Currensy | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Shante Scott Franklin |
Also known as |
|
Born | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | April 4, 1981
Genres | Hip hop |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 2002–present |
Labels |
|
Member of | Jet Life |
Formerly of | 504 Boyz |
Website | currensyspitta |
Shante Scott Franklin (born April 4, 1981), better known by his stage name Currensy (stylized as Curren$y), is an American rapper. Born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, he signed with the regionally-based labels Cash Money Records and Young Money Entertainment in the mid-2000s, although he released no albums for both. He signed with DD172 to release four albums before signing with Warner Records to release his fifth album and major label debut, Weekend at Burnie's (2011). In February of that year, he founded the record label Jet Life Recordings. [1]
Currensy is perhaps best known for his 2015 single, "Bottom of the Bottle" (featuring Lil Wayne and August Alsina), which remains his sole entry on the Billboard Hot 100.
In 2002, Currensy was signed to Master P's No Limit Records and was a late addition to the 504 Boyz. [2] The song "Get Back" [3] by 504 Boyz, produced by Donald XL Robertson, was featured on the 2003 film Malibu's Most Wanted soundtrack. Currensy appeared on 5 songs in Master P's Good Side, Bad Side album. [4] Even though he was signed with No Limit, he represented C-Murder's TRU label. Currensy has several songs with C-Murder, and was featured on the late Soulja Slim's album, Years Later (2002).
In 2004, Currensy signed with Cash Money Records and Lil Wayne's Young Money Entertainment. He was featured on Lil Wayne's mixtape Dedication 2 , The Suffix and several unreleased songs while with Young Money. He released a mixtape entitled Welcome Back in 2004. He was featured in Lil Wayne's "Grown Man" on Tha Carter II . While still at Young Money, Currensy created Fly Society with skateboarder Terry Kennedy, first as a clothing company, then expanding to release music. He released the song, "Where da Cash At" as the lead single for his Young Money debut, Music To Fly To, in 2006. In 2007, another mixtape was released entitled Life at 30,000 Feet. He remained with Young Money until late 2007. In 2008, Currensy released Independence Day, his first project after leaving Young Money and the first of seven mixtapes to be released that year while he struck out as an independent artist. [2]
Currensy signed with Amalgam Digital to release his debut album, This Ain't No Mixtape , in 2009. [5] This album was entirely produced by Monsta Beatz. Currensy was also selected to XXL magazine's annual "Freshman Class" list, and released his second album, Jet Files , through Amalgam Digital that same year. [6] Amalgam Digital released physical copies of This Ain't No Mixtape and Jet Files on May 31, 2010.
Currensy's third album, Pilot Talk , was released on July 13, 2010. The album featured guest appearances by Snoop Dogg, Big K.R.I.T. and Mos Def, amongst others, with most of the songs produced by Ski Beatz. Prior to the album's release, there was news of Pilot Talk being released under a newly relaunched Roc-A-Fella Records. [7] However, Currensy stated in interviews with both XXL and Complex Magazine that the album would be released under Damon Dash's DD172 record label division, BluRoc Records [8] [9] [10] and distributed through Def Jam Recordings. Currensy made numerous appearances on labelmate Ski Beatz' debut studio album, 24 Hour Karate School , which was released on September 21, 2010.
Currensy's fourth album, Pilot Talk II , was released on November 22, 2010, [11] which featured Fiend and Raekwon, among others, with many of the songs produced by Ski Beatz. [12] 2010 also saw the release of mixtape Smokee Robinson with DJ Don Cannon.
