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T-Bone | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Rene Francisco Sotomayor |
| Also known as | Boney Bone Corleone, Bone Soprano, T |
| Born | (1973-08-11)August 11, 1973 (age 51) San Francisco, California, US |
| Genres | Christian hip hop |
| Occupations |
|
| Instrument(s) | Rapping,beatboxing |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Labels |
|
| Website | houseoftbone |
Rene Francisco Sotomayor, better known by the stage nameT-Bone, is aChristian rapper. His father was Nicaraguan and his mother is Salvadoran.[1] His name came from being called 'Bones' as a youngster because he was very skinny. The 'T' was "added to give the name a little slang edge."
He started rapping at the age of seven at parties and inrap battles.
After opening for a rock group, he signed his first record deal.[2] His released three albums on the independent Metro One record label:Redeemed Hoodlum in 1993,Tha Life of a Hoodlum in 1995 andTha Hoodlum's Testimony in 1996. All three albums were characterized asgangsta rap albums, which was rare in Christian music at the time.
In 1997, he releasedHistory of a Hoodlum, a compilation of hits from his first three albums, on the Metro One record label.
After a brief hiatus, T-Bone released his fourth album, and first on theFlicker Records music label,The Last Street Preacha, in 2001. It received critical acclaim, was nominated for the Rock Gospel AlbumGrammy Award,[3] and saw T-Bone break into thecontemporary Christian music market. It was the first rap album to debut at No. 7 on the Christian Contemporary Music charts.[clarification needed][citation needed]
2002 saw an increased exposure of T-Bone to both Christian and mainstream markets with the release of his fifth album,Gospelalphamegafunkyboogiediscomusic. The album was characterized by the guest appearance of hip-hop legendKRS-One on the title track – returning the favor of the controversial guest spot T-Bone had made on KRS-One'sSpiritual Minded album earlier in the year.[4]
2005 saw the release of his most successful album to date,Bone-A-Fide. The album cover controversially featured T-Bone in an image evokingChe Guevara, leading to concerns that he was promotingcommunist ideologies – charges he denied.[5] Adding to the controversy were collaborations with two major secular rappers,Mack 10 andChino XL.
Bone-A-Fide was his first album not to be produced by long-time collaborator Chase Dante and saw T-Bone move away from the previousWest Coast sound of his earlier albums to a smoother, moreEast Coast sound.[6] Also, in 2005, he was featured asJairus in the rock opera!Hero, along withMichael Tait ofTait anddc Talk,Rebecca St. James, andMark Stuart ofAudio Adrenaline.
Bone-Appétit: Servin' Up tha Hits, a compilation set of hits from his last three albums, was released on September 25, 2007.[7]
Pa mi Dios y Pa mi Gente (For My God and For My People) was released on April 7, 2017 andBroken English was released on March 15, 2018.[8]
| This section of abiography of a living persondoes notinclude anyreferences or sources. Please help by addingreliable sources. Contentious material about living people that is unsourced or poorly sourcedmust be removed immediately. Find sources: "T-Bone" rapper – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(May 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
T-Bone's first major film role was in 2003, playing the role of Briggs, a rapping prisoner in the comedy-romanceThe Fighting Temptations, starringCuba Gooding Jr. andBeyoncé Knowles. In the film, T-Bone performs the song "To da River" with secular artistsLil Zane andMontell Jordan. Also in 2003, he starred inBlack Rose.
He co-starred in the 2006Paramount/MTV filmAll You've Got. His other films includeCarman and Stephen Yake'sR.I.O.T.,The Rally (2009) andI'm in Love with a Church Girl (2013).
| This section of abiography of a living persondoes notinclude anyreferences or sources. Please help by addingreliable sources. Contentious material about living people that is unsourced or poorly sourcedmust be removed immediately. Find sources: "T-Bone" rapper – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(May 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Year | Title | Record label | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Redeemed Hoodlum | Metro One | LA Posse |
| 1995 | Tha Life of a Hoodlum | Metro One | LA Posse |
| 1996 | Tha Hoodlum's Testimony | Metro One | LA Posse |
| 1997 | History of a Hoodlum (compilation album) | Metro One | LA Posse |
| 2001 | Tha Last Street Preacha | Flicker/Boneyard | T-BONE |
| 2001 | The Boneyard Box Set (compilation album) | Metro One | LA Posse |
| 2002 | Gospelalphamegafunkyboogiediscomusic | Flicker/Boneyard | T-BONE |
| 2005 | Bone-A-Fide | Flicker/Boneyard/Provident/Sony/BMG | T-BONE |
| 2007 | Bone-Appétit: Servin' Up tha Hits (compilation album) | Boneyard/Provident-Integrity Distribution | T-BONE |
| 2017 | Pa mi Dios y Pa mi Gente | Canzion Group LP | T-BONE |
| 2018 | Broken English | Heaven Music Group | T-BONE |
2008:
2004:
2002:
1997:
1995:
1993:
| International | |
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| National | |
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