MC Ren

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MC Ren Axon Miller
Background information
Birth name Lorenzo Jerald Patterson
Also known as Villain
Dat Nigga Ren
Ren
Born June 14, 1969
Origin Compton, California
Genre(s) Rap
West Coast hip-hop
Occupation(s) Rapper
Years active 1986 - present
Label(s) Ruthless Records
Associated
acts
N.W.A., R.R.

MC Ren is the stage name of Lorenzo Jerald Patterson (born June 14, 1969 in Compton, California) a rapper and hip-hop producer.

Contents

[edit] Biography

All you need to know is that this is Lorenzo in a Benzo.

Born and raised in Compton , California, joined up with the groundbreaking gangsta rap group N.W.A. as he finished his senior year at Dominguez High School in Compton. He contributed hard-hitting vocals on the Straight Outta Compton (1988) album and soon found himself a much more valuable member of the group after Ice Cube departed in 1989.

N.W.A. became the first hardcore rap group to gain mainstream success. However, as their album Efil4zaggin, backwards for Niggaz 4 Life, reached the #1 spot on Billboard in 1991, financial conflict between Dr. Dre and Ruthless Records led to the group disbanding. Group member Eazy-E was accused of skimming money along with the group's manager. Dr. Dre left to help form Death Row Records. MC Ren subsequently released his debut album with the help of Eazy-E in 1992, entitled Kizz My Black Azz. Surprisingly enough, with little commercial promotion, the album went platinum, best known for its hit single "Final Frontier." MC Ren's next album, Life Sentence, was scrapped while converting to the Nation of Islam (what he left since then[1]) with guidance from his DJ, DJ Train. Shock of the Hour (1993) was released the next year containing a few singles; none left any lasting impression. It also features the single "Mayday on the Frontline" which appeared in the film CB4.

MC Ren soon found hard times when DJ Train died in a house fire before the release of the ill-fated The Villain in Black (1996); that album also sold relatively well for a brief period. Before leaving Ruthless Records, Ren released Ruthless for Life (1998) which proved a worthy comeback, that also sold briefly. He appeared on the posse cut "Some L.A. Niggaz" from Dre's 2001, but only spoke the intro and did not actually rap on the track.

As of 2002, Ren was working on another album. His lyrical abilities have been displayed with many guest appearances with artists from Ice Cube, Kurupt, Snoop Dogg, Paris, The D.O.C., Cypress Hill and many others. He is highly touted by his peers, such as Nas, who mentions Ren in his song Hip-Hop Is Dead ("So who is in your top ten? is it MC Shan, is it MC Ren?")

In addition, MC Ren released the straight-to-DVD movie entitled 'Lost in the Game', released in 2004.

MC Ren's unique flow is perhaps best known for his odd choice of rhyme combinations, such as his frequent pairing of 'hostage' with 'ostrich.'

His most recent work has appeared on some more politically-oriented projects such as with Public Enemy, specifically Paris' album Hard Truth Soldiers V.1 as well as on Public Enemy's album Rebirth of a Nation (2006). Paris did state, however, in a recent interview with Rapstation.com that "MC Ren is retired and won't be doing a full-length album as far as I know. I get at him for verses, that's about it."

New information has come to light from dubcnn.com on November 1, 2006 that MC Ren will be recording again with RBX and Big Rocc to form the group "Concrete Criminals". Word is that they are already deep into recording new material for the group.

MC Ren appeared on the VH1 Hip-Hop honors talking about Eazy-E in the tribute to Eazy-E.

MC Ren will be present at the N.W.A. reunion and will write songs for the album.

[edit] MC Ren Discography

album cover album information
Kizz My Black Azz
Shock of the hour
The Villain in Black
Ruthless for Life

Just in case anyone was wondering this is "Lorenzo in a Benzo".

[edit] N.W.A. Discography

Album cover Album information
N.W.A. and the Posse
Straight Outta Compton
  • Released: August, 1988 (original), February 6, 1989 (re-released date)
  • Chart positions: #37 US, #9 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, #35 UK (2003 Remastered version)
  • Last RIAA certification: 3x Platinum
  • Singles: "Straight Outta Compton", "Express Yourself"
100 Miles and Runnin'
Efil4zaggin
  • Released: May 28, 1991
  • Chart positions: #1 US, #2 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, #25 UK
  • Last RIAA certification: 2x Platinum
  • Singles: "Apetite For Destruction", "Alwayz Into Somethin'"


[edit] Appears on

  • 1990 "We're All in the Same Gang" (from The West Coast Rap Allstars single)
  • 1995 "Down Fa Mine" (from the Kam album Made In America)
  • 1998 "24 Hours to Live (Remix)" (from the album Ruthless Records Presents: Decade of Game)
  • 1998 "Stallion" (from the Yukmouth album Thugged Out: The Albulation)
  • 1999 "Some L.A. Niggaz" (from the Dr. Dre album 2001)
  • 2000 "Chin Check" (on the N.W.A. track from the Next Friday soundtrack)
  • 2001 "Bangin" (from the Ms. Toi album That Girl)
  • 2002 "2 G's from Compton" (from the King Tee album Thy Kingdom Come)
  • 2002 "Wanna Ride" (from the Wc album The Streets)
  • 2006 "Still Ain't Free (from the Paris (rapper) album Paris Presents: Hard Truth Soldiers Vol. 1)

[edit] External links