Mickey Avalon
Mickey Avalon |
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Mickey Avalon (born Yeshe Perl on December 3,1975) is a rap artist from Hollywood, California. His debut self-titled solo album was released Nov. 7, 2006 on Interscope/Shoot to Kill Records in association with MySpace Records. Avalon blends dark, lewd, and humorous hooks with heavy beats. Frequent topics of Avalon's songs are his experiences with substance abuse and prostitution. Before becoming a rapper, Avalon was a drug dealer, then a heroin addicted male prostitute, and then an Orthodox Jew.
Biography
Avalon's family upbringing was tumultuous; both he and his parents used drugs. [1] Avalon's paternal grandparents are Holocaust survivors who endured lasting injuries from their imprisonment at Auschwitz. By his early 20s, he had married, had a daughter, and moved to Portland, Oregon, where he turned to prostitution to fund his heroin habit.[2]
Upon moving to Los Angeles, he was befriended by ex-MTV VJ Simon Rex (aka Dirt Nasty) who encouraged Avalon to rap and collaborated with him. The two began passing out demos to Hollywood clubs and soon developed a following among fans of the Los Angeles nightclub scene. Mickey also attended college at Webster University in St. Louis, MO for a brief time before he signed with Interscope Records. Mickey has a unique rhyming style and raps mostly about his experiences on the streets, with drugs, and prostitution.
In recent years Avalon toured internationally, appeared on an episode of The Simple Life, and appeared in a Boost Mobile commercial with Young Jeezy and Jermaine Dupri. He is currently working with Travis Barker of +44 on his new album.
Avalon's song "My Dick" (also featuring Dirt Nasty and Andre Legacy) was featured in the 2008 movie Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay. "My Dick" can be found on Avalon's only album as a hidden song on track 69.
His song "Jane Fonda" was featured briefly in an episode of Entourage (Episode: Strange Days).
He collaborated with the Happy Mondays on their 2007 album Uncle Dysfunktional, providing vocals on the track "Deviants".
Avalon co-wrote Unwritten Law's radio hit, "Shoulda Known Better," and also provided vocals for a remix version which has been released on Unwritten Law's "best of" album, The Hit List.
Controversy
Oklahoma City concert
Avalon was booed off the stage while opening for the Red Hot Chili Peppers at a March 2007 concert in Oklahoma City. The next day, Red Hot Chili Peppers' lead guitarist, John Frusciante wrote a letter to the band's fans in Oklahoma City. [3]
In the letter, Frusciante accused OKC fans of booing Avalon out of Shadenfreude, personal issues, and a lack of "regard for humanity."[3]
"...I also realize that those of you who booed have probably been spoken down to consistenty by your parents, your teachers, your bosses, your older siblings, older kids, etc. I know that shit is frustrating and it probably feels good to take it out on someone who has confidence you wish you had." - John Frusciante
Discography
Albums
- Mickey Avalon (2006)
Mixtapes
- Shoot to Kill (2008)
References
- ^ Albert, John. Mickey Avalon’s True Hollywood Stories: Death, drugs, rap and redemption, LA Weekly. Published April 26, 1996.
- ^ Almost Famous: Mickey Avalon, Blender. Published January 2007.
- ^ a b c [1], Letter from John Frusciante to RHCP's Oklahoma City fans regarding Mickey Avalon. Published 3/25/2007.