King Tee

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King Tee, also spelled King T (born Roger McBride), is an American West Coast hip hop pioneer.

His first tracks were produced by The Unknown DJ who also produced Ice T's earliest gangster rap tracks. He has collaborated with artists such as Ice Cube, Rappin' 4-Tay, B-Legit and Ice T. He also worked with other producers such as DJ Pooh, Marley Marl, Ant Banks, and E-Swift of Tha Alkaholiks. Although he helped launch the career of the Tha Alkaholiks, who became popular in their own right, Tee's own career didn't fare quite as well. His highest charting album, Tha Triflin' Album, peaked at #95 on the Billboard 200 while his other albums scraped the bottom of the chart.[1]

Tee began on Capitol Records from 1988 to 1994, releasing Act a Fool, At Your Own Risk and Tha Triflin' Album before moving to MCA to release 1995's IV Life. Capitol released a greatest hits album entitled Ruff Rhymes, and in 2001 Tee dropped The Ruthless Chronicles on Bigga Entertainment.

Dr. Dre tried to help revitalize Tee's career by signing him to Aftermath Records. He appeared on Dre's albums, Dr. Dre Presents...The Aftermath and 2001, and recorded his own album. Tee was eventually dropped from the label; the album he recorded for Aftermath, Thy Kingdom Come, was released in 2002 on a German independent label. It featured guest appearances by Dre, Ice T, Too Short, DJ Quik, Kid Frost, El DeBarge and others.

Those that have followed gangster rap since its roots will credit King Tee with being one of the leading founders helping gangster rap build credibility and eventually helping to open doors for some of today's biggest names in hip-hop. He is also cited as being one of the biggest inspirations for popular East Coast rapper The Notorious BIG, whose early style bore a striking resemblance to that of King Tee.