Kurupt | |
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 Kurupt in 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as |
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| Born | Ricardo Emmanuel Brown (1972-11-23)November 23, 1972 (age 53) Philadelphia,Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Origin | Los Angeles,California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Works | Kurupt discography |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Labels |
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| Member of | |
Spouse | |
Partner(s) | Foxy Brown (1997–1999) Natina Reed (2000–2002) |
| Children | 8[2] |
| Signature | |
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Ricardo Emmanuel Brown (born November 23, 1972), better known by his stage nameKurupt, is an American rapper and record producer.[3][4] Born inPhiladelphia raised inL.A he formedTha Dogg Pound in 1992 along withDaz Dillinger; the rap duo has released eight albums. He also formed the hip hop groupThe Hrsmn in 1996, with whom he has released two albums. His debut solo album,Kuruption! (1998) was released byA&M Records and peaked at number eight on theBillboard 200.
Ricardo Emmanuel Brown was born inPhiladelphia.[5] He moved toGreater Los Angeles at age 16, first toHawthorne, then toLos Angeles at age 18.[6]
He was engaged to rapperFoxy Brown from 1997 to 1999.[7][8] In the early 2000s, he was engaged toNatina Reed; the couple separated in 2002, following the birth of their son Tren Brown.[9] In 2007, Brown married Jovan Brown, who filed for divorce in 2017.[10] That same year, he began dating Toni Calvert. The couple appeared onMarriage Boot Camp's 17th season in 2020.[11]
Kurupt debuted as a recording artist via three songs onthe S.O.S. Band's 1991 albumOne of Many Nights.
In 1992, at age 19, Kurupt signed toDeath Row Records, newly formed by music managerSuge Knight andDr. Dre, the rapper and music producer who had just left the rap groupN.W.A and itsRuthless Records. At Death Row, Kurupt joined a roster of artists—includingDaz Dillinger,Lady of Rage,Snoop Dogg,Nate Dogg, andRBX—who entered the public eye by their features on Dr. Dre's debut solo albumThe Chronic. Kurupt and Daz soon teamed as a rap duo,Tha Dogg Pound, featured on Snoop Dogg's debut solo album,Doggystyle, in the song "For All My Niggaz & Bitchez".
By 1996, the rap genre's East Coast–West Coast rivalry was escalating, spurred on by Death Row's CEO Suge and by rapper 2Pac, new to the label, who believed that aBad Boy Records circle, in their hometown New York City, had fostered his November 1994 shooting there. Tha Dogg Pound released the single "New York, New York," featuring Snoop Dogg, slighting the city. The duo's debut album,Dogg Food, produced by Daz and mixed by Dre, drew favorable reviews and good sales.
2Pac's1996 murder triggered an exodus of artists from Death Row Records. Preceded only by Dr. Dre, Kurupt was second to leave. He then signed withA&M Records, where he co-founded the imprint Antra Records with Philadelphia-based attorney Joseph M. Marrone, releasing his debut solo albumKuruption! in 1998.[12] Kurupt left the Antra label upon releasing his second album,Tha Streetz Iz a Mutha, featuring thediss track "Calling Out Names", in which Kurupt insults New York rap figuresJa Rule,50 Cent,Irv Gotti, andDMX, accusing the latter of having an affair with Kurupt's then-fiancéeFoxy Brown.[13]
During this time, he linked up withRas Kass,Wu-Tang Clan-affiliateKillah Priest, andCanibus to form a new group,The HRSMN, although, despite promises of forthcoming material, has released only an unfinished white label.
While Death Row owned rights to Tha Dogg Pound name, Kurupt and Daz operated as the DPG (Dogg Pound Gangstaz), and also with a larger group, including Nate Dogg, Snoop Dogg,Soopafly, and others intermittently, altogether the DPGC (Dogg Pound Gangsta Clique). Daz and Kurupt, as the DPG, releasedDillinger & Young Gotti, which received lukewarm reviews.[14] Kurupt's following solo album,Space Boogie: Smoke Oddessey, with production by Daz and by up-and-coming producerFredwreck, and released by Artemis Records, fared better. Kurupt's then-fiancée, the lateNatina Reed, performed the hook of its single "It's Over".[15]
In early 2002, an unofficial remix/compilation album titled2002, by Tha Dogg Pound, provoked questions about the duo's relationship with Death Row. Soon becoming its vice president, Kurupt signed again to Death Row.[16] Given Daz's especial enmity at Death Row's mogul Knight, Kurupt and Daz began feuding, repeatedly bashing each other on records and in interviews.[17][18]
In 2003, Kurupt releasedDJ Tomekk the singleGanxtaville Pt. III and placed fifth on the German charts, as well as in the charts of Austria and Switzerland.
While mentoring Death Row's new artists, includingSpider Loc,Crooked I, and Eastwood, Kurupt began his next album,Against tha Grain. Further, he formed a new group, The Riflemen,[19] consisting of Kurupt,Mobb Deep,Jayo Felony, 40 Glocc, andThe Alchemist, although the likelihood of a record from this ensemble increasingly slimmed. In 2004, after repeated delays of Kurupt's forthcoming solo albumOriginals, a bootleg version was released, alike those of Crooked I and other Death Row artists.
It was later revealed that Kurupt was more stung by his feud with Daz than he had acknowledged.[20] In April 2005, at a West Coast unity event hosted by Snoop Dogg, with Snoop as liaison, Kurupt and Daz reconciled and restored their rap duo under its original moniker, Tha Dogg Pound.[21] In August 2005, Kurupt's long delayed albumAgainst tha Grain was released, once Kurupt had already left Death Row a second time; he would publicly denounce the disses that he had included on the album, but an EP calledAgainst tha Grain E.P. surfaced in 2007, containing said disses.
