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Brian Daniel Carenard (born July 13, 1977), better known by his stage name Saigon, is an American rapper. After years of delay due to former record label interference, his debut album '' The Greatest Story Never Told'' (2011) was released on
Suburban Noize Records Suburban Noize Records, also known as "Subnoize", is an independent record label based in Burbank, California that specializes in punk rock and hip hop music. The label was founded in 1997 by the Kottonmouth Kings' vocalist Daddy X and Kevin Z ...
. He is also known for his appearances on the HBO television series ''
Entourage An entourage () is an informal group or band of people who are closely associated with a (usually) famous, notorious, or otherwise notable individual. The word can also refer to: Arts and entertainment * L'entourage, French hip hop / rap collect ...
''.


Life and career

Born to an African-American mother and a father from
Port-au-Prince Port-au-Prince ( , ; ht, Pòtoprens ) is the capital and most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 987,311 in 2015 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The metropolitan area is define ...
, Haiti, Saigon was raised in Spring Valley, NY and was sentenced to jail time at Napanoch's Eastern Correctional Facility in the late 1990s, serving a sentence for first-degree assault after shooting at someone in a bar.Mlyner, Phillip (February 23, 2011)
The Seven-Year War of Saigon – Page 1 – Music – New York
'' The Village Voice''. Retrieved on February 23, 2011.
One day while in the recreation yard, Brian met a fellow inmate named Hakim, who rapped and had a reputation for incorporating positive messages, and heavy use of prestigious vocabulary in his rhymes. Carenard would later state that battle rapping with Hakim would help instigate his personal rehabilitation, as he set a course for redemption through hip hop music. While serving time, Brian named himself "Saigon" after reading
Wallace Terry Wallace Houston Terry, II (April 21, 1938 – May 29, 2003) was an African-American journalist and oral historian, best known for his book about black soldiers in Vietnam, ''Bloods: An Oral History of the Vietnam War'' (1984), which served as ...
's book about the Vietnam War. This book helped realign the content and diction in Saigon's raps, as well as the advice of a prison lifer: "There's no right way to do wrong." Saigon was eventually released from prison in 2000, and immediately recorded mixtapes, with the goal of obtaining a record contract as a means to release a debut album, which he wanted to be titled "The Greatest Story Never Told". With the help of the underground buzz that he garnered over the years, Saigon signed a record deal with
Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most ...
in 2004, and released his debut single titled “Pain In My Life” produced by
DJ Cocoa Chanelle Cocoa Chanelle is an American DJ, recording artist and radio personality. She has worked as an on-air personality and mix show DJ on New York City's Hip Hop radio station HOT 97 and Kiss FM. She has worked in television, being the first DJ to ...
in 2006. Despite the co-sign from producer
Just Blaze Justin Gregory Smith (born January 8, 1978), known professionally as Just Blaze, is an American hip hop record producer and DJ. Born in Paterson, New Jersey, Blaze attended Rutgers University for three years before dropping out to pursue his mu ...
and collaborations with several acclaimed rap artists such as
Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one o ...
,
Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the e ...
and
Kool G Rap Nathaniel Thomas Wilson (born July 20, 1968), better known by his stage name Kool G Rap (or simply G Rap), is an American rapper from Queens, New York City. He began his career in the mid-1980s as one half of the group Kool G Rap & DJ Polo and as ...
, Saigon's record label repeatedly balked at setting a release date for his debut album. Saigon revealed that he realized as early as two months into his deal with Atlantic Records that there were problems. He later recalled how his early excitement at signing to the same label that "had so much history with black music, like
Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in '' Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". Wit ...
and
Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...
" was quickly dampened when they suggested he record a radio-friendly song with the Miami-based R&B quartet,
Pretty Ricky Pretty Ricky is an American R&B/ hip hop group originating from Miami, Florida. The group originally consisted of brothers Diamond Blue (Baby Blue) Smith and Spectacular Smith, plus Corey (Slick 'Em) Mathis and Marcus ( Pleasure P) Cooper. P ...
. He also recalled a meeting with an Atlantic executive who told him "We need our three singles, then you can bust your artistic nut on the rest of the album." Saigon however, wasn't willing to compromise with this request, and only one year after signing with Atlantic, he hired a lawyer to work out a release from his label. He explained "They signed me knowing the kind of music I was making, but then they try and change the direction". This however didn't prompt a break from his record company, as they offered a few stipends, leading him and his fans to believe they'd still eventually put the record out. Saigon later suspected that Atlantic wanted to make sure he didn't take the material elsewhere and benefit from the buzz he'd created. While caught in this issue with Atlantic, Saigon continued to perform freestyles on hip hop radio shows, release mixtapes, and also continued to write and record ''The Greatest Story Never Told''. Despite not having an official album out, Saigon gradually became somewhat of a high-profile hip hop artist, as he appeared on the covers of several magazines and had a recurring role playing himself on the hit HBO show ''
Entourage An entourage () is an informal group or band of people who are closely associated with a (usually) famous, notorious, or otherwise notable individual. The word can also refer to: Arts and entertainment * L'entourage, French hip hop / rap collect ...
''. Saigon was also managed by celebrity manager Glenn Toby. In 2007, he was featured on the first XXL Freshman Class. In 2009, Saigon signed with Boston-based new media outfit and independent label Amalgam Digital. On April 14, 2014, Saigon announced the formation of his own record label – Squid Ink Squad Records, partnering with global digital media company CPXi. On July 28, 2014, it was announced that Saigon's third studio album would release on September 30, 2014.Homie, Big. (April 14, 2014
Saigon Announces New Album & Label
Rap Radar. Retrieved on September 10, 2016.
Saigon Launches New Label And Announces New Album – XXL
Xxlmag.com. Retrieved on September 10, 2016.
In 2020, it was announced that Saigon had signed to
Tech N9ne Aaron Dontez Yates (born November 8, 1971), better known by his stage name Tech N9ne (pronounced "tech nine"), is an American rapper. In 1999, he and business partner Travis O'Guin founded the record label Strange Music. He has sold over two ...
's label Strange Music. His first project under the label was the EP, ''777: The Resurrection''.


