Brandon C. Rodegeb, better known as B-12 (born on October 9, 1977) is a music executive

Music executive

A music executive or record executive is person within a record label who works in senior management, making executive decisions over the label's artists...

, film maker and rap

Hip hop music

Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...

 artist. Brandon was born in San Francisco, CA at San Francisco General Hospital

San Francisco General Hospital

San Francisco General Hospital is the main public hospital in San Francisco, California, and the only Level I Trauma Center serving San Francisco and northern San Mateo County...

 and raised in the public housing projects between Palou and Oakdale Avenue in the Hunter's Point District of San Francisco, California

San Francisco, California

San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...

. Living in an area rich in cultural and hip-hop history gave Brandon access to hip-hop music and the streets at an early age. The youngest son of a single mother with two brothers (one murdered in 1994) and a sister, B-12 was interested in music when very young.

Growing up around such rap legends as Too Short, 11/5

11/5

11/5 was an American hip hop group from the Hunters Point section of San Francisco, California whose members were Maine-O, Hennessy and Taydatay, they were signed to Dogday Records and were active from 1994 to 2001.-Biography:...

, RBL Posse

RBL Posse

RBL Posse was a 1990s gangsta rap group from Hunters Point in San Francisco, California.-History:Formed in 1991 by Black C and Mr. Cee . Their first release, the self-produced "Don't Give Me No Bammer" came out on In-a-Minute Records and made the Billboard magazine Hot Rap Singles chart, peaking...

, and others, B-12 was able to get into music early. Success followed, although not immediately, and after his family moved to the nearby suburb of Vallejo, California

Vallejo, California

Vallejo is the largest city in Solano County, California, United States. The population was 115,942 at the 2010 census. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area on the northeastern shore of San Pablo Bay...

 in 1991; B-12 broke into rap music shortly thereafter.

After run ins with the law and spending time in various youth facilities, B-12 eventually changed his act and quickly moved up the ranks from street promoter to record producer to rap artist to full-blown music executive. Having worked with everyone from N2Deep

N2Deep

N2Deep is a rap group from Vallejo, California best known for their 1992 hit single "Back to the Hotel."-Biography:Formed in 1989 in Vallejo, CA by Johnny Z , Jay Tee , and TL...

 to Ginuwine

Ginuwine

Elgin Baylor Lumpkin , better known by his stage name Ginuwine is an American singer-songwriter and actor. Signed to Epic Records since the mid-1990s, Ginuwine had released a number of multi-platinum and platinum-selling albums and singles, becoming one of R&B's top artists during the late 1990's...

 to Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E.

Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E.

Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. are a hip hop group from Carson, California, composed of the Devoux brothers Paul, Ted, Donald, Roscoe, Danny, and David. Their family is from Samoa. They first began playing music in their father's Baptist church. Before anyone else arrived, they would play P-Funk and experiment...

 to MC Eiht

MC Eiht

Aaron Tyler , better known by his stage name MC Eiht, is an American rapper. His stage name was partly inspired by the numeral in KRS-One's name. He chose Eiht for its links to "hood culture", including 8Ball and .38 caliber firearms...

, B-12 has proved himself a staple in the independent music business.

In 2001 B-12, Fidel Castro & Say-So formed the group Riderlife and released the album Neva Look Back. The album featured several west coast artists including: MC Eiht

MC Eiht

Aaron Tyler , better known by his stage name MC Eiht, is an American rapper. His stage name was partly inspired by the numeral in KRS-One's name. He chose Eiht for its links to "hood culture", including 8Ball and .38 caliber firearms...

, Celly Cel

Celly Cel

Marcellus McCarver, better know by his stage name Celly Cel, is an American rapper from Vallejo, California. He released his first single on his independent record label Realside Records in 1992 called "Lifestyle of a Mack." Celly Cel then debuted in 1994 with Heat 4 Yo Azz and released Killa Kali...

, Taydatay, 11/5

11/5

11/5 was an American hip hop group from the Hunters Point section of San Francisco, California whose members were Maine-O, Hennessy and Taydatay, they were signed to Dogday Records and were active from 1994 to 2001.-Biography:...

, Young Droop, San Quinn

San Quinn

Quincy Brooks IV better known by his stage name San Quinn, is an American rapper from San Francisco, California.-Career:Born in Oakland, California, Quincy moved to the Fillmore district of San Francisco at the age of three...

, Luni Coleone, M.O.G., Jay Tee

Jay Tee

James Trujillo, better known by his stage name Jay Tee, is a rapper, songwriter and producer from Vallejo, California. He has been a part of the city's scene since the early 90's as the lead member of N2Deep and Latino Velvet along with Baby Beesh...

, Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E.

Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E.

Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. are a hip hop group from Carson, California, composed of the Devoux brothers Paul, Ted, Donald, Roscoe, Danny, and David. Their family is from Samoa. They first began playing music in their father's Baptist church. Before anyone else arrived, they would play P-Funk and experiment...

, Skee 64, Young Dru, Da' Unda' Dogg and also Eightball

8Ball & MJG

8Ball & MJG is an American Rap and Crunk duo from Memphis, Tennessee. The two rappers met at in 1980.They first appeared on the rap scene with their 1992 underground album Listen To The Lyrics...

