Juelz Santana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Juelz Santana | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Background information | ||
| Birth name | LaRon Louis James | |
| Also known as | L's Juelz Bandana |
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| Born | February 18, 1983 (age 23) | |
| Origin | Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA | |
| Genre(s) | Hip Hop | |
| Years active | 1998–Present | |
| Label(s) | Roc-A-Fella Records Diplomat Records Def Jam Recordings |
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| Associated acts |
The Diplomats Jim Jones Freeky Zeeky |
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Juelz Santana (born LaRon Louis James on February 18, 1983) is an American rapper of African American and Dominican descent from Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA who first became known for his "featured" status on Cam'ron's 2002 hits, "Oh Boy", and "Hey Ma".
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[edit] Biography
Born to a Dominican mother and an African American father, Juelz Santana was born LaRon Louis James in Harlem, NY. He began writing rhymes at the age of 12. Juelz Santana began his music career at the age of 15, in the group Draft Pick. Draft Pick was featured in Seventeen Magazine in 1998. The following year, the group went on to sign with Priority Records, but before an album could be made, Priority dropped the group from its roster. Eventually the members of Draft Pick parted ways.
[edit] Juelz meets Cam'Ron
Juelz continued rapping and in 1999 at age 16, his cousin introduced him to Cam'Ron, a fellow Harlem rapper. Cam'Ron was so impressed after hearing Juelz rap that he gave him a chance to rap a verse on the song "Double Up", which was featured on Cam'Ron's 2000 release Sports, Drugs, Entertainment on Untertainment Records. Unfortunately, before Juelz could get into talks with Untertainment and Arista Records, Cam'Ron was dropped by Untertainment.
[edit] The Diplomats
Juelz and Cam'Ron continued working together along with another Harlem rapper, Jim Jones as a group called The Diplomats. In 2001 Cam'Ron signed with Roc-A-Fella Records through an old friend, Dame Dash. Although most of this album was completed before The Diplomats moved on to Roc-A-Fella, Juelz was featured on many tracks on Cam'ron's album Come Home With Me In 2002 Juelz received more publicity with his featured spot on the songs "Oh Boy" and "Hey Ma" off of Cam'Ron's 2002 release Come Home With Me. In 2003 Juelz went on to release his first solo album From Me To U. The album was greeted with lukewarm reviews and mediocre album sales. Since 2003 the album is certified Gold by the RIAA.
[edit] What The Game's Been Missing
In late 2005 Juelz released What the Game's Been Missing. Unlike his debut, this album was greeted with rave reviews and an impressive first week sales figures. The album's success was propelled by the singles "There It Go (The Whistle Song)","Mic Check", and "Clockwork". To date the album has been certified Platinum by the RIAA.
Juelz, also has a clothing store in his hometown of Harlem, New York called Santana's Town. Santana's Town is a family owned and run business managed by his mother Deborah James. The store is located at 1809 Amsterdam Ave. between 149th and 150th.
[edit] Trivia
- He is preparing to release a collaborative album with Lil Wayne. The prequel is a mixtape called "Blow: The 'I Can't Feel My Face' Prequel made through DJ Mick Boogie.
- Recorded the track "Conteo" alongside famous reggaeton artist Don Omar which appeared both on Don Omar's new album, "King of Kings" and on the Fast & The Furious: Tokyo Drift soundtrack.
- The song There It Go was played in The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift. It was not featured in the soundtrack, however.
- He has a young son named La'Ron James Jr. One of his songs ("Daddy") states that he was 7 pounds, 6 ounces, and 20 inches at birth.
- He appears on The Game's One Blood (Remix) along with numerous other rappers.
- Calls himself "Human Crack In The Flesh"
- Appeared and had a verse on the video of Jim Jones' We Fly High remix.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Album Cover | Album Information |
|---|---|
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From Me To U
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What The Game's Been Missing!
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Back To Business
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[edit] Mixtapes
- Final Destination Hosted by DJ Kayslay
- Back Like Cooked Crack:Pt.1
- Back Like Cooked Crack:Pt.2
- Back Like Cooked Crack Pt.3:Fiend Out
- Best of Both Hoods with Young Jeezy (Not Released)
- Blow: The 'I Can't Feel My Face' Prequel with Lil Wayne
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot 100 | US R&B/Hip-Hop | US Rap | |||
| 2003 | "Dipset (Santana Town)" | - | #70 | - | From Me to U |
| 2005 | "Mic Check" | #37 | #53 | #12 | What the Game's Been Missing! |
| 2005 | "There It Go (The Whistle Song)" | #6 Platinum | #8 | #3 | What the Game's Been Missing! |
| 2005 | "Oh Yes" | #56 | #15 | #8 | What the Game's Been Missing! |
| 2006 | "Clockwork" | - | #68 | - | What the Game's Been Missing! |
[edit] Featured singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot 100 | US R&B/Hip-Hop | US Rap | |||
| 2002 | "Oh Boy" (Cam'ron feat. Juelz Santana) | #4 | #1 | #1 | Come Home With Me |
| 2002 | "Hey Ma" (Cam'ron feat. Juelz Santana) | #3 | #7 | #4 | Come Home With Me |
| 2005 | "Run It!" (Chris Brown feat. Juelz Santana) | #1 (5 weeks) Platinum | #1 (4 weeks) | - | Chris Brown |
