Memphis Bleek Has Slang

10/06/1999 4:00 AM, Yahoo! Music
Craig Rosen

(10/6/99, 1 a.m. PDT) - Rapper Memphis Bleek, who first appeared on Jay-Z's multi-platinum Grammy-winner Volume 2...Hard Knock Life, is now a hit rapper in his own right. His premiere album, Coming Of Age, has debuted in the top 10 on the Billboard album charts.

Memphis Bleek is making quite a name for himself with his trademark rap flow and his hardcore street slang in songs like "Memphis Bleek Is...," "Who's Sleepin," and "You A Thug." During a recent interview with LAUNCH, the rapper--who grew up in the same projects as Jay-Z--talked about his use of slang. "My slang is straight from Marcy. I go back to the 'hood, I hear all the kids talking kind of crazy. I pick it up, and bring it to y'all," he explained. "That's how my lingo go. It's basically the same thing. You keep it gangsta, you keep it gutter, you keep it ghetto. It's all the same thing. My Marcybonics. You'll hear it in the rap songs."

"Memphis Bleek Is..." is the first single from the top-selling set, and will be followed up with the second single, "What Y'all Think Of That." Coming Of Age also features collaborations with Irv Gotti, Swizz Beats, Ja Rule, and Jay-Z.

To read a Jay-Z feature, click here.

-- Karu F. Daniels, New York

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