Personal life

On the night of January 17, 2006, Saigon was stabbed in the
temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...
with a wine bottle as he left a diner in
Chelsea, Manhattan Chelsea is a neighborhood on the West Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. The area's boundaries are roughly 14th Street to the south, the Hudson River and West Street to the west, and Sixth Avenue to the east, with its norther ...
, NYC. A man approached Saigon and attempted to steal a chain off his neck. When Saigon grabbed it back, a fight started. Saigon, bleeding from the head, tried to hail down a taxi, but was unsuccessful. As a result, Saigon ended up driving himself to
Bellevue Hospital Bellevue Hospital (officially NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue and formerly known as Bellevue Hospital Center) is a hospital in New York City and the oldest public hospital in the United States. One of the largest hospitals in the United States ...
where he received seven stitches. At the end of 2008, Saigon became a father. His daughter's name is Rayne Dior Carenard and she was the inspiration for his single "Fatherhood". She also appears in the music video of the song, which was directed by Derek Pike. Further details of his personal life emerged with his participation in the fourth season of reality TV show '' Love & Hip Hop: New York'', where it was revealed that he also has a son (born to Erica Jean, not the same mother as the daughter mentioned above).


Feud with Prodigy

On the night of September 19, 2007, after an impromptu performance by Saigon during a
Mobb Deep Mobb Deep was an American hip hop duo from New York City. The duo consisted of rappers Prodigy and Havoc. They are considered to be among the principal progenitors of hardcore East Coast hip hopEdwards, Paul, 2009, ''How to Rap: The Art & Sci ...
show, words were exchanged between Saigon and Prodigy of Mobb Deep. This escalated into an argument, which resulted with Saigon punching Prodigy twice in the face. Two video versions of the events have since emerged. One version with slow motion footage shows a clear look of Saigon punching Prodigy, while another video being endorsed by Mobb Deep shows Saigon being chased and running out of the club. The feud has apparently died down, since Saigon had expressed happiness that Prodigy was coming home, in an interview two months before the rappers release. However Saigon kept the animosity going through his
Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...
page, commenting on the recent situation between
Mobb Deep Mobb Deep was an American hip hop duo from New York City. The duo consisted of rappers Prodigy and Havoc. They are considered to be among the principal progenitors of hardcore East Coast hip hopEdwards, Paul, 2009, ''How to Rap: The Art & Sci ...
(one half of Mobb Deep, Havoc, had allegedly spoke of Prodigy in a hostile manner through
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
. However, he has since denied that he did so, and stated that his Twitter account was hacked at the time).Brian Carenard – This is how I feel about that Mobb Deep...
Facebook (April 9, 2012). Retrieved on September 10, 2016.


Discography

;Studio albums * '' The Greatest Story Never Told'' (2011) * '' The Greatest Story Never Told Chapter 2: Bread and Circuses'' (2012) * '' G.S.N.T. 3: The Troubled Times of Brian Carenard'' (2014) * ''Pain, Peace & Prosperity'' (2021) ;Extended plays * ''777: The Resurrection'' (2020)


Filmography


References


External links

*
Official Label Artist Page
on
Suburban Noize Records Suburban Noize Records, also known as "Subnoize", is an independent record label based in Burbank, California that specializes in punk rock and hip hop music. The label was founded in 1997 by the Kottonmouth Kings' vocalist Daddy X and Kevin Z ...
*
In Arms Reach
charity organization
Abandoned Nation
organization

Saigon New Mixtape One foot In the Grave {{DEFAULTSORT:Saigon 1977 births Living people 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American rappers African-American male rappers American rappers of Haitian descent Atlantic Records artists East Coast hip hop musicians Participants in American reality television series People from Spring Valley, New York Rappers from Brooklyn 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people