Biography
Drawing from the styles of 2Pac, Ice Cube, and Above the Law, Prez-E-Dent delivers rhymes that uplift while delivering sharp critique, all delivered through the hard-edged lens of a gangsta rapper. Samuel Joffre Payne entered the world in Chicago, IL, yet grew up amid the streets of Washington, D.C. He began rhyming at thirteen and kept largely to himself during his teenage years even as he assisted in raising his four younger siblings. Legal troubles eventually sent him to prison, where he secured his initial recording contract through Relativity. Performing at the time under the name 20x20, he achieved early traction via the mid-’90s single “Gotta Be Like That.” Frustration with label bureaucracy and poor dealings soon led him to purchase the rights to his contract and reclaim ownership of his masters. A London-based entrepreneur later helped him return to the studio, where the track “Hypocrites”—which voiced support for hunting and the right to bear arms—ignited debate across the U.K. British gun-rights advocates, most notably the Countryside Alliance, rallied behind the song, while extensive coverage appeared throughout the U.K. press. By the mid- to late 2000s he had adopted the Prez-E-Dent identity, launched White House Entertainment Group, and released the single “We Smokin’” in 2006.
Albums