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Line 1: {{Short description\|American rapper~~, songwriter~~ and record producer (born 1969)}} {{Use mdy dates\|date=March 2021}} {{confuse\|MC Rene}} Line 25: }} \| genre = {{flatlist\| * [[~~Hip~~West ~~hop~~Coast ~~music\|Hip~~hip hop]] * [[gangsta rap]] * [[political hip hop]] * [[West Coast hip hop]] }} \| label = {{flatlist\| Line 55 ⟶ 54: }} '''Lorenzo Jerald Patterson''' (born June 16, 1969),<ref>{{cite ~~web~~magazine \|title=Happy Birthday, MC Ren! - XXL \|date=June 16, 2018 \|url=https://www.xxlmag.com/happy-birthday-mc-ren/ \|~~publisher~~journal=XXL Magazine \|access-date=16 ~~June~~July ~~2018~~2022 \|language=en}}</ref> known professionally as '''MC Ren''', is an American [[Rapping\|rapper]], songwriter, and record producer from [[Compton, California]]. He is the founder and owner of the independent record label [[Villain Entertainment]]. MC Ren began his career as a solo artist signed to [[Eazy-E]]'s [[Ruthless Records]] in early 1987, while still attending high school. By the end of 1987, after having written nearly half of ''[[Eazy-Duz-It]]'', he became a member of [[N.W.A]]. After the group disbanded in 1991, he stayed with Ruthless, releasing three solo albums including the controversial ''[[Shock of the Hour]]'' before leaving the label in 1998.<ref>{{cite web \|title=Here's What MC Ren Has Been Up To Since N.W.A\|url=https://www.bustle.com/articles/103770-what-happened-to-mc-ren-after-nwa-straight-outta-compton-hints-at-a-big-future-for \|website=Bustle \|date=August 14, 2015 \|access-date=14 August 2015 \|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web\|url=https://nationvillain.com/about/\|title=MC Ren\|work=[[Villain Entertainment\|Villain Nation]]\|access-date=January 6, 2019\|archive-date=January 7, 2019\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190107124345/https://nationvillain.com/about/\|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2016, he was inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] as a member of N.W.A.<ref>{{Cite web\|title=N.W.A {{!}} Rock & Roll Hall of Fame\|url=https://www.rockhall.com/nwa\|access-date=2021-04-26\|website=www.rockhall.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web \|title=NWA inducted to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame \|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-36010422 \|website=BBC News \|access-date=24 January 2022 \|date=10 April 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web \|last1=Seabrook III \|first1=Robby \|title=Today in Hip-Hop: N.W.A Inducted Into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame - XXL \|url=https://www.xxlmag.com/today-in-hip-hop-n-w-a-inducted-into-rock-roll-hall-of-fame/#:~:text=2016%3A%20West%20Coast%20gangsta%20rap,Cheap%20Trick%20in%20this%20class. \|website=XXL Magazine \|date=April 8, 2018 \|access-date=8 April 2018 \|language=en}}</ref> In 2024, he received a [[Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award]] as a member of N.W.A. He showed up to the ceremony to accept the award along with [[Ice Cube]], [[DJ Yella]], [[The D.O.C]] and [[Lil Eazy E]].<ref>{{cite web \|last1=Aswad \|first1=Jem \|title=N.W.A, Laurie Anderson, Gladys Knight, More to Receive 2024 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Awards \|url=https://variety.com/2024/music/news/grammy-lifetime-achievement-2024-nwa-gladys-knight-1235862212/ \|website=[[Variety (magazine)\|Variety]] \|access-date=7 February 2024 \|date=5 January 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web \|last1=Ju \|first1=Shirley \|title=Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Honors N.W.A with Lifetime Achievement Award At 2024 Grammys \|url=https://thesource.com/2024/02/06/bone-thugs-n-harmony-honors-n-w-a-with-lifetime-achievement-award-at-2024-grammys/ \|website=[[The Source]] \|access-date=7 February 2024 \|date=6 February 2024}}</ref> ==Early life== Lorenzo Jerald Patterson was born in [[Compton, California]], on June 16, 1969,<ref name=allmusic>{{cite web\|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/mc-ren-mn0000401512/biography\|title=MC Ren – Biography\|work=[[AllMusic]]\|first=Steve\|last=Huey\|access-date=June 6, 2017}}</ref> and raised in Pannes Ave. around Kelly Park. He grew up with his parents, two brothers and a sister. His father used to work for "the government", until he later opened up his own barber shop.