Redman

Gruff and animated with bare-knuckled punchlines no matter how blunted, Redman is one of the most distinctive voices in hip-hop, representing Newark and flying the funk flag throughout an enduring career that boasts seven gold and platinum albums. Reggie Noble was featured on a pair of EPMD tracks before broke through on his own in 1992 with Whut? Thee Album, a highly anticipated solo debut containing "Blow Your Mind" and "Time 4 Sum Aksion," boisterous singles that topped Billboard's rap chart. The unsettling Dare Iz a Darkside, relatively lucid Muddy Waters, and platinum triumph Doc's da Name 2000 all reinforced the rapper/producer's high standing, as did El Niño and Blackout! -- recorded respectively with Def Squad and Method Man -- throughout the '90s. Redman was even more visible during the early 2000s, hitting the upper reaches of the Billboard 200 again with Malpractice, taking his partnership with Method Man to the big screen with How High, and earning Grammy nominations as a featured artist on De La Soul's "Oooh." and Christina Aguilera's "Dirrty." Red launched his Gilla House label in 2007 with Red Gone Wild: Thee Album, and has followed it with three more LPs, including the alternately stern and celebratory Muddy Waters Too (2024).

Redman, born Reginald Noble in Newark, started spinning records at parties and fashion shows at the age of 12, and a few years later began rhyming. He befriended Biz Markie, who became a mentor and took him along to parks and clubs, enabling him to develop and sharpen his skills as an imposing battle rapper. Later urged by Erick Sermon to share the mike onstage at an EPMD concert in Newark, Noble -- who was then DJ'ing for Lords of the Underground -- gave in and essentially became Redman that night, shocking a crowd of familiar faces. Months later, a day after his father kicked him out for selling weed, Redman moved into Sermon's Long Island apartment. He became fully embedded with EPMD and therefore the larger Hit Squad collective, touring with the group whose pioneering funky and relaxed sound had inspired him to fully pursue hip-hop. Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito had showcased a live recording of Redman on their WKCR radio show, but it was EPMD's third album, 1990's Business as Usual, where Redman made his commercial debut, featured on the tracks "Hardcore" and "Brothers on My Jock."

A five-track solo demo resulted in a solo deal with Def Jam. Redman was at the forefront of a crop of young, brash, and hungry signees that included Onyx and Boss, bolstering a roster of mostly established acts such as Slick Rick, LL Cool J, EPMD, and Public Enemy. In September 1992, Whut? Thee Album made instant impact as one of the era's most powerful rap debuts -- a mischievous, hard-hitting, set produced primarily by Redman and Erick Sermon. First two singles "Blow Your Mind" and "Time 4 Some Aksion" both topped Billboard's rap chart (the latter unseated Onyx's "Throw Ya Gunz") and pushed the album, marketed heavily to the streets and college campuses, to gold status within nine months. Meanwhile, Redman was highly sought for guest verses, production, and turntable work, assisting EPMD ("Head Banger"), Boss, Jodeci, and MC Eiht, as well as fellow Def Squad members Sermon and Keith Murray, among others. Red returned in November 1994 with the descriptively-titled Dare Iz a Darkside, what began a streak of four number one rap albums -- all of which also placed no lower than 13 on the Billboard 200. Assisted by Sermon and Rockwilder, Redman handled most of the sludgy production on his own, and a couple major singles in "Rockafella" and "Can't Wait," respective number ten and 11 hits on the rap chart, boosted album sales. Between those two singles, Red also hit number 12 with "Funkorama," taken from Sermon's Insomnia compilation.

Redman crowned the rap album chart four more times in the '90s. Muddy Waters, issued in December 1996, was leaner and sharper edged compared to Dare Iz a Darkside. It spawned "It's Like That (My Big Brother)," a number 11 rap hit featuring Hit Squad partner K-Solo, and "Whatever Man," an Erick Sermon-assisted track that peaked at number three on the rap chart and narrowly missed the pop Top 40. The more colorful and buoyant Doc's da Name 2000, highlighted by "I'll Bee Dat!" and the Busta Rhymes collaboration "Da Goodness," landed in November 1998 and within four months went platinum. The latter became Redman's fourth Top Ten rap hit as a headliner. Earlier the same year, Def Squad issued their lone album, El Niño, and almost topped the Billboard 200 with it. Red led the charge on album standout "Check N' Me Out" and traded verses with Biz Markie on "Rhymin' wit' Biz." Three months before the end of the decade, Redman and Method Man unloaded their first LP as a duo, the number three Billboard 200 entry Blackout!, full-length proof of the rappers' natural chemistry. In addition to "How High," a number two rap single originally recorded for the soundtrack of The Show, Blackout! contained the number 14 rap single "Da Rockwilder." Both songs also factored into How High, the 2001 stoner comedy in which Method Man and Redman co-starred.

In addition to his first major big-screen role as an actor, Redman further raised his profile in the early 2000s with featured appearances on two Grammy-nominated recordings: De La Soul's "Oooh." (for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group) and Christina Aguilera's "Dirty" (for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals). Between the two singles in May 2001, Redman released his fifth album, Malpractice, which entered the Billboard 200 at number four -- his highest position on the chart. The album's "Let's Get Dirty (I Can't Get in da Club)," with DJ Kool as hype man, returned him to the rap Top Ten, and other tracks boasted guest spots from the likes of George Clinton, Scarface, and Treach. Six years passed before his next album, but Redman was busy during the interim with a handful of mixtapes on his new Gilla House label, roles in films like Scary Movie 3 and Seed of Chucky, player character roles in several Def Jam-related video games, plus the sitcom Method & Red, among many other television appearances. In March 2007, Redman finally issued Red Gone Wild: Thee Album. Despite arriving at least three years after its originally scheduled date, Red Gone Wild went straight to number 13 on the Billboard 200 (number four on the R&B/hip-hop chart). Timbaland produced the rowdy highlight "Put It Down," and other notable productions were supplied by Pete Rock, Scott Storch, and longtime associates Erick Sermon and Rockwilder. Blackout! 2 appeared near the end of the decade and found Redman and Method Man picking up where they had left off with their first album as a duo. The sequel entered the Billboard 200 at number seven and the R&B/hip-chart in the second position.

December 2010 saw the release of Redman's last Def Jam album. Titled Redman Presents...Reggie, the LP capped an uncommonly long rapper-label affiliation of nearly two decades. It immediately stuck out in the Redman catalog with its outgoing, guest-heavy approach and use of Auto-Tune. Moreover, it played out like a mixtape with a different producer or production team on each track. Redman enlisted a similarly diverse cast of associates for Mudface, his independent, UMG-distributed eighth album, issued in November 2015. Also like Reggie, it cracked the Top Ten of the rap chart. Film and television roles continued, most notably as the host of Scared Famous, followed by an appearance in Jay and Silent Bob Reboot and a recurring role on Power Book II: Ghost. Muddy Waters Too, the sequel to his 1996 album, and his first full-length in nine years, was issued on Christmas Eve 2024. The party atmosphere was exemplified by "Lite It Up," a nostalgic posse cut on which Redman was joined by Queen Latifah, Rah Digga, Naughty by Nature, Lords of the Underground, and many more. ~ Andy Kellman, Rovi