Representative Albums: "Shock of the Hour," "Ruthless for Life," "Da Villain in Black"
Representative Songs: "Final Frontier," "Behind the Scenes," "Ruthless for Life"
Biography
MC Ren had a much less-celebrated solo career than most of his former bandmates in N.W.A., despite enjoying some commercial success. Born Lorenzo Patterson on June 14, 1969, Ren was recruited to join N.W.A. in 1988 while still attending high school. He was a strong presence on the group's landmark Straight Outta Compton later that year, and also wrote several tracks for Eazy-E's solo debut, Eazy-Duz-It. Following 1991's Niggaz4Life, N.W.A. disbanded acrimoniously, and Ren stuck with Ruthless Records, kicking off his solo career with the six-song EP Kizz My Black Azz in 1992. It sold well, making the Top Ten on the R&B chart and nearly doing the same on the pop side. Ren subsequently converted to the Nation of Islam, which helped out relations with the remainder of N.W.A.; he patched up his differences with Ice Cube, and remained neutral in the heated feud between Dr. Dre and Eazy-E. Meanwhile, he released his first full-length album, Shock of the Hour, in 1993 (the original title, "Life Sentence," was changed following his conversion). It hit number one on the R&B charts and sold quite well for a brief window of time. Shaken by Eazy-E's death from AIDS, Ren returned in 1996 with The Villain in Black, which found him working a G-funk blueprint with help from Above the Law. It, too, made the R&B Top Ten, and sold respectably well without much airplay support. Ren further updated his sound on 1998's Ruthless for Life, which briefly made the R&B Top 20. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
Lorenzo Jerald Patterson (born June 16, 1969 in Compton, California), better known by his stage nameMC Ren, is a rapper who formed part of the group N.W.A.
Born and raised in Compton, he joined the gangsta rap group N.W.A. after finishing his senior year at Dominguez High School. In 1987 he was featured on his friend Eazy-E's debut album. Following the success of that album, Ren contributed vocals on the Straight Outta Compton (1988) album as well writing several tracks after Ice Cube left the group in 1990.[1] As part of N.W.A., Ren wrote and performed three solo recordings, two of which - 'Just Don't Bite It' (from the 100 Miles And Runnin' E.P.) and the follow up album track 'She Swallowed It' (Efil4Zaggin) cemented MC Ren's status as a songwriter.
N.W.A. became the first gangsta rap group to gain mainstream success. However, as their album Efil4zaggin reached the #1 spot on the Billboard 200 in 1991,[2] financial conflict between Dr. Dre and Ruthless Records led to the group disbanding.[3] Group member Eazy-E, along with the group's manager, was accused of skimming money. Dr. Dre left to form Death Row Records. MC Ren subsequently released his debut album with the help of Eazy-E in 1992, entitled Kizz My Black Azz. Surprisingly enough, with little commercial promotion, the album went platinum.[4] MC Ren's next album, Life Sentence, was scrapped while he converted to the Nation of Islam (later converted to Sunni Islam)[5]Capital Punishment Organization. Shock of the Hour in 1993 was released the next year. It also features the single "Mayday on the Frontline" which appeared in the film CB4. Following this, there was the release 'Forget What Ya Heard'. Two years followed before an E.P. sampler for the 'Villain In Black' album hit the streets. This particular 12" is considered a collectors' item. Incidentally, during the 1992-94 period, Ren along with the likes of Dre, Warren G (Dre's half brother) Eazy-E and Snoop Doggy Dogg were instrumental in pioneering what would become known as 'G Funk' - a direct evolution from the N.W.A. sound. This sound can actually be traced back as far as the 1987 N.W.A release 'Dopeman'. However it wasn't until the N.W.A group split that the likes of Ren, Dre and Eazy developed their own brand of G Funk. MC Ren's "Same Old Shit" and "Fuck What Ya Heard" being good examples of his own style.
DJ Train died in a house fire before the release of The Villain in Black (1996). The album sold relatively well for a brief period. Before leaving Ruthless Records, Ren released Ruthless for Life (1998) which proved a worthy comeback, briefly selling well. He also appeared on the posse cut "Some L.A. Niggaz" from Dr. Dre's 2001 album.
