Agallah
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Artists:
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Agallah
- Genres: Rap
Biography
Not many know veteran underground rapper Agallah, mainly due to his failed stint as a solo artist in the mid-'90s, but he later would summon his untapped talents to become a reputable working producer, making beats for Guru (of Gang Starr), EPMD, Big Pun, Onyx, the Diplomats, and Busta Rhymes, just to name a few. With an unmistakably raspy and grimy voice, Agallah remained a vicious MC on the microphone. In the early 2000s, he found his identity establishing the Dipset-affiliated Purple City crew with the business-minded Shiest Bubz, and developed into a regular staple on the New York mixtape circuit. Born Angel Louis Aguilar in Brooklyn's Brownsville projects, Agallah's early life resembled the strife of many other rappers -- upon the death of his uncle and grandfather, his family became unstable, but the murder of his mother challenged his sanity. Growing up, he was in and out of jail and, at times, homeless. He often participated in MC battles to earn a little money. So, when he was picked up by Tommy Boy Records at age 17 in the early '90s, he was literally signed off the street. Tommy Boy dropped Agallah fairly quickly from their roster; however, he signed another deal with Elektra subsidiary EastWest Records. Known then as 8-Off the Assassin, he produced and released his first single, Ghetto Girl, in 1994. On the heels of his 1995 release, Wrap Your Lips Around This, which was never properly distributed, he was again let go of his contract. Virtually homeless after the lost deal, he turned to beat-making as a way to make ends meet. Whether mainstream or underground, veterans or newcomers, many hip-hop acts were recruiting his production skills. He also started to crop up on some underground records, including a track on Rawkus Records' first Soundbombing compilation in 1997 with a similarly situated R.A. the Rugged Man. Changing his rap name to more reflect his last name (since "8-Off" sounded close to "Adolph"), Agallah hooked up with producer the Alchemist in 1999 and released the hilarious Crookie Monster 12", where he rapped in his best (and convincingly close) imitation of a more depraved version of the Sesame Street character Cookie Monster.After a few years of making low-key solo material, he met Harlem native Shiest Bubz, who had done promotional work for members of Harlem mixtape crew the Diplomats, and soon after, Agallah, Shiest Bubz, and Harlem MC Un Kasa formed their own collective and entertainment outfit, Purple City (or Purple City Entertainment). With Agallah (now going by Agallah the Don Bishop) as their main producer, the group gained a following in New York's mixtape underground almost rivaling that of their Dipset associates. When Purple City signed with Babygrande Records in 2004, the three also received the opportunity to put out solo projects. In August 2006, Agallah released You Already Know, containing a roster of distinguished guest rappers and producers: Kool G Rap, Dead Prez, Nappy Roots, the Alchemist, and DJ Premier. ~ Cyril Cordor, Rovi
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Agallah
| Agallah | |
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 Agallah in 2011 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Angel Aguilar |
| Also known as | 8-Off, 8-Off Agallah |
| Born | February 17, 1976 |
| Origin | Brownsville, Brooklyn, New York, USA |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Labels | Babygrande Propain/Ingrooves/Universal |
| Associated acts | Purple City Productions, Ike Eyes, Sean Price, D&D Allstars, EPMD, Das EFX |
Agallah (also known as 8-Off the Assassin or Don Bishop), born Angel Aguilar, is a American rapper of Puerto Rican and Fillipino descent, who was a member of the The Diplomats-affiliated group Purple City and the group Propain campaign. He was formerly known as 8-Off Agallah, but changed the name because it was controversial; 8-Off is a variation of the name Adolf.[citation needed]
He has ghostwritten songs for many well-known artists. In addition to producing his own music, he also produced tracks for Busta Rhymes, Remy Ma, The Diplomats, Guru, Rockin' Squat, Sean Price, Saigon, Game Theory, Mobb Deep and Big Pun. In 1996, he finished his debut album, Wrap Your Lips Around This, but it was never properly released because the label to which he was signed folded. The album was only available for a short time[citation needed]
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Contents
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History
A native of Brooklyn's Brownsville Projects, Agallah started out as a producer, then turned to rhyming and released a major-label single on East West America/Elektra Records in 1995. In 1997, he featured on R.A. the Rugged Man's track "Till My Heart Stops" on the Rawkus Records Soundbombing compilation a underground classic . A collaboration with Mr. Cheeks of the Lost Boyz followed, although the album the single was to appear on, Wrap Your Lips Around This, was never released. Additionally, there were production stints for the likes of EPMD, Das EFX, Onyx, and Group Home.[1] In 2000, Agallah recorded the Sesame Street-themed single "Crookie Monster," which became an underground hit,[citation needed] and featured production by The Alchemist.
In early 1997, Agallah teamed up with former EPMD member PMD and formed the hip hop group D.B.D. (Death B4 Dishonor). The other members of the group were Ike Eyes, 215 and Deke O'Malley. The group was short-lived but they recorded a demo album which featured artist Guru of Gang Starr, John Forté, Special Ed, and Lil Dap of Group Home. D.B.D. also released a single entitled "Feel This" which was produced by KRS-One's brother Kenny Parker.
A friendship with Shiest Bub led to the formation of Purple City Entertainment (also known as Purple City Productions) with Un Kasa, which attracted the attention of Dipset capo Jim Jones.[2] Shiest had been doing promotional work for Cam'ron and Juelz Santana. For the new Purple City project, Agallah was christened "the Don Bishop", with Shiest as "the Emperor." Jones' enthusiasm for Ag's track "Gangsta" garnered the producer/MC a slot on the Diplomats Volume 4 mixtape.
Purple City signed to Babygrande Records in late 2004. The following year, the label released a "greatest hits" collection that culled tracks from their mixtapes.
Agallah's profile as a solo artist has also expanded in the wake of Purple City's rise, with the release of You Already Know (featuring appearances by Dead Prez and Nappy Roots, with production by DJ Premier and Alchemist) on Babygrande coupled with the release of the mixtape Propane Piff on Koch Records.
His song "Risin' to the Top" appeared in the Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto III video game, on the Game FM radio station. Agallah later teamed up with Rockstar Games to record the soundtrack for Midnight Club 2. Agallah's beats are also in the EA Sports basketball game NBA Live 08 and UFC Undisputed.
In mid 2007, Agallah stated in a MySpace bulletin that he was no longer signed to Babygrande.
Discography
Solo albums
- Wrap Your Lips Around This (1996, Eastwest)
- Imagine Your Life (2002, Game)
- You Already Know (2006, Babygrande)
- A.N.G.E.L. (A Nigga Gotta Envision Life) (2009, Propain)
Singles
- "Ghetto Girl" (1995, EastWest) (as 8-Off)
- "Alize for Dolo" (1996, EastWest) (as 8-Off)
- "Crookie Monster" (1999, Game Recordings)
- "Rising to the Top" (featuring Sean Price) (2002, Game Recordings) (as 8-Off Agallah)
- "Imagine Your Life" (featuring Monie Love) (2003, Street Level Records)
- "New York Ryder Music" (2006, Babygrande)
- "Not The One" (featuring A Mafia, Al Kapone, Grim Reepa, Malik Montana) (Prod by High Notes Beats) (2012, Get Money Live Life Ent )
Mixtapes
- Mixtape Iz da Album
- Show Up
- Doomsday
- Propane Piff (2006, Koch)
- Fuck a Purple Chain
- F.A.M.E. (Fuck All My Enemies) (2008, Propain Campaign)
References
External links
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(Rap Artist, '90s, 2000s)
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