Arabian Prince
Encyclopedia
Arabian Prince is the stage name
of Mik Lezan (born June 17, 1965), a rapper
and hip hop producer
, best known for being an original member of the rap group, N.W.A.
He was a founding member of N.W.A. but when fellow member Ice Cube came back from the Phoenix Institute of Technology in 1988 he found himself to be surplus to the band — Eazy-E
, Ice Cube
and MC Ren
were the main performers, DJ Yella
was the turntablist and Dr. Dre
was the main producer.
After leaving N.W.A., Arabian Prince began his solo career. His first solo album Brother Arab was released in 1989, although it sold poorly.
Arabian Prince continued his solo career and released his fourth album Where's My Bytches in 1993, which was his last album of the 1990s.
He recently started releasing music again with his Professor X project on the Dutch label Clone records. In 2007, he performed as a DJ on the 2K Sports Holiday Bounce Tour with artists from the Stones Throw label. In 2008, Stones Throw released a compilation of his electro-rap
material from the 1980s. One of his songs was included on the 2007 video game College Hoops 2K8
.
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
of Mik Lezan (born June 17, 1965), a rapper
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
and hip hop producer
Hip hop production
Hip hop production is the creation of hip hop music. Though the term encompasses all aspects of hip hop music, it's most commonly used to refer to the instrumental, non-lyrical aspects of hip hop. This means that hip hop producers are the instrumentalists involved in a work...
, best known for being an original member of the rap group, N.W.A.
Biography
He started working with Bobby Jimmy & the Critters in 1984. He also produced the hit single and album for JJ Fad, "Supersonic."He was a founding member of N.W.A. but when fellow member Ice Cube came back from the Phoenix Institute of Technology in 1988 he found himself to be surplus to the band — Eazy-E
Eazy-E
Eric Lynn Wright , better known by his stage name Eazy-E, was an American rapper who performed solo and in the hip hop group N.W.A. Wright was born to Richard and Kathie Wright in Compton, California...
, Ice Cube
Ice Cube
O'Shea Jackson , better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American rapper and actor. He began his career as a member of the hip-hop group C.I.A. and later joined the rap group N.W.A. After leaving N.W.A in December 1989, he built a successful solo career in music, and also as a writer,...
and MC Ren
MC Ren
Lorenzo Jerald Patterson , better known by his stage name MC Ren, is a rapper who formed part of the group N.W.A. His moniker is derived from his first name .-Early life:...
were the main performers, DJ Yella
DJ Yella
DJ Yella is the stage name of Antoine Carraby , a DJ, drummer, music producer, film director and pornographer from Compton, California. He was a member of the World Class Wreckin' Cru along with Dr. Dre. He later became a founding member of the pioneering gangsta rap group N.W.A...
was the turntablist and Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...
was the main producer.
After leaving N.W.A., Arabian Prince began his solo career. His first solo album Brother Arab was released in 1989, although it sold poorly.
Arabian Prince continued his solo career and released his fourth album Where's My Bytches in 1993, which was his last album of the 1990s.
He recently started releasing music again with his Professor X project on the Dutch label Clone records. In 2007, he performed as a DJ on the 2K Sports Holiday Bounce Tour with artists from the Stones Throw label. In 2008, Stones Throw released a compilation of his electro-rap
Electro-hop
Electro hop is the fusion of electro, electroclash, electropop, electronica, or electronic dance music with hip hop. The music usually has dancing in mind, however some forms of the music are electronica...
material from the 1980s. One of his songs was included on the 2007 video game College Hoops 2K8
College Hoops 2K8
College Hoops 2K8 is a video game by Visual Concepts and 2K Sports. It was released on November 19, 2007 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3.The cover features Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden, formerly of the Ohio State Buckeyes....
.
Solo
- Brother ArabBrother ArabBrother Arab is a 1989 LP by Arabian Prince. It was originally the first solo album released by Arabian Prince.-Track listing:#"Sound Check" - 1:24#"She's Got A Big Posse" - 5:12#"Get On Up" - 4:06#"Let The Good Times Roll " - 3:44...
(1989) Orpheus Records - Situation HotSituation HotSituation Hot is actually a re-release of Arabian Prince's earlier singles from the days before N.W.A. It was released on cassette in 1990, then re-packaged as Greatest Hits on CD in 1998 with a slightly expanded track list.-1990 Track Listing:...
(1990) Macola Records - Tha Underworld Followed (1992)
- Where's My BytchesWhere's My BytchesWhere's My Bytches is the third album from Arabian Prince. When first two albums talked about girls, love and good life then "Where's My Bytches" discussed about life in inner-cities and getting hot girls...
(1993) Da Bozak Records. - Professor X (2007/2008) Clone Records
- Innovative Life: The Anthology (2008) Stones Throw RecordsStones Throw RecordsStones Throw Records is an independent hip hop record label based in Los Angeles, California. It was started in 1996 by DJ/Producer Peanut Butter Wolf in part to release the music he made with Charizma who was killed at the age of 20....
With N.W.A
- Panic Zone (1987)
- N.W.A and the Posse (1987)
- Straight Outta ComptonStraight Outta ComptonThe lyrics on the album were mainly written by Ice Cube and MC Ren. Critics of the album expressed their view that the record glamorized Black-on-Black crime, but the emcees stated that the group was simply showing the reality of living in the areas of Compton, California, and South Central Los...
(1988)
External links
- August 2008 Interview with L.A. RecordL.A. RecordL.A. Record is an independent music magazine originally published weekly as a broadsheet poster. The poster usually depicts a local Los Angeles musicians and according to the magazine editors is meant to recreate an iconic album cover. In March 2008, it began publishing as a monthly magazine with a...