White Dawg
White Dawg (also spelled WhiteDawg, formerly M. C. B. ) is an American crunk rapper, producer, and businessman from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He is best known for his 1999 top 20 hip hop music hit "Restless" and his debut LP Thug Ride.[citation needed] He has also been featured in Orlando-based Ozone Magazine.
White Dawg has produced for hip hop artists including Pastor Troy, Dozia Slim, Blac Haze, Guru from Gang Starr, and Skull Duggery. He has also collaborated with Lil' Flip on "Game Over".
He currently distributes all his recordings through his website, believing electronic music distribution to be a major catalyst for change in the recording industry.[citation needed]
White Dawg is a registered Libertarian who attended the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City.
Early career to Thug Ride
Born in Birmingham, Alabama, White Dawg moved to Dade County, Florida as a teenager. His first venture was giving away his tapes at a small record store, Kotam Stereo, in the Oakland Park flea market.
Eventually he went to work for Kotam as a music buyer. His first recordings were made at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. He additionally recorded at the studio of a friend from Kotam. His first single was "I Wanna Lick the Pussy" (1994), which became a regional club hit without the assistance of radio airplay. [1]
His follow-on single, "Restless," was released in 1999 reaching #18 on the Billboard rap charts. Subsequently, Thug Ride was released in 1999, to less success. Thug Ride sold over 30,000 copies, primarily in small record stores across the Southern United States. The album stirred up some controversy in the rap world with White Dawg's use of the word "nigga" to describe himself and others, considered taboo for a caucasian.
Continuing career as an independent artist
After the relative success (for an independently-released album) of Thug Ride, White Dawg worked with Pastor Troy on the single "FL Boy" and released a follow-up album, Animosity. Animosity had less distribution than Thug Ride, and sales were poor. In an interview, White Dawg stated that the album sold only around 5,000 copies.
Around this time, White Dawg was approached by several major labels seeking to sign him, including Def Jam, Epic, and EMI.[citation needed] However, he did not sign to any of them.
White Dawg distributed his latest album, Bonified Platinum (a pun on the term bona fide), through his website.
Discography
- Albums
- Thug Ride (1999)
- Animosity (2002)
- Bonified Platinum (2004)
- Singles
- 2006 "U Don't Want None (Remix)" Featuring Lil' Jon & Petey Pablo
References
- Interview with White Dawg by Dirty South Radio Magazine (c. 2004)
External links
- The New Official Website of WhiteDawg
- White Dawg biography on AMG allmusic.com.