MC Ren facts for kids

Quick facts for kids MC Ren
MC Ren in 1990
Born	Lorenzo Jerald Patterson (1969-06-16) June 16, 1969 (age 56) Compton, California, U.S.
Other names	Villain Ruthless Villain The Villain in Black Rebel Villain Nation Villain
Education	Dominguez High School
Occupation	Rapper record producer songwriter
Years active	1987–present
Spouse(s)	Yaasamen Alaa ​ (m. 1993)​
Children	5
Musical career
Genres	West Coast hip hop gangsta rap political hip hop
Instruments	Vocals
Labels	Ruthless (1987–1998) Priority (1987–1992) Relativity (1993–1996) Epic (1997–1998) Villain (1999–present)
Associated acts	N.W.A The D.O.C. Nate Dogg Dr. Dre Snoop Dogg Ice Cube Eazy-E Public Enemy CPO RBX 8Ball & MJG

Lorenzo Jerald Patterson (born June 16, 1969), known as MC Ren, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He is from Compton, California. He also owns his own music company, Villain Entertainment.

MC Ren started his music journey as a solo artist in 1987. He signed with Eazy-E's Ruthless Records while still in high school. Later that year, he joined the famous group N.W.A. He even helped write many songs for Eazy-E's album Eazy-Duz-It.

After N.W.A broke up in 1991, MC Ren continued with Ruthless Records. He released three solo albums. One of them was Shock of the Hour. He left the label in 1998.

In 2016, MC Ren was honored. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of N.W.A. In 2024, he received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award with N.W.A. He accepted the award with Ice Cube, DJ Yella, The D.O.C, and Lil Eazy E.

Early Life and School Days

Lorenzo Jerald Patterson was born in Compton, California, on June 16, 1969. He grew up with his parents, two brothers, and a sister. His father worked for the government before opening his own barber shop.

Patterson went to Dominguez High School. There, he met DJ Train, who would later work with him on music. During this time, he became very interested in hip hop. He started writing songs with a friend named MC Chip. They formed a group called Awesome Crew and performed at parties.

In 1985, Patterson officially started his rap career. He teamed up with his childhood friend, Eric "Eazy-E" Wright. Patterson finished high school in 1987. He had planned to join the United States Army. However, he changed his mind after watching the 1987 movie Full Metal Jacket.

MC Ren's Music Career

Starting Out: 1987–1991

In 1987, MC Ren signed as a solo artist with Eazy-E's Ruthless Records. This was while he was still in high school. When Ice Cube left to study, Ren was asked to write songs for Eazy-E's album Eazy-Duz-It. After writing many songs for it, MC Ren was invited to join the group N.W.A.

They quickly started working on their album Straight Outta Compton. The album was made with a small budget of $8,000. It was finished in just four weeks and released in August 1988. The album became a huge success. This happened even though it got almost no radio play or big concert tours.

After Ice Cube left the group in 1989, N.W.A released an EP called 100 Miles and Runnin'. MC Ren wrote the lyrics for this EP. The group's next full album, Niggaz4Life, came out the next year. It sold 955,000 copies in its first week. It was the first rap album to reach #1 on the Billboard charts. This album was the group's last. Dr. Dre left N.W.A due to disagreements about money.

Solo Music: 1992–Present

When N.W.A broke up, MC Ren began working on his first solo music. It was an EP (Extended Play) called Kizz My Black Azz. DJ Bobcat produced most of the 6 songs. The EP was released in the summer of 1992. It was very popular with both fans and critics. It sold enough copies to be certified Platinum in just two months, without any radio play.

MC Ren then started recording his first full album. It was first called Life Sentence. During this time, MC Ren joined The Nation of Islam. This led him to change his album's direction. He released Shock of the Hour in late 1993. This album was #1 on the R&B charts. It sold 321,000 copies in its first month.

Shock of the Hour was seen as more focused. It was also very controversial. The album had two main themes. The first part talked about social issues like ghetto life, racism, and poverty. The second part showed MC Ren's political views. This part was recorded after he joined the Nation of Islam. The album included the popular song "Mayday on the Frontline".

After two years, MC Ren and Eazy-E worked together again in 1994. They made a song called "Tha Muthpukkin' Real." It was produced by DJ Yella. Three months later, on March 26, 1995, Eazy-E passed away. The song "Tha Muthpukkin' Real" was released as a single in 1995.