On February 1, 2011, it was announced that Currensy signed a label deal with Warner Bros. Records for his imprint, Jet Life Recordings. [13] Covert Coup was his first project on his Jet Life Recordings imprint under Warner Bros. Released for free via Currensy's official website on April 20, the album contains ten songs completely produced by The Alchemist. [14] He released a mixtape, Weekend at Burnie's on June 28, 2011, featuring his Jet-Life anthem "#JetsGo", which was produced by Rahki. The rest of the mixtape was produced by frequent collaborator Monsta Beatz. [15] In 2011, Currensy and his Jet Life crew released the album Jet World Order , under Jets International / iHipHop. Every track on this album features Young Roddy and Trademark da Skydiver. Frequent collaborators of Currensy are also featured on this album, including Smoke DZA, The Cool Kids' Mikey Rocks, Cornerboy P, Fiend, Street Wiz, and Nesby Phips. Currensy himself appears on three tracks.
On November 10, 2011, Currensy announced through Twitter the release of a new album. Muscle Car Chronicles , a two-disc set, was released on February 14, 2012. Currensy also planned on releasing Pilot Talk III in 2013, and mentioned the possibility of it being a free album. In February 2012, Currensy released the EP Here..., and a few days later released another EP #The1st28 with Styles P.
On April 21, 2012, the track listing for The Stoned Immaculate was released. [16] In July 2012, Currensy released the EP featuring all production by Harry Fraud, Cigarette Boats . On October 31, 2012, he released the mixtape Priest Andretti.
He will release a new tape with Wiz Khalifa, titled Live in Concert. [17] In November 2012 Currensy gave an update on his and Wiz Khalifa's mixtape Live in Concert saying its release is being held up by sample issues. [18] In January 2013, Currensy said that due to these same legal issues, the mixtape would likely become a retail album. [19] It was released as an iTunes only EP on April 20, 2013.
On February 3, 2013, Currensy released his latest mixtape New Jet City with guest appearances from Wiz Khalifa, French Montana, Jadakiss, Juvenile, Juicy J, Trinidad James and Rick Ross among others. [20]
On October 30, 2013, Currensy released The Stage EP with Smoke DZA and Harry Fraud. [21]
Currensy announced a new mixtape, The Drive In Theatre, in January 2014. [22] He followed up on January 26, 2014, with the release of a new single, "Godfather 4" featuring Action Bronson. [23] On February 4, 2014, Currensy took to Twitter to announce a release date for The Drive In Theatre, it was released on February 14, 2014. [24]
On January 17, 2013, Currensy announced on Twitter that he and Ski Beatz began the process of making Pilot Talk III . [25] The album has been in development ever since, with Currensy, in various interviews, naming possible guest appearances from Lil Boosie, [26] Lil Wayne, [27] Wiz Khalifa, Ab-Soul, French Montana, Action Bronson, [28] Jadakiss, Styles P, and Riff Raff, with a majority of the production handled by Ski Beatz, along with some production from Cool & Dre. [29] On January 19, 2015, Currensy posted the album's possible artwork on his Instagram account, created by David Barnett, who was also responsible for the artwork of the first two Pilot Talk albums. [28] On March 1, 2015, DJ Skee released the first single "Alert" featuring Styles P and produced by Ski Beatz. [30] On March 15, 2015, Currensy announced that he'll be releasing Pilot Talk III exclusively on a $100 USB drive, "bundled with a Jet Life shirt and Pilot Talk 3 look book" with accompanying music videos. However, he also hinted at the album may be up for streaming. [31] The bundle was available for pre-order on the Jet Life website, which also confirmed that it will not be released on iTunes. [32] It was set for release on April 4, 2015. [29] He released 12 mixtapes in 2016. [33]
In June 2023, Currensy released Vices, a joint album with producer Harry Fraud. [34]
Jet Life Recordings | |
---|---|
Founded | 2011 |
Founder | Currensy (CEO) |
Status | Active |
Distributor(s) | iHipHop Distribution Empire Distribution Atlantic Records |
Genre | Hip-hop |
Country of origin | U.S. |
Location | New Orleans, Louisiana [35] |
Official website | http://www.jet-life.com/ |
On February 1, 2011, Currensy started his imprint Jet Life Recordings.
