Memphis Bleek

When Memphis Bleek emerged from performing guest raps on Jay-Z's recording projects of the late 1990s with his own 1999 debut Coming of Age, he was promoted within the hip-hop industry as Jay-Z's anointed successor. Things didn't immediately work out as planned, and Bleek had trouble emerging from the long shadow cast by his famous mentor. By the mid-2000s, though, it was clear that Bleek had become something that rarely appeared in the hip-hop world: a consistent hitmaker. He had released four successful albums. And even if no one claimed that he ranked among hip-hop's great verbal virtuosos, he attracted several of the genre's top producers to work on his recordings, and dance clubs resounded with his music.

Bleek was born Malik Cox in the New York City borough of Brooklyn on June 23, 1978. The "Memphis" in his stage name was an acronym for "Making Easy Money Pimping Hoes in Style," and "Bleek," more innocently, was a representation of his little sister's attempts to pronounce his real first name. Bleek grew up in the Marcy Houses public housing project in Brooklyn, which were also home to the young Jay-Z. The streets around him were filled with violence, much of which showed up in the rarely varied gangster subject matter of his raps. But Bleek turned to music instead of turning to the streets. "I had a friend who was a DJ and we'd make records at his place," Bleek told Billboard. "We'd use the headphones as a microphone. We just wanted to be making music."

Well before his 20th birthday, Bleek was being heard on top hip-hop releases. His first recorded appearance was on the 1996 Jay-Z album Reasonable Doubt, and he was also a guest on the massive Jay-Z hit "Vol. 2 ... Hard Knock Life." In 1999 expectations ran high as Bleek became the first artist signed to Jay-Z's new Roc-a-Fella label and released "Coming of Age." The album fell squarely into the turn-of-the-century gangster rap trend, mixing a generous dose of cocky attitude with irresistibly danceable rhythm tracks. Bleek recruited producer Swizz Beats to helm the single "Memphis Bleek Is," and he continued to work with Swizz Beats, among hip-hop's most noted contemporary producers, throughout his career.