Chron Smith (born October 1, 1976), better known by his

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

Hell Razah, 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 ...

. He is best known as a member of

Sunz of Man Sunz of Man is a New York-based Wu-Tang Clan affiliated group that currently consists of Prodigal Sunn, Killah Priest, Hell Razah and 60 Second Assassin. The group's first incarnation also included Shabazz the Disciple, 7th Ambassador and pr ...

, an early affiliate group of the

Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close affili ...

. Razah is rumored to have suffered a

brain aneurysm An intracranial aneurysm, also known as a brain aneurysm, is a cerebrovascular disorder in which weakness in the wall of a cerebral artery or vein causes a localized dilation or ballooning of the blood vessel. Aneurysms in the posterior circ ...

in April 2010. He was quick to recover and continue recording. He came to adopt the moniker Heaven Razah.

Recording history

Da Last Future & Sunz of Man

Razah made his rap debut in the early 90s as a member of the group Da Last Future, an early incarnation of the Sunz of Man, which included

Killah Priest Walter Reed (born August 16, 1970), better known by his stage name Killah Priest, is an American rapper, member of Sunz of Man and Wu-Tang Clan affiliate who was raised in Bedford-Stuyvesant and Brownsville, Brooklyn. He is known for his inten ...

Shabazz the Disciple Shabazz the Disciple, also known as Scientific Shabazz, born David Collins, is a rapper from the Red Hook Houses of Red Hook, Brooklyn. He is an original member of the Sunz of Man and Da Last Future. Biography Shabazz appeared in the 1994 Gr ...

, Prodigal Sunn, Supreme and 7th Ambassador. Razah and 7th Ambassador self-released the single "Livin' in Hell" b/w "Mental Combat" independently before the group adopted the Sunz of Man moniker. Razah recorded a number of tracks with the group before their induction into the Wu-Tang family, including "Deep in the Water", "Writing Rhymes With a Liquid Pen" (aka "Elements"), "Lulla Bye" and "Psychic Hotline". In 1995, the group adopted the moniker Sunz of Man, and signed a record deal with Wu-Tang/Priority Records. SoM released a number of singles on Wu-Tang Records, including "Soldiers of Darkness", "No Love Without Hate" and "Bloody Choices", in anticipation of their 1996 debut album ''Nothing New Under the Sun''. Due to internal conflicts and label complications, the album was shelved. Sunz of Man later signed a record deal with Red Ant Entertainment for the release of their official 1998 debut '' The Last Shall Be First'', with the group's roster shaved down to just Razah, Killah Priest, Prodigal Sunn and 60 Second Assassin. The album was one of the most successful Wu-Tang affiliate releases, debuting at No. 20 on the ''Billboard'' 200 album chart, and No. 7 on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart. After the departure of Killah Priest in 1998, the group took a hiatus. 1999 saw the release of ''

The First Testament Sunz of Man is a New York-based Wu-Tang Clan affiliated group that currently consists of Prodigal Sunn, Killah Priest, Hell Razah and 60 Second Assassin. The group's first incarnation also included Shabazz the Disciple, 7th Ambassador and p ...

'', which featured previously recorded material from the group, including the early tracks from Da Last Future. Razah, Prodigal Sunn and 60 Second Assassin returned in 2002 with the album '' Saviorz Day'', the second official Sunz of Man studio album. The group has yet to release a third studio album, but it has been reported that the group has reconciled with Shabazz the Disciple, Killah Priest and Supreme.

Solo career

Razah made his solo debut in 2001, though quietly, with the independent release ''When All Hell Breaks Loose''. The album featured guest appearances from 7th Ambassador, Killah Priest, Prodigal Sunn and

Timbo King Timbo may refer to: * Timbó, a municipality in Brazil * Timbo, Arkansas, a town in the United States * Timbo, Guinea, a town in Guinea * Timbo blanco or '' Albizia inundata'', a tropical tree with light wood * Timbo King (born 1973) See also * ...

of Royal Fam, and production from Supreme. The album spawned the single "Champaigne Room" b/w "Ghetto Love". The tracks "Must B tha Music", "Oh! Now You Bangin'", "Ghetto Government", "Champaigne Room", "Like It or Not", "What We Came to Do", "B.B.P. (Business Before Pleasure)" and "Rowdy, Rowdy" made up roughly half of the 2004 Sunz of Man compilation ''Elements'', with the other half made up of tracks from ''The First Testament''. Razah's next solo album, '' Renaissance Child'', was released in early 2007 on

Nature Sounds Records Nature Sounds is a record label based in Brooklyn, New York, specializing in hip hop and reggae music. The label is independently owned and operated. It was founded by Devin Horwitz in 2003. History Nature Sounds was founded in 2003 by Devin ...