, who is from Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....

.

In 2002 B-12, Jay Tee

Jay Tee

James Trujillo, better known by his stage name Jay Tee, is a rapper, songwriter and producer from Vallejo, California. He has been a part of the city's scene since the early 90's as the lead member of N2Deep and Latino Velvet along with Baby Beesh...

 & Young Dru formed the group Free Agents and released the album Negotiations on 40 Ounce Records. The project is described as "a loosely knit group of "rap comrades" who came together to make a statement about independence and ownership in a turbulent time in the music industry." The album was advertised as having "No Features, No Fillers." Which can be seen as a departure of the norm by avoiding an album cluttered with guest appearances and over-priced producers.

B-12 no longer represents a wide array of artists choosing to focus his energy on films, and his artist, West Coast young gun A-Wax.

Collaboration albums

• 2001: Riderlife - Neva Look Back
• 2002: Free Agents - Negotiations
  Negotiations (album)
  Free Agents is a loosely knit group of "rap comrades" who came together to make a statement about independence and ownership in a turbulent time in the music industry. The group consists of Jay Tee, B-12 & Young Dru and their first album Negotiations was released in 2002...
  
  

Guest appearances

Year	Artist	Album	Song
2001	Mob Figaz Mob Figaz Mob Figaz is a hip hop group from the Bay Area, California, that was formed by C-Bo. The original members include The Jacka, Husalah, Rydah J. Klyde and Fed-X from Pittsburg, California, and AP.9, from Oakland....  Ridah Rydah J. Klyde Rydah J. Klyde is a Bay Area rapper from Pittsburg, California best known for his affiliation with the rap group Mob Figaz. Around 2002, Rydah signed a solo deal with Mac Dre's Thizz Entertainment label. In 2003, he released his album Tha Fly Gangsta...  Presents	D Boyz Compilation	"Ball 'Till I Fall"
	40 Ounce Records Presents	Playas Association Vol. 3 - The Product	"As I Glance Back"
2002	Jay Tee Jay Tee James Trujillo, better known by his stage name Jay Tee, is a rapper, songwriter and producer from Vallejo, California. He has been a part of the city's scene since the early 90's as the lead member of N2Deep and Latino Velvet along with Baby Beesh...	High Caliber High Caliber High Caliber is an album by Vallejo, California rapper Jay Tee, from N2Deep/Latino Velvet.- Track listing :#"When I Come Thru"#"Everybody Love"#"Big Caddy"#"Boss to Preciseness" #"We Bubble"...	"Bounce Bounce" (featuring Don Cisco Don Cisco Francisco Soto, better known by his stage name Don Cisco , is a Mexican American rapper and producer.-Biography:...  & Miami The Most)
	Various Artists	Playas Association Vol. IV - Northwest Hustlin	"Three the Hard Way" (featuring Dutch & Young Dru)
2003	Jay Tee Jay Tee James Trujillo, better known by his stage name Jay Tee, is a rapper, songwriter and producer from Vallejo, California. He has been a part of the city's scene since the early 90's as the lead member of N2Deep and Latino Velvet along with Baby Beesh...  & B-12 Present	Bayriderz, Vol. 3: Kalifornia: State of Emergency	"Mashin' Out" (featuring Mac Dre Mac Dre Andre Hicks , better known by his stage name Mac Dre, was an American rapper.-Biography:Andre Hicks was born in Oakland, California but moved to Vallejo while still a child...  & Jay Tee Jay Tee James Trujillo, better known by his stage name Jay Tee, is a rapper, songwriter and producer from Vallejo, California. He has been a part of the city's scene since the early 90's as the lead member of N2Deep and Latino Velvet along with Baby Beesh... )
			"I'm a Boss" (featuring Free Agents Negotiations (album) Free Agents is a loosely knit group of "rap comrades" who came together to make a statement about independence and ownership in a turbulent time in the music industry. The group consists of Jay Tee, B-12 & Young Dru and their first album Negotiations was released in 2002... , Big Mack, Taydatay)
			"Fuck All Yall" (featuring Dutch, Mr. Kee & Jay Tee Jay Tee James Trujillo, better known by his stage name Jay Tee, is a rapper, songwriter and producer from Vallejo, California. He has been a part of the city's scene since the early 90's as the lead member of N2Deep and Latino Velvet along with Baby Beesh... )
			"U Might Be" (featuring Riderlife & Young Dru)
2005	Luni Coleone	How the West Was Won, Vol. 2	"Problem With That" (featuring I-Rocc & Smigg Dirtee)
	Various Artists	On One: The 40 Ounce Album & Mixtape CD	"Outside the Club" (featuring Jay Tee Jay Tee James Trujillo, better known by his stage name Jay Tee, is a rapper, songwriter and producer from Vallejo, California. He has been a part of the city's scene since the early 90's as the lead member of N2Deep and Latino Velvet along with Baby Beesh... )
			"Still Broke (Remix)" (featuring Chilee Powdah)
			"How We Roll" (featuring I-Rocc)
			"My Glock"

External links

• http://www.siccness.net
• A-Wax