Ezekiel Giles (born October 13, 1975), better known by his stage name Freekey Zekey, is an American rapper and music executive best known as a founding member of

The Diplomats The Diplomats (also known as Dipset) is an American hip hop collective formed in 1997 by childhood friends Cam'ron and Jim Jones in Harlem, New York. The group was originally composed of Cam'ron, Jim Jones and Freekey Zekey, all of whom gre ...

, a group he helped form in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...

in 1997 alongside his childhood friend

Jim Jones James Warren Jones (May 13, 1931 – November 18, 1978) was an American preacher, political activist and mass murderer. He led the Peoples Temple, a new religious movement, between 1955 and 1978. In what he called "revolutionary suicide ...

and cousin Cam'ron. Freekey also serves as the owner/CEO of 730 Dips Records. Aside from The Diplomats, he is also a member of fellow rapper

ByrdGang Joseph Guillermo Jones II (born July 15, 1976), better known by his stage name Jim Jones (formerly Jimmy Jones), is an American rapper, music video director, and record executive. He is an original member of the hip hop collective the Diplomats ...

, and has made a habit of yelling his name in songs; it is his signature on tracks, whether he is featured or the solo artist.

Career

Giles, along with his cousin Cam'ron and their friend

formed the hip-hop group

in their hometown of

, New York in 1997. Giles adopted the stage name Freekey Zekey and the group began writing and performing songs together. In the early years of the group, Zekey served mostly as a

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 ...

, yelling adlibs or his name during other members' songs and performances. Zekey was responsible for writing and performing almost all of the

skit Skit may refer to: * * A short segment in a performance, such as: ** Sketch comedy ** Hip hop skit ** Puppet skit ** Promo (professional wrestling) * Skit note, parody of a banknote See also * Skete A skete ( ) is a monastic communi ...

s on Diplomat mixtapes and Cam'ron’s albums, and did this until he was sentenced to 35–42 months in prison in February 2004. While in prison, Zekey began writing his own songs and honed his skills as a rapper. Just a few weeks after being released from prison in November 2006, Freekey signed a contract with

Asylum Records Asylum Records is an American record label, founded in 1971 by David Geffen and partner Elliot Roberts. It was taken over by Warner Communications (now the Warner Music Group) in 1972, and later merged with Elektra Records to become Elektra/Asylu ...

to release his debut album,

Book of Ezekiel The Book of Ezekiel is the third of the Latter Prophets in the Tanakh and one of the major prophetic books, following Isaiah and Jeremiah. According to the book itself, it records six visions of the prophet Ezekiel, exiled in Babylon, during ...

. The album was released on July 24, 2007, and featured guest appearances from other members of The Diplomats, including Cam'ron, Jim Jones and

Juelz Santana LaRon Louis James (born February 18, 1982), better known by his stage name Juelz Santana, is an American rapper and member of East Coast hip hop group The Diplomats, also known as Dipset. He is best known for his appearances on Cam'ron's 2002 si ...

. The album peaked at #23 on the Billboard

Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated Jan ...

chart. After The Diplomats effectively disbanded in 2007, Freekey went on to form his own label/group, the 730 Dips, and also joined Jim Jones' new group,

.730DipsOfficial YouTube

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

. Accessed August 28, 2008.All those clicks are real gangs.v=wshh9yXQPBp7Q3ziL420Jim Jones, Freekey Zekey, & Byrd Gang Interview On Rap City! "Kanye West You Betta Watch M**** Mouth, Before I Pull You By That Glow In The Dark Pink, Stickin & Learn In The Nerd Lane"
WorldStarHipHop. Accessed August 28, 2008.

Personal life

Giles is the first cousin of

Cam’ron Cameron Ezike Giles (born February 4, 1976), better known by his stage name Cam'ron, is an American rapper, record executive, and actor from Harlem, New York City. Beginning his career in the mid-1990s as Killa Cam, Giles signed to Lance "Un" ...

, and was a childhood friend of

and Damon Dash.

2003 shooting

On April 25, 2003, Giles and his crew were involved in a minor car collision outside of a

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

nightclub, after another car collided with the back of the vehicle Giles and his crew were inside. After stepping out of their vehicle, the men in the other car attempted to rob Giles and his friends. Giles was shot once in the abdomen and sustained minor injuries after the incident. In total, over 44 bullets were fired at Giles and his crew during the altercation, and one member of Giles’ entourage, his bodyguard Eric Mangrum, was killed. In December 2005, Chauncey Dillon was sentenced to 30 years in prison for both robbery and the murder of Mangrum.

Legal issues

Giles was sentenced to 35–42 months in prison on February 5, 2004 for running an ecstasy ring. Giles served 33 months at the Durham Correctional Center in Durham, North Carolina before being released on November 20, 2006.

Discography

Studio albums

Mixtapes

*2006: ''Kiss my Browneye'' *2007: ''Henry'' *2008: ''Blame It on the Henny'' *2008: ''Henny & a Cigarette'' *2010: ''Gangsta Ambition''

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Guest appearances

References

External links

*
Freekey Zekey
on Twitter {{DEFAULTSORT:Freekey Zekey 1975 births Living people African-American businesspeople African-American male rappers American shooting survivors American music industry executives American prisoners and detainees Businesspeople from New York City People from Harlem Rappers from Manhattan The Diplomats members East Coast hip hop musicians Gangsta rappers 21st-century American rappers