- published: 22 Apr 2016
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Jonathan Mccollum (born August 16, 1980), better known by his stage name Rittz, is an American rapper from Gwinnett County, Georgia. He is currently signed to Tech N9ne's Strange Music label. His debut album The Life and Times of Jonny Valiant was released on April 30, 2013.
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Born in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, Rittz was raised in a suburban household in Gwinnett County, Georgia.[1] Rittz was born into a musical family, he, his twin sister and their brother had always been exposed to music.[2] The fact that their parents were heavily into rock and roll ensured that the kids were always around instruments or in studios.[2] The family moved from Waynesburg, Pennsylvania to the Atlanta outskirts when he was eight years old.[2] During the earlier part of the millennium though, around 2003, Rittz's career had hit a wall.[2] His career had led to countless disappointments. “I won Battlegrounds on Hot 107.9, got retired and shit and felt like I was ‘bout to make it. But, so many industry up and downs, with managers, contracts…”[2] He was broke, feeling dejected, and living with friends- ready to resign from the rap game.[2] It wasn’t until 2009 when he received a call from Yelawolf who was repping an area as under-the-radar as Gwinnett was.[2] “I had some money behind me.” Rittz says, “Everything was going good and then everything fell out, at the same time, I’m getting older, thinking it’s time to hang it up. This isn’t gonna happen and that’s when Yelawolf put me on ‘Box Chevy.’”[2] Rittz stated in a 2013 interview with HipHopDX that he came up working various "nine to five" jobs including restaurants during his life.[1] Rittz also went on to say that he commonly told people he was a rapper, even when he was not active.[1]
Rittz's big breakthrough was on Yelawolf's 2010 album track "Box Chevy".[3] Rittz has gone on to do many collaborations with Yelawolf since, and also toured in 2012 together on the Slumerican Tour.[4] Rittz is also widely known for his 2011 mixtape "White Jesus".[5] In 2012 he took his favorite songs from White Jesus and added a few new songs and re-released it as White Jesus: Revival.[6] Rittz signed with Strange Music in 2012.[7] Rittz and Tech N9ne immediately started working together and released the popular collaboration remix of Rittz's "Bloody Murdah" shortly after Rittz joined Strange Music.[8] He released his solo debut, The Life and Times of Jonny Valiant on April 30, 2013.[9]
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
US | US R&B | US Rap |
||
The Life and Times of Jonny Valiant |
|
25 | 8 | 5 |
Title | Album details |
---|---|
White Jesus[5] |
|
White Jesus: Revival[11] |
|
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US |
US R&B |
US Rap |
||||||||||
"Bloody Murdah"[12] (featuring Tech N9ne) |
2012 | — | — | — | N/A | |||||||
"Switch Lanes"[13] (featuring Mike Posner) |
2013 | — | — | — | The Life and Times of Jonny Valiant | |||||||
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
Title | Year | Other artist(s) | Album |
---|---|---|---|
"Box Chevy pt. 3"[3] | 2010 | Yelawolf | Trunk Muzik 0-60 |
"Growin' Up in the Gutter"[14] | 2011 | Radioactive | |
"Far From a Bitch"[15] | 2012 | Big Hud, Yelawolf, Struggle | The Long Way Home |
"I Ride Dirty"[15] | Big Hud | ||
"Boom" (Remix)[16] | Big Snap, Charlie P | N/A | |
"Wuddup"[17] | Worldwide | ||
"I Dont Give a Fuck"[18] | Big Hud | ||
"Trippin'"[19] | 2013 | Jackie Chain | Bruce Lean Chronicles 2 |
"Colorado" | Tech Nine, B.o.B., Ces Cru, Krizz Kaliko, ¡Mayday!, Stevie Stone | Something Else |
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Devin Copeland (born June 4, 1970), better known by his stage name, Devin the Dude, is a Houston hip hop rapper. He is best known for his unique rapping style, his long career signed to Rap-A-Lot Records, and his 2002 song, "Lacville '79".
Devin Lynn Northcutt was born in St. Petersburg, Florida on June 4, 1970 and moved to Tennessee while in the fourth grade. He spent his childhood moving back and forth from New Boston and Houston, finally settling in Houston after graduating from high school. He smoked marijuana for the first time at a skating rink in seventh grade, which would later become a major influence on his music. As a teenager, Copeland became interested in breakdancing, joining several dance crews until he began rapping, which soon became his main interest. After graduating from high school, he met Rob Quest, a blind rapper and record producer, and the duo formed the group the Odd Squad.
Devin Copeland started out as a member of the Odd Squad (later known as the Coughee Brothaz), a group of rappers signed to Rap-A-Lot Records. The label is notable for being the home of hip-hop artists such as Geto Boys, Scarface, and Too Much Trouble. Copeland moved on to become part of Scarface's Facemob before going solo in 1998. Copeland has released seven solo albums: The Dude (1998), Just Tryin' ta Live (2002), To tha X-Treme (2004), Waitin' to Inhale (2007), Landing Gear (2008), Suite 420 (2010), and Gotta Be Me (2010). He also made a number of guest appearances, including on Dr. Dre's "Fuck You" in 1999, De La Soul's "Baby Phat" in 2001, Tech N9ne's "After Party" 2010 off of The Gates Mixed Plate., and Young Jeezy's "Higher Learning" off of the late 2011 album Thug Motivation 103: Hustlerz Ambition.
Ryan Daniel Montgomery (born July 5, 1977), better known by his stage name Royce da 5'9", is an American rapper. He is known for his longtime association with Eminem and for his solo career, recording primarily with Carlos "6 July" Broady and DJ Premier, as well as ghostwriting for the likes of Diddy and Dr. Dre. Royce is one half of the rap duo Bad Meets Evil with Eminem and also a member of hip hop group Slaughterhouse. The editors of About.com ranked him #33 on their list of the Top 50 MCs of Our Time (1987–2007).
Ryan Montgomery was born and raised on the West side of Detroit, Michigan on W. McNichols & Wyoming Ave. He moved to Oak Park, Michigan when he was 10 years old, later acquiring the nickname "Royce" during high school after wearing a Turkish link chain with an R pendant resembling the Rolls Royce symbol. He started rapping at age 18, influenced mainly by Ras Kass and Redman. He signed his first deal in 1998 with Tommy Boy Records, after the label shut down, he signed a deal with Columbia where he started recording an album called Rock City, referring to Detroit's former status as home to Motown Records. When the project was heavily bootlegged, Royce left the label for Koch to re-record some of the album, eventually releasing it in 2002 as Rock City (Version 2.0). While the album did not sell very well, the DJ Premier-produced single "Boom" gained Royce some underground recognition and eventually resulted in the two working together more closely.