Joell Christopher Ortiz (born July 6, 1980) 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 a former member of the group

Slaughterhouse A slaughterhouse, also called abattoir (), is a facility where animals are slaughtered to provide food. Slaughterhouses supply meat, which then becomes the responsibility of a packaging facility. Slaughterhouses that produce meat that is no ...

. Ortiz grew up in the

Cooper Park Houses Cooper, Cooper's, Coopers and similar may refer to: * Cooper (profession), a maker of wooden casks and other staved vessels Arts and entertainment * Cooper (producers), alias of Dutch producers Klubbheads * Cooper (video game character), in ...

in the East Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York, formerly signed to

Dr. Dre Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and ...

Aftermath Entertainment Aftermath Entertainment is an American record label founded by hip hop producer and rapper Dr. Dre. It operates as a subsidiary of, and is distributed through, Interscope Records. Current acts include Dr. Dre himself, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, An ...

record label. He was featured in the Unsigned Hype column of the March 2004 issue of ''The Source'' Magazine and was also selected as Chairman's Choice in ''XXL'' Magazine. During the same time Joell also went on to win the 2004 EA Sports Battle which earned his song "Mean Business" a spot on the NBA Live 2005 soundtrack. The same year he was offered a contract to

Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, record executive, entrepreneur, and DJ. Early life Jermaine Dupri Mauldin was born on September 23, 1972, the son of Tina (Mosley) and Michael ...

So So Def So So Def Recordings is an American record label based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, and owned by producer Jermaine Dupri, specializing in Southern hip hop, R&B and bass music. So So Def has managed artists such as Bow Wow, Kris Kross, T ...

label. He released his debut album '' The Brick: Bodega Chronicles'' in 2007. Since then, he has released ''

Free Agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

'' (2011), '' House Slippers'' (2014) and ''Monday'' (2019). He is currently one half of the rap duo Crook and Joell with his former Slaughterhouse bandmate,

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 ...

. Together, they released three studio albums.

Biography

Joell Christopher Ortiz was born to Puerto Rican parents in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

on July 6, 1980, where he grew up in East Williamsburg. He was formerly signed to

label. The deal quickly went sour which caused Joell to start beef with Jermaine. Joell has since collaborated with

KRS-One Lawrence "Kris" Parker (born August 20, 1965), better known by his stage names KRS-One (; an abbreviation of "Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone") and Teacha, is an American rapper from New York City. He rose to prominence as part of ...

and Kool G. Rap. Joell released his street album called '' The Brick: Bodega Chronicles'' April 24, 2007, on

Koch Records MNRK Music Group (pronounced "monarch", formerly known as Koch Records and eOne Music) is a New York City-based independent record label and music management company. It was formed in 2009 from the music assets of Koch Entertainment, which had ...

. The album was recorded while Joell was trying to get signed and going through some tough times personally. Although he was signed to Aftermath Entertainment, Dr. Dre allowed him to release the street album on Koch Records. ''The Brick'' features production by Showbiz,

The Alchemist An alchemist is a person who practices alchemy. Alchemist or Alchemyst may also refer to: Books and stories * ''The Alchemist'' (novel), the translated title of a 1988 allegorical novel by Paulo Coelho * ''The Alchemist'' (play), a play by Be ...

Domingo Domingo may refer to: People * Domingo (name), a Spanish name and list of people with that name * Domingo (producer) (born 1970), American hip-hop producer * Saint Dominic (1170–1221), Castilian Catholic priest, founder of the Friars popularly ...

, Ho Chi from Killahertz Productions, Lil' Fame of M.O.P.,

Novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

, and Moss, among others. Guest spots include

Big Daddy Kane Antonio Hardy (born September 10, 1968), better known by his stage name Big Daddy Kane, is an American rapper who began his career in 1986 as a member of the Juice Crew. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential and skilled MCs in hi ...

Styles P David R. Styles (born November 28, 1974), better known by his stage name Styles P (also known mononymously as Styles), is an American rapper, best known as a member of hip hop group the Lox, alongside childhood friends Sheek Louch and Jadakiss. ...

Big Noyd TaJuan Akeem Perry (born May 7, 1975), better known by his stage name Big Noyd, is an American rapper from Queensbridge, Queens, New York. He is closely affiliated with Mobb Deep and is featured on all of their albums except ''Blood Money''. C ...

