Kurupt Biography

The rapper and actor known as Kurupt was born Ricardo Emmanuel Brown in 1972 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Kurupt began honing his emcee skills as a teenager, establishing a name for himself in the local neighborhood. When he was sixteen, Kurupt moved to California to live with his father; it was in this environment that he began to make connections with people in the industry, eventually garnering the attention of Death Row Records.

After signing to the label, Kurupt became part of a select group to appear on Dr. Dre’s breakthrough album, The Chronic, which garnered Kurupt significant attention. Shortly thereafter, Kurupt also appeared on Snoop Dogg’s debut, Doggystyle. During this time, Kurupt also established a strong kinship with Tupac Shakur, who had also been signed to the label. It was Tupac’s untimely passing that led to Kurupt’s decision to leave Death Row Records, signing instead with A&M Records and releasing his first solo album, Kuruption!, in 1998.

Kuruption! was a hit, leading to the release of: Tha Streetz Is a Mutha (1999), Space Boogie: Smoke Oddessey (2001), Against tha Grain (2005), Same Day, Different Shit (2006), and Streetlights (2010.) The album featured the singles: “We Can Freak It,” “Girls All Pause,” “Who Ride Wit Us,” “It’s Over,” “I’m Burnt,” and “In Gotti We Trust.” In addition, Kurupt has appeared as a guest artist on a number of songs for other performers, including: “The Next Episode” (with Dr. Drew and Snoop Dogg); “Candy (Drippin’ Like Water)” (with E-40, Snoop Dogg, and Daz Dillinger); and “Inimigo Invisivel 0.2” (with NX Zero and Marcelo D2.)

Over the years, Kurupt has also appeared in a number of films, including: The Wash (2001), Half Past Dead (2002), Dark Blue (2002), Stand by Your Man (2006), Vice (2008), Days of Wrath (2008), and The Penthouse (2010.) Kurupt continues to perform and record, and frequently collaborates with other artists on their albums. Kurupt most recently appeared on the HRSMN album Historic EP, released in 2014.