MC Ren faced hard times when both DJ Train and Eazy-E died. This happened before his next album, The Villain in Black, was released. This album came out in early 1996. It tried to sound like Dr. Dre's G-funk style. Critics did not like it much. They felt MC Ren was focusing too much on gangsta rap. The album debuted at #31 on the pop charts. It sold 31,000 copies in its first week.

Before leaving Ruthless Records, MC Ren released Ruthless for Life in 1998. This album was a small comeback for him. It sold fairly well. The album featured other artists like Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, RBX, and 8Ball & MJG. This was the first time MC Ren worked with new music producers. By the end of 1998, he left Ruthless Records.

On October 31, 2009, MC Ren released his fourth album, Renincarnated. It was released through his own company, Villain. Renincarnated was only released in the United States.

In 2015, MC Ren said he was working on a new EP called Rebel Music. He released two songs from it: "Rebel Music" and "Burn Radio Burn". A new version of "Rebel Music" with Ice Cube was released in June 2014. The EP was expected in late 2015. However, it was not released until 2022. He then canceled that project and announced a new EP, Osiris, on Twitter.

On May 22, 2022, he shared the song list for Osiris. The EP was released on June 3, 2022. This eight-song EP was fully produced by Tha Chill. It featured guest artists like Kurupt, Kokane, Cold 187um, and Ras Kass.

Working with Others: 1987–Present

In 1988, MC Ren helped with Eazy-Duz-It. Even though it was Eazy-E's solo album, many artists contributed. MC Ren was the only guest rapper. He rapped on almost half of the album. Dr. Dre and DJ Yella produced the album. MC Ren, Ice Cube, and The D.O.C. wrote the lyrics.

In 1990, MC Ren produced the first album for his group CPO. The album was called To Hell and Black. The group included CPO Boss Hogg, DJ Train, and Young D. After their first album, the group broke up. CPO Boss Hogg went on to have a solo career. He appeared on albums by N.W.A, Dr. Dre, and Tupac. DJ Train continued to work with MC Ren.

In 1993, MC Ren introduced a new group called The Whole Click. The group included his longtime friend Bigg Rocc, Grinch, Bone, and MC Ren's brother, Juvenile. The group first appeared on MC Ren's album Shock of the Hour. The group later separated. Bigg Rocc continued to work with MC Ren. He was featured on all of MC Ren's solo albums.

In 2000, MC Ren appeared on the song "Hello". This song also featured Dr. Dre and Ice Cube. It was on Ice Cube's album War & Peace Vol. 2 (The Peace Disc). MC Ren joined the Up in Smoke Tour that same year to perform his part of the song.

MC Ren has also worked on more political music projects. He collaborated with Public Enemy. He was on Paris's album Hard Truth Soldiers Vol. 1. He also appeared on Public Enemy's album Rebirth of a Nation.

In April 2016, MC Ren reunited with the former members of N.W.A. This happened at the Coachella music festival.

Other Projects

Film Work

In 1992, MC Ren was offered a role in the movie Menace II Society. He accepted the role at first. However, he later changed his mind. The role was then given to MC Eiht.

In 2004, MC Ren released a movie called Lost in the Game. It was a straight-to-DVD film. MC Ren produced, wrote, and directed the movie himself. It was an independent film released by his company Villain.

MC Ren was played by Aldis Hodge in the 2015 N.W.A movie Straight Outta Compton.

Personal Life

In June 1993, MC Ren married Yaasamen Alaa. They have five children together. His oldest son, Anthony, is a rapper known as "Waxxie." He has worked with other children of N.W.A members.

In April 1993, MC Ren started attending a mosque. By July, he became a full member of the Nation of Islam. He was known as Lorenzo X. Two years later, he left the organization. He then converted to Sunni Islam.

Music Style and Influences

Who Inspired MC Ren?

MC Ren has said that KRS-One, Chuck D, Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, and Run-DMC are his biggest influences. He also stated that Criminal Minded by Boogie Down Productions is his favorite hip hop album of all time.

His Legacy

In 2024, MC Ren received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He earned this as a member of N.W.A.

MC Ren's Music Albums

Logo used by MC Ren since 2009

Studio Albums

• Shock of the Hour (1993)
• The Villain in Black (1996)
• Ruthless for Life (1998)
• Renincarnated (2009)

Albums with N.W.A

• Straight Outta Compton (1988)
• 100 Miles and Runnin' (1990)
• Niggaz4Life (1991)

Extended Plays (EPs)

• Kizz My Black Azz (1992)
• Osiris (2022)

Movies and TV Shows

Awards and Nominations

Grammy Awards

Other Awards

• The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Member Of N.W.A. 2016

See also

In Spanish: MC Ren para niños