Kurupt

In 1992, at age 19, Kurupt signed to Death Row Records, newly formed by music manager Suge Knight and Dr. Dre, the rapper and music producer who had just left the rap group N.W.A and its Ruthless Records. At Death Row, Kurupt joined a roster of artists—including Daz Dillinger, Lady of Rage, Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg, and RBX—who entered the public eye by their features on Dr. Dre's debut solo album The Chronic. Kurupt and Daz soon teamed as a rap duo, Tha Dogg Pound, featured on Snoop Dogg's debut solo album, Doggystyle, in 1993, its song "For All My Niggaz & Bitchez."

By 1996, the rap genre's East Coast–West Coast rivalry was escalating, spurred on by Death Row's CEO Suge and by rapper 2Pac, new to the label, who believed that a Bad Boy Records circle, in their hometown New York City, had fostered his November 1994 shooting there. Tha Dogg Pound released the single "New York, New York," featuring Snoop, slighting the city. (Replying, New York rappers Capone-N-Noreaga released "L.A., L.A.," featuring Mobb Deep and Tragedy Khadafi.) The duo's debut album, Dogg Food, produced by Daz and mixed by Dre, drew favorable reviews and good sales.

Tupac Shakur's 1996 murder triggered an exodus of artists from Death Row Records. Preceded only by Dr. Dre, Kurupt was second to leave. He then signed with A&M Records, where he founded the imprint Antra Records, releasing his debut solo album Kuruption! in 1998. Kurupt left the Antra label upon his second album, Tha Streetz Iz a Mutha, whose diss track "Calling Out Names" has Kurupt naming various rappers, including the New York rappers Ja Rule, 50 Cent, Irv Gotti, and DMX, whom Kurupt accuses of an affair with Kurupt's then-fiance Foxy Brown.

During this time, he linked up with fellow Californian Ras Kass, Wu-Tang Clan-affiliate Killah Priest, and Canibus to form a new group, The HRSMN, although, despite promised of forthcoming material, has released only an unfinished white label.

While Death Row owned rights to Tha Dogg Pound name, Kurupt and Daz operated as the DPG (Dogg Pound Gangstaz), and also with a larger group, including Nate Dogg, Snoop Dogg, Soopafly, and others intermittently, altogether the DPGC (Dogg Pound Gangsta Clique). Daz and Kurupt, as the DPG, released Dillinger & Young Gotti, which received lukewarm reviews.[7] Kurupt's following solo album, Space Boogie: Smoke Oddessey, with production by Daz and by up-and-coming producer Fredwreck, and released by Artemis Records, fared better. Kurupt's then-fiancee, the late Natina Reed, performed the hook of its single "It's Over."

In early 2002, an unofficial remix/compilation album titled 2002, and by Tha Dogg Pound, provoked questions about the duo's relationship with Death Row. Soon becoming its vice president, Kurupt signed again to Death Row. Given Daz's especial enmity at Death Row's mogul Knight, Kurupt and Daz began feuding, repeatedly bashing each other on records and in interviews.[8][9]

In 2003 he released DJ Tomekk the single Ganxtaville Pt. III and placed 5th on the German charts, as well as in the charts of Austria and Switzerland.

While mentoring Death Row's new artists, including Spider Loc, Crooked I, and Eastwood, Kurupt began his next album, Against tha Grain. Further, he formed a new group, The Riflemen,[10] consisting of Kurupt, Mobb Deep, Jayo Felony, 40 Glocc, and The Alchemist, although the likelihood of a record from this ensemble increasingly slimmed. In 2004, after repeated delays of Kurupt's forthcoming solo album Originals, a bootleg version was released, alike those of Crooked I and other Death Row artists.

Kurupt was more stung by his feud with Daz than Kurupt had acknowledged.[11] Yet in April 2005, at a West Coast unity event hosted by Snoop Dogg, with Snoop as liaison, Kurupt and Daz reconciled and restored their rap duo under its original moniker, Tha Dogg Pound.[12] Kurupt's album Against tha Grain was released once Kurupt had already left Death Row a second time; he would publicly denounce the disses that he had included on the album. But an EP called Against tha Grain E.P. has surfaced, containing said disses.

Kurupt with Daz Dillinger in 2015

Kurupt and Daz released Dillinger & Young Gotti II: The Saga Continuez in 2005, Cali iz Active (as DPG with Snoop Dogg)[13] in 2006, and Dogg Chit in 2007; while he originally touted Dogg Chit as the heir to Dogg Food's legacy,[4] he has since stated that none of the group's intermittent releases are to be considered actual albums—more like mixtapes, and that the upcoming 100 Wayz (originally titled Westcoast Aftershocc) is to be considered the second actual Dogg Pound release.[14] 2006 also saw the release of Snoop Dogg's album Tha Blue Carpet Treatment, on which Kurupt appeared. After putting out Digital Smoke with J. Wells, Brown also released an album with his younger brother Roscoe entitled The Frank and Jess Story. Kurupt appeared on Snoop Dogg's 2008 album Ego Trippin'.

Before 100 Wayz, Tha Dogg Pound's Gangsta Grillz mixtape was released, hosted by DJ Drama;,[15] followed by an album called BlaQKout with DJ Quik due out on April 28, 2009[16]—the single for which, "Fuck Y'all," is a diss to former Quik partners AMG, Hi-C and 2nd II None.

Kurupt has been featured on many tracks with other independent artists over the last few years and released his first solo album in four years, Streetlights, on April 20, 2010. Kurupt is currently recording with MC Eiht, King T, Jayo Felony, B.G. Knocc Out, Tha Chill, and Sir Jinx for a hip hop group project called "1st Generation".[17]

Kurupt’s plans for 2012 include the release of the long anticipated HRSMN album, 'The Academy' album which is a compilation album of collaborations between various artists and a guest feature on the single ‘Hey Girl’ alongside Joell Ortiz (Slaughterhouse) and Big Dave (rapper) taken from Big Dave’s debut album ‘Self Made’. Following the death of his son's Tren's mother Natina Reed (of R&B girl group Blaque) in a tragic car accident in Atlanta,[18] planned to release the DJ Nik Bean-hosted mixtape, Money, Bitches, Power on November 7, 2012 but it was delayed.[19] The mixtape will feature E-40, Crooked I, Masta Killa, RBX, Ty Dolla Sign, The Rejectz and more.[20] It was scheduled to be released on May 1, 2013. Kurupt released another hit single in early 2015 "I.M.O." (In My Opinion) with young hip hop rapper and producer KingThaRapper signed under Famous Music Group.

Kendrick Lamar cited Kurupt in a 2014 interview as one of his three most significant influences, alongside 2Pac and Ice Cube. Eminem stated in his song 'Till I Collapse that he views Kurupt as one of the best rappers of all time, saying "I got a list—here's the order of my list that it's in, it goes Reggie, Jay Z, Tupac and Biggie, Andre from Outkast, Jada, Kurupt, Nas, and then me".[21] Kool Moe Dee ranked him at 39 in his best MCs of all-time list, from his book, There's a God on the Mic.

• Kuruption! (1998)
• Tha Streetz Iz a Mutha (1999)
• Space Boogie: Smoke Oddessey (2001)
• Against the Grain (2005)
• Same Day, Different Shit (2006)
• Streetlights (2010)

• The Horsemen Project with HRSMN (2003)
• Digital Smoke with J. Wells (2007)
• The Frank and Jess Story with Roscoe (2008)
• BlaQKout with DJ Quik (2009)
• Tha Tekneek Files with Roscoe (2009)
• We Got Now and Next with Diirty OGz (2016)