Reema Major (born June 26, 1995) is a Sudanese-

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

rapper. She is signed to a joint-record label venture with G7 Records /

Universal Music Canada Universal Music Group owns, or has a joint share in, many of the record labels listed here. According to UMG official site, the main labels are Abbey Road Studios, Bravado, Capitol Music Group, Decca Records, Def Jam Recordings, Deutsche Grammopho ...

Cherrytree Records Martin Kierszenbaum, also known by his pseudonym Cherry Cherry Boom Boom, is an American music personality. As a songwriter and producer he worked with Lady Gaga, Sting, Madonna, Mylène Farmer, Keane, Tokio Hotel, Far East Movement, Robyn, Fe ...

Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Mus ...

Early life

Reema Major was born in

Khartoum Khartoum or Khartum ( ; ar, الخرطوم, Al-Khurṭūm, din, Kaartuɔ̈m) is the capital of Sudan. With a population of 5,274,321, its metropolitan area is the largest in Sudan. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile, flowing n ...

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

, to a

South Sudan South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the C ...

ese mother and an Emirati father Her mother moved to

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

and later to Uganda before settling in 1998 in Canada through the United Nations refugee program. In Canada, she was introduced to hip hop at the age of five by her cousin who participated in

cyphers Cyphers may refer to: * ''Cyphers'' (magazine), Irish literary publication "Cyphers" is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Charles Cyphers Charles Cyphers (born July 28, 1939) is an American actor who is known in the horror ...

outside of their apartment building. Reema's upbringing was strongly influenced by an early passion for emceeing and writing. Fluent in English and Arabic, Reema channeled her experiences and cultural influences towards honing her musical craft as a rapper and songwriter—something she expressed as coming naturally.

Career

In 2009, Reema Major was introduced to President and CEO of G7 Records,

Kwajo Cinqo Kwajo "Cinqo" Boateng—known by stage name Kwajo Cinqo—is an artist, producer, CEO and member of two-time Juno Award-winning hip-hop group Ghetto Concept. Initially beginning his career in 1992 alongside Dolo (Lowell Frazer) and Infinite (Desmo ...

, a member of Canadian hip hop group

Ghetto Concept Ghetto Concept is a Canadian hip-hop duo from Toronto, Ontario, composed of Kwajo Cinqo and Dolo. Infinite, who is currently a solo artist, is a former member of the group. History Kwajo Cinqo (Kwajo Boateng) and Dolo (Lowell Frazer) formed Ghet ...

, from Toronto's Rexdale neighborhood, who promised to have her signed to a music deal. In 2010, a joint-venture record deal was made with G7/Universal/Interscope. Reema had gained some fame after being featured on Royalty Radio 91.9FM, in an online interview and cipher. Her lyricism helped launch her premiere at the 2010

BET Hip Hop Awards The BET Hip Hop Awards are an annual awards show, airing on BET, showcasing hip hop performers, producers and music video directors. The awards ceremony began in 2006; it was held on November 12, 2006 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, and w ...

. Rapping alongside emcees Nick Javas and Laws made Reema's performance significant as the youngest Canadian female rapper to be a part of that awards ceremony. Her rising notoriety led to many labels expressing interest in signing her. This was the first time

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

signed a direct deal with a Canadian urban music label in 2010. This venture was furthered on October 7, 2011, when G7 Music Publishing signed a co-publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group for the services of Reema Major. The deal was spearheaded by Evan Lamberg President of Universal Music Publishing Group North America and who was an early supporter of Reema's career and her talents. Reema Major's first mixtape ''Youngest In Charge'' was released in 2009; thereafter ''15 Going on 25'' was launched in October 2010, and ''I Am Legend'' on May 27, 2011. The young rapper has also performed with

Wiz Khalifa Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987), better known by his stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. He released his debut album, ''Show and Prove'', in 2006 and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 200 ...

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, and

Big Boi Antwan André Patton (born February 1, 1975), better known by his stage name Big Boi, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer and actor. He is best known for being a member of the southern hip hop duo Outkast alongside André 3000. ...

of Outkast. The self-acclaimed "Mother to the New Era" also collaborated with well-known names like Bangladesh,

DJ Toomp Aldrin Davis (born August 2, 1969), professionally known as DJ Toomp, is an American record producer, songwriter, and DJ. DJ Toomp received his start in 1985, with Atlanta MC Raheem the Dream, producing Raheem’s self-titled record when he was ...

, The Stereotypes, and rappers

and

Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. Prior to releasing his debut single, "Hustlin'", in 2006, Ross was the subject of a bidding war, receiving offers from Sean Combs, D ...

. She opened for

's two-time sold-out Rolling Papers World Tour show in Toronto in September 2011, in addition to releasing her single "I'm The One" from her ''I Am Legend'' mixtape on October 12, 2011, with cameos shot in

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

alongside

. 2In 2013, she collaborated with

Karl Wolf Carl Abou Samah ( ar, كارل أبو سمح; born April 18, 1979), better known by his stage name Karl Wolf, is a Lebanese-Canadian musician based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He has been a singer, songwriter, and producer since 2001, releasing ...

and was featured in his single "Go Your Own Way". In 2013 her song "Gucci Bag" was featured in the motion picture ''

The Bling Ring ''The Bling Ring'' is a 2013 crime film written and directed by Sofia Coppola featuring an ensemble cast led by Katie Chang, Israel Broussard, Emma Watson, Taissa Farmiga, and Claire Julien. It is based on the 2010 '' Vanity Fair'' article "Th ...

''. On April 21, 2017, Reema Major released the first single "AK47" off her upcoming project on Gladiator Records called ''LegenDIARY'' which was scheduled for release in summer 2017, but as of now remains unfinished.

Discography

Albums and mixtapes

*''Youngest In Charge'' (2009) *''15 Going on 25'' (2010) *''I Am Legend'' (2011) *''#IDGAF'' (2013) *''LegenDiary (upcoming)

Singles

*2011: "I'm The One" *2017: "AK47" ;Featured in *2013: "Go Your Own Way" (

featuring Reema Major)

References

15. Hiphopdx http://hiphopdx.com/videos/id.25982/title.dxclusive-reema-major-spits-lyrical-bullets-in-ak47-video April 21, 2017

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Major, Reema 1995 births Living people Black Canadian musicians Canadian expatriate musicians in the United States 21st-century Canadian rappers Canadian women rappers People from Khartoum Sudanese emigrants to Canada South Sudanese emigrants to Canada Black Canadian women 21st-century women rappers