. The album featured appearances from

Tragedy Khadafi Percy Lee Chapman (born August 13, 1971), known by his stage name Tragedy Khadafi (formerly Intelligent Hoodlum), is an American rapper and record producer. Chapman hails from the Queensbridge Housing Projects in Queens, New York City,Brown, Mar ...

R.A. the Rugged Man R.A. Thorburn, better known by his stage name R.A. the Rugged Man, is an American rapper and producer. He began his music career at age 12, building a reputation locally for his lyrical skills. Thorburn signed with major label Jive Records at ...

Talib Kweli Talib Kweli Greene (; born October 3, 1975) is an American rapper. He earned recognition early on through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's musical career continued with ...

Viktor Vaughn Daniel Dumile ( ; July 13, 1971October 31, 2020), best known by his stage name MF Doom or simply Doom (both stylized in all caps), was a British-American rapper and record producer. Noted for his intricate wordplay, signature metal mask, and ...

Bronze Nazareth Bronze Nazareth (born Justin Cross; December 8, 1979 in Grand Rapids, Michigan) is a hip hop music producer and emcee associated with the Wu-Tang Clan. He has a solo career as an emcee and is also a part of the hip-hop group Wisemen along with ...

and

Ras Kass John R. Austin II (born September 26, 1973), better known by his stage name Ras Kass, is an American rapper. He is a member of the hip hop Supergroup (music), supergroup The HRSMN, along with Canibus, Killah Priest, and Kurupt in 2014. He is als ...

, and production from Godz Wrath,

MF DOOM Daniel Dumile ( ; July 13, 1971October 31, 2020), best known by his stage name MF Doom or simply Doom (both stylized in all caps), was a British-American rapper and record producer. Noted for his intricate wordplay, signature metal mask, and ...

, Krohme and

4th Disciple Selwyn Bougard, now known as El-Divine Amir Bey (born May 23, 1974), better known by his stage name 4th Disciple, is a record producer and audio engineer who was one of the founding members of Killarmy and one of the best-known Wu-Tang-affiliat ...

. The album was a well-received, critical success and featured the singles "The Renaissance" and "Buried Alive" b/w "Project Jazz". In October 2007, Razah released his next album, ''

Razah's Ladder ''Razah's Ladder'' is a collaborative studio album by the American hip hop production duo Blue Sky Black Death and the American rapper Hell Razah. It was released by Babygrande Records in 2007. Production The album title refers to the Bible sto ...

'', entirely produced by the production duo Blue Sky Black Death. The album also was acclaimed, due to BSBD's soulful production work, and also to Razah's new spiritual lyrical direction, inspired by the recent death of his father. The album featured guest appearances from Prodigal Sunn, Shabazz the Disciple,

Crooked I Dominick Antron Wickliffe (born September 23, 1976), better known by his stage names Crooked I and Kxng Crooked, (stylised as KXNG Crooked and pronounced "King Crooked") is an American rapper from Long Beach, California. He is best known as a for ...

Ill Bill William Braunstein (born July 14, 1972), known by his stage name Ill Bill, is an American rapper and record producer from Brooklyn, New York City. Having gained fame in the underground hip hop group Non Phixion, Ill Bill is known for his diver ...

and

Sabac Red John Fuentes (born February 7, 1972), also known as SaBac Red, is an American rapper from New York City and a member of Non Phixion and the "on hold" Secret Society. Biography Sabac was born in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, along with his twin si ...

, and featured no singles. Self-funded videos were shot for the tracks "Razah's Ladder" and "Audiobiography", the latter directed by Sunz of Man producer Supreme, and "Razah's Ladder",

Collaborations

In 2004, Hell Razah and

released a full-length collaboration album, ''

Freedom of Speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recogni ...

