Frukwan

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Frukwan Sun-Star Allah-Bey (born Arnold Hamilton) is an American hip hop musician. He is best known as The Gatekeeper from the hip hop group Gravediggaz and was a member of the pioneering hip hop band Stetsasonic.

Early life

When he was young, his family moved from Harlem to Brooklyn, and he grew up in the Brookline Project. There, during his middle teens, he became associated with a older DJ crew called Phase 3 Disco. He began merely carrying crates of records and spending time with them as they traveled the Tri-state area, doing block parties and DJ battles. Eventually he began rapping.

Frukwan attended Thomas Jefferson High School where he was one of three captains for the Big Orange Wave football team. He played starting right half back, free safety and backup quarterback for the varsity team but then was injured his senior year. With his dream of college football on hold, he focused on emceeing. He also attended the Mayer School of Fashion Design in New York.^{[citation needed]}

Music career

From 1981 to 1989, Frukwan was a member of Stetsasonic, which also featured future Gravediggaz collaborator Prince Paul. Frukwan left Stetsasonic after their second album, and within a couple more years, Stetsasonic disbanded.

In 1992 Frukwan resurfaced as a member of the Gravediggaz, associated with the Wu-Tang family alongside Prince Paul, RZA and Too Poetic. Performing as The Gatekeeper, Frukwan was the group's most prolific lyricist. Upon RZA and Prince Paul's departures from Gravediggaz in 1997, Frukwan founded Black Lordz Production and Sun-Star Music Group while continuing to perform with Too Poetic. They released 2002's Nightmare in A-Minor, an album produced by the group's two remaining emcees.

After Too Poetic's death in 2001, Frukwan released a solo album in 2003, Life. A new solo album is scheduled for release in 2009.^[1]

Discography

Solo

• Life (2003, BMG)
• Greatness (2009, SMG/Famous Records)

With Stetsasonic

• On Fire (1986, Tommy Boy Records)
• In Full Gear (1988, Tommy Boy Records)

With Gravediggaz

• 6 Feet Deep/Niggamortis (1994, Gee Street/Island/PolyGram Records)
• The Pick, the Sickle and the Shovel (1997, Gee Street/V2/BMG Records)
• Nightmare in A-Minor (2002, Empire Musicwerks/BMG Records)
• 6 Feet Under (2004, Cleopatra Records)

Other appearances

• "Self Destruction" from The Stop The Violence Movement (1989, Jive)
• Tricky vs. Gravediggaz - "Tonite is a special Nite" from The Hell EP (1995, Fourth And Broadway)
• "From The Darkside" from Tales From The Hood Soundtrack (1995, MCA Soundtracks)
• "We Run Shit" from DJ Honda's album H-III (2002)

Notes and references

External links

• Frukwan's official page at MySpace