Darnell Carlton (born August 20, 1974), better known by his stage name Crunchy Black, is an American

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

and

hype man A hype man, in hip hop music and rapping, is a backup rapper and/or singer who supports the primary rappers with exclamations and interjections and who attempts to increase the audience's excitement with call-and-response chants. The hype man's i ...

Career

He was a longtime member of the

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology), ...

-winning hip hop group

Three 6 Mafia Three 6 Mafia is an American Hip hop music, hip hop group from Memphis, Tennessee, formed in 1991. Emerging as a horror-themed underground hip hop group, they would eventually go on to enjoy mainstream success. The group's 1995 debut album ''Mys ...

from the group's founding until 2006. At the

78th Academy Awards The 78th Academy Awards presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place on March 5, 2006, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:00 p.m. PST / 8:00 p.m. EST. The ceremony was ...

in 2006, Three 6 Mafia and

Frayser Boy Cedric Coleman, professionally known by his stage name Frayser Boy, is an American rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. He was formerly signed to Hypnotize Minds, the record label run by Three 6 Mafia founders DJ Paul and Juicy J, and had released t ...

won the

Academy Award for Best Original Song The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is presented to the ''songwriters'' who have composed th ...

for '' It's Hard out Here for a Pimp''. Crunchy left Three 6 Mafia over monetary disputes involving his desire to forward his solo career. Black's debut solo album entitled ''On My Own'' was released on September 19, 2006. Crunchy has said this album was released by DJ Paul and Juicy J without his permission. Crunchy's second solo album, ''From Me To You'' is also said to have been put out without his permission by DJ Paul and Juicy J. ''From Me to You'' reached 12 on the ''Billboard''

Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers are "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new an ...

chart, 32 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop chart, and 10 on the ''Billboard'' Top Rap albums chart. "On My Own" reached 3 on the ''Billboard'' Top Heatseekers chart, 163 on the ''Billboard'' 200, 15 on the ''Billboard''

Independent Albums The Independent Albums chart (previously titled Top Independent Albums) ranks the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays (EPs) in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by '' Billboard'' maga ...

chart, 28 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop chart, and 13 on the ''Billboard'' Top Rap Albums chart. In 2013, Crunchy Black joined

Da Mafia 6ix Three 6 Mafia is an American hip hop group from Memphis, Tennessee, formed in 1991. Emerging as a horror-themed underground hip hop group, they would eventually go on to enjoy mainstream success. The group's 1995 debut album '' Mystic Stylez'' ...

, a reincarnation of Three 6 Mafia with

DJ Paul Paul Duane Beauregard (born January 12, 1977), better known by his stage name DJ Paul, is an American DJ, record producer, and rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. He is a founding member of hip hop group Three 6 Mafia and uncle of the late rapper ...

Lord Infamous Ricky T. Dunigan (November 17, 1973 – December 20, 2013), better known by his stage name Lord Infamous, was an American rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. He was the half-brother of DJ Paul and one of the co-founders of Three 6 Mafia. His lyrics t ...

Koopsta Knicca Robert Cooper Phillips (April 27, 1975 – October 9, 2015), better known by his stage name Koopsta Knicca, was an American rapper. He was best known as one of the members of the Memphis rap group Three 6 Mafia, as well as a member of the rap co ...

and

Gangsta Boo Lola Chantrelle Mitchell (born August 7, 1979), better known by her stage name Gangsta Boo, is an American rapper, who was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. She was the second female member (after K-9) of the Memphis-based hip hop group Thr ...

. Crunchy contributed heavily to Platinum albums When the Smoke Clears: Sixty 6, Sixty 1, and

Most Known Unknown ''Most Known Unknown'' is the eighth studio album by American hip hop group Three 6 Mafia. It was released on September 27, 2005, by Hypnotize Minds, Sony Urban Music, and Columbia Records and is the follow-up to the 2003 album ''Da Unbreakabl ...

, as well as Gold albums

Da Unbreakables ''Da Unbreakables'' is the sixth studio album by American hip hop group Three 6 Mafia. The album was released on June 24, 2003 by Hypnotize Minds and Columbia Records. The album features Lord Infamous, DJ Paul, Juicy J and Crunchy Black. Gang ...

, and Chapter 2: World Domination with

. Crunchy is known for g-walking, which he says he started doing in Memphis Clubs but admits he is not the originator. He was shot in the face and the leg in Las Vegas on July 1, 2012 and recovered very quickly from the injuries and was released from the hospital just days after the shooting.

Legal issues

In March 2014, Crunchy Black was arrested on two

domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...

charges and one possession of

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...

charge in

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. Three felony warrants were issued by

Stearns County, Minnesota Stearns County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,292. Its county seat and largest city is St. Cloud. The county was founded in 1855. It was originally named for Isaac Ingalls Stevens, th ...

. All three warrants carry nationwide extradition.

TMZ TMZ is a tabloid news website owned by Fox Corporation. It made its debut on November 8, 2005, originally as a collaboration between AOL and Telepictures, a division of Warner Bros., until Time Warner divested AOL in 2009. On September 13, 202 ...

broke the story. He was incarcerated and has since been freed.

Discography

, align="left", '' On My Own'' (album) , align="left", *Released: 2006 , - , align="left", ''

From Me to You "From Me to You" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that was released in April 1963 as their third single. It was written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon. The song was the Beatles' first number 1 hit on what became the official ...

'' (album) , align="left", *Released: 2007 , - , align="left", ''Crunch Time'' (EP) , align="left", *Released: 2008 , - , align="left", ''Hypnotize Minds Presents the Blackness'' (mixtape) , align="left", *Released: 2011 , - , align="left", ''The Streets Need to Eat'' (mixtape) , align="left", *Released: 2012 , - , align="left", ''Money Ain't Nothing to Play With'' (album) , align="left", *Released: 2015 , - , align="left", ''Hood'' (with

La Chat Chastity Daniels (born March 21, 1978), known professionally as La Chat, is an American rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. She is best known for her association with the Hypnotize Minds record label. She was one of the two female members of Memphis- ...

) (album) , align="left", *Released: 2022

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crunchy Black 1974 births Living people African-American crunk musicians African-American male rappers American male rappers Gangsta rappers Rappers from Memphis, Tennessee Southern hip hop musicians Three 6 Mafia members 21st-century American rappers