Tha Realest
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (January 2008) |
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2008) |
| Tha Realest | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jevon Jones |
| Born | November 10, 1974 [citation needed] |
| Origin |  Dallas, Texas, U.S. |
| Genre(s) | Southern hip hop, West Coast hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper |
| Years active | 1996 – present |
| Label(s) | Death Row Records (1996–2002) Omerta Entertainment (2002–2006) (discontinued?) Tommy Boy Records (2002–2006) Tru 'Dat' Entertainment (2006–2007) Team Dime Entertainment (2007–present) |
| Associated acts | The Regime |
| Website | www.tharealest.com |
Jevon Jones (born November 10, 1974[citation needed] in Dallas, Texas) is an American rapper better known by his stage name Tha Realest and formerly Tenkamenin The Vigilante (or simply Tenkamenin). Jones is noted for having a remarkably similar voice to that of deceased rapper and former Death Row artist, Tupac Shakur.[1] Tha Realest is also a member of The Regime.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
Jevon Jones was born in Dallas, Texas, and was raised there by his grandmother. His father worked as a preacher.[2] As an Oak Cliff native, Jones started rapping in the early 1980s at the age of 10 and competed in rap battles on the local circuit. In the early 90s, Jones and former Dallas Cowboys player, Kevin Smith, formed their first record label.[3]
[edit] Career
[edit] Death Row Records
Jones signed to Death Row Records in 1996. He made his musical debut on the Gang Related soundtrack, appearing in two songs with rapper J-Flexx under the pseudonym Tenkamenin, sharing his name with a 16th century African king. In 1999 he performed several tracks on the Death Row collaboration Suge Knight Represents: Chronic 2000 alongside fellow Death Row artists Swoop G and Lil' C-Style. He would again collaborate with them on yet another Death Row compilation titled Too Gangsta for Radio, appearing on the tracks "Fuck Dre" and "Fuck Hollywood". "Fuck Dre", seemingly a response to the Dr. Dre single "Forgot About Dre", insults many former Death Row artists and their affiliates, primarily Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg, N.W.A and Eminem, who is an artist on Aftermath Records.
On October 17, 1999,[4] while working on Suge Knight Represents: Chronic 2000, Tha Realest sustained relatively serious injuries to the foot, having been shot in a drive-by shooting after leaving the studio in which he had just finished recording a song with Tha Dogg Pound (Kurupt and Daz Dillinger).[2] Dwayne "Draws" Dupree, a security officer working in the area, was also shot, but died shorty after.[5]
[edit] After Death Row Records
Tha Realest left Death Row Records in 2002 to form his own record label, 2 Real Entertainment (later Omerta Entertainment). In 2004, he recorded a mixtape at Can-Am Studios with Mob Life Records artist 730 entitled From East 2 West, and was released in early 2007. It featured musical performances by Mopreme Shakur, Assassin, Havikk of South Central Cartel and New Child of Outlawz.[6]
Tha Realest was signed to Tru 'Dat' Entertainment in 2006, a company founded by Hysear Randell to seek and recruit talented individuals in film, music, fashion and sports. The music video for his debut single, "Eurry Now and Then" was released shortly thereafter. It features cameo appearances by C-Bo, Yukmouth, Nutt-So, Young Hogg, Big C-Style and Ray J.[7] In 2007, Hysear was accused of embezzling millions of dollars worth of tax payers money through fraudulent money transfers. Tru 'Dat' Entertainment was subsequently forced to discontinue the label.[8]
Tha Realest is now trying to release his highly anticipated album Witness Tha Realest, which has been delayed substantially due to the demise of Tru 'Dat' Entertainment. It will feature guest appearances from other rappers, among them, Yukmouth, Fat Joe, Dru Down, C-Bo, WC, E.D.I., Napoleon, Devin The Dude, Swoop G and others. Tha Realest plans on compliing close to 18 tracks for the album, telling interviewers:
| “ | They say: 'good things come to those who wait,' the position I was in at Death Row wasn't right for me. I didn't always get the due credit I believe I deserved and I finally got out of that deal. I put so many songs on Witness Tha Realest because so many people have been waiting so long for my CD to drop. You won't have to fast forward through any of the songs on the CD. You're gonna' have to give me an hour and ten minutes of your time when you listen to this CD. I'm not about to give you only three songs worth listening to. $15 is lunch money for a lot of kids. With Witness Tha Realest, I'm a holla at you. I'm going to give you something that you can knock for a while man ... value for your dollar is long overdue in today's music market.[5] | ” |
Witness Tha Realest Mix Tape, which was released in November of 2006 was originally meant to be the Witness Tha Realest studio album scheduled for release on July 15, 2004. This, however, changed due to the absence of a distribution company.[3] In late 2007, Tha Realest signed with Team Dime Entertainment, a newly created record label which will host his debut album. Following the label's developments, the album is expected to be released sometime in 2008.
