Mic Geronimo

Emerging from Queens with a gritty demeanor and some links to Puff Daddy’s late-’90s pop-rap domain, Mic Geronimo absorbed early influences from LL Cool J and Big Daddy Kane along with soul artists including Stevie Wonder and Prince. Producer Irv Gotti, known then as DJ Irv, discovered him at a talent show, which led to a deal with Blunt/TVT and the 1995 release of his debut LP The Natural. Although the project included forceful early singles such as “Shit's Real” and “Masta I.C.,” it attracted little notice, in part because TVT held modest regard among hip-hop circles. His 1997 follow-up Vendetta raised his profile through work with Puff Daddy-affiliated acts the LOX and with the producer himself on the single “Nothin' Move but the Money.”