Cage | |
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Cage performing a live show at the Triple Rock Social Club, Minneapolis, in 2009 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Christian Palko [1] |
Also known as | |
Born | Würzburg, West Germany | May 4, 1973
Origin | Middletown, New York, U.S. |
Genres | |
Occupation(s) | Rapper |
Years active | 1991–present |
Labels | Current label(s) Former label(s)
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Formerly of |
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Website | cagewm |
Christian Palko (born May 4, 1973), better known by his stage name Cage, is an American rapper from Middletown, New York. With a majority of his career being spent with record labels Definitive Jux and Eastern Conference. He has released six solo albums, in addition to two compilation albums and two EPs.
Aside from his solo career, Cage is one of the founders of the underground hip hop supergroup The Weathermen, which was formed in 1999. [6] He also established a group called Smut Peddlers, with hip hop duo The High & Mighty, publishing an album titled Porn Again , in 2001. He is also known for his collaborations with New Jersey rapper Tame One; the two were collectively known as Leak Bros. Cage and Camu Tao made up the duo Nighthawks, who released an eponymous 2002 album.
Chris Palko was born in Würzburg, West Germany, to American parents. His father was stationed on a West German military base as a member of the military police. [2] Palko lived there until the age of four when his father was dishonorably discharged for selling and using heroin, and the family was sent back to the United States, where they lived in Middletown, New York. His father would often force Palko to pull homemade tourniquets around his arm as he injected heroin. At the age of eight, Palko's father was arrested during a standoff with state troopers after threatening his family with a shotgun. [7] [8] By the time Palko was expelled from high school, his mother had remarried twice, and he was beaten by his stepfather Frank. Palko began using PCP, cocaine, LSD, cannabis and alcohol. [8]
Palko was arrested several times for drug possession and fighting in the streets. Facing jail time for violating probation, his mother convinced the judge he was mentally unstable, and was sent to the Stony Lodge psychiatric hospital for a two-week evaluation. He stayed in the hospital for sixteen months, where he was a part of a small group used to test fluoxetine, commonly known as Prozac. [8] [9] After being misdiagnosed and placed on the drug, he became suicidal and made several attempts to kill himself, including hanging himself with his shoelaces and saving his lithium dose for a month before ingesting all of them at once. [7] [8]
When Palko was released from the hospital at eighteen, he pursued a career as a rapper, giving himself the stage name "Alex", after the protagonist of Anthony Burgess' novel A Clockwork Orange . [2] After hiring a manager and recording a demo, he was introduced to rapper Pete Nice, and Cage debuted on the track "Rich, Bring 'Em Back" on the 1993 album Dust to Dust . [9] Known as "Keige" and part of a group named Bloody Ruffnecks and later Mudbones, his first demo mixtape was released in 1994; in the liner notes, he named his influences as Kool Keith, Big Daddy Kane, Rakim, Juice Crew, Marley Marl and KRS-One. [4]
Pete Nice also introduced Palko to radio personality Bobbito García, who featured Palko on his program several times, increasing his reputation among New York's underground hip hop scene, where he became associated with KMD, Kurious Jorge, K-Solo, Godfather Don, Necro, Artifacts, Pharoahe Monch and El-P. He spent the last night with MF Doom's brother and KMD member Subroc in 1993 before he was killed in a road accident. [10] Palko signed a recording contract with Columbia Records, but frequently recorded while intoxicated, and the label found his efforts to be unsatisfactory. [7] Palko briefly put his career on hold and his drug use increased. [8] He became a father to a daughter in 1994. [11]
When García founded the label Fondle 'Em Records, he offered Palko a record deal, and Cage released a single featuring the songs "Radiohead" and "Agent Orange" in 1997, to success and acclaim. [2] Following the release of Slim Shady EP in December 1997, Palko accused Detroit-based rapper Eminem of imitating his style. [12] [13] Eminem later sarcastically addressed the accusation through various songs, including "Drastic Measures (Microphone Autopsy),” "Role Model," and "Get You Mad." [14] [15]
After several more singles with Fondle 'Em, Palko met Mr. Eon and DJ Mighty Mi of The High & Mighty, and the trio formed the group Smut Peddlers, releasing the album Porn Again on Rawkus Records in 2001. The album peaked at #10 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart, #43 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and #184 on the Billboard 200, while its single "That Smut" peaked at #9 on the Hot Rap Singles chart and #96 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. [16] In 2001 and 2002 respectively, Palko's music was featured on the soundtrack to the psychological crime film Bully and season 1 of the crime drama television show The Wire .