[edit] Films
Tha Realest, like many other rappers such as G-Unit and Ice-T, has appeared in several hip-hop themed pornographic productions including a few alongside other rappers such as Snoop Dogg who, himself, has produced several pornographic films. His main productions are titled Tha Realest #1 and #2 and feature original music by Tha Realest[9] and many popular pornographic actresses such as Mika Tan, Lyla Lei and Brooke Haven. The films were produced by Antiqua Pictures and Fatt Entertainment. The Realest also appeared in a low-budget film titled Slumber Party which was released in 2005 and also featured several former-Death Row Records performers such as Daz Dillinger and Crooked I.
[edit] Controversy
[edit] Tupac Shakur
|
|
This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can (January 2008). |
|
|
This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2008) |
Tupac Shakur, a former Death Row artists who was murdered in a drive-by shooting on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada, on September 13, 1996, has had songs by Tha Realest wrongly attributed to him because of the strong resemblance in their voices.[citation needed] One of Tha Realest's songs especially, titled "Fuck Dre", has been used to stimulate the theory that Shakur faked his death and recorded the song while in hiding. Many 2Pac fans dislike him, claiming he is using one of Shakur's attributes (Realest), plagiarizing many of his lyrics and imitating his personality and appearance. The Realest is also said to have "dissed" many rappers Shakur had rivalries or "beef" with before his fatal shooting, including Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mobb Deep and Jay Z. Young Noble, a member of The Outlawz, dissed Tha Realest for this alleged imitation of Shakur even to the point where he called him an impostor, but other members of The Outlawz, such as Napoleon and E.D.I., have willingly collaborated with him. Several websites exist, dedicated to proving that Tha Realest is Tupac Shakur; one famous video of Tha Realest in particular, has been used to prove that 'Tupac is alive'.[citation needed]
Though Tha Realest's likeness to Shakur is highly controversial among hip hop fans, Tha Realest had met Shakur after signing to Death Row Records in 1996, shortly before Shakur's fatal drive-by shooting.[2] It is suggested that Shakur approved of Tha Realest's style of rapping even though very similar to his.[2]
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- Witness Tha Realest (TBA)
[edit] Compilations
- Suge Knight Represents: Chronic 2000 (1999)
- Too Gangsta for Radio (2000)
[edit] Mixtapes
- Tha Realest In Tha Game (2002)
- Witness Tha Realest Mix Tape (2006)
- From East 2 West (2007)
- Tha Death Row Dayz (2007)
- Tha Death Row Dayz 2 (2007)
- Mob Muzik (2008)
[edit] Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Slumber Party | Himself |
[edit] Pornographic movies
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Tha Realest: The Party's Just Getting Started | Himself | |
| 2006 | Tha Realest - Volume 2: The Party Continues | Himself |
[edit] References
- ^ Tha Realest Vs. Ja Rule by TruRambo, WorldWideConnected.com
- ^ a b c d Tha Realest UndergroundWestcoastRap.com
- ^ a b Tha Realest Interview by BIG WILL, Worldwide Westside Magazine Issue #3, March, 2004
- ^ The Big-Ass Timeline (see "1999" at the bottom)
- ^ a b Off Tha Row and on With Tha Real EURweb.com, March 30, 2005
- ^ Indie Label Mob Life Records Drops First Release by Jay Casteel, BallerStatus, March 17, 2004
- ^ Witness Tha Realest: “Eurry Now & Then” Video Premiere! by BIGWILL, West Coast Rydaz, March 9, 2007
- ^ Suspect's Web site makes lavish claims by John C. Ensslin, Rocky Mountain News, May 1, 2007
- ^ Former Death Row Artist Tha Realest Filming Adult DVD BallerStatus, November 11, 2004