'', under the title "Sunz of Man presents". The album featured fifteen newly recorded tracks with 4th Disciple, and five other previously released tracks from ''When All Hell Breaks Loose''. The album featured the single "Article One" b/w "Project Love". In 2005, Razah, Killah Priest, Royal Fam's Timbo King, Tragedy Khadafi and William Cooper formed the underground

supergroup Supergroup or super group may refer to: * Supergroup (music), a music group formed by artists who are already notable or respected in their fields * Supergroup (physics), a generalization of groups, used in the study of supersymmetry * Supergroup ...

Black Market Militia. The group released their self-titled debut album '' Black Market Militia'' that same year, with production from Godz Wrath and Bronze Nazareth, and guest appearances from

dead prez Dead Prez, often stylized as dead prez, is an American hip hop duo composed of stic.man and M-1, formed in 1996 in New York City. They are known for their confrontational style, combined with lyrics focused on both militant social justice, sel ...

and

Abiodun Oyewole Abiodun Oyewole (born Charles Davis, February 1948), is a poet, teacher and member of the African-American music and spoken-word group The Last Poets, which developed into what is considered to be the first hip hop group. Critic Jason Ankeny ...

The Last Poets The Last Poets are several groups of poets and musicians who arose from the late 1960s African-American civil rights movement's black nationalism. The name is taken from a poem by the South African revolutionary poet Keorapetse Kgositsile, who bel ...

. The album spawned the singles "Audobon Ballroom" b/w "Thug Nation"/"Hood Lullabye" and "Gem Stars" b/w "Mayday!". By the end of 2005, Hell Razah had named Saul Abraham the latest addition to the line-up. Razah's next album collaboration album was with Shabazz the Disciple and producer

Ayatollah Ayatollah ( ; fa, آیت‌الله, āyatollāh) is an Title of honor, honorific title for high-ranking Twelver Shia clergy in Iran and Iraq that came into widespread usage in the 20th century. Etymology The title is originally derived from ...

as the group T.H.U.G. Angelz, titled ''

Welcome to Red Hook Houses ''Welcome to Red Hook Houses'' is a collaboration album by rappers and Sunz of Man members Hell Razah and Shabazz the Disciple, under the name T.H.U.G. Angelz (Those Humbled Under God), released on July 8, 2008 through Babygrande Records. The al ...

'', to be released on July 8, 2008 on

Babygrande Records Babygrande Records is an American independent record label based in New York City, founded by Chuck Wilson. Babygrande is distributed by The Orchard and represented by the Creative Artists Agency in Hollywood. History Babygrande Records was ...

. Other releases came in 2008 such as solo album titled ''Heaven Razah'', and ''Article 2: Right to Bare Arms'', a second full-length collaboration with

. In an October 2007 interview, Razah also announced plans for numerous other releases for the year. He announced that the Sunz of Man were reunited and planned on releasing an album sometime soon. He also stated that The Maccabeez, a group consisting of himself, Killah Priest and Timbo King, were nearly finished recording their debut album. Black Market Militia are also planning for another album. Another possible release is a collaboration between Razah, Shabazz and Blue Sky Black Death, and a project from G.G.O. (Ghetto Government Officialz), which consists of Razah, 7th Ambassador, Lazarus, Face God and other Red Hook locals. Hell Razah suffered a

Brain Aneurysm An intracranial aneurysm, also known as a brain aneurysm, is a cerebrovascular disorder in which weakness in the wall of a cerebral artery or vein causes a localized dilation or ballooning of the blood vessel. Aneurysms in the posterior circ ...

in 2010. After surviving that near death experience, he began to go under the name ''Heaven Razah''. In 2011, Hell Razah's health was improving and he said on Twitter several albums will come out in the future, including Heaven Razah 2, the second album with

as T.H.U.G. Angelz (produced by

and

), Razah's Ladder 2 produced by Blue Sky Black Death, a gospel/rock album produced by Krohme called Krohme Razahs, an album with

Shyheim Shyheim Dionel Franklin (born November 14, 1977) is an American rapper from New York better known simply as Shyheim. He initially gained fame as a teenager, releasing his debut album ''AKA the Rugged Child'' at the age of 16 in 1994. He has sp ...

called The Verrazano and the sequel to ''

