Taking his moniker from the Bernardo Bertolucci epic film of the same name, the Last Emperor is known globally as one of the most skilled, yet underrated hip-hop lyricists of all time. The West Philadelphia native attended Overbrook High known for schooling the likes of Cool C, Steady B and the Fresh Prince. After graduating from Lincoln University with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, Last Emp went to New York where he became a frequent performer on the Lyricist Lounge open mic/showcase circuit. Making a lasting impression with his street meets scholastic lyrical skills and style, he was invited to record a track on the Lyricist Lounge Volume 1 project (Rawkus Records, 1998) alongside KRS-One and Rage Against the Machine’s Zach de la Rocha.

The Last Emperor has shared stages with the greatest in the game including Redman, Common, Mos Def, The Roots, Talib Kweli, Murs, and KRS-1. He's toured domestically and globally with Pharaoh Monch, Brother Ali, the Gorillaz, and Wu-Tang Clan's Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah and U-God. His work has been produced by industry giants including Dr. Dre, Diamond D, Prince Paul, DJ Muggz, Evil D & Mr. Walt (Blackmoon & Beatminerz). He has received credit for his collaborations with artists like top recording artists including Siagon, Masta Ace, De La Soul, M1 (Dead Prez), Rakaa Iriscience (Dilated Peoples), and RZA (Wu-Tang Clan).

After living through a series of record industry triumphs and tragedies, The Last Emperor kicked gears into overdrive to launch Red Plantet Music to independently release his debut album Music, Magic, Myth (2003) which would be later released in Europe as Palace of the Pretender. His latest include mix tapes Hidden Treasures and Science Team...Go!, a 12” single titled Black Apache/Gangsta Groove, and last year’s single Fine Art. Some suggest these works will lead up to the Last Emperors sophomore album release on Red Planet Music. Time will tell.