Palko signed with The High & Mighty's Eastern Conference Records, releasing his debut album, Movies for the Blind , on August 6, 2002. It peaked at #12 on the Heatseekers chart, #14 on the Top Independent Albums chart, #58 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and #193 on the Billboard 200. [17] Palko later stated, in 2006, that the album "sort of glorified drugs" and that he felt the album was "crazy for the sake of being crazy [...] . [18] During this period, Palko formed the group The Weathermen, named after the left-wing political organization. [9] The group released their debut album The Conspiracy on June 3, 2003, before Palko left Eastern Conference over alleged non-payment. [8] An extended play, titled Weatherproof , was released on July 29, 2003. During his time on Eastern Conference, Interscope Records showed interest in signing Cage despite Eminem also being on their label, but ended their interest after judging that he would not attract a mainstream audience. [11]
Because Palko felt that he should no longer play a character, he began to take on a more open writing style, [8] and signed with Definitive Jux, where he released his second studio album Hell's Winter , on September 20, 2005. Hell's Winter peaked at #26 on the Top Heatseekers chart and at #36 on the Top Independent Albums chart. [19]
In a 2007 interview with American actor Shia LaBeouf, for Vanity Fair , LaBeouf expressed interest in starring as Palko in a possible film biography. [20] On November 30, 2007, Spin reported that the film would go into production. [21]
In July 2009, Palko released his third studio album Depart from Me , which he characterized as having a rap rock sound. [22] LaBeouf directed the music video for the song "I Never Knew You". [23] Cage's mental health was affected by the suffering and death of best friend and collaborator Camu Tao during the recording process. [11]
In late 2010, Palko appeared on American recording artist Kid Cudi's second album Man On The Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager , making a guest appearance on a track titled "Maniac". The two performed "Maniac", alongside indie rock musician St. Vincent, on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon in November of that year. [24] In March 2011, Cudi announced he would be releasing a short film inspired by the song "Maniac", co-starring Palko and directed by Shia LaBeouf, in October 2011. [25] [26] On October 30, 2011, as promised Cudi released Maniac , a short horror film, premiered via his blog. [27]
Despite previously having a falling out with The High & Mighty, Palko announced in 2012, he would reunite with producer DJ Mighty Mi, to release a single titled "The Void", which was released on April 3, 2012, on Tribute Records. [28] [29] [30] Palko also started a new project with Sean Martin, called We Sold Our Souls, who released their first song "Super Baked" in March 2012. [31] Cage also announced he would release material under an alter ego, Sam Hill, with lyrics on topics similar to his early efforts on Movies For the Blind. [32] On August 23, 2013, it was announced that the album Kill the Architect would be released on October 22, 2013, with Eastern Conference. [33] [34] [35] A song from the album, "The Hunt", was released on the same day. [36]
Palko had two further supporting roles in independent films: Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead's critically acclaimed romantic horror Spring [37] and Amber Tamblyn's drama Paint It Black. [38]
In 2015, Palko suffered a brain injury in a road accident and was affected by amnesia for two years. He returned to music by touring with the Insane Clown Posse, and released a 2018 album under the Sam Hill alias. [5]
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Described by Okayplayer as "One of horrorcore's most polarizing figures", [39] Cage frequently rapped about his traumatic childhood including parental abuse and his year-long spell at the Stoney Lodge mental hospital, calling the latter experience a college education for his rap career. [9] [1] He abandoned this style between Movies for the Blind and Hell's Winter, making a choice to not make misogynistic music, music promoting drug use, or battle rap. [18] Cage used influences from rock music on 2009's Depart from Me, calling it "progressive rap". [40] Cage was also called "the poster boy for emo rap" by Exclaim! , [41] with Hell's Winter and the song "I Never Knew You" cited as examples of him performing in this style. [42] [43]
Cannibal Ox is an American hip hop duo from Harlem, New York, United States. It consists of Vast Aire and Vordul Mega, often accompanied by DJ Cip-One.
Shia Saide LaBeouf is an American actor, performance artist, and filmmaker. He played Louis Stevens in the Disney Channel series Even Stevens, a role for which he received Young Artist Award nominations in 2001 and 2002 and won a Daytime Emmy Award in 2003. He made his film debut in The Christmas Path (1998). In 2004, he made his directorial debut with the short film Let's Love Hate and later directed a short film titled Maniac (2011), starring American rappers Cage and Kid Cudi.
The High & Mighty is an American hip hop duo from Philadelphia, composed of rapper Mr. Eon and producer DJ Mighty Mi.
Movies for the Blind is the debut solo studio album by American rapper Cage. It was released on August 6, 2002 through Eastern Conference Records. Recording sessions took place at The Muthafuckin' Spot On Lexington. Production was handled by DJ Mighty Mi, Camu Tao, El-P, J-Zone, Necro, Red Spyda, RJD2 and the Ghetto Professionals. It features guest appearances from Copywrite and Mr. Eon. The album peaked at number 193 on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States.
Porn Again is a collaborative studio album by American rappers Mr. Eon and Cage and record producer DJ Mighty Mi, recording as a supergroup Smut Peddlers. It was released on February 13, 2001, via Rawkus/Priority Records. Recording sessions took place at The Muthafuckin' Spot On Lexington. Production was handled by member DJ Mighty Mi, who also served as executive producer together with his The High & Mighty partner Mr. Eon. It features guest appearances from Copywrite, Kool G Rap, Kool Keith, R.A. the Rugged Man, Apani B. Fly, Lord Sear and Beetlejuice. The album peaked at number 184 on the Billboard 200, number 43 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and number 10 in the Heatseekers Albums in the United States. It was re-released as Porn Again Revisited on March 7, 2006, via Eastern Conference Records, with four bonus tracks that were formerly only available on vinyl.
