Juelz Santana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Juelz Santana
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Juelz Santana in 2006
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| Birth name | LaRon Louis James |
| Born | February 18, 1982 New York City, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1994–present |
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LaRon Louis James Sr. (born February 18, 1982), known as Juelz Santana, is an American rapper. He is also a member of the East Coast hip hop group, The Diplomats (also called Dipset).
Juelz Santana is famous for his songs with group member Cam'ron. These include "Oh Boy" and "Hey Ma" from 2002. These songs reached numbers four and three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. He also appeared on Chris Brown's 2005 song, "Run It!". This song was number one for five weeks and sold millions of copies.
As a main artist, he is known for his 2005 song "There It Go (The Whistle Song)". This song reached number six on the chart and sold over a million copies. "There It Go" was the first song from his debut album, From Me to U (2003). His second album was What the Game's Been Missing! (2005). Both albums were released by Def Jam Recordings. They both reached the top ten on the Billboard 200 album chart.
With Dipset, he has released three albums. With his group Skull Gang, he released one album in 2009. His song "Back to the Crib" (with Chris Brown) was meant for his third album. Other songs he was featured on, like "Pop Champagne" (2008) and "Beamer, Benz or Bentley" (2010), also reached the top 50 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Contents
Early Life and Music Beginnings
LaRon Louis James was born in New York City. He grew up in the Sugar Hill, Harlem area of Manhattan. He started rapping when he was just five years old. A godmother from the Dominican Republic who lived with his family was a big influence on him.
When he was 12, James formed a rap duo called Draftpick. He created the group with his friend Malik. They became known after performing in New York City. They even won two weeks in a row at the famous Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater. When James was 15, they signed with Priority Records. They released one song called "Play Ruff."
In 1998, James met Cam'ron through his cousin. Soon after, he started using the name Juelz Santana. He became a member of Cam'ron's hip hop group, The Diplomats. Other members included Jim Jones and Freekey Zekey. Santana first worked with the group on a remix of "What Means the World to You." He also appeared on Cam'ron's album, S.D.E., in 2000.
Rise to Fame: Albums and Collaborations
In 2001, Cam'ron signed with Roc-a-Fella Records. He released his album, Come Home with Me, in 2002. This album featured more songs with Santana. These included "Welcome to New York City", "Hey Ma", and "Oh Boy". "Oh Boy" earned Santana his first Grammy Award nomination in 2003.
Because Cam'ron signed, Santana also got a deal with Roc-a-Fella. He signed under the Diplomat Records label. After releasing four mixtapes, The Diplomats released their first album. It was called Diplomatic Immunity and came out in 2003. It debuted at number 8 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album sold 92,000 copies in its first week. It later became certified Gold, meaning it sold over 500,000 copies.
On August 19, 2003, Santana released his first solo album, From Me to U. It reached number 8 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album's first song was "Dipset (Santana's Town)". This song reached number 70 on the Billboard Top 100. It also received a Grammy nomination.
Following some disagreements, The Diplomats left Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam. They signed with Koch Records. The group released their second album, Diplomatic Immunity 2, in 2004. New members like Hell Rell joined the group.
On December 23, 2004, Santana released "Mic Check." This was the first song from his second album. It reached number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
In April 2005, Santana announced he was back with Def Jam. On May 29, 2005, he released "There It Go (The Whistle Song)". This became his most successful song so far. It reached number 6 on the Hot 100 chart. Another song, "Oh Yes", reached number 56. On June 30, 2005, Santana was featured on Chris Brown's song "Run It!". This song became number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks.
On November 22, 2005, Santana released What the Game's Been Missing!, his second album. Both the album and the song "There It Go" were certified Gold.
Later Career and Reunions
Around 2007, The Diplomats group faced some challenges and broke up for a time. In 2008, Santana formed a new hip hop group called Skull Gang. They also started a record label called Skull Gang Entertainment. The group released mixtapes like Takeover (2008) before their album, Skull Gang, came out in 2009.
In 2008, Santana started working on his third album, Born to Lose, Built to Win. He released several songs for it, but the album was never officially released. During this time, Juelz worked on Lil Wayne's album Tha Carter III. This work led to his third Grammy Award nomination in 2009.
In April 2010, Cam'ron and Jim Jones announced they had settled their differences. The Diplomats reunited and released new songs. In 2011 and 2012, Santana appeared briefly on the VH1 reality TV show Love & Hip Hop: New York.
On December 21, 2012, Santana announced a new mixtape called God Will'n. This was his first solo project in eight years. It was released in January 2013. XXL magazine later called it one of the best mixtapes of the year. He released music videos for many songs from the mixtape. A month later, Santana released another mixtape called All We Got Is Us.
In November 2016, Santana joined the cast of Love & Hip Hop: New York for its seventh season. He also released a new song called "Up In The Studio Gettin Blown."
On November 21, 2017, Santana, Cam'ron, Jim Jones, and Freekey Zekey reunited on stage. They performed together at the Hammerstein Ballroom. In 2018, the group went on a national tour called Dipset Forever. They also released their third album, Diplomatic Ties, on November 22, 2018.
In November 2018, Santana returned to Love & Hip Hop: New York as a main cast member. The show followed his life during that time.
Personal Life
On November 23, 2018, Santana asked Kimbella Vanderhee to marry him. This happened during a Diplomats show at the Apollo Theater. They got married on January 10, 2019. They separated in December 2022.
Santana and Vanderhee have three children together: Juelz James, Bella Monroe James, and Santana James. Santana also has another son, LaRon Jr., from an earlier relationship.
Discography
Studio albums
- From Me to U (2003)
- What the Game's Been Missing! (2005)
Filmography
- State Property 2 (2005)
- Killa Season (2006)
- Kiss and Tail: The Hollywood Jumpoff (2009)
- The Project (2011)
- Video Girl (2011)
- Love & Hip Hop: New York (2016–2019)
Images for kids
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Juelz Santana in 2005
See also
In Spanish: Juelz Santana para niños
