M.O.P.

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M.O.P.

Origin New York City, USA
Years active 1994 – Present
Genres Rap & Hip-Hop
Labels Select Street Records (1993-1994)
Relativity Records (1995-1999)
Loud Records (2000-2002)
Roc-A-Fella (2002-2004)
G-Unit/Interscope (2005-present)
Members Billy Danzenie
Lil' Fame

M.O.P., short for Mash-Out Posse, is a hardcore hip hop duo from Brownsville, Brooklyn, comprised of rappers Lil' Fame and Billy Danzenie.

Contents

[edit] Biography

M.O.P., short for Mash-Out Posse, is an American hip hop group from Brooklyn. Comprised of rappers Lil' Fame aka Fizzy Womack aka Slap and Billy Danzenie aka Billy Danze aka William Berkowitz, the group is best known for their frenetic hit single, 2000's "Ante Up." M.O.P. emerged in the '90's NYC music scene, adopting the loud and gritty style of the time. Subject matter has typically covered criminality, assassinations, and serious talk about life in the ghetto.

Childhood friends Fame (Jamal Grinnage) and Danze (Eric Murray) grew up in the roughest area of Brownsville and Saratoga and were members of a neighborhood gang named Mash Out Posse headed by Fame's older brother, Big Mal. With a desire to express themselves through rap, they formed a group named after their gang. Originally, Fame was the DJ of the group. With the urging on of Big Mal, Fame began to write his own rhymes.

Big Mal was gunned down shortly before M.O.P. debuted in 1993, with the single "How About Some Hardcore" which appeared on the soundtrack for House Party 3. The underground success of the single, promoted by a gritty, low-budget video from then-unknown director Hype Williams, led to their debut album To the Death. It was a dark and raging LP, released in 1994 on the small label Select Records. The album was fully produced by DR Period.

In 1996, M.O.P. released their second effort, Firing Squad. Hoping for better promotion, they signed with Relativity Records. Despite changing record labels and producers (the album was produced by Gang Starr's DJ Premier and by Lil' Fame himself), they kept their hardcore and energetic style, gaining more fans with the exposure. Two years later, M.O.P. released the Handle Ur Bizness EP which was soon followed by the album First Family 4 Life a few months later. Working with the same formula, again with a heavy percentage of the record produced by DJ Premier and Lil' Fame. The album featured guest appearances by Guru of Gangstarr, Treach of Naughty By Nature and Jay-Z. During this time, both Fame's and Danze's mothers died.

M.O.P.'s fanbase was loyal but remained rather small until 2000, when they released Warriorz, this time on Loud Records. Mainstream radio began playing the first single, "Ante Up", produced by DR Period whom they had not worked with since their debut. The single, containing a sample from Sam & Dave's "Soul Sister, Brown Sugar", was a major radio hit and propelled the album to #25 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart. The follow-up single, the self-produced "Cold As Ice" (which featured a sample from "Cold As Ice" by Foreigner), also received radio airplay, although almost half of the song's lyrics had to be censored for the radio version.

In 2001, a remix of "Ante Up" was released featuring Busta Rhymes, Remy Martin, and Teflon. That same year, they collaborated on a song titled "Life is Good" with the teen pop boy band Lyte Funky Ones. The song reached #82 on the Billboard Singles chart. Both singles continued the Posse's long-awaited mainstream success.

Warriorz is the last major-label release from M.O.P. to date. In 2002, Loud Records folded, leaving the group stranded. In 2003, Loud's parent label Sony/Columbia issued a greatest hits album titled "10 Years And Gunnin'". M.O.P. later joined Jay-Z and Damon Dash's Roc-A-Fella Records. The move appeared to cement the group's future for greater mainstream success. Their first recording for the label was a guest appearance on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse; they were set to release their album titled Ghetto Warfare, but the eagerly anticipated album was shelved. According to M.O.P. themselves, two other albums were recorded: one under the title "The Last Generation", the other entitled "Kill Nigga Die Slo Bluckka Bluckka Bloaoow Blood Sweat Tears and We Out".

In 2003, Mash-Out Posse had a song on the Motion Picture Soundtrack of Bad Boys II

In 2004, M.O.P.'s fan base expanded even more with two songs on the popular game NFL Street 2. It featured "Ground Zero" and "Put it in the Air."

In order to keep their music on the streets, the Posse released a mixtape titled "Marxmen Cinema" under the name The Marxmen. They also, under the name Mash Out Posse, independently released a self-titled rock-rap album. In 2004, Damon Dash sold his share of Roc-A-Fella to new Def Jam president, Jay-Z, and kept M.O.P. on his new label, Dame Dash Music Group. The group was left feeling uncomfortable with the entire situation.

In June 2005, M.O.P. officially announced their signing with 50 Cent's G-Unit Records, at the same time as Queens rap duo Mobb Deep. 50 Cent, as a big fan of the group, has stated his goal is that the group gets more major success. Months after the signing, M.O.P. released a compilation album entitled M.O.P. Salutes the St. Marxmen, consisting of several tracks recorded while the group was signed to Roc-A-Fella.

In July 2006, M.O.P released the long-shelved "Ghetto Warfare".

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

  • 1994 To The Death (Select Records) - April 7, 1994
  • 1996 Firing Squad (Relativity) - October 22, 1996
  • 1998 First Family 4 Life (Relativity) - August 11, 1998
  • 2000 Warriorz (Loud) - October 10, 2000
  • 2003 10 Years and Gunnin' (greatest hits) (Sony) - April 1, 2003
  • 2004 Mash Out Posse (Family First Productions) - May 25, 2004
  • 2005 St. Marxmen (Koch Records) - October 18, 2005
  • 2006 Ghetto Warfare (Copppertop) - July 25, 2006
  • 2007 Yearly Physical (G-Unit Records) - TBD, 2007

[edit] Singles

  • "How About Some Hardcore" (1993)
  • "Rugged Neva Smoove" (1994)
  • "Dead & Gone" (1996)
  • "World Famous" (1997)
  • "Handle Ur Bizness" (1998)
  • "G Building" (2000)
  • "Ante Up" (2000)
  • "Ante Up (Remix)" (feat. Busta Rhymes, Remy Ma & Teflon) (2001)
  • "Cold As Ice" (2001)
  • "Hilltop Flava/Ground Zero" (2004)
  • "Murder Rate" (feat. Papoose) (2006)

[edit] Appearances

[edit] External links

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