| Mickey Avalon | |
|---|---|
Avalon in San Diego, California |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Yeshe Perl |
| Also known as | Mickey Avalon |
| Born | December 3, 1975 |
| Origin | Hollywood, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Hip hop Rap Rock |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 2004 - present |
| Labels | Shoot To Kill, Myspace, Interscope Records, Suburban Noize Records |
| Associated acts | Dyslexic Speedreaders, Dirt Nasty, Cisco Adler |
| Website | http://www.mickeyavalon.com/ |
Mickey Avalon (born Yeshe Perl[1] on December 3, 1975) is an American rapper from Hollywood, California. His debut self-titled solo album was released Nov. 7, 2006 on Interscope/Shoot to Kill Records in association with MySpace Records. Frequent topics of Avalon's songs are his experiences with substance abuse and prostitution.
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Avalon's family upbringing was tumultuous. His mother sold marijuana for a living (which Avalon began doing as well) and his father was a heroin addict.[2] He was raised Orthodox Jewish.[3] By the time he was out of his teenage years he had prostituted himself in order to get money to support his heroin addiction.[4] He spent time as a prostitute and drug dealer before finding success in music.[5] By his early 20s, Avalon got married, had a daughter, and moved to Portland, Oregon.[3]
Avalon is a member of the Los Angeles-based graffiti crew CBS (Can't Be Stopped / City Bomb Squad).
Upon moving to Los Angeles, he was befriended by ex-MTV VJ Simon Rex who encouraged Avalon to rap and collaborated with him. The two began passing out demos to Hollywood clubs and soon developed a following among fans of the Santa Cruz nightclub scene.
After Mickey became close friends with Simon Rex, they formed a rap group called the Dyslexic Speedreaders. The group included: Mickey Avalon, Simon "Dirt Nasty" Rex, Andre Legacy, and Beardo as the four members. Andre Legacy was Avalon's friend since elementary school and Beardo was Avalon’s friend from their work together in the modeling industry. In 2007, after Mickey released his first studio album, the Dyslexic Speedreaders released the Shoot To Kill Mixtape. In 2009, Mickey Avalon released "What Do You Say" which featured Dirt Nasty and Andre Legacy, but he announced on his Myspace that this was the last Dyslexic Speedreaders song.
After years of friendship and musical collaborations, the group disbanded after Mickey had a dispute with the other members over unpaid loans. On November 7, 2010, Avalon announced on theFIVE10 Radio that he was leaving his label and that his relationship with Dirt Nasty and Andre Legacy had been strained due to money issues.[6] He told JC of theFIVE10 Radio that Dirt Nasty and Andre Legacy never paid him back for all the money he had put into developing them and that was the reason they were not talking. He stated that there was still room for reconciliation by saying, "No one slept with anyone's chick."
In March 2007, Avalon was booed off the stage while opening for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, in Oklahoma City. During his set, Avalon threw his microphone at the audience in frustration, and walked off stage angrily. The next day, Red Hot Chili Peppers lead guitarist John Frusciante wrote a letter to the band's fans in Oklahoma City, accusing them of booing Avalon for personal issues, and having a lack of "regard for humanity."[7] A similar event happened when Avalon opened for the band at a show in the Netherlands where he left the stage after 25 minutes.
| Year | Album | Record label | Type of label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Mickey Avalon | Myspace Records | Indie |
| 2012 | On The Ave | Suburban Noise Records | Indie |