MC Ren

Lorenzo Patterson entered the world on June 14, 1969, and later became known as MC Ren. Although his post-N.W.A path drew far less attention than those of several former colleagues, he still posted measurable sales. In 1988, while finishing high school, he was asked to join the group; he contributed prominently to Straight Outta Compton that same year and supplied multiple songs for Eazy-E’s first solo project, Eazy-Duz-It. After Niggaz4Life appeared in 1991, the collective split amid open hostility. Ren remained on Ruthless Records and launched his own catalog with the six-track EP Kizz My Black Azz in 1992. The release reached the R&B Top Ten and came close on the pop listing. Around this time he embraced the Nation of Islam, an affiliation that eased tensions with his ex-bandmates; he reconciled with Ice Cube and stayed out of the escalating conflict between Dr. Dre and Eazy-E. His debut full-length album, Shock of the Hour, arrived in 1993; its original working title, “Life Sentence,” was altered after his religious conversion. The set briefly topped the R&B chart. Eazy-E’s death from AIDS unsettled Ren, yet he resurfaced in 1996 with The Villain in Black, a project shaped by G-funk and featuring contributions from Above the Law. That album also landed in the R&B Top Ten and moved steadily despite limited radio exposure. Ruthless for Life followed in 1998, updating his production approach and reaching the R&B Top 20 for a short stretch. Over the next decade he guested on releases by the D.O.C. and Public Enemy, then issued Renincarnated in 2009. The 2015 release of the Academy Award-nominated film Straight Outta Compton, which grossed more than $200 million worldwide, triggered renewed public interest in the group. The following year N.W.A received another distinction when it was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.