Born Ricardo Brown in 1972 in Philly, Kurupt moved west to L.A. and became of a mainstay of the West Coast scene during it's 1990's heyday and subsequent decline post millenium.
Now I'm a bonafide microphone technician with styles, I came to storm on these MCs like eletrical clouds [Smooth - Dogg Food]
Only one more solo album, Streetlights, released in 2010 and almost entirely produced by Terrace Martin, followed Against the Grain as Kurupt's attention turned back to The Dogg Pound. Kurupt stated that the intermittent releases, Dillinger & Young Gotti II (2005), Cali Iz Active (2006) and Dogg Chit (2007) were really mixtapes and 2010's 100 Wayz is the true second Dogg Pound album. However Cali Iz Active was the most successful of these albums, peaking at #28 on the Billboard 200.
A technically proficient lyricist, Eminem named him on his list of respected rappers on Till I Collapse, 'it goes Reggie, Jay-Z, 2Pac & Biggie, Andre from Outkast, Jada, Kurupt, Nas and then me'. A hard working MC, Kurupt has made over 200 solo guest appearances since 1992 ranging from songs with Snoop Dogg and Krayzie Bone to Yukmouth and Lil' Wayne.
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| Kurupt, Kurupt The Kingpin, Young Gotti |
After teaming up with Long Beach residents Snoop Dogg and Daz Dillinger, Kurupt signed to Death Row Records and made his debut on Dr. Dre's 1992 The Chronic, appearing on three tracks.
So any n*gga that claim they bossin', why don't you bring your ass over to Crenshaw and Slauson,
I'm stackin' and mackin' and packin' a ten so,
When you're slippin', I slip the clip in,
But ain't no set trippin [Stranded on Death Row - The Chronic]
He gained further exposure on further Death Row releases Murder Was the Case, Above the Rim and in particular, Snoop Dogg's debut Doggystyle. During these years, Kurupt and Daz paired up to form The Dogg Pound, making their debut under this name on Doggystyle.
In 1995, The Dogg Pound released their debut album Dogg Food selling 278,000 copies in the first week. Following 2Pac's release from jail and subsequent signing to Death Row, Kurupt and Daz played a supporting role West Coast-East Coast beef, largely thanks to their Dogg Food single New York New York.
Now I'm a bonafide microphone technician with styles, I came to storm on these MCs like eletrical clouds [Smooth - Dogg Food]
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| Kurupt (middle) with Snoop and Daz |
Kurupt left Death Row in 1997 to start his own imprint Antra Records under A&M. On this imprint he released his debut solo album Kuruption! in 1998 comprising of 'West Coast' and 'East Coast' discs to reflect his East Coast birth and West Coast musical allegiance. Although featuring production from Dr. Dre and Daz, away from the Death Row label, Kuruption! didn't sell in the same platinum figures of previous years. He followed this up with Tha Streetz Iz A Mutha (1999) and Space Boogie: Smoke Odyssey (2001). Streetz saw Kurupt return to the West Coast scene and was heavy with features from the Dogg Pound collective of Snoop Dogg, Daz, Warren G, Soopafly, Tray Deee and Nate Dogg, being certified Gold. Smoke Odyssey saw Kurupt produce a more mainstream effort with attempts at crossover hits, notably It's Over featuring his then fiancee Natina Reed. In between Streetz and Smoke Odyssey, Kurupt and Daz released Dillinger & Young Gotti as DPG owing to Death Row owning the rights to The Dogg Pound.
You can tell the gangster as soon as he comes in the door,
You can tell the gangster as soon as he comes in the door,
He don't wear Calvin Klein, he won't wear Velour,
He got some Cortez, or some Converse on,
All-Stars, G'd up from the hat to the floor [I Call Shots - Tha Streetz Iz A Mutha]
In 2002, Kurupt committed the cardinal sin (in the eyes of the Dogg Pound) of returning to Suge Knight's New Death Row Records. Disowned by Snoop and Daz, his next solo album suffered from the record labels delays and Against the Grain was eventually released in 2005, containing disses towards Daz, by which time Kurupt had left the label a second time and reunited with the Dogg Pound. As seemed fashionable on the West Coast at the time, Kurupt released a number of collaboration albums between 2005 and 2009, teaming up with J. Wells, brother Roscoe and most notably DJ Quik on Blaqkout.
He got some Cortez, or some Converse on,
All-Stars, G'd up from the hat to the floor [I Call Shots - Tha Streetz Iz A Mutha]
In 2002, Kurupt committed the cardinal sin (in the eyes of the Dogg Pound) of returning to Suge Knight's New Death Row Records. Disowned by Snoop and Daz, his next solo album suffered from the record labels delays and Against the Grain was eventually released in 2005, containing disses towards Daz, by which time Kurupt had left the label a second time and reunited with the Dogg Pound. As seemed fashionable on the West Coast at the time, Kurupt released a number of collaboration albums between 2005 and 2009, teaming up with J. Wells, brother Roscoe and most notably DJ Quik on Blaqkout.
Only one more solo album, Streetlights, released in 2010 and almost entirely produced by Terrace Martin, followed Against the Grain as Kurupt's attention turned back to The Dogg Pound. Kurupt stated that the intermittent releases, Dillinger & Young Gotti II (2005), Cali Iz Active (2006) and Dogg Chit (2007) were really mixtapes and 2010's 100 Wayz is the true second Dogg Pound album. However Cali Iz Active was the most successful of these albums, peaking at #28 on the Billboard 200.