- Last Emperor
Infobox musical artist
Name = The Last Emperor
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Background = group_or_band
Birth_name = Jamal Gray
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Origin =Philadelphia ,Pennsylvania , U.S.
Genre = Alternative hip hop
Years_active =
Label =Aftermath Entertainment , Rawkus, Raptivism
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URL = [http://www.thelastemp.com www.TheLastEmp.com]
Notable_instruments =The Last Emperor is the recording name of Jamal Gray,
Philadelphia -born hip-hop artist. He is renowned for his quick wit and lyrical skill. The Last Emperor took his moniker from the Bernardo Bertolucci film epic of the same name (The Last Emperor ). He attended and graduatedOverbrook High School (Philadelphia) then went on to obtain a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science/International Relations from Lincoln University.After moving to New York he began performing at open mic nights. It was at the Lyricist Lounge that he became known mainly for his eminent stage presence and hypnotizing live shows. The Last Emperor quickly gained a verse on
KRS-One 's 'CIA (Criminals In Action) withZack De La Rocha ). Two years after graduating from Lincoln he obtained a major recording contract fromAftermath Entertainment . Jamal amazingly became a protégé ofDr. Dre , a pioneer of hip-hop music, co-founder ofDeath Row Records , and the legendary producer of artists such asSnoop Dogg ,Tupac Shakur , andEminem . In 2003 official word came out that The Last Emperor had signed to Rawkus Records, but unfortunately, due to distribution problems, the record was kept off the rack. Last Emperor has his own label Red Planet Music Corp. which is distributed by Raptivism. Last Emperor's brother Que is his partner on the label.He has opened for such acts as the former
Def Squad (Redman,EPMD ,Das EFX andK-Solo ), Common,The Roots , andKRS-One . He has performed at the Lyricist Lounge on several occasions. He’s traveled around the world from Denmark [Roskilde Festival] , London [Jam in the park] , and Norway [Quart Festival] to North America as the Guest MC for the popular rock group,The Gorillaz .He's currently signed to Raptivism Records, but was signed to two different well known labels in the past:
Aftermath Records andRawkus Records . Last Emperor released his debut album "Music, Magic, Myth " ("Palace of The Pretender " inEurope ) in 2003.The Last Emperor released the single Black Apache on Red Planet in September 2006.
Discography
*2003: "
Music, Magic, Myth "
*2003: "Palace of the Pretender "
*2002: "The Legend of Bigfoot "External links
* [http://www.thelastemp.com Last Emperor's Official Site]
* [http://www.redplanetmusic.blogspot.com Red Planet Music]
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