In March 2012, news surfaced of legal action being taken against Damon Dash by Currensy. In the lawsuit, the rapper claimed that he never legally signed to Dash's DD172 label, and the record executive released the pair of albums (Pilot Talk I and Pilot Talk II) as well as Muscle Car Chronicles without authorization. Currensy demanded that Dash immediately stop releasing his music for profit, and pay $1.5 million in damages. [38] On October 6, 2015, Currensy was awarded $3 million in settlement stemming from the 2012 lawsuit against Dash for releasing material of his music without his consent. [39]
Alan Daniel Maman, known professionally as the Alchemist, is an American record producer, DJ and rapper. Critically acclaimed for his sample-heavy production style, he is regarded as one of the most influential producers in modern hip hop and underground rap. His frequent collaborators include Mobb Deep, Eminem, Big Sean, Action Bronson, Freddie Gibbs, Roc Marciano, ScHoolboy Q, Conway the Machine, Westside Gunn, Boldy James, and Earl Sweatshirt.
Cameron Jibril Thomaz, better known by his stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper. He signed with the local independent label Rostrum Records to release his debut studio album, Show and Prove (2006). His contract entered a short-lived joint venture with Warner Bros. Records the following year. His Eurodance-influenced 2008 single, "Say Yeah" received urban radio airplay and entered both the Rhythmic Top 40 and Hot Rap Songs charts, becoming his first minor hit.
Pilot Talk is the third studio album by rapper Curren$y. It was released under Damon Dash's DD172 record label division, BluRoc Records. The album was originally scheduled to be released on March 23, 2010. However, it was later postponed and then given a June 15, 2010 release. The album was then pushed back and released on July 13. The entire album is solely produced by Ski Beatz except "Prioritize", which is produced by Nesby Phips, and "Roasted", which is produced by Monsta Beatz. Ski Beatz also remixed the song "Breakfast" for the album which was originally produced by Mos Def. Several music videos were shot for the album promotion and can be found on CreativeControl.tv
Justin Lewis Scott, better known by his stage name Big K.R.I.T., is an American rapper and record producer. Born in Meridian, Mississippi, he began his musical career in 2005. He was signed to Def Jam Recordings by Sha Money XL in 2010, and first gained recognition following the release of his single "Country Shit" in September of that year. The following year, he guest appeared on T.I.'s promotional single "I'm Flexin'", which became Scott's first entry on the Billboard Hot 100.
The discography of American rapper Wiz Khalifa consists of seven studio albums, one compilation album, one soundtrack album, three extended plays (EP), two collaborative albums, 84 singles, seventeen promotional singles, twenty-one mixtapes, and 82 music videos. After signing to the Pittsburgh-based independent label Rostrum Records as a teenager, Khalifa released his first mixtape Prince of the City: Welcome to Pistolvania, and his first studio album, Show and Prove (2006). Following the release of Show and Prove, Warner Bros. Records signed Khalifa in 2007 as part of a joint deal with Rostrum. At Warner, Khalifa released the singles "Youngin' on His Grind" and "Say Yeah". The latter became his first song to appear on a Billboard chart, peaking at number 20 on the US Hot Rap Songs. Disagreements with Warner over the release of a purported major-label debut album led Khalifa to part ways with the label, and release his second studio album Deal or No Deal in 2009 on Rostrum Records alone.
Weekend at Burnie's is the fifth studio album by American rapper Curren$y. The album was released on June 28, 2011, through Warner Bros. Eleven tracks on this album are produced by Monsta Beatz. The album's lead single, "#JetsGo" is produced by Rahki. "You See It" and "This Is the Life" were leaked to promote the album. On June 21 Curren$y premiered the album during a Ustream-Session. It featured the Bonus Tracks "JLC" and "Get Paid." In its first week, the album sold 23,000 copies in the US, after a Billboard 200 debut of #22.
