Coolie Ranx

Coolie Ranx
Coolie Ranx's photo Coolie Ranx's photo
Background information
Born	(1979-08-22) 22 August 1979 Great Britain UK
Genres	Pop, Reggae,
Occupation(s)	Actor, Singer,
Instrument(s)	Vocals, Guitar, Drums,
Labels	Upsetter, Tuff Gong

Coolie Ranx (real name Obi-Ajula Ugbomah) is a New York City based musician best known for his membership in the third wave ska bands The Toasters and Pilfers.

Ranx was born in Great Britain in 1979 and was raised in New York. His mother is from Jamaica and his father is from Nigeria. He was discovered in 1990 when the lead singer and guitarist of The Toasters, Rob "Bucket" Hingley, heard Ranx's dancehall reggae EP. Joining the Toasters in the early 1990s, he toured and recorded two albums with the band, including Dub 56, which features two songs he wrote.

After leaving the Toasters, Ranx co-founded a band called Pilfers. In Pilfers, he shared vocal duties with Vinny Nobile. Pilfers played a combination of third wave ska music, punk rock, and reggae that they called "raggacore". After self-releasing their first album, the band signed to Mojo Records, who released the band's second album, Chawalaleng. He made frequent guest appearances on the albums of other third wave ska bands, such as Spring Heeled Jack USA, Metro Stylee and Mojo labelmates Reel Big Fish.

After a lineup change, which saw the replacement of the rhythm section, Pilfers disbanded in 2001. Ranx began a solo career, recording and playing shows around the world with Fear Nuttin' Band as his new backup band. In November 2005, he and the other four original members of Pilfers, reunited at the Knitting Factory in New York for a sold-out performance. The Pilfers have since performed about a half a dozen shows since the 2005 reunion.

Ranx provides the voice of Little Jacob in the 2008 video game Grand Theft Auto IV.

Discography

• 2010 Exes Of Evil - Take my number
• 2007 Father Goose - It's a Bam Bam Diddly! - "Bam Bam"
• 2007 More Than Me - 1.0 - "Love You More"
• 2007 Babylove and the van Dangos - Big Big Baboon 7" - "Big Big Baboon"
• 2006 The WBC (Wuda Bang Clan) - Hi-Fidelity Offbeat - "Better Left Unsaid"
• 2006 Sonic Boom Six - The Ruff Guide to Genre Terrorism - "All In"
• 2001 Catch 22 - Washed Up And Through The Ringer! - "Straight Forward"
• 2000 The Toasters - Best of (Tin)
• 1999 Nicotine - Carnival - "Bad Breath"
• 1999 Aks Mamma - Jolly Holidays - "Get Together"
• 1999 Pilfers - Chawalaleng
• 1999 Reel Big Fish - Why Do They Rock So Hard? - "Song No.3" & "Thank You for Not Moshing"
• 1998 Pilfers - Pilfers
• 1998 Spring Heeled Jack USA - Songs From Suburbia - "Man of Tomorrow"
• 1998 Eastern Standard Time - Second Hand - "Mad Dog"
• 1998 Metro Stylee - Soul Garage Ska - "Back Again"
• 1996 Pilfers - Rude by Association (self released 5 song demo tape)
• 1996 The Pietasters - Comply - "Tell You Why"
• 1996 The Toasters - Hard Band For Dead
• 1994 The Toasters - Dub 56
• 1993 The Toasters - Live in L.A.
• 1993 The Toasters - Frankenska

External links

• The Official Coolie Ranx MYSPACE Profile
• The Official Coolie Ranx FACEBOOK Profile
• The Official Coolie Ranx website
• The Official Toasters website
• Artist marketing | management