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M.O.P. | |
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 M.O.P. in 2001 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as |
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| Origin | Brooklyn,New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Labels |
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| Members | Lil' Fame Billy Danze |
M.O.P. (short forMash Out Posse) is an Americanhip-hop duo composed of rappers Billy Danze and Lil' Fame, best known for their song "Ante Up."[1][2] The group has frequently collaborated withDJ Premier. The group is part of theGang Starr Foundation. Fame occasionally produces under the moniker Fizzy Womack and has produced tracks on every M.O.P. release since 1996'sFiring Squad. He has also worked for other artists, includingKool G Rap andWu-Tang Clan.[3]
Lil' Fame (Jamal Grinnage; born April 9, 1976)[4] and Billy Danze (Eric Murray; born November 15, 1974)[4] grew up together in the neighborhood ofBrownsville, Brooklyn. They formed astreet gang called Mash Out Posse.[2] They later formed a hip-hop duo under the same name. Danze reported that they kept "losing people in between albums;" their music often reflects emotional themes with a driving beat.[5]
After contributing to the 1992 compilationThe Hill That's Real, M.O.P. debuted in 1993 with the single "How About Some Hardcore?", which appeared on thesoundtrack for the filmHouse Party 3.[6] The underground success of their single, promoted by a low-budget video from then-unknown directorHype Williams, led to their debut albumTo the Death.[5] It was released in 1994 through the labelSelect Records, almost fully produced by DR Period.
In 1996, M.O.P. released their second album,Firing Squad,[7] under the labelRelativity Records. Production duties now involvedGang Starr'sDJ Premier and Lil' Fame himself, and the group continued to grow their following.[citation needed] In 1998, M.O.P. released theHandle Ur BiznessEP, soon followed by the albumFirst Family 4 Life. Once again, much of the record was produced by DJ Premier and Lil' Fame. The album also featured guest appearances byGuru of Gang Starr,Treach ofNaughty by Nature,OC ofDiggin' in the Crates Crew, andJay-Z. The album was the most stolen album from New York City'sHMV stores in 1998.[6]
In 2000, they released their fourth album,Warriorz, this time throughLoud Records. Mainstream radio began playing the first single, "Ante Up", produced by DR Period, whom they had not worked with since their debut. The single was a hit and propelled the album to #25 on theBillboard 200 chart.[8] The follow-up single,"Cold As Ice", a self-produced track (which featured a sample of "Cold As Ice" byForeigner), also received radio airplay,[5] although partially censored for radio play. It was used in theUK in a TV advert for Maclean's Ice Whiteningtoothpaste. Both "Ante Up" and "Cold as Ice" reached the top ten on theUK Singles Chart, peaking at #7 and #4 respectively.[9] In 2001, M.O.P. collaborated with Krumbsnatcha to make the song "W.O.L.V.E.S.", which appeared on thesoundtrack for the filmTraining Day.[10]
In 2001, a successful remix of "Ante Up" was released featuringBusta Rhymes,Remy Ma, and Teflon.[5] That same year, they collaborated on a song titled "Life is Good" with thepop groupLFO. The song reached #40 onBillboard'sHot Singles Sales chart.[11] Both singles continued the Posse's mainstream success.
In 2002, Loud Records folded, leaving the group stranded. In 2003, Loud's parent label Sony/Columbia issued an album titled10 Years and Gunnin'. M.O.P. later joined Jay-Z andDamon Dash'sRoc-A-Fella Records.[5] Their first recording for the label was a guest appearance on Jay-Z's albumThe Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse; they were set to release their album titledGhetto Warfare, but the anticipated album was shelved. Two other albums were recorded: one titledThe Last Generation, and the other titledKill Nigga Die Slo Bluckka Bluckka Bloaoow Blood Sweat Tears and We Out.[12] A Dash-produced track "It's That Simple" withSpice GirlVictoria Beckham was created and received a premiere on radio stations in July 2003. This generated mixed reviews and further criticism, specifically that Beckham was unconvincing as an urban act.
During this period, the group released a slew ofmixtapes and appeared on soundtracks to films such asBad Boys II. They contributed two songs ("Ground Zero" and "Put it in the Air") to the video gameNFL Street 2, and ("Fire") toFight Night 2004. They also contributed Ante Up to the third installment of the popularMidnight Club racing video game series. In 2004, M.O.P. joined the Americanrap rock bandLinkin Park on the second stage of theProjekt Revolution Tour.[3]
The group also released a mixtape calledMarxmen Cinema (under the name The Marxmen), as well as a self-titledrap rock album (under the name Mash Out Posse), recorded as a collaboration withheavy metal group Shiner Massive.[6] In 2004, Damon Dash sold his share of Roc-A-Fella to newDef Jam president, Jay-Z, and kept M.O.P. on his new label,Dame Dash Music Group. Following this, the group announced their departure from Roc-A-Fella and Dame Dash in May 2005.[12]
In 2005, M.O.P. began affiliating with50 Cent'sG-Unit Records, around the same time as theQueens rap duoMobb Deep.[13] In July of the same year, they were signed to the label.[14] The duo completed the song "When Death Becomes You" with 50 Cent, which was featured on theGet Rich or Die Tryin' soundtrack,[15] and also contributed their rap vocals in a remix of "I'll Whip Ya Head Boy".[16] At the end of the year, M.O.P. released a compilation album entitledM.O.P. Salutes the St. Marxmen, consisting of both new and old tracks.[17] In July 2006, M.O.P. released the long-shelvedGhetto Warfare.[18]
In February 2008, M.O.P. separated from G-Unit Records, due to creative differences.[19] Billy and Fame released their next album,The Foundation, in 2009 onE1 Music. The album featured production fromDJ Premier,Statik Selektah,The Alchemist, andJake One, and guest appearances fromHeltah Skeltah,Busta Rhymes,Jadakiss,Beanie Sigel,Styles P andRedman.[20] The first single from the album "Blow the Horns" featuring Busta Rhymes, and "Street Life," a collaboration withdancehall artistDemarco, were both released on the internet.
On October 14, 2008, M.O.P. filed suit in a New York Federal Court againstWorld Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) andJohn Cena. The group argued that Cena and the WWE stole parts of their song "Ante Up" for Cena's theme song "The Time is Now". The theme song is also featured as the first track on Cena's albumYou Can't See Me. The lawsuit has since been dropped, and it is unknown if a settlement was reached outside of court.[4]
In June 2009, aWu-Tang Chamber Music compilation album was released, the majority of which was produced by Lil' Fame (as Fizzy Womack).[21] M.O.P. themselves appeared on the track "Ill Figures" alongsideRaekwon and Kool G Rap.[22] Lil' Fame also produced the 2011Wu-Tang Clan compilationLegendary Weapons alongsideNoah Rubin and Andrew Kelley.[23]
On October 24, 2011, M.O.P. released "Get Yours",[24] their first single from their collaborative albumSparta with the German production teamSnowgoons, on Babygrand Records.[25]
Lil Fame andTermanology teamed up on a collaborative album,Fizzyology. It was released on November 6, 2012, via Brick Records.[26]
On November 18, 2014, M.O.P. released a new EP,Street Certified, onNature Sounds. It is executive produced by DJ Premier and features guest appearances fromMaino,Mobb Deep, and Busta Rhymes.[27] In 2019, M.O.P. released the single "Never Give Up" withDJ Tomekk.[28]
Danze and Fame each contributed a verse toDJ Kay Slay's 2020 track "Rolling 50 Deep" alongside 48 other MCs.[29]
Studio albums
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