Nature (rapper)

Nature
Birth name Jermain Baxter
Born December 5, 1972 (1972-12-05) (age 39)
Genres Hip hop
Years active 1993–present
Labels Columbia Records
Associated acts The Firm, Nas, AZ, N.O.R.E.

Jermain Baxter (born December 5, 1972), better known as Nature, is an American rapper, best known for his association with fellow Queensbridge-born rapper Nas.[1]

Career

Baxter grew up in Queensbridge, New York, and went to school with Nas.[2][3] Nas introduced Nature to the public in 1997, as a member of his supergroup The Firm, whose members also included AZ and Foxy Brown.[2][3] Nature was brought in to replace rapper Cormega, who had a contractual dispute with Nas' manager Steve Stoute. The Firm's first and only album, Nas, Foxy Brown, AZ, and Nature Present The Firm: The Album, went platinum, and topped the Billboard 200 album chart.[2][4]

He left the group in 1997 and in 2000 his debut solo album, For All Seasons, was released by Columbia Records and featured a guest appearance from Nas.[2][5] It reached #50 on the Billboard 200.[6] He followed this in 2002 with Wild Gremlinz, now on independent Sequence Records, which reached #150 on the Billboard 200 but reached #9 on the Independent Albums chart.[7] Three of his tracks were included on the soundtrack of the film Angels in America in 2003. A third album, Pain Killer, was released in 2008.

Discography

References

  1. ^ "Queensbridge's Nature Has Musical Knowledge 'For All Seasons'", New York Beacon, November 15, 2000
  2. ^ a b c d Dillon, Charlotte "Nature Biography", Allmusic, retrieved 2010-02-11
  3. ^ a b Wilson, Elliott (1999) "Nature: Organic MC", Vibe, June 1999, retrieved 2010-02-11
  4. ^ "The Album, Billboard, retrieved 2010-02-11
  5. ^ Conaway, Matt "For All Seasons Review", Allmusic, retrieved 2010-02-11
  6. ^ "For All Seasons", Billboard, retrieved 2010-02-11
  7. ^ "Wild Gremlinz", Billboard, retrieved 2010-02-11
  8. ^ Nature: Pain Killer - IlRap.com