'' called Write to Bare Arms produced by 4th Disciple. An album with

as Thug Vaticans called The Lamb’s Supper will come out in 2013. Another collaboration album, with producer Tokyo Cigar under the name Heavenly Cartel, is planned for 2013 and is called Spiritual Kung Fu. He's also doing an album with producer

. He also started a hiphop/soul group together with producer Shroom and singer Tarone Rachamim called ''The Dutch'' and they are planning to release their first album in the future, which is called Music from the Heart. ''Heaven Razah Part 2'' became ''Living After Death'' and was released on

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

on March 31, 2013. In May, Hell Razah announced the formal roster of his new label, Hell Razah Music Inc. to include Razah's oldest son "Heaven Sun" aka Yung Razah, Queen the Prophet, Scripture, and a few more to formally represent Razah's long time "Ghetto Govt" global movement also known as "GGO" (Ghetto Govt Officialz). The Ghetto Govt Movement has global chapters that are dedicated to making a positive impact in their communities as well as in the underground hip-hop community. Risen: The Story of Chron "Hell Razah" Smith - Documentary Risen: The Story of Chron “Hell Razah” Smith which is a documentary directed by Frank Meyer and stars Wu Tang’s RZA, Cappadonna and Popa Wu, Sunz of Man members Killah Priest, Prodigal Sunn, 60-Second Assassin and Shabazz the Disciple, producers A. Supreme Wilder and Tom "Shroom" Johnson, rappers RA The Rugged Man and Ras Kass, industry heavyweight Randy Philips (AEG, Global Ent.), Hell Razah’s family and friends, and many more. Risen is executive produced by Digital Reacharound CEO Robert Juster, produced by film maker Paul Harb (The Expendables, Rambo, Rocky Balboa), and Esquire Network’s Michael D’Alonzo, with Cinematography by Jason Valdez. Risen: The Story of Chron “Hell Razah” Smith is available on Amazon Prime Video, Tubi, and You Tube. https://www.amazon.com/Risen-Story-Chron-Razah-Smith/dp/B085RC21RB In 2019, Razah was featured in the song "The Grandmaster" on Cryptik Soul's album '' Killer's Blood''.

Discography

Studio albums

Hell Razah :*''When All Hell Breaks Loose'' (2001) :*''Freedom of Speech'' (2004) (produced by

) :*'' Renaissance Child'' (2007) :*''

'' (2007) (produced by Blue Sky Black Death) :*''Ultra Sounds of a Renaissance Child'' (2008) :*''

Heaven Razah ''Heaven Razah'' is a solo album by rapper Hell Razah, released on September 28, 2010 through Nature Sounds Records. Razah is most famed as a member of Wu-Tang Clan affiliate groups Sunz of Man and Black Market Militia. The album features produ ...

'' (2010) :*''Living After Death'' (2013) :*''El Raziel'' (2015) :*Spiritual Scarface (2019) (produced by Melvin Junko) :*Spiritual Kung Fu (2021) (produced by Tokyo Cigar Society) :*The Black Superman (2021) (produced by Chosen1 Beats) :*Three Musicians (2022) (produced by Shaolin Beats) :*Classic Renaissance Rhymes (2022) (produced by Sacx One) :*Once Upon a Time in Brooklyn (2022) (produced by Bizi Beats) :*Heavens Warriors (2022) (produced by Bo Faat) :*Heaven's Road (2022) (produced by RoadsArt)

:*'' The Last Shall Be First'' (1998) :*'' Saviorz Day'' (2002) :*''The Rebirth'' (2019) Collaborations :*'' Black Market Militia'' (2005) (with Black Market Militia) :*''The Spooks Who Kicked Down Tha Doorz'' (2005) (with Maccabeez) :*''

'' (2008) (with

, as T.H.U.G. Angelz) :*R.I.P. Thug Angels (2015) (with

, as T.H.U.G. Angelz) :*Blaxploitation: A Piece Of The Action (2017) (with Ayatollah)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Razah, Hell 1976 births Living people African-American male rappers Wu-Tang Clan affiliates Rappers from Brooklyn Five percenters Underground rappers East Coast hip hop musicians Sunz of Man members Black Market Militia members People from Red Hook, Brooklyn 20th-century American rappers 21st-century American rappers