Kurupt and Daz releasedDillinger & Young Gotti II: The Saga Continuez in 2005,Cali iz Active (as DPG with Snoop Dogg)[22] in 2006, andDogg Chit in 2007; while Kurupt originally toutedDogg Chit as the heir toDogg Food's legacy,[5] he later stated that none of the group's then intermittent releases were to be considered actual albums—more likemixtapes – and that then upcoming100 Wayz (originally titledWestcoast Aftershocc) was to be considered the second actual Dogg Pound release.[23] In 2006, he also appeared on Snoop Dogg's albumTha Blue Carpet Treatment. After putting outDigital Smoke withJ. Wells in 2007, Kurupt released an album with his younger brotherRoscoe titledThe Frank and Jess Story in 2008. He also appeared on Snoop Dogg's 2008 albumEgo Trippin'.
Before100 Wayz was released in 2010, Tha Dogg Pound'sGangsta Grillz mixtape premiered, hosted byDJ Drama,[24] followed by an album calledBlaQKout withDJ Quik on April 28, 2009.[25] TheBlaQKout single, "Fuck Y'all," is a diss to former Quik partners AMG, Hi-C and 2nd II None. During this time, Kurupt was featured on many tracks with other independent artists, and released Streetlights, his first solo album in four years, on April 20, 2010. In 2011, Kurupt started recording withMC Eiht,King T,Jayo Felony,B.G. Knocc Out,Tha Chill, andSir Jinx for ahip hop group project called "1st Generation".[26]
In 2012, Kurupt announced plans to release the long anticipated HRSMN project,The Academy, a compilation of collaborations between various artists, and guest featured alongsideSlaughterhouse andBig Dave on the single "Hey Girl" fromRocko's debut albumSelf Made. Following the death of his son Tren's mother (Natina Reed of R&B girl groupBlaque) in a car accident in Atlanta,[27] the planned release of the DJ Nik Bean-hosted mixtape,Money, Bitches, Power on November 7, 2012 was delayed.[28][29] The mixtape, which featuresE-40,Crooked I,Masta Killa,RBX,Ty Dolla Sign, The Rejectz and more,[30] was released on May 1, 2013. In early 2015, Kurupt released another hit single called "I.M.O." (In My Opinion) with hip hop rapper and producer KingThaRapper, signed under Famous Music Group. Kurupt was featured in the 2017 song byJhené Aiko which consisted of a voicemail dedicated to her along with two music videos. In May 2021, it was announced that the long delayed HRSMN project would finally be delivered to fans.[31] The album, now titledThe Last Ride, was released on June 18, 2021. Kurupt was featured on the track "Curse of Canaan" fromVinnie Paz's albumTortured in the Name of God's Unconditional Love in 2022.[32]
Kendrick Lamar cited Kurupt in a 2013 interview as one of his three most significant influences, alongside2Pac andIce Cube.[33]Eminem stated in his song "'Till I Collapse" that he views Kurupt as one of the best rappers of all time, saying "I got a list—here's the order of my list that it's in, it goesReggie,Jay-Z,2Pac andBiggie,Andre from Outkast,Jada, Kurupt,Nas, and then me".[34]Kool Moe Dee ranked Kurupt at No. 39 on his selection of his all-time best MCs in his 2003 bookThere's a God on the Mic.
Studio albums
Collaborative albums
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Murder Was the Case | Small Change from Philly | Video |
| 2001 | The Wash | Maniac | |
| 2002 | Half Past Dead | Bernard "Twitch" | |
| Dark Blue | Darryl Orchard | ||
| 2003 | Keepin' It Real | Raw-D | |
| Hollywood Homicide | Oliver "K-Ro" Robidoux | ||
| 2004 | I Accidentally Domed Your Son | Krego | |
| Johnson Family Vacation | Himself | ||
| 2005 | Brothers in Arms | Kansas | |
| 2006 | Cut Off | Joker | |
| 2007 | Half Past Dead 2 | Bernard "Twitch" | Video |
| 2008 | Loaded | Jimmy Dyson | |
| Vice | T.J. Greene | ||
| The Adventures of Tha Blue Carpet Treatment | Himself (voice) | ||
| Days of Wrath | Bobby | ||
| 2009 | A Day in the Life | "Murder" | |
| 2010 | The Penthouse | 'Strangers' Host | |
| 2017 | The White Sistas | Terry | |
| 2018 | Bachelor Lions | Beat Masta G | |
| A Talent for Trouble | Himself |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Fastlane | Fallon | Episode: "Dosed" |
| 2017 | Grown Folks | Normal Eyes Joe | Episode: "Snitches Get Stitches" |
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Grand Theft Auto V | The Local Population (voice) |
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2000 | Straight from the Streets |
| The Up In Smoke Tour | |
| 2002 | Eazy-E: The Life and Timez of Eric Wright |
| 2003 | C-Walk: It's a Way of Livin' |
| Beef | |
| Tupac: Resurrection | |
| 2006 | DPG Eulogy |
| Rap Sheet: Hip-Hop and the Cops[35] | |
| 2011 | Tupac Shakur: Thug Angel 2 |
| 2012 | Uprising: Hip Hop and the LA Riots |
| 2017 | G-Funk |
| 2022 | The D.O.C |
Kurupt has been nominated for oneGrammy Award as a member oftha Dogg Pound.
| Category | Song | Year | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group | "What Would You Do" | 1996 | Nominated |