<ref>{{cite web\|last=Raider\|first=Tusken \|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/21630929@N04/2095314755/in/photolist-4ceiCm-4caiSc-4cehAW-4cewG9-4qm8vJ-4ca3Yn-4ca35t-4qm991-4qm9F3-4qm72w-4qm7Bw\|title=29 MC Ren interview 1 Hip Hop Connection February 1994 NO.60.jpg \| Flickr – Photo Sharing!\|publisher=Flickr \|date=December 7, 2007\|access-date=August 14, 2015}}</ref> Patterson joined the [[Kelly Park Compton [[Crips]] (of which [[Eazy-E]] would also become a member) in attempt to make money, but soon departed and turned to drug dealing as he felt it was more lucrative. Following a raid on his childhood friend MC Chip's house, Patterson quit dealing and focused thereafter on making music.<ref>{{cite web\|last=Raider \|first=Tusken \|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/21630929@N04/2095367867/in/photolist-4qm9F3-4qm7Bw-4qm8vJ-4cewG9-4qm72w-4qm991-4ca3Yn-4ca35t-4ceiCm-4caiSc-4cehAW-vhKRw4-vhKR3P \|title=41 MC Ren interview 1 The Source February 1994 NO.53\|publisher=Flickr \|date=December 7, 2007 \|access-date=August 14, 2015}}</ref> Patterson attended [[Dominguez High School]], where he met his future collaborator, [[DJ Train]]. At this time, he developed an interest in hip hop music, and began writing songs with MC Chip, with whom he formed the group Awesome Crew, and performed at parties and nightclubs.<ref>{{cite ~~web~~news\|last=Westhoff \|first=Ben \|url=http://www.laweekly.com/music/mc-ren-comes-out-swinging-on-his-new-single-4783554/ \|title=MC Ren Comes Out Swinging on His New Single \|publisher=[[LA Weekly\|L.A. Weekly]] \|date=June 16, 2014 \|access-date=August 14, 2015}}</ref> Patterson officially began his rap career upon joining forces with another childhood friend, Eric "[[Eazy-E]]" Wright, in 1985.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.dubcnn.com/interviews/mcren08/ \|title=// MC Ren Interview (October 2008) // West Coast News Network // \|publisher=Dubcnn.com \|access-date=August 14, 2015}}</ref> Patterson graduated from high school in 1987 and he planned to join the [[United States Army]] after graduation, but changed his mind after watching the 1987 film ''[[Full Metal Jacket]]''. ==Music career== Line 87 ⟶ 88: Patterson soon fell on hard times when both DJ Train and Eazy-E died before the release of ''[[The Villain in Black]]''. The album, which was released in early 1996 and represented Patterson's first attempt at imitating the [[G-funk]] sound of Dr. Dre's [[The Chronic]], was not well received by critics. It was also heavily criticized for what many saw as Patterson's pandering to gangsta rap at the cost of a reduction in the sociopolitical content found on his earlier releases. The album debuted at #31 on the pop-charts, with the first week's sales of 31,000 copies. By the second month it had sold 131,000 copies. Before leaving Ruthless, Patterson released ''[[Ruthless for Life]]'' in 1998, which proved a small comeback, selling moderately well. The album features Ice Cube, [[Snoop Dogg]], [[RBX]] and [[8Ball & MJG]], and others. This was the first time Patterson worked with new producers. By the end of 1998, Patterson had left Ruthless.<ref>{{cite news\|last=Reiss\|first=Randy\|title=MC Ren Gets Ruthless On New Solo Album \|url=https://www.mtv.com/news/350300/mc-ren-gets-ruthless-on-new-solo-album/\|~~publisher~~newspaper=[[MTV News]]\|date=June 19, 1998\|access-date=September 19, 2022\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220919133648/https://www.mtv.com/news/v5l91y/mc-ren-gets-ruthless-on-new-solo-album\|url-status=~~live~~dead\|archive-date=September 19, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Citation\|title=Ruthless for Life - MC Ren {{!}} Songs, Reviews, Credits {{!}} AllMusic\|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/ruthless-for-life-mw0000598660\|language=en\|access-date=2021-07-14}}</ref> On October 31, 2009, Patterson released his fourth studio album entitled ''[[Renincarnated]]'', which was released under his own record label ''[[Villain Entertainment\|Villain]]''. ''Renincarnated'' was only released in the US. In 2015, Patterson stated that he had been working on his second EP, titled ''Rebel Music'' and released two singles: the title track, "[[Rebel Music (song)\|Rebel Music]]", and "[[Burn Radio Burn]]". The official remix for "Rebel Music" was released in June 2014, and features Ice Cube.