- Beanie Sigel
Infobox musical artist 2
Name = Beanie Sigel
Img_capt=
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Dwight Grant
Alias =
Born = Birth date and age|1974|3|6
Origin =South Philadelphia ,Pennsylvania
Genre = Hip hop
Years_active = 1998–present
Associated_acts =Jay-Z ,Scarface ,Memphis Bleek , Freeway,Young Gunz , State Property,DJ Khaled ,The Lox
Label = Roc-A-Fella, State Property, Def JamDwight Grant (born on
March 6 ,1974 ), [ [http://www.celebrity-link.com/c178/showcelebrity_categoryid-17872.html Beanie Segil Birthdate ] ] also known as Beanie Sigel, is an Americanrapper [ [http://www.sohh.com/articles/article.php/6039 Off On A Tangent W/Beanie Sigel | Featurette | SOHH.com ] ] fromPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania , signed toDamon Dash andJay-Z 'sRoc-A-Fella Records in1998 . Beanie founded the group and label State Property, as well as the clothing company of the same name.Sigel's name derives from the street in
South Philadelphia where he was raised, Sigel Street. It is also a play on the name of the famous gangster,Bugsy Siegel . He is also referred to as the Broad Street Bully and Beans.Early career
Beanie Sigel signed with Roc-A-Fella and showed up across the board. Before any album of his own, he appeared on DJ Clue? Mixtapes, contributed a verse to
The Roots 's song Adrenaline and later appeared onJay-Z 's Hard Knock Life album and the remix to his "Money, Cash, Hoes ", which also featuredMemphis Bleek andDMX .Sigel's debut LP, "The Truth" was released
February 29 ,2000 onRoc-A-Fella Records . The album went gold and spawned hits like "The Truth" and "Remember Them Days" featuring Eve. The album also includedJay-Z 's single, "Anything". His second album "The Reason" was released in the summer of 2001 and included the lead single, "Beanie (Mack B****)" and the debut of Sigel's own rap group State Property. After the release of his second album,Rocawear soon released State Property Clothing Line. [ [http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/sigel_beanie/artist.jhtml#bio Beanie Sigel Bio ] ]Roc-A-Fella Split
When Beanie Sigel was found guilty of federal weapons charges, he was sentenced to 1 year and 1 day in federal prison. He finished his 3rd album, "
The B. Coming ", and shot multiple videos before he had to start his sentence. In the meantime, the Roc-A-Fella split between Damon Dash, Kareem Biggs & Jay-Z had finished, with Jay-Z holding sole ownership of Roc-A-Fella and later becoming President of Def Jam. Dame and Kareem started Dame Dash Music Group, and The B. Coming became a joint venture between the two companies. [ [http://www.mtv.com/bands/s/sigel_beanie/news_feature_032905/ Beanie Sigel Feature DDMG ] ] [ [http://www.amazon.com/B-Coming-Beanie-Sigel/dp/B0000CC4VD B. Coming Def Jam ] ] The album opened strong for an incarcerated artist, selling 131,000 copies in its first week and reaching Gold status in sales. [ [http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1499645/20050406/50_cent.jhtml 50 Cent on top for 5th week ] ]While Beanie Sigel was in jail, it is said that none of the State Property members except for Oschino came to visit him. He told Dame to pass the word on that State Property was no longer in effect, until after he was released. When the split between Roc-A-Fella owners occurred, Dame made it clear that Beanie's intentions were to move State Property to his new
Dame Dash Music Group . However, only members Oschino and Omillio chose to go. Members Freeway,Peedi Crakk ,Young Chris , and Neef wanted to stay on Roc-A-Fella records with Jay-Z. When questioned, they claimed they were just in the mix. When he was released from jail, Sigel had a few choice words for his friends, claiming:"Do I think they were disloyal for going with Jay [-Z] ? Nah," he said. "My whole thing is they were disloyal to me period. ... Just not being there, period, for me. Not for the [business] decisions they made. ... I was mad because they weren't loyal to me period. Even when I was on house arrest, before I got booked, I didn't get a phone call. I never got one letter from any of them since I been jail. Oschino and Sparks are the only ones that kept in contact with me." [ [http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1507399/20050810/sigel_beanie.jhtml Beanie Blasts 'Disloyal' State Property, Explains Why He's With Dame And Not Jay-Z ] ]
It was thought that Sigel had chosen to sign with Dame; however, this remained unclear, as he was present atJay-Z 's I Declare War concert in 2005. He stated before his next Def Jam release would be a mixtape, which would fulfill his contract with them. He stated he was also working on his new album, "The Solution". It finally appeared Beans had chosen to side with Jay-Z after all, as he recently stated that he would never work with Dame Dash again [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1HNVmuERf4] , and several members of Roc-a-Fella appeared at his birthday party. [http://board.rapbasement.com/showthread.php?p=6114557#post6114557] . He has confirmed that he is still a member of Roc-a-Fella via a radio interview. [http://www.zshare.net/audio/dj_absolut-beanie_sigel_phonecall-onsmash-com-allister-mp3.html] His fourth studio album, "The Solution", saw release through Roc-A-Fella. April 2008 saw the re-emergence of State Property as a group, with six of the seven members appearing together on the newposse cut "Ocean's Seven".Legal trouble
In September 2005, a jury acquitted him of charges that he nearly shot a man to death on a crowded city street two years prior. In August, Sigel left federal prison after serving nearly a year on a federal weapons charge that stemmed from a 2002 traffic stop in
Philadelphia .Sigel also has fallen behind in child-support payments. He was briefly jailed in November until he paid $27,000 in child support and $2,000 in fines, but seems to be paying off his debts.