The Stoned Immaculate is the sixth studio album by American hip hop recording artist Curren$y. It was released through Warner Bros. Records on June 5, 2012. This release was his first "major" release through Warner Bros. The album features guest appearances from Pharrell, Wiz Khalifa, Estelle, 2 Chainz, Wale, Marsha Ambrosius, Daz Dillinger, Big K.R.I.T., Fiend, Corner Boy P, Young Roddy, Trademark da Skydiver, and Smoke DZA.
This is the discography of American rapper Curren$y.
Sean Joseph Pompey, better known by his stage name Smoke DZA, is an American rapper and songwriter.
Jet Life is an American hip hop collective formed in New Orleans, Louisiana, originally consisting of rappers Curren$y, Trademark da Skydiver, and Young Roddy. All members of the Jet Life collective are signed to Jet Life Recordings, which is owned and operated by Curren$y. The collective is also known by the names Jet Life Crew, The JETS, sometimes stylized as The J.E.T.S. or The JET$, and as Jets International.
Rory William Quigley, known professionally as Harry Fraud, is an American record producer. Primarily a hip hop producer, Fraud began producing at an early age and began interning at a recording studio after graduating from high school. First discovered by French Montana during a recording session in Chinatown in early 2009, Fraud has since worked on each of his releases and become a fixture in the New York underground hip hop scene. He was credited on Montana's 2012 single, "Shot Caller", which became one of the most added tracks on urban contemporary radio during 2011–2012.
Live in Concert is a collaborative EP by American rappers Wiz Khalifa and Curren$y. The EP was released on April 20, 2013, by Jet Life Recordings and Rostrum Records, and consists of the two rapping over songs from Bobbi Humphrey's Fancy Dancer album. The EP was originally planned to be released as a free mixtape in August 2012, but was released to retail as a way to avoid sample clearance issues.
Alex Washington, better known by his stage name Trademark da Skydiver, is an American rapper. He was a member of the hip-hop group Jet Life and also performs under the aliases "Super Villain" and "Flamingo Barnes".
The discography of Smoke DZA, an American hip hop artist, consists of eight studio albums, twenty-five mixtapes, and thirteen singles,.
Nesby Phips is a producer, rapper and visual artist from New Orleans.
"Bottom of the Bottle" is a song by American rapper Currensy released by Jet Life Recordings and Atlantic Records on August 28, 2015, as the lead single from his eighth studio album, Canal Street Confidential (2015). It features guest appearances from fellow Louisiana-based acts, R&B singer August Alsina and rapper Lil Wayne; all three performers co-wrote the song with American singer Muni Long, along with its producers, Dun Deal, DJ Spinz and Geoffro.
CJ Wallis is a Canadian director from Vancouver, British Columbia, notable for the film Perfect Bid: The Contestant Who Knew Too Much.
Fetti is a collaborative extended play by American rappers Curren$y and Freddie Gibbs and record producer The Alchemist. It was released on October 31, 2018 for streaming and digital download by Jet Life Recordings, ESGN Records and ALC Records. Fetti was entirely produced by The Alchemist.
2009 is a collaborative studio album by American rappers Wiz Khalifa and Curren$y. It was released on February 8, 2019 via Jet Life Recordings and Atlantic Records. Production was handled by Cardo, Dame Grease, DJ Fresh, Harry Fraud, Monsta Beatz, Ricky P, Sledgren, Van Gogh and Z Cook. It features guest appearances from Problem and Ty Dolla $ign.
Continuance is the first full-length collaborative studio album by American rapper Currensy and fellow American record producer The Alchemist. It was released on February 18, 2022, through Jet Life Recordings, ALC Records and Empire Distribution. Production was handled entirely by the Alchemist. It features guest appearances from Babyface Ray, Boldy James, Havoc, Larry June, Styles P and Wiz Khalifa. The album peaked at number 200 on the Billboard 200 and number 28 on the Independent Albums in the United States.