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Loon | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Chauncey Lamont Hawkins |
Also known as | Amir Junaid Muhadith |
Born | Manhattan, New York City, U.S. | June 20, 1975
Genres | Hip hop |
Occupations |
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Instrument | Vocals |
Years active | 1996–2009 |
Labels |
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Formerly of | Harlem World |
Children | 2 |
Amir Junaid Muhadith (born Chauncey Lamont Hawkins; June 20, 1975), better known by his stage name Loon, is an American former rapper. He is best known for his work with rapper Puff Daddy and tenure at his label, Bad Boy Records; Loon most notably guest appeared on his 2002 singles "I Need a Girl (Part One)" and "I Need a Girl (Part Two)," which peaked at numbers two and four on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively.
Prior, he formed the New York City-based hip hop group Harlem World in 1995, with whom he released one studio album— The Movement (1999)—to commercial success until their disbandment in 1999. As a solo act, Loon signed with Arista Records, and later Bad Boy Records that same year to release his eponymous debut studio album (2003). It was met with commercial success and peaked at number six on the Billboard 200, although critical response was mixed. He then parted ways with the label in the following year due to his conversion to Islam, and released three independent albums until his retirement from recording altogether in 2009. [1] [2]
Chauncey Lamont Hawkins was born in Harlem, New York. He began his musical career as a member of Mase's rap collective Harlem World in 1995, [3] and signed with Arista Records after their 1999 disbandment. He also began working severally with group cohort Mase; due to Mase signing with P. Diddy's Bad Boy Records, Loon was led by proximity to sign with the label himself, as it was also an imprint of Arista. [4]
He made his first solo appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 for his guest feature on label mate Faith Evans' 2001 single "You Gets No Love" alongside Diddy, which peaked at number 38 on the chart. Bad Boy parted ways with Arista the following year, and the Bad Boy roster, including Loon, was thereafter moved to Universal Records. 2002 also saw Loon guest performing on the commercially successful singles "I Need a Girl (Part One)" and "I Need a Girl (Part Two)" both by Diddy, as well as "I Do (Wanna Get Close to You)" by 3LW and "Hit the Freeway" by Toni Braxton; the former two peaked at numbers two and four on the chart, respectively. During his time with Bad Boy, Loon served as a ghostwriter on songs by or featuring Diddy, having co-written Mario Winans' 2004 single "I Don't Wanna Know" as well as Diddy's 2001 eponymous single. [5]
His 2003 debut commercial single, "Down For Me" (featuring Mario Winans) peaked at number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remains his highest charting song as a lead artist. It's follow-up, "How You Like That" (featuring Kelis) peaked at number 88 on the chart. Both preceded the release of his self-titled debut studio album in October of that year, which peaked at number six on the Billboard 200 and saw mixed reviews. Loon left Bad Boy Records in the following year to launch his own record label, Boss Up Entertainment. He then retired from the music industry entirely in 2009. [6]
Loon converted to Islam in December 2008 after a trip to Abu Dhabi, and Dubai, UAE. Born Chauncey Lamont Hawkins, he officially changed his name to Amir Junaid Muhadith after traveling to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest site of Islam, to perform Umrah. After having converted to Islam, he subsequently ended his music career and would later relocate to Cairo, Egypt where he lived until 2011, and then lastly moved back to the United States of America from 2011 to 2022, and stayed in the United States of America in 2022. [7]
On November 22, 2011, Muhadith was arrested while on a trip to Brussels. He was extradited to the United States in May 2012 and was sentenced to 14 years imprisonment in July 2013 for conspiracy with intent to traffic one or more kilograms of heroin. [8] Many reports have advocated for and confirmed his innocence.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic effects in prison centers, Muhadith was granted early release on July 29, 2020. [9]
Album details | Peak positions |
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Billboard 200 | |
Loon | 6 [10] |
No Friends
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Wizard of Harlem
| |
Bad Boy
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Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US | US R&B | US Rap | AUS [11] | UK | |||
"Down for Me" (featuring Mario Winans) | 2003 | 24 | 28 | 19 | — | — | Loon |
"How You Want That" (featuring Kelis) | 88 [12] | 41 [13] | — | — | — | ||
"Show Me Your Soul" (with P. Diddy, Lenny Kravitz and Pharrell) | — | — | — | 45 | 35 | Bad Boys II soundtrack | |
"Who Is Dat" (featuring T-Pain) | 2007 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US | US R&B | US Rap | AUS [11] | UK | ||||
"Promise (So So Def Remix)" (Jagged Edge featuring Loon) | 2000 | — | — | — | — | — | Promise | |
"You Gets No Love" (Faith Evans featuring P. Diddy & Loon) | 2001 | 38 | 8 | — | — | 124 | Faithfully | |
"I Need a Girl (Part One)" (P. Diddy featuring Usher & Loon) | 2002 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 4 | We Invented the Remix | |
"I Need a Girl (Part Two)" (P. Diddy featuring Ginuwine, Mario Winans, Tammy Ruggieri & Loon) | 4 | 2 | 2 | — | 4 | |||
"I Do (Wanna Get Close to You)" (3LW featuring P. Diddy & Loon) | 58 [15] | 50 [16] | — | 41 | — | A Girl Can Mack | ||
"Young & Sexy" (Lyric featuring Loon) | — | 79 [17] | — | — | — | Lyric | ||
"Hit the Freeway" (Toni Braxton featuring Loon) | 86 [18] | 32 [19] | — | 46 | 29 | More Than a Woman | ||
"Crazy" (Dream featuring Loon) | 2003 | — | — | — | — | — | Reality |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2003 | Death of a Dynasty | Turk | directed by Damon Dash |
2005 | State Property 2 | El Pollo Loco's father | directed by Damon Dash |
Bad Boy Entertainment, doing business as Bad Boy Records, is an American record label founded in 1993 by Sean "Diddy" Combs. During the mid-1990s, the label signed hip hop and contemporary R&B artists, beginning with the Notorious B.I.G. Following his commercial success, the label signed other acts, including Faith Evans, Mase, 112, Total, The Lox, Shyne and Carl Thomas. At its 1997 peak, Bad Boy was worth an estimated US$100 million.
Harlem World is the debut studio album by American rapper Mase. It was released on October 28, 1997, by Bad Boy Records and Arista Records. The album was nominated at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards for Best Rap Album. It went on to sell 4.9 million copies and going quadruple platinum in the United States.
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The Saga Continues... is the third studio album by American rapper P. Diddy, released on July 10, 2001 by Arista and Bad Boy Records. Similarly to his debut album No Way Out (1997), it is credited to "P. Diddy and the Bad Boy Family"; the latter act refers to his signees at Bad Boy Records. It was the first studio album released by Combs under the P. Diddy name, and the final release under Bad Boy Records' joint venture with Arista Records. His We Invented the Remix album was the last overall project with Arista.
Mason Durell Betha, better known by his mononym Mase, is an American rapper. Best known for his work with Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs' Bad Boy Records, he signed with the label in 1996 and quickly found mainstream recognition as Combs' hype man. He guest appeared on Combs' 1997 single, "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down", which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100, while his singles as a lead artist, "Feel So Good" and "What You Want" both peaked within the top ten of the chart. Released in October of that year, his debut studio album, Harlem World (1997) peaked atop the Billboard 200 chart, received quadruple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and spawned his third top ten single as a lead artist, "Lookin' at Me". Furthermore, his guest performances on labelmate the Notorious B.I.G.'s single "Mo Money Mo Problems" and Puff Daddy's "Been Around the World" peaked at numbers one and two on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively, that same year.
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