M.O.P M.O.P. (short for Mash Out Posse) is an American hip hop duo composed of East Coast rappers Billy Danze and Lil' Fame. The song " Ante Up", was released on their '' Warriorz'' album in 2000. The group has frequently collaborated with DJ Pre ...

Akon Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam (; born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon, is a Senegalese-American singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of " Locked Up" (featuring Styles P) ...

Immortal Technique Felipe Andres Coronel (born February 19, 1978), better known by the stage name Immortal Technique, is an American rapper. Most of his lyrics focus on controversial issues in global politics, from a radical left-wing perspective. Immortal Techn ...

Grafh Philip Anthony Bernard (born August 22, 1982) better known by his stage name Grafh, is an American rapper. He has released a collection of mixtapes and an album, ''Autografh'', which was released through EMI Records and Virgin Records. He is c ...

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 ...

, Stimuli, and Novel. Ortiz is one quarter of the supergroup Slaughterhouse who released their highly anticipated ''

Slaughterhouse EP ''Slaughterhouse'' is the only extended play by hip hop supergroup Slaughterhouse. It was released on February 8, 2011 through E1 Music.Welcome to: Our House'', on August 28, 2012.

Music career

He was on Kool G Rap's 2002 album "The Giancana Story" on the song "It's Nothing"

2007–2010: ''The Brick: Bodega Chronicles'' and joining Slaughterhouse

Though signed to Aftermath, Ortiz released an album titled '' The Brick: Bodega Chronicles'' April 24, 2007 on

.XXL Magazine. Joell Ortiz: A Hip-Hop Happy Ending by Brandon Edwards. November 2007 ''The Brick'' features production by Showbiz, Street Radio, and

, among others. Guest artists include rappers

, and

. Ortiz parted ways with

on April 15, 2008. 2009 was a busy year for Ortiz, as he released a number of freestyles and remixes leading up to the ''Road Kill'' mixtape. Among these was "Stressful" a song that remixed Drake's "Successful."

Joe Budden Joseph Anthony Budden II (born August 31, 1980) is an American media personality and former rapper. He first gained recognition as a rapper with his 2003 top 40 single " Pump It Up" and as a member of the hip hop supergroup Slaughterhouse. In ...

reached out to

Royce da 5'9" Ryan Daniel Montgomery, known professionally as Royce da 5'9" (or simply Royce 5'9"), is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Montgomery is currently one half of the rap duo Bad Meets Evil with fellow Detroit rapper Eminem, and ...

, Joell Ortiz, and Nino Bless for a track titled "Slaughterhouse" on his digital release, ''

Halfway House A halfway house is an institute for people with criminal backgrounds or substance use disorder problems to learn (or relearn) the necessary skills to re-integrate into society and better support and care for themselves. As well as serving as a ...

''. Based on the reception of the track, they decided to form a super-group, minus Nino Bless, and named it after the first song they made together. They released numerous songs throughout early 2009, building a buzz for their self-titled album which was released through E1 on August 11, 2009. The album features production from

Alchemist Alchemy (from Arabic: ''al-kīmiyā''; from Ancient Greek: χυμεία, ''khumeía'') is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscience, protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in Chinese alchemy, C ...

DJ Khalil Khalil Abdul-Rahman Hazzard (born October 16, 1973), professionally known as DJ Khalil, is an American music producer and DJ from Los Angeles. He is the instrumental half of the hip hop duo Self Scientific (along with rapper Chace Infinite) an ...

and Mr. Porter, plus guest appearances from

Pharoahe Monch Troy Donald Jamerson (born October 31, 1972), better known by his stage name Pharoahe Monch, is an American rapper from South Jamaica, Queens, New York. He is known for his complex lyrics, intricate delivery, and internal and multisyllabic rhy ...

, K-Young, and The New Royales. In January 2011, the group signed to

Shady Records Shady Records is an American record label founded by rapper Eminem and his manager Paul Rosenberg, after the highly successful release of Eminem's ''The Slim Shady LP'' (1999). Shady has seen negative times when being part of the unsuccessful ...

and left E1 Entertainment.