<ref>{{cite web \|last1=Westhoff \|first1=Ben \|title=MC Ren Comes Out Swinging on His New Single \|url=https://www.laweekly.com/mc-ren-comes-out-swinging-on-his-new-single/ \|website=LA Weekly \|date=16 June 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web \|title=N.W.A. Forever: MC Ren Making New Tunes With Ice Cube, DJ Premier \|url=https://www.vibe.com/music/music-news/mc-ren-new-music-545855/ \|website=VIBE \|access-date=258 ~~October~~February ~~2017~~2022 \|language=en \|date=October 25, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite ~~web~~magazine \|last1=Martins \|first1=Chris \|title=N.W.A. OG MC Ren Is Still Making 'Rebel Music' \|url=https://www.spin.com/2014/03/mc-ren-rebel-music-stream-nwa-soundcloud/ \|~~publisher~~journal=[[Spin (magazine)\|SPIN]] \|date=27 March 2014}}</ref> It was originally expected to be released by the end of 2015 but remained unreleased until 2022 when he canceled the project and followed it up with a new EP, ''Osiris'' via [[Twitter]].<ref>{{Cite tweet \|number=1527710345627783168\|user=realmcren\|title=NEW EP “" Osiris “" dropping June 3rd . The Saga continues 🔥\|author=MC Ren\|date= May 20, 2022\|access-date=September 15, 2022}}</ref> On May 22, 2022, he announced the track list of ''Osiris'', and released the EP on June 3, 2022. The eight-track EP is entirely produced by [[Tha Chill]] and features guest appearances from [[Kurupt]], [[Kokane]], [[Cold 187um]], [[Ras Kass]] and others.<ref>{{cite web \|title=N.W.A Legend MC Ren Unveils Tha Chill-Produced 'Osiris' EP Tracklist & Release Date \|url=https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.70527/title.n-w-a-legend-mc-ren-unveils-tha-chill-produced-osiris-ep-tracklist-release-date \|website=[[HipHopDX]] \|date=25 May 2022}}</ref> Line 106 ⟶ 107: Patterson's recent work has appeared on some more politically oriented projects with [[Public Enemy (group)\|Public Enemy]], specifically [[Paris (rapper)\|Paris]]'s album ''Hard Truth Soldiers Vol. 1'' as well as on Public Enemy's album ''[[Rebirth of a Nation]]''. Paris stated in an interview with rapstation.com that: "MC Ren is retired and won't be doing a full-length album as far as I know. I get at him for verses, that's about it." In April 2016, Patterson reunited with the former members of N.W.A at [[Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival\|Coachella]].<ref>{{cite magazine \|last1=Kreps \|first1=Daniel \|title=Ice Cube Reunites With N.W.A's DJ Yella and MC Ren Onstage \|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/ice-cube-reunites-with-n-w-as-dj-yella-and-mc-ren-onstage-61629/ \|magazine=Rolling Stone \|date=28 June 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web \|title=Watch Ice Cube reunite with N.W.A. members MC Ren and DJ Yella at Coachella \|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/ice-cube-3-1189235 \|website=NME \|date=17 April 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite ~~web~~magazine \|title=N.W.A's Coachella Reunion 'Felt Like Old Times,' MC Ren Says \|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/n-w-as-coachella-reunion-felt-like-old-times-mc-ren-says-38922/ \|~~publisher~~journal=Rolling Stone \|~~access-~~date=28 April ~~2016 \|date=April 28,~~ 2016}}</ref> ==Other ventures== Line 113 ⟶ 114: In 1992, Patterson was offered the role for A-Wax in ''[[Menace II Society]]''. Despite accepting the role, Patterson later changed his mind and the role was given to [[MC Eiht]].<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web\|url=http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/interviews/id.2034/mc-eiht-praises-kendrick-lamar-recalls-dj-quik-s-clever-line-and-tupac-s-menace-ii-society-days/ \|title=MC Eiht Praises Kendrick Lamar, Recalls DJ Quik's "Clever Line," And 2Pac's "Menace II Society" Days \|publisher=hiphopdx.com \|date=January 30, 2013 \|access-date=April 9, 2015}}</ref> In 2004, Patterson released the straight-to-DVD film ''[[Lost in the Game ~~(film)\|Lost in the Game]]~~''. The movie was produced, written and directed by Patterson, with Playboy T assisting. It was an independent movie released by Patterson's