Quelle Chris | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Gavin Christopher Tennille |
Also known as |
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Born | New York, U.S. | October 19, 1984
Origin | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
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Occupation(s) | |
Labels | Mello Music Group |
Formerly of |
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Gavin Christopher Tennille (born October 19, 1984), known as Quelle Chris, is an American record producer, rapper and songwriter from Detroit, Michigan. [1] He has released over 15 albums as a solo act and with his collaborative projects. [2] He has been described as a student of Detroit hip hop. [3]
Tennille was born in Johnson City, New York to a shoe designer.
Tennille's career began expanding as he joined Wasted Youth and attracted the attention of hip hop recording artists in Detroit such as J Dilla and Proof. He later formed a musical group with Denmark Vessey called Crown Nation and soon began using the pseudonyms Q-Life and Quelle, the latter of which means "source" in German. [2] With credit as a songwriter on several songs on Danny Brown's early albums, he began working on a solo career. [1]
His debut studio album, Shotgun & Sleek Rifle, was released in 2011, featuring guest appearances from artists such as Brown, Roc Marciano and Big Tone. He signed with Mello Music Group after releasing two extended plays with the music group Racehorses are Resources, which also consisted of poet John Sinclair. With two studio albums Niggas Is Men and Ghost at the Finish Line released on the label in 2013, Tennille produced for musicians such as Pharoahe Monch, Diamond District and Open Mike Eagle. [1]
His fourth studio album Innocent Country was released in 2015, followed by the 2016 instrumental album Lullabies for the Broken Brain. His fifth studio album Being You Is Great, I Wish I Could Be You More Often was released in 2017. [1] [4] He described the album as "about being human. Being great, being flawed, being you". [5] His debut collaborative album titled Everything's Fine with his life partner Jean Grae was released on March 30, 2018, via Mello. [6] On March 29, 2019, Tennille released his acclaimed sixth solo album Guns. [7] On March 16, 2020, Tennille released his seventh solo album Innocent Country 2 and released it on April 24. It features guest appearances from Earl Sweatshirt, billy woods, Tune-Yards’ Merrill Garbus, Denmark Vessey, Homeboy Sandman, Pink Siifu, and Josh Gondelman. [8] Tennille returned with his seventh album, Deathfame on May 13, 2022. The 14-track album was primarily produced by himself. [3]
In December 2017, he proposed to his longtime partner who is also his frequent collaborator, Jean Grae. [9] [10] The two married on August 5, 2018. [11]
Title | Details |
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Shotgun & Sleek Rifle [1] | |
Ghost at the Finish Line |
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Innocent Country (with Chris Keys) |
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Being You Is Great, I Wish I Could Be You More Often |
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Guns |
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Innocent Country 2 (with Chris Keys) |
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Deathfame [3] |
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Title | Details |
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Everything's Fine (with Jean Grae) |
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Death Tape 1: Black Cottonwood(with Cavalier) |
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Title | Details |
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Lullabies for the Broken Brain |
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Title | Details |
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Niggas Is Men |
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LaRon Louis James, better known by his stage name Juelz Santana, is an American rapper and member of East Coast hip hop group The Diplomats, also known as Dipset. He is best known for his appearances on Cam'ron's 2002 singles, "Oh Boy" and "Hey Ma", which peaked at numbers 4 and 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 respectively, as well as Chris Brown's 2005 triple-platinum single, "Run It!", which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks.
Tsidi Ibrahim, known professionally as Jean Grae, is an American rapper. She rose in the underground hip hop scene in New York City and has built an international fanbase. Grae's unique music and lyrical style have earned the artist recognition as a favorite emcee by many rap artists such as Talib Kweli, Jay-Z, and Black Thought of the Roots.
Patrick Denard Douthit, better known as 9th Wonder, is a hip hop record producer, record executive, DJ, and rapper from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He began his career as the main producer for the group Little Brother in Durham, North Carolina, and has also worked with Jean Grae, Wale, Murs, Buckshot, Erykah Badu, David Banner, Rapsody, and Talib Kweli. As of 2010, 9th Wonder raps under the name of 9thmatic. 9th Wonder's production often builds on samples from artists such as Al Green and Curtis Mayfield.
Tanya Morgan is an American hip hop group, which consists of MC William Donald "Donwill" Freeman and MC/producer Devon "Von Pea" Callender. Donwill is from Cincinnati, Ohio, while Von Pea is from Brooklyn, New York. Their fourth studio album, YGWY$4, was released on July 28, 2017.
Denmark Martin Vessey is an American rapper and record producer from Detroit, Michigan. He is also a member of hip hop duo Crown Nation with Quelle Chris. He was named after Denmark Vesey, leader of a slave revolt planned in 1822 in Charleston, South Carolina; it was interrupted before any actions took place. He is also a member of the west coast collective Dirty Science.
Jeanius is the third studio album by American rapper Jean Grae. She worked on it with hip hop producer 9th Wonder and intended to release it in 2004, but the album leaked prematurely and spawned various pirated versions of the unfinished project. After Grae's record deal with the label, Jeanius was released on July 8, 2008, by Talib Kweli's Blacksmith Records.
Angel Del Villar II, better known by his stage name Homeboy Sandman, is an American rapper from Elmhurst, Queens, New York, United States.
Marlanna Evans, better known by her stage name Rapsody, is an American rapper. After signing with music producer 9th Wonder's music label It's a Wonderful World Music Group, she released a series of mixtapes and collaborated with Erykah Badu and Talib Kweli. Soon afterwards Rapsody released her debut album The Idea of Beautiful (2012). She would attain further prominence when she was featured on Kendrick Lamar's 2015 album To Pimp a Butterfly, on the track "Complexion ".
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Mello Music Group (MMG) is an American independent record label based in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 2007, Mello Music has released hip hop compilations and albums by producers and rappers such as Oddisee, Apollo Brown, Mr. Lif, Ghostface Killah, Open Mike Eagle, L'Orange, Quelle Chris, Jean Grae, Kool Keith, Nottz, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Pete Rock, and Rapper Big Pooh. In 2012, MTV Hive described MMG as having a "dedication to intelligent, street-wise boom bap", although the label has released a number of purely instrumental albums as well. In 2016, Forbes magazine called Mello Music Group the most successful indie rap label of the decade.
Being You Is Great, I Wish I Could Be You More Often is a solo studio album by American rapper and producer Quelle Chris. It was released via Mello Music Group on February 10, 2017. The seventeen-track record featured guest appearances by the likes of Roc Marciano, Homeboy Sandman, Denmark Vessey, Jean Grae, Elzhi, Cavalier, and Wasted Youth among others.
Innocent Country is the first collaborative studio album by American rapper Quelle Chris and producer Chris Keys. It was released through Mello Music Group on July 10, 2015.
Ghost at the Finish Line is a solo studio album by American rapper Quelle Chris. It was released via Mello Music Group on October 29, 2013. The thirteen-track record featured guest appearances by the likes of Alchemist, Black Milk, Denmark Vessey, Fuzz Scoota, Guilty Simpson, House Shoes, Jimetta Rose, Marv Won, and Mosel.
Too Dirt For TV2 – Niggas Is Men is a 2013 mixtape album by American rapper and producer Quelle Chris. It featured audio production handled by Messiah Musik, Sifu and Quelle himself, and guest appearances from Bwameeks, Cavalier, Chay, Denmark Vessey, DJ GroWeyez, Fresh Daily, Mosel, and Tanya Morgan.
Everything's Fine is a collaborative studio album by American rappers Jean Grae and Quelle Chris. It was released via Mello Music Group on March 30, 2018. The fifteen-track record features guest appearances from the likes of Your Old Droog, Denmark Vessey, Ashok Kondabolu and comedians Hannibal Buress, Nick Offerman, Michael Che and John Hodgman, among others.
Anthony Tremaine Dixson, known professionally as Westside Boogie, is an American rapper. He is known for bringing real life experiences into his music. His debut mixtape, Thirst 48, was released on June 24, 2014, followed by his next mixtape, The Reach which was released a year later. In 2016, he released his third mixtape Thirst 48, Pt. II and signed to Shady Records and Interscope Records in 2017. His debut studio album, Everythings for Sale, was released on January 25, 2019. His second album More Black Superheroes was released on June 17, 2022.
Guns is a solo studio album by American rapper and record producer Quelle Chris. It was released on March 29, 2019 through Mello Music Group with distribution via The Orchard. Production was handled by Chris Keys, Dane, and Quelle himself. It features guest appearances from Bilal Salaam, Cavalier, Denmark Vessey, Eldar Djangirov, James Acaster, Jean Grae, Jonathan Hoard, Mach-Hommy, and Ugly Boy Modeling.
Innocent Country 2 is the second collaborative studio album by American rapper Quelle Chris and record producer Chris Keys. It was released on April 24, 2020 via Mello Music Group, serving as a sequel to their 2015 album Innocent Country and the fourth in the Quelle's 2Dirt4TV series. It features guest appearances from Merrill Garbus, Cavalier, Denmark Vessey, Earl Sweatshirt, Homeboy Sandman, and comedians Josh Gondelman and James Acaster, among others.
Deathfame is a solo studio album by American rapper and producer Quelle Chris. It was released via Mello Music Group on May 13, 2022. Production was handled by Chris Keys, Knxwledge, and Quelle Chris himself. It features guest appearances from Cavalier, Denmark Vessey, J Jig Cicero, MoRuf, Navy Blue, and Pink Siifu.
Don't Feed the Monster is the tenth studio album by American rapper Homeboy Sandman. It was released on October 16, 2020, through Mello Music Group with distribution via The Orchard. Production was handled entirely by Quelle Chris, who is featured on the album as well.