I'm Not a Player" (featuring an O'Jays sample) was supported by a significant advertising campaign and became an underground hit.

In 1997 producer Knobody's production partner Sean C took advantage of his new role as A&R; at Loud Records to play Knobody's tracks to Big Pun. Suitably impressed the rapper hired Knobody to remix "I'm Not a Player"., peaking at #5 on the Billboard 200. Capital Punishment was also nominated for a Grammy, but lost out on the award to Jay-Z's .

Big Pun became a member of Terror Squad, a New York-based group of rappers founded by Fat Joe, with most of the roster supplied by the now-defunct Full a Clips Crew who released their debut album The Album in 1999.

In 1999 he co-starred in the Albert Pyun-directed ghetto-movie Urban Menace, alongside his frequent collaborator Fat Joe.

Death

Excluding his adolescence, Big Pun struggled with his weight for most of his life; his weight fluctuated in the early 1990s between obese and morbidly obese. Big Pun enrolled in a weight-loss program in North Carolina, in which he lost 80 pounds, but he eventually quit the program before completing it, returning to New York and gaining back the weight he had lost. On February 7, 2000, Big Pun suffered a fatal heart attack and respiratory failure while temporarily staying with family at a Crowne Plaza Hotel in White Plains, New York during a home renovation. Pun was pronounced dead at the hospital after paramedics could not revive him. Big Pun was at his highest weight at the time of his death, being 698 pounds.

Posthumous works

His second album, Yeeeah Baby, completed before his death , was issued as scheduled in April 2000. It peaked at #3 on the Billboard charts and earned gold record status within three months of its release. A posthumous compilation album, Endangered Species, was released in April 2001. Endangered Species collected some of Pun's "greatest hits," previously unreleased material, numerous guest appearances, and remixed "greatest verses." As with his other albums, it also peaked in the top ten of the Billboard 200, reaching #7, but didn't sell as much as the previous Pun albums had.

Big Punisher was featured with Fat Joe on Duets: The Final Chapter, an album of tracks featuring the Notorious B.I.G, also deceased. The track "Get Your Grind On" begins with a Big Pun radio interview in which he said he would perform a duet with Biggie at the gates of heaven. Punisher was also featured on a track from the revived Terror Squad's second album, True Story, on the track "Bring 'Em Back" with Big L.

On May 2, 2001, a Bronx City Council committee stalled plans to rename a small portion of Rogers Place in honor of Big Pun because of distaste over Big Pun's lyrics, which according to The New York Times "include profanity and references to violence and drug dealing".

Sony Records has been considering releasing a second posthumous album featuring unreleased material, but the project is being delayed by Sony. Liza Rios also held an auction in 2005 for her deceased husband's Terror Squad medallion, citing financial difficulties in the wake of Pun's death, and again claiming to have not received any royalty checks for Pun's posthumous album sales (save for a small check from the sales of Endangered Species).

Big Pun: The Legacy documentary

A tribute documentary was released on September 15, 2009. The film contains multiple interviews with artists, actors, close friends and others whose lives were touched by Big Pun, as well as rare exclusive performances and scene interviews with Big Pun himself. The film also features appearances by Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Snoop Dogg, DMX, Method Man, U-God, Liza Rios, Xzibit, Cuban Link, Swizz Beatz, DJ Skribble, Chino XL and many more. Film is directed by Vladimir "DJ Vlad" Yudin. It is distributed through Vivendi Universal and The Soundtrack is released through Legacy/Columbia Records, Sony Music.

Discography

Studio albums

1998: Capital Punishment

2000: Yeeeah Baby

Posthumous albums

2001: Endangered Species

Filmography

Moesha (1998) – Himself (as Big Punisher)

Thicker Than Water (1999) – Punny

Urban Menace (1999) – Crow

Whiteboyz (1999) – Don Flip Crew (uncredited)

Boricua's Bond (2000) – Himself (as Big Punisher)

Still Not a Player (2002) – Himself (archive footage)

Big Pun Live (2002) – Himself (archive footage)

(2009) – Himself (archive footage)

References

External links

Category:1971 births Category:2000 deaths Category:1990s rappers Category:2000s rappers Category:American dance musicians Category:American people of Puerto Rican descent Category:Cardiovascular disease deaths in New York Category:Deaths from myocardial infarction Category:Hispanic and Latino American rappers Category:People from the Bronx Category:Rappers from New York City Category:Terror Squad members