company ''Villain''. Patterson was portrayed by [[Aldis Hodge]]<ref>{{cite web \|last1=Kroll \|first1=Justin \|title=Universal's 'Straight Outta Compton' Casts its MC Ren and DJ Yella \|url=https://variety.com/2014/film/news/straight-outta-compton-mc-ren-aldis-hodge-dj-yella-neil-brown-jr-1201271037/ \|website=Variety \|date=29 July 2014}}</ref> in the 2015 N.W.A biopic ''[[Straight Outta Compton (film)\|Straight Outta Compton]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine \|last1=Ford \|first1=Rebecca \|title=N.W.A Biopic Casts MC Ren & DJ Yella Roles \|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/nwa-biopic-straight-outta-compton-mc-ren-dj-yella-roles-6193460/ \|magazine=Billboard \|date=29 July 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine\|title=MC Ren Slams N.W.A 'Straight Outta Compton' Movie Trailers: 'How the Hell You Leave Me Out?'\|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/6590886/mc-ren-nwa-straight-outta-compton-movie-criticism\|access-date=2021-07-14\|magazine=Billboard\|date=June 10, 2015\|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web \|title=MC Ren on 'Straight Outta Compton': "Don't Let the Movie Fool You About My Contribution" \|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/mc-ren-straight-outta-compton-815837/ \|publisher=The Hollywood Reporter \|access-date=17 August 2015 \|date=17 August 2015}}</ref><ref name=theguardian>{{cite web\|url= https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/aug/18/mc-ren-praises-straight-outta-compton-but-laments-lesser-role-in-nwa-biopic\|title=MC Ren praises Straight Outta Compton but laments lesser role in NWA biopic\|work=[[The Guardian]]\|first=Ben\|last=Child\|date=August 18, 2015\|access-date=June 6, 2017}}</ref> Line 126 ⟶ 127: ===Influences=== Patterson stated that [[KRS-One]], [[Chuck D]], [[Rakim]], [[Big Daddy Kane]], and [[Run-DMC]] are his biggest influences.<ref>{{cite magazine\|url=http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/interviews/id.2407/title.mc-ren-confirms-gangsta-rap-label-began-with-n-w-a-newspaper-article\|title=MC Ren Confirms "Gangsta Rap" Label Began With N.W.A Newspaper Article\|magazine=HipHopDX\|date=May 22, 2014}}</ref> MC Ren also stated ''[[Criminal Minded]]'' by [[Boogie Down Productions]] as his all-time favorite hip hop album.<ref>{{cite news\|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnCu-VFhUwg \| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/FnCu-VFhUwg\| archive-date=2021-12-11 \| url-status=live\|title=MC Ren on Boogie Down Productions' "Criminal Minded" \| BEST ALBUMS \| Episode 36\|publisher=YouTube\|date=April 2, 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref> ===Legacy=== In 2024, MC Ren was awarded a [[Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award]] as a member of N.W.A.<ref>{{cite web \|url=https://www.grammy.com/news/2024-grammys-special-merit-awards-recipients-lifetime-achievement-award \|title=The Recording Academy Announces 2024 Special Merit Award & Lifetime Achievement Award Honorees: N.W.A, Gladys Knight, Donna Summer, DJ Kool Herc & Many More \|website=grammy.com \|date=5 January 2024 \|access-date=5 February 2024 \|archive-date=February 4, 2024 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240204132109/https://www.grammy.com/news/2024-grammys-special-merit-awards-recipients-lifetime-achievement-award \|url-status=live }}</ref> ==Discography== Line 166 ⟶ 170: \|- \| 2005 \| ''[[Lost in the Game ~~(film)\|Lost in the Game]]~~'' \| The Vill \| Main role \|- \| 2017 \| ''[[The Defiant Ones (TV series)\|The Defiant Ones]]'' \| Himself \| TV documentary Line 183 ⟶ 187: \|- \| 2015 \| ''[[Straight Outta Compton (~~2015~~ film)\|Straight Outta Compton]]'' \| [[Aldis Hodge]] \| Biographical film about [[N.W.A]] \|- \| 2016 \| ''[[Surviving Compton: Dre, Suge & Michel'le]]'' \| Daniel DeBoe \| Biographical film about [[Michel'le]] Line 198 ⟶ 202: ==External links== {{Commons category\|MC Ren}} * [{{official\|https://web.archive.org/web/20220705215301/http://nationvillain.com/ ~~Official Website]~~}} * {{AllMusic\|class=artist\|id=p26085\|label=MC Ren}} * {{IMDb name \|id=1059294\|name=MC Ren}} Line 236 ⟶ 240: [[Category:Songwriters from California]] [[Category:Manuel Dominguez High School alumni]] [[Category:Muslims from California]]