2010–2014: ''Free Agent'' and ''House Slippers''

Ortiz started to have problems with E1 Entertainment and after almost a year, Ortiz left the label on November 5, 2010. In August 2010, Ortiz was in talks, about signing a deal with Steve Rifkind's label SRC Records. However the deal was never finished. In an October 31, 2010, interview on Conspiracy Worldwide Radio, Ortiz discussed his relationship with

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...

and the flood of record labels that have flocked to sign him after his ''Free Agent'' album was released. He also spoke of

's excitement at working with him. During

2012 tour, the group stopped in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

at Bootleg Kev's radio show, where they talked about their album '' Welcome to: Our House'', and their work with

. It was revealed that Ortiz signed with

as a solo act. In 2012, Joell as part of the group Slaughterhouse released their second album ''Welcome To Our House'' on August 28, 2012. On September 16, 2014, Ortiz released his third studio album '' House Slippers''. The album features

guest appearance In show business, a guest appearance is the participation of an outsider performer (such as a musician or actor) in an event such as a music record or concert, show, etc., when the performer does not belong to the regular band, cast, or other p ...

s from, among others,

B.o.B Bobby Ray Simmons Jr. (born November 15, 1988), known professionally as B.o.B, is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Decatur, Georgia, Simmons was signed to Jim Jonsin's Rebel Rock Entertainment imprint in 2006. Two years late ...

, and Maino. The album was supported by the singles "House Slippers" and "Music Saved My Life". In early 2019, before the release of his ''Monday'' album, Ortiz was featured in the song "Revenge" (along with fellow

member

) on Cryptik Soul’s album ''Killer's Blood''. Among the other artists on whose songs he has appeared as a featured guest are

Brother Ali Ali Douglas Newman (born Jason Douglas Newman, July 30, 1977), better known by his stage name Brother Ali, is an American rapper, community activist, and member of the Rhymesayers Entertainment hip hop collective. He has released seven albums, ...

Mega Ran Raheem Jarbo (born September 3, 1977), also known by his stage names Mega Ran and Random, is an American underground nerdcore rapper, chiptune DJ, and record producer. In February 2015, he changed his stage name to Mega Ran, removing Random from ...

Mr. Capone-E Fahd Azam (born April 27, 1976), known professionally as Mr. Capone-E, is a Pakistani-American rapper. He is the owner of Hi-Power Entertainment. Early life Mr Capone E was born in Pakistan to an ethnic Hazara family. He and his family move ...

, Playboy Tre and Chan Hays.

Controversy

Following the release of his 2011 song "

Big Pun Christopher Lee Rios (November 10, 1971 – February 7, 2000), better known by his stage name Big Pun (short for Big Punisher), was an American rapper. Emerging from the underground hip hop scene in the Bronx borough of New York City in the ea ...

Back", Ortiz received criticism from Liza Rios (Pun's widow), along with former Terror Squad members

Cuban Link Felix Delgado (born December 18, 1974), better known by his stage name Cuban Link, is a Cuban American rapper and original member of Terror Squad. Biography Delgado was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1974. He and his family emigrated to the Unite ...

and

Tony Sunshine Antonio Cruz (born April 23, 1977), known professionally as Tony Sunshine, is an American R&B singer of Puerto Rican descent, famous for his affiliation with New York City hip hop group Terror Squad. He sang on tracks such as Cuban Link's "St ...

, claiming that the song was "disrespectful" to the late rapper's memory. Ortiz claims the song was meant to be a tribute, and later, rapper and friend of Big Pun

Fat Joe Joseph Antonio Cartagena (born August 19, 1970), better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper from New York City. He began his music career as a member of hip hop group Diggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.), then forged a sol ...

spoke up in his defense.

Discography

Studio albums

* '' The Brick: Bodega Chronicles'' (2007) * ''

'' (2011) * '' House Slippers'' (2014) * ''That's Hip Hop'' (2016) * ''Monday'' (2019) * ''Autograph'' (2021)

Collaborative albums

* ''

'' (2009) * '' Welcome to: Our House'' (2012) * ''

Human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...

'' (2015) * ''Mona Lisa'' (2018) * ''Gorilla Glue'' (2019) * ''H.A.R.D.'' (2020) * '' Rise & Fall of Slaughterhouse'' (2022) * ''Harbor City Season One'' (2022)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ortiz, Joell Aftermath Entertainment artists American people of Puerto Rican descent East Coast hip hop musicians Puerto Rican rappers Living people Rappers from Brooklyn Slaughterhouse (group) members Underground rappers 1980 births 20th-century American rappers 21st-century American rappers Puerto Rican hip hop musicians