The Northeast
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The Northeast EXPANDING THEIR TERRITORY brother, Valentino, who serves as the label’s vice The success of No Limit as a record label in the last half president. After a collection of mixtape releases (unofficial of the 1990s prompted the label and its owner to seek to albums consisting of select songs), Master P’s thirteenth extend the namesake to other business ventures. In 1998 studio album, The Gift, was the label’s first official album Master P created a sports management company (No release. Limit Sports) and in 1999 a clothing line (No Limit As a budding hip hop entrepreneur, Romeo has Gear), which featured camouflage sporting apparel and access to a firsthand account of what success and failure pieces emblazoned with No Limit’stanklogo.Thesports can look like. In a 2016 interview with The Root’s management company’s clients included NBA All-Star Felice León, he spoke about maintaining an entrepre- Paul Pierce (1977–) and NFL Pro Bowl running back neurial legacy and the complexities of obtaining success Ricky Williams (1977–). Both ventures were short-lived, in an unpredictable music business: “When you’re a with the majority of No Limit Sports’s clients severing young entrepreneur, the main thing that you have to ties with the company by 2000. The No Limit brand know is, if you don’t fail, you’re never going to be also expanded to movie production by way of No Limit successful.” Films. Its debut offering, I’mboutIt(1997) was based on one of No Limit’s early breakout hits, “Bout It, bout It” SEE ALSO Death Row Records; Entrepreneurialism; Gangsta (also 1997) by Master P. Creating straight-to-video Rap; Master P; Snoop Dogg; The South content, No Limit Films primarily cast the label’sartists in starring roles, coupled with lesser-known veterans of BIBLIOGRAPHY black cinema. Barber, Andrew. 2003. “The 25 Best No Limit Albums.” Complex, April 5, 2003. http://www.complex.com/music THE END OF AN ERA /2013/04/the-25-best-no-limit-albums/ Just before the turn of the twenty-first century, No Limit Brightwell, Eric. 2016. “No Limit Records 1990–1996: The began experiencing internal turmoil, a factor that led to a Independent Years.” October 2, 2016. https://ericbrightwell .com/2016/02/10/no-limit-records-1990-1996-the decline in the label’s popularity and, ultimately, its -independent-years/ dissolution. In 1999 Beats by the Pound and Master P León, Felice. 2016. “Born into This: Romeo Miller on Failure, engaged in a contractual dispute just as the label was in Success and Entrepreneurship.” The Root, October 11, 2016. the process of renegotiating with its distributor, Priority http://www.theroot.com/born-into-this-romeo-miller-on Records. Mr. Serv-On, one of the label’s pioneering -failure-success-and-en-1790857177 artists, told HipHopDX in 2013 that he believed the Paine, Jake. 2013. “Mr. Serv-On Recalls the Phone Conversation contract dispute triggered the eventual demise of No That Broke Up No Limit.” HipHopDX, May 3, 2013. http:// Limit. hiphopdx.com/news/id.23804/title.mr-serv-on-recalls-the The departure of Beats by the Pound prompted other -phone-conversation-that-broke-up-no-limit-records# artists on the label to leave, as they were not keen on Strauss, Neil. 1998. “How a Gangsta Rapper Turns Entrepreneur; working with new producers. To add to the creative woes, At 28, Master P Has Created One of the Biggest Independent two of No Limit’s standout artists were convicted in two Labels.” New York Times, May 13, 1998. http://www.nytimes .com/1998/05/13/arts/gangsta-rapper-turns-entrepreneur-28 separate shooting deaths (the rapper Mac [McKinley -master-p-has-created-one-biggest.html?mcubz=1 Phipps Jr., 1977–] was convicted of manslaughter in 2001, and C-Murder was convicted of murder in 2003). In December 2003 No Limit filed for bankruptcy, citing Donney Rose various lawsuits as the cause. Its last distribution deal as No Limit Records was through Koch Records (2004), and the label was dissolved in 2006. THE NORTHEAST THE TANK REASSEMBLED The birthplace of rap music and hip hop culture is In 2010 Master P’s son Romeo founded No Limit Forever undoubtedly the Northeast of the United States. Records as an attempt to revamp its predecessor’s storied Although hip hop originated in New York, nearby states, history. No Limit Forever is home to a completely new including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, and roster of artists, with the exception of Master P and Silkk Rhode Island, have also been major contributors. the Shocker. Silkk the Shocker serves as the company’s Whether coining hip hop slang, creating mini move- chief operating officer, and, in keeping with the Millers’ ments, founding subgenres, or writing rap anthems, the tradition of employing family members, the