Divine Styler

This biography of a living person does not cite any references or sources. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living people that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately. (March 2009) Find sources: (Divine Styler – news, books, scholar)

Divine Styler
Background information
Birth name	Marc Richardson
Born	1968
Origin	Brooklyn, New York
Genres	Hip hop Rock Avant-garde
Years active	1990–present
Labels	Epic/SME Records Giant/Reprise/Warner Bros. Records DTX Recordings

Divine Styler (born Marc Richardson, 1968) is an alternative hip hop artist from Brooklyn, New York.

History

He first emerged as part of Ice-T's Rhyme Syndicate. His first LP, Word Power, was hailed by critics and fans, but was not a commercial success. His second album, the wildly experimental Spiral Walls Containing Autumns of Light, also failed to sell well. In 1998, Divine Styler hooked up with the Quannum Records crew, teaming up with his dear friend and fellow Rhyme Syndicate alumni Everlast, Styles of Beyond, and the Beat Junkies. The latter also appeared on his third LP, Wordpower, Vol. 2: Directrix (Featuring Exceed), which trafficked in information-age paranoia.

Divine Styler is a convert to Sunni Islam after a number of years spent in the Faradian Islam offshoot known as the Nation of Gods and Earths; he influenced the decision of Everlast to become a Muslim. Many of the songs on Spiral Walls Containing Autums of Light are songs of praise to Allah, and the 1999 song "Make it Plain" (recorded for the Funky Precedent compilation) details the joy he feels at having finally found a way of life he loves after decades of uncertainty and woes.

Aside from those major albums his tracks are scattered among other artists' albums and projects. He has done several tracks with John Tejada but they're scattered on several compilations and albums by Tejada. He appeared (along with Sadat X and Cockni O'Dire) on several tracks on the final House of Pain album Truth Crushed to Earth Shall Rise Again. His most recent work has been with Len, Swollen Members, and DJ Shadow, as well as with guitarist, bassist, and emcee Gabe Rosales.

Discography

Albums

• Word Power (1989) Epic/SME
• Spiral Walls Containing Autumns of Light (1992) Giant/Reprise/Warner Bros.
• Word Power, Vol. 2: Directrix (1999) DTX Recordings

EPs

• Ain't Saying Nothing (1988)

Appears on

• Truth Crushed To Earth Shall Rise Again (1996)
• Strength Magazine Presents Subtext (1999)
• The Funky Precedent (1999)
• Hell's Kitchen (2002)
• Razor Tag (2007)
• Reseda Beach (2008)

Miscellenea

• Sometimes credited as Islamic convert name, Mikal Safiyullah.
• His first few verses from "Whats That Smell" on House of Pain's Truth Crushed To Earth Shall Rise Again is from his first single, "Ain't Sayin' Nothin'", and it has been led to believed that House of Pain used the same scratch noise from "Ain't Sayin' Nothin'" on their song "Jump Around" also.

External links

• discogs.com

This biographical article related to hip hop music in the United States is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v • d • e