Ron Browz facts for kids

Rondell Edwin Turner (born December 6, 1982), known as Ron Browz, is an American rapper, singer, and music producer from Harlem, New York. He became well-known for producing the song "Ether" for rapper Nas in 2001. After this, Ron Browz started calling himself "Ether Boy," which is also the name of his music label, created in 2009.

As a music artist, he was known for using a voice effect called Auto-Tune. His song "Pop Champagne" (with Jim Jones and Juelz Santana) was very popular in 2008. It even reached the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 music chart. He also appeared on Busta Rhymes' song "Arab Money" that same year. In 2008, he signed with Universal Motown Records and released his first solo song, "Jumping (Out the Window)". Later, he released his first album, Etherlibrium, on his own.

Ron Browz's Journey in Music

Early Life and Learning Music

Rondell Edwin Turner was born on December 6, 1982, in Harlem, New York City. He spent a short time with a small music company called Big Boss Records. There, he taught himself how to create hip hop beats. This skill would become very important for his future career.

Starting as a Producer

Ron Browz began producing music professionally after meeting Harlem rapper Big L in 1992. Browz showed Big L some of the beats he had made. He remembers Big L's song "Ebonics" as the first song he produced that he heard on the radio.

His time working with Big L was short but very helpful. They made five songs together before Big L passed away in 1999. Ron Browz took a break after this sad event. He later decided to work even harder on his music.

Gaining Fame with "Ether"

In 2001, Ron Browz became famous for producing Nas's song "Ether". This song was used in a famous rap battle against another rapper, Jay-Z. Ron Browz didn't even know his beat was being used for such a big song until he heard it finished in the studio!

After "Ether" became very popular, Browz started calling himself "Ether Boy." He later explained that his name wasn't mentioned in the song, so he started singing "Ether Boy" at the beginning of his produced songs. This helped people know he was the producer. In 2008, Ron Browz released a collection of songs called The Wonder Years. It featured other artists like Jadakiss and Papoose.

Big Record Label Songs

In September 2008, Ron Browz signed with Universal Motown to work on his solo album, Etherboy. He was low on money at the time and unsure about his music career. He heard a song that used the Auto-Tune effect and was inspired to try it himself. This led to him recording "Pop Champagne" with a lot of Auto-Tune.

A new version of "Pop Champagne" with rappers Jim Jones and Juelz Santana became a big hit in 2008. This song was meant to be the first single for his Etherboy album. Another version of "Pop Champagne" was made with Busta Rhymes to celebrate Barack Obama winning the 2008 election.

Also in 2008, he released his solo song "Jumping (Out the Window)". This song also used a lot of Auto-Tune. It became popular in New York and was played on local radio stations. The song even got a rock remix with the band Forever the Sickest Kids.

Browz also produced and sang on Busta Rhymes' song "Arab Money". This song also used his Auto-Tune style. The lyrics of the song caused some discussion, especially among Muslim communities.

Ron Browz said that his record label, Universal Motown Records, didn't want to release his Etherboy album. He thought this might have been because of a song by Jay-Z called "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)", which criticized the use of Auto-Tune.

In May 2009, Browz released the song "20 Dollars." This song wasn't a big hit, and he felt it was because his label didn't promote it. This led him to decide to leave Universal Motown. Even though "20 Dollars" wasn't a commercial success, it became popular online as an internet meme related to the Slenderman stories. People joked that Slenderman only wanted "20 dollars." Later, different versions of the song were released with other artists like Mase and Nicki Minaj.

Working Independently

The Etherboy album was never officially released. Ron Browz left Universal Motown in October 2009 because they had different ideas about his music. He then started releasing his projects on his own through his label, Ether Boy Records. His first independent release was an extended play (EP) called Timeless in 2009.

In February 2010, he released "Ride Ya Bike (She's A Biker)" with Foxy Brown. This song used much less Auto-Tune on his voice. Ron Browz explained that he planned to use less Auto-Tune in the future. He wanted to make songs with different amounts of the effect.

On July 20, 2010, he released his first full album, Etherlibrium. This album also used much less Auto-Tune. In 2011, he released a mixtape called The Christening. This mixtape showed a change in his music style, going back to more traditional New York hip hop.

Ron Browz's Music Style

Ron Browz's popular songs from the late 2000s, which used a lot of Auto-Tune, were known for having "catchy melodies."

When he makes music, Browz says he just plays the beat and sings whatever comes to his mind. He believes that the most catchy songs often become the biggest hits. He also says that the "hook" (the most memorable part of a song) is very important in the music industry. He describes his music-making process as "energy-based," meaning his mood greatly affects the music he creates.

Discography

• Etherlibrium (2010)

See also

In Spanish: Ron Browz para niños