Marshall Bruce Mathers III, known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in Middle America and is regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time. His global success is regarded as having broken racial barriers for the acceptance of white rappers in popular music. While much of his transgressive work during the late 1990s and early 2000s made him a controversial figure, he came to be a representation of popular angst of the American underclass and has been cited as an influence by and upon many artists working in various genres.
Hell's Winter is the second solo studio album by American rapper Cage. It was released by Definitive Jux on September 20, 2005. It peaked at number 26 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart, as well as number 36 on the Independent Albums chart.
Depart from Me is the third solo studio album by American rapper Cage. It was released by Definitive Jux on July 7, 2009. It peaked at number 133 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Tero Smith, better known by his stage name Camu Tao, was an American rapper, singer, and producer.
Eastern Conference Records is an independent record label based in New York City. It is owned and operated by DJ Mighty Mi, the DJ/producer for the High & Mighty.
Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi, also known by his stage name Kid Cudi, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and fashion designer. Born and raised in Cleveland, Cudi moved to New York City in pursuit of a musical career, where he first gained recognition for his song "Day 'n' Nite." Initially self-published on his MySpace page, the song became a hit online and served as a catalyst for Cudi to team up with record producers Plain Pat and Emile Haynie to record his first full-length project, a mixtape titled A Kid Named Cudi (2008). Its release helped Cudi rise to prominence and establish a fanbase, catching the attention of rapper Kanye West—who signed Cudi to his GOOD Music label by late 2008.
This article summarizes the events, album releases, and album release dates in hip hop music for the year 2009.
This article summarizes the events, album releases and album release dates in hip hop music for the year 2010.
Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager is the second studio album by American rapper Kid Cudi. It was released on November 9, 2010, through Dream On and GOOD Music, and distributed by Universal Motown Records. It serves as a sequel to his debut studio album Man on the Moon: The End of Day (2009), and is the second installment of the Man on the Moon trilogy. Production for the album took place during 2009 to 2010 at various recording studios and was handled by long-time collaborators Emile Haynie and Plain Pat. It also featured contributions from Anthony Kilhoffer, Blended Babies, Chuck Inglish, Dot da Genius, Jim Jonsin, and Rami Beatz, among others. The album was supported by two singles: "Erase Me" and "Mr. Rager".
Hell: The Sequel is the debut extended play by Bad Meets Evil. It was released on June 13, 2011, in some countries, by Shady Records and Interscope Records and it was released on June 14, 2011, in the United States. The EP incorporates various styles such as hardcore hip hop and horrorcore. In May 2011, the album's title and artwork was revealed. The EP features the executive producers Eminem and Mr. Porter, with production handled by Bangladesh, Sid Roams, Havoc, DJ Khalil, The Smeezingtons and Supa Dups, among others.
I Never Knew You is the second extended play by American rapper Cage. Released by Adult Swim and Definitive Jux, the EP was released to promote Cage's album Depart from Me and the first music video from that album, "I Never Knew You", and contained four exclusive tracks. The title track, "I Never Knew You", appeared on the album Depart from Me.
"Marijuana" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kid Cudi, taken from his second studio album Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager (2010). The song was produced by Cudi, alongside American record producer Dot da Genius, who provided the song's guitar solo.
Emile Haynie, often credited simply as Emile, is an American record producer. Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, his range of production includes alternative rock, hip hop, indie and pop music. Haynie has worked with several prominent artists in the music industry including Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Eminem, Lana Del Rey, Bruno Mars, Linkin Park, FKA Twigs, Florence Welch and Camila Cabello, among others. Additionally, Haynie received two Grammy Awards for his work with English singer Adele, namely Album of the Year for the diamond certified 25 as well as Record of the Year for "Hello".
Maniac is an American short slasher film, directed by Shia LaBeouf. It was released for free on YouTube, on October 31, 2011. The short film stars American rappers Scott "Kid Cudi" Mescudi and Chris "Cage" Palko as French-speaking serial killers. Mescudi and Palko also co-wrote the film with LaBeouf.
"The Adventures of Moon Man & Slim Shady" is a song by American rappers Kid Cudi and Eminem. It was released as a stand-alone single on July 10, 2020. The song was produced by frequent Kid Cudi collaborator Dot da Genius, along with J Gramm and co-production by Eminem. The song's title refers to Cudi's moniker the "Moon Man" and Eminem's alter-ego Slim Shady.
They'd flip it on me, too, telling me, "Christian, draw a picture of something very violent and evil."
Back before he was the poster boy for emo rap, Cage was a psychotic, unrelenting drug fiend [...]
Cage follows 2005's Hell's Winter, a harrowing emo-rap record, with an extended wallow in self-pity and self-loathing.
Chilling stalker-emo rap of the sort that Eminem used to write all the time