A defendant or defender (Δ in legal shorthand) is any party required to answer a plaintiff's complaint in a civil lawsuit, or any party that has been formally charged or accused of violating a criminal statute. (Respondent is the parallel term used in a proceeding which is commenced by petition.)

In criminal law, a defendant is anyone tried as the accused. But convention in Scotland does not recognise the use of the term "defendant" in criminal proceedings; the terms "accused" or "panel" are used instead.

Defendants in civil actions usually make their first court appearance voluntarily in response to a summons. But criminal defendants are often taken into custody by police and brought before a court under an arrest warrant. Historically, civil defendants could be taken into custody under a writ of capias ad respondendum and be forced to post bail before being released. But modern-day civil defendants are usually able to avoid most (if not all) court appearances if represented by a lawyer. Criminal defendants are usually obliged to post bail before being released from custody and must be present at every stage of the proceedings against them. (There is an exception for very minor cases such as traffic offenses in jurisdictions which treat them as crimes.)

Hell Razah (born Chron Smith) is an American rapper. He is best known as a member of Sunz of Man, an early affiliate of the Wu-Tang Clan.

Razah is rumored to have suffered a Brain Aneurysm in April 2010. He was quick to recover and continue recording. He came to begin recording under the moniker Heaven Razah.

Razah made his rap debut in the early 90s as a member of the group Da Last Future, an early incarnation of the Sunz of Man, which included Killah Priest, Shabazz the Disciple, Prodigal Sunn, Supreme and 7th Ambassador. Razah and 7th Ambassador self-released the single "Livin' in Hell" b/w "Mental Combat" independently before the group adopted the Sunz of Man moniker. Razah recorded a number of tracks with the group before their induction into the Wu-Tang family, including "Deep in the Water", "Writing Rhymes With a Liquid Pen" (aka "Elements"), "Lulla Bye" and "Psychic Hotline".

In 1995, the group adopted the moniker Sunz of Man, and signed a record deal with Wu-Tang/Priority Records. SoM released a number of singles on Wu-Tang Records, including "Soldiers of Darkness", "No Love Without Hate" and "Bloody Choices", in anticipation of their 1996 debut album Nothing New Under the Sun. Due to internal conflicts and label complications, the album was shelved. Sunz of Man later signed a record deal with Red Ant Entertainment for the release of their official 1998 debut The Last Shall Be First, with the group's roster shaved down to just Razah, Killah Priest, Prodigal Sunn and 60 Second Assassin. The album was one of the most successful Wu-Tang affiliate releases, debuting at No. 20 on the Billboard 200 album chart, and No. 7 on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart.