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Rob Kelly | |
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| Birth name | Robert Kelly |
| Born | 1978 (age 45–46) |
| Origin | Wexford, Ireland |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | MC, rapper, record producer |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Labels | Commonwealth Records Soulspazm Records, Acquisition Records |
Rob Kelly (born 1978, Wexford, Ireland[ citation needed ]) is an Irish rapper, record producer and MC.
Kelly became interested in Hip Hop in the late 1980s and early 1990s through a BBC 2 show called Dance Energy that was presented by Normski and was soon an avid collector of albums and magazines like The Source and Hip-Hop Connection Several of Rob's friends and relatives excelled in sports two of them earned professional contracts. He is a massive boxing fan and is known to perform ringwalks for Oisin Fagan and Andy Lee both of whom have appeared in his videos. In 2002 while becoming frustrated at hearing some Irish rappers on radio he called in to Wes D'Arcy's "The Big Smoke" on 2FM to complain and was subsequently invited on the show and he soon became a regular fixture.
He was discovered shortly by Irish producer Mike Donnelly, who would become a longtime collaborator. As a major player in Ireland's underground hip-hop scene, [1] Kelly has a small following in the UK, that includes British rapper Tinchy Stryder [2] and US in 2004, he issued his first mixtape, The Kellection, mixed and helmed by DJ Pudgee P, who is known in New York for his Riot Squad street releases, shortly after that he appeared as an "Unsigned Heat" on DJ Vlad website. However, it was his second mixed tape, Bragging Rights (2006), [3] that established his credibility as an Irish rapper. In 2008 Kelly issued the underground hit single Dropkicked, which featured Boston underground rapper Slaine, and sampled I'm Shipping Up to Boston by the Dropkick Murphys. Officially released as an MP3, the hard jam mainly enjoyed airplay within the MySpace web community, and earned the Irish MC work with more American mixtape DJs, such as DJ Bizerkk and DJ Green Lantern. [4] [5] He has opened up live shows, for rappers such as the Game. [6] Nas, Dilated Peoples, Kelis, Kanye West, Raekwon, d12, Akon, GZA, T-Pain, Mark Ronson & more.
Kelly is known for being one of the only Irish M.C's to achieve success outside Ireland on a reputable level.[ citation needed ] He has performed his own headline shows in Canada, UK & Boston, was signed to US TV Show 16 bars he has been featured in XXL had his records played on Sirius FM in US and even performed as in studio guest on BBC and KISS in London. He has collaborated with a number of artists from Slaine Reef the Lost Cauze Apathy and Memphis Bleek [ citation needed ] and most recently Rebecca Creighton (formerly of X-Factor band Belle Amie) on his single The Real Thing. [7] His last 2 singles have been "Big Record of the Week" and "Record of the Weekend" on The Kiss Hip-Hop show and Nick Bright's Show on BBC 1Xtra respectively. He is currently working on projects with j57 from Brown Bag All-Stars Danny Diggs, Mathman and other albums.[ citation needed ]
In January 2013 DJ Eclipse listed Kelly's song "Georgie Burgess" in The Best 25 songs of 2012. [8]
In March 2013 he dropped a visual for the Scimon Tist produced "Jack The Ripper" through the Noisey Music Blog. [9]
In June 2013 he appeared to announce his retirement. [10] and stated his performance at the Danny Brown show would be his last.
On 20 August 2013 "Kel Terrible" went to number 1 on the Irish iTunes hip-hop charts and number 10 on the iTunes album charts.
In September 2013 he announced via Twitter that his new album Black Irish Rogue would be released on Commonwealth Records, [11] a US based independent label that previously released Slaine albums.
There has been speculation that he will return to rap as the "Jack The Ripper" character after the Black Irish Rogue album.
In April 2014, he guested on Memphis Bleek's "The Movement 2" on a song called "RNS" featuring Sean Price. The song was played by DJ Kay Slay on "The Drama Hour" Show on Hot 97, making him the first Irish rapper to play on Hot 97.
Commonwealth Records soon announced the release date and track for Black Irish Rogue and on July 15 it went #1 on Irish Hip-Hop iTunes chart. The lead single "4 Horsemen" became the 1st Irish hip-hop video to be played on US MTV2 and P Diddy's Revolt TV. The radio single "Jimmy Jump" featuring Da Villinz peaked at #3 on the US College radio charts. Soon afterwards it was announced that he had signed to New York Indie Hip-Hop label Soulspazm for another new album titled "Kel Jefe." "Kel Jefe" was released on June 10 and became his third straight album to reach #1 on the Irish Hip-Hop Tunes Charts as well as peaking at #5 on the overall iTunes chart
In December 2018 Rob released a collaborative album with Rim from NYC Group Da Villinz, predominantly produced by London Producer Tony Mahoney called "Lethal Hours" four of the songs on the album were played by DJ Muggs on Soul Assassins radio.
In Feb 2019, Rob appeared on the posthumous Sean Price album "86 Witness" on the song "Refrigerator P" released through Duckdown records it peaked at #8 on US iTunes Hip-Hop chart. The song was originally recorded when Sean Price was alive and came about after their previous work together. The song was featured as a pick of the week on episode 223 of The Joe Budden Podcast .
House of Pain was an American hip hop trio that released three albums in the 1990s. The group consisted of DJ Lethal, Danny Boy, and Everlast. They are best known for their 1992 hit single "Jump Around", which reached number 3 in their native United States of America, number 6 in Ireland and number 8 in the United Kingdom. The group broke up in 1996.
Roc-A-Fella Records was an American hip hop record label and music management company founded by record executives and entrepreneurs Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Damon Dash, and Kareem "Biggs" Burke in 1994. Carter issued his debut album, Reasonable Doubt (1996) as the label's first release, in a joint venture with Priority Records. The label has signed and released albums for acts including Kanye West, Cam'ron, Beanie Sigel, Memphis Bleek, Juelz Santana, Freeway, Jadakiss, Teairra Marí, State Property, and The Diplomats before its dissolution in 2013.
Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock were an American hip hop duo from Harlem, New York City. Rob Base is the stage name of Robert Ginyard and DJ E-Z Rock was Rodney "Skip" Bryce (1967–2014). They are best known for the 1988 single "It Takes Two", a "hip-hop staple" that was a top 40 hit and has been certified platinum by the RIAA. That song was a part of the duo's album of the same name, which also has been certified platinum. They are known for being pioneers of the crossover success that rap music would have in the popular music mainstream.
"Nas Is Like" is the first single from Nas' third album I Am.... The song is the sixth collaboration between Nas and producer DJ Premier. It was well received by critics as it was a change from the more commercial and pop-oriented singles from It Was Written and Nas, Foxy Brown, AZ, and Nature Present The Firm: The Album. The song contains a combination of braggadocios and introspective lyrics over a choppy string sample.
534 is the fourth studio album by rapper Memphis Bleek. It was released by Get Low Records, Roc-A-Fella Records, and Def Jam Recordings on May 17, 2005. The album was executive produced Bleek's mentor and childhood friend Jay-Z, who also recorded the song "Dear Summer" for the album. Other guests include Young Gunz, M.O.P., and Rihanna, whose appearance on the song "The One" was the major label debut.
La Coka Nostra is an American hip hop supergroup currently composed that of Danny Boy, Slaine, DJ Lethal, and Ill Bill. In 2004, its creation started when Danny Boy brought two young artists, Slaine and Big Left, to meet Dj Lethal his DJ from his former group House of Pain. They decided to make a group, whose name came about when O'Connor teased other members with that nickname after they had a night out. They started releasing music on MySpace, and went viral.
"4 da Fam" is a song by American rapper Amil, featuring verses from American rappers Jay-Z, Memphis Bleek, and Beanie Sigel. Ty Fyffe produced the song. It was released on Roc-A-Fella as the second single from her debut album All Money Is Legal. In the song's lyrics, Amil boasts about being the best female rapper, and Jay-Z discusses his fears of becoming a father, which his verse suggests he believed was about to occur at the time.
The discography of American rapper Memphis Bleek consists of four studio albums, twelve mixtapes, seventeen singles and fifteen music videos. An early signing to rapper Jay-Z's record label Roc-A-Fella Records, Bleek appeared on several of Jay-Z's early songs, and collaborated with him on the single "It's Alright" from the soundtrack to the film Streets Is Watching, which peaked at number 61 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Bleek went on to release his debut album, Coming of Age, in 1999, which contained the singles "Memphis Bleek Is...", "My Hood to Your Hood" and "What You Think of That".
George Carroll, better known as Slaine, is an American rapper and actor. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, where he spent his childhood and teenage years, Carroll moved to New York City in the mid-1990s, where he adopted the moniker of Slaine and started to rap and record hip-hop. In the early 2000s, Carroll became a growing figure in the Boston hip-hop scene, releasing several mixtapes, and the LP Stereotypez (2007) with his group Special Teamz. Later, A Brand You Can Trust (2009) was released, by the rap supergroup La Coka Nostra, where Carroll is joined by Ill Bill, and House of Pain. Carroll’s first solo album A World With No Skies 2.0. (2011) peaked at 33 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums it, 22 on the Top Rap Albums, 29 on US Independent Albums, and 4 on Top Heatseekers.
Peter Cory Pankey, Jr., better known by his stage name Cory Gunz, is an American rapper from the Bronx, New York City. He is best known for his guest appearance on Lil Wayne's 2010 single "6 Foot 7 Foot," which peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 and received septuple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). He signed with Wayne's Young Money Entertainment, a then-imprint of Cash Money and Universal Republic Records in August of that year, although he has released no major albums with the label as a solo act. He starred and was the subject of the 2011 documentary series Son of a Gun, which was presented by his mentor, American comedian Nick Cannon.
No Mercy is the seventh studio album by American rapper T.I. Originally titled King Uncaged, It was released on December 7, 2010, by Grand Hustle Records and Atlantic Records. Recording sessions for the album took place during 2009 to 2010. Production was handled by several high-profile record producers, including Kanye West, Polow da Don, The-Dream, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, The Neptunes, TrackSlayerz, Jake One, T-Minus, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, Rico Love, Alex da Kid, DJ Toomp, Jim Jonsin, Danja and Dr. Luke, among others. The album also features guest appearances from several prominent artists such as Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Scarface, Chris Brown, Eminem, The-Dream, Trey Songz, Pharrell, Drake, Christina Aguilera and Rick Ross, among others.
Success Is Certain is the fifth studio album by rapper Royce da 5'9" released on August 9, 2011. The first single is "Writer's Block" featuring Eminem, which was released in March 2011. Production for the album came from DJ Premier, Mr. Porter, Eminem, Nottz, Streetrunner, The Futuristiks and The Alchemist among others. Guest appearances include Eminem, Joe Budden, Kid Vishis and Travis Barker.
Trouble Man: Heavy Is the Head is the eighth studio album by American rapper T.I. It was released on December 18, 2012, by Grand Hustle Records and Atlantic Records. The production was provided by some of T.I.'s longtime collaborators; including DJ Toomp, Jazze Pha, Pharrell Williams and Lil' C. These high-profile record producers such as T-Minus, Cardiak, No I.D., Rico Love, Planet VI, Tommy Brown and Chuck Diesel, also contributed to the album. The album features guest appearances from P!nk, Lil Wayne, André 3000, R. Kelly, Akon, Meek Mill, CeeLo Green, ASAP Rocky, Trae tha Truth, Victoria Monet and Grand Hustle's own D.O.P.E.
Nayvadius DeMun Cash, known professionally as Future, is an American rapper and singer. Known for his mumble-styled vocals and prolific output, Future is considered a pioneer of the use of Auto-Tuned melodies in trap music. Due to the sustained popularity of this musical style, he is commonly regarded as one of the most influential rappers of his generation.
Class A'z are an Irish rap collective, whose members include the artists, Terawrizt and Redzer. Former members of the group include Nucentz, Rawsoul and Collie. Irish Hip Hop artists Nugget, Siyo, Jonny Darko and Rob Kelly are closely affiliated. Class A'z are considered leading figures on Ireland's underground hip hop scene, having produced a back catalogue of songs and videos which have brought them a considerable internet following, but as yet no real commercial success. They have a long running feud with rival Irish rap group "Working Class Army", a feud which featured on a documentary by Irish television channel RTÉ, which also followed their career. They released 3 mixtapes to date, The Drink Money Mixtape, The Drug Money Mixtape, and On Tick
Freebandz is an American record label founded by Atlanta-based rapper Future in 2011. The label's releases are distributed through Epic Records. Freebandz has signed artists including Real Boston Richey, Lil Double O, Doe Boy, Young Scooter and DJ Esco.
Dijon Isaiah McFarlane, known professionally as Mustard, is an American record producer and DJ. A frequent collaborator of fellow California-based artists YG and Ty Dolla Sign, he has produced several singles and albums for both rappers, as well as other prominent acts in hip hop and R&B. He first saw recognition for his work on Tyga's 2011 single "Rack City".
Maurice "Verse" Simmonds is a Puerto Rican / Virgin Islander rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and record executive. Based in Los Angeles but raised in the Virgin Islands, he moved to the United States after high school and he formed the production duo the Jugganauts in the 1990s. The duo has since co-written and produced tracks such as "Man Down" by Rihanna and "Who Gon Stop Me" by Kanye West and Jay-Z, both of which charted prominently on Billboard.
British Alexander Mitchell, better known by his stage name Brisco, is an American rapper from Opa-locka, Florida. In 2006, he guest performed on fellow South Florida native DJ Khaled's debut album—Listennn... the Album—and signed to Lil Wayne's Young Money Entertainment, an imprint of Cash Money Records in a joint venture with Poe Boy Entertainment. His debut studio album, Street Medicine was scheduled for release in 2010; however, it was ultimately released nine years later as Black Roses under solely Poe Boy due to lack of commercial response.
The American rapper Jay-Z has released 68 singles as a lead artist, 51 singles as a featured artist, and 14 promotional singles. "Can't Knock the Hustle" was the most successful single from his debut studio album Reasonable Doubt, reaching the top 30 in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. During 1997, Jay-Z had success with singles like "Sunshine" which peaked at number 25 in United Kingdom, 18 in Germany and 22 in New Zealand. His next single "Wishing on a Star" peaked at number 13 in UK being his highest peak on the chart until Hard Knock Life. The next single "The City Is Mine was the most successful single of In My Lifetime, Vol. 1. The album peaked at number 3 on the US Billboard 200 and it received positive reviews from critics. In 1998 he released the smash hit singles "Can I Get A..." and "Hard Knock Life " which peaked at number 19 and 15 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and had wide success worldwide, too. The singles helped the album Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life to debut at number 1 on the Albums chart and selling over 5 million copies. Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter had hits like "Jigga My Nigga" which peaked at number 1 on the Rap chart and #28 on the Hot 100. Hits like "Girl's Best Friend" and "Big Pimpin'" were released and the later peaked at #18 on the Hot 100 earning a platinum certification by the RIAA.
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