The Last Emperor

Taking his stage name from the Bernardo Bertolucci film of the same title, the West Philadelphia native has operated as an underground hip-hop force since the mid-'90s. He passed through Overbrook High, the city's celebrated hip-hop academy whose alumni include Cool C, Steady B, and the Fresh Prince, absorbing the culture while excelling academically. After earning his degree from Lincoln University, the country's first historically black college, he relocated to New York and aligned himself with the respected Lyricist Lounge collective. His initial recording appearance proved notable, joining KRS-One and Rage Against the Machine's Zach de la Rocha on the track "C.I.A." for the 1998 compilation Lyricist Lounge, Vol. 1. Having demonstrated his blend of scholarly insight and street acumen, he toured extensively to sharpen his live delivery and surfaced periodically on mixtapes and 12-inch singles. Whispers of an impending debut album stirred underground excitement until early 2000, when confirmation arrived of his signing to the influential independent imprint Rawkus, though distribution setbacks ultimately prevented the project from reaching stores.