label is also Northeast has been pivotal in moving hip hop to its home to Romeo’s sister, Cymphonique (1996–), and his elevated place in popular culture. ST. JAMES ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HIP HOP CULTURE 329 COPYRIGHT 2018 Gale, a Cengage Company WCN 02-200-210 The Northeast NORTHERN NEW JERSEY: THE MUSIC MECCA New Jersey–based Naughty by Nature, whose JUST ACROSS THE HUDSON members include Treach (Anthony Criss, 1970–), Vin Some of New Jersey’s biggest claims to hip hop fame hail Rock (Vincent Brown, 1970–), and DJ Kay Gee (Kier from the northern part of the state, including Queen Gist, 1969–), are perhaps best known for creating anthem Latifah (Dana Elaine Owens, 1970–), Lauryn Hill (1975–), rap, a style of singing that seeks to pay tribute to people, Redman (Reginald “Reggie” Noble, 1970–), Joe Budden places, and movements. Discovered and mentored by (1980–), and Fetty Wap (Willie Maxwell II, 1991–). fellow East Orange native Queen Latifah, Naughty by More than just representing the small towns and cities of Nature released seven albums between 1989 and 2011, northern New Jersey in their songs, some of these artists with the last aptly titled Anthem Inc. (2011). The group is are known for breaking rap barriers, especially as pioneers responsible for such rousing classics as “O.P.P.” (1991), of subgenres and cultural influencers. “Hip Hop Hooray” (1993), and “Feel Me Flow” (1995), each of which was nominated for a Grammy Award. In Poor Righteous Teachers (PRT) was a pro-black, 1992 the trio won an American Music Award for Favorite conscious hip hop trio from Trenton. PRT members Rap New Artist, and in 1995 they received a Grammy for Culture Freedom, Wise Intelligent (Timothy Grimes), their album Poverty’s Paradise. In 2017, more than and DJ and producer Father Shaheed (1970?–2014) twenty-five years after forming, they continued to tour recorded five albums between 1990 and 1996. Their early the country performing their classic hip hop anthems. albums focus heavily on philosophy, emphasizing the Redman, widely known for his role alongside Wu- teachings of the Five Percent Nation. PRT’s most Tang Clan’s Method Man (Clifford Smith, 1971–), rose significant contribution to hip hop is the infusion of Five to prominence in his hometown of Newark in the early Percent Nation beliefs into their lyrics. Rappers who 1990s. A child prodigy, Redman began his freshman year represent themselves as Five Percenters are hailed as of college at age sixteen but was expelled for academic innovators of hip hop slang such as “Word is bond,” reasons. Returning to Newark, the soon-to-be rapper “Break it down,”“cypher,”“Peace (God),”“Droppin’ began selling drugs, DJing, and rapping under the name science,” and “Represent.” PRT’s impact on hip hop DJ Kut-Kill. He was discovered by Erick Sermon (1968–) culture is widely noted, and their influence appears in a of the duo EPMD and later joined them on tour. Soon variety of songs, including those of New Orleans rapper after production began on Redman’s first album, Whut? Jay Electronica (Elpadaro F. Electronica Allah, 1976–). Thee Album (1992). By 2015 Redman had released seven Poor Righteous Teachers (PRT), pictured here in 1990, was a conscious hip hop trio from Trenton. Their early albums focus heavily on philosophy, emphasizing the teachings of the Five Percent Nation. PRT’s most significant contribution to hip hop is the infusion of Five Percent Nation beliefs into their lyrics. AL PEREIRA/GETTY IMAGES 330 ST. JAMES ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HIP HOP CULTURE COPYRIGHT 2018 Gale, a Cengage Company WCN 02-200-210 The Northeast more solo albums and three collaboration albums. He has creator of gangsta rap, he has often cited Philadelphia MC been featured in several video games, including NBA 2K1 Schoolly D (Jesse Bonds Weaver Jr., 1962–) as the and NBA 2K6; more than a dozen television shows; and godfather of the genre. Taking to the rap scene in 1984, nearly twenty feature films, including the popular How Schoolly D hails from the Parkside neighborhood of High (2001). A member of Def Squad, which included Philadelphia. In Hip-Hop Evolution (2016), Ice-T Sermon and fellow New York rapper Keith Murray (1974–), acknowledges Schoolly D’s “P.S.K. (What Does It Redman has been nominated for two Grammy Awards. Mean?)”—which stands for Parkside Killers—as the basis He is widely noted for popularizing the nicknames “Brick for the syncopation he used in his classic “6 in the City” and “The Bricks” for his hometown of Newark and Mornin’”: “Call it a bite or what you will but I dug that other cities made up of mostly brick homes. record. My record didn’t sound like ‘P.S.K.’ All [Schoolly Haitian-born Wyclef Jean (1969–) moved to northern D] did was represent a gang on his record.