With the case behind him, Sigel now plans to "make music, make movies and work on his clothing line," said his attorney,
Fortunato N. Perri Jr. The case was the last in a series of criminal charges against Sigel, who has a long arrest record dating back to his days growing up inSouth Philadelphia .On Tuesday,
January 10 2006 , Sigel was convicted of assault for a fight. He agreed with the prosecutor's version of events, and was convicted of misdemeanor simple assault. He was immediately sentenced to two years and three monthsOn
March 27 ,2008 , Sigel was sentenced to three months in prison for a third probation violation following positive tests forXanax andPercocet over five times in the past month. The rapper had already been sentenced to six months house arrest for a previous violation. [ [http://allhiphop.com/stories/news/archive/2008/03/29/19552841.aspx Allhiphop.com - Rapper Beanie Sigel Gets Three Months In Jail ] ] He was released from custody on June 25, 2008.hooting
On
May 25 2006 , shortly after 8:00 am, Sigel was shot twice in the upper right arm during a robbery attempt. He was hospitalized and was said to be in good condition. [ [http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1532475/20060525/sigel_beanie.jhtml Beanie Sigel Recoviering after being shot during robbery attempt ] ] According to Philly.com, sources at the [http://google-yahoo-buzz-index.blogspot.com/2006/05/google-news-buzz-police-doubt-beanie.html Philadelphia Police are skeptical] of the details of the shooting because no shell casings, or witnesses to the shooting have been located.Faith
A number of Beanie Sigel's songs deal with his
Sunni Muslim faith, and the conflict between the conduct expected of a Muslim and the maintenance of a gangsta lifestyle. His on-record relationship to religion has been complex. Sometimes he berates those who would lecture him for not being observant enough, as on "This Can't Be Life "; at others he expresses anxiety and looks to God for mercy, such as on "Judgment Day" from "The Solution" and several songs on "The B. Coming", such as "Lord Have Mercy" and "I Can't Go On This Way". On the latter he says: "I prayAllah , forgive me for my actions" / "'Cause I spit gangsta, think Muslim and actkafir ".One of Beanie Sigel's closest collaborators, and his personal favourite rapper, is Scarface, of the
Geto Boys , himself a devoutChristian who frequently makes reference to his own sincere faith. The two men are close friends, and one of their several collaborations, "Mom Praying" from "The Reason", finds each man talking about faith and filial loyalty in his own way, with Beanie acknowledging that his mother and grandmother are "kuffar" (unbelievers), but proclaiming his undying love for them regardless.His fellow State Property member and Roc-A-Fella allum, Freeway, is also a Muslim, and one of the things that brought the two Philadelphia rappers together. The two are working with the other members of State Property on a new crew album.
Some of his other songs maintain the downbeat, ruminative tone of his religious songs, without necessarily touching on religious angst, namely "Feel It In The Air", the first single from "
The B. Coming " and one of his most acclaimed songs.Discography
*"The Truth" (2000)
*"The Reason" (2001)
*"The B. Coming " (2005)
*"The Solution" (2007)References
External links
* [http://www.rocafella.com/ Roc-A-Fella Records website]
* [http://www.dashmusicgroup.com/ Dash Music Group website]
* [http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1492090/20041008/sigel_beanie.jhtml MTV News]
* [http://www.hiphopreaction.com/artists/Beanie-Sigel Beanie Sigel]
* [http://www.myspace.com/the_play_pen Official The Playpen Myspace]
* [http://www.myspace.com/beaniesigel Official Beanie Sigel Myspace]
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