| Won-G Bruny | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Wondgy Bruny |
| Also known as | Won-G |
| Born | August 29, 1978 |
| Origin | Port-au-Prince, Haiti and Brooklyn, New York [1] |
| Genres | Rap and Hip-Hop |
| Occupations | Rapper, Singer, Songwriter, and Entrepreneur |
| Years active | 1993-present |
| Labels | Sovage |
| Website | www.Won-G.com |
Wondgy ' Won-G ' Bruny is a Haitian rapper, entrepreneur, and owner of the clothing and record label "Sovage".[2][3]
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Won-G was born on August 29, 1978 in Brooklyn, New York but was raised in Haiti. Won-G is the second oldest of eleven children (six boys and five girls). After moving with his family to America when he was 13, he began to pursue a rap career. When he was 15, he released a self-titled album "Won-G", after finding a low cost CD-presser. With friends and himself he sold his CD's on the street. Since then, he has achieved underground acclaim and is often accredited to be a pioneer in West Coast rap. He has released several records including: Do It, Do It (1995), Royal Impression (2000), No Better Than This (2001) and Explosion (2002).[4] He's worked with a wide variety of musical talent including rappers Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Da Brat, and the Outlawz; and producers Ric Wake, DJ Quik, Johnny J, and L.T. Hutton.[5][6][7] He has since been involved with several notable stars including Paris Hilton in a remake of "Caught Up in the Rapture" by Blondie for his Haiti Prince Album.[8]
Won-G spent the first 15 years of his life splitting time between Brooklyn and his native Port-au-Prince, Haiti, soaking up a legion of musical and linguistic contrasts. His family subsequently settled permanently in the U.S., where he began entering talent competitions. Success in this area led him to record a small-scale indie-label album, Do It Do It, in 1995 with the help of his father and brother. Won-G next founded his own label, Happy World, in partnership with a friend's parents, and caught the ear of Beyond Music, which picked up his 2000 album The Royal Impression. Produced by Won-G's brother Dubble M and featuring cameos from Layzie Bone, the Outlawz, Yukmouth, and Sylk E. Fine, The Royal Impression projected an upbeat, positive energy and a freewheeling, eclectic range of influences ranging from pop, dance, and urban to the sounds of the rapper's native Haiti.
Won-G, who like many Haitians was raised immersed in Creole, French, Spanish and English, began to place his own vocal style over his music."He started rhyming back in Haiti to Ra-Ra music (the expressive, religious, carnival-like-music of the country's poor) because of his dad would play the guitars and the drums.
Won-G is currently involved in several humanitarian efforts, most notably his charity "One Dome at a Time", which provides needy Haitians with a strong shelter that "can last over 200 years" and "is assembled in Haiti."[9]