Victor DeJesus, better known by his stage name Thirstin Howl the 3rd, is an American rapper, producer, author and entrepreneur from

Brownsville, Brooklyn Brownsville is a residential neighborhood in eastern Brooklyn in New York City. The neighborhood is generally bordered by Crown Heights to the northwest; Bedford–Stuyvesant and Cypress Hills to the north; East New York to the east; Canarsie ...

. Howl owns and operates his own label, Skillionaire Enterprises. He is also a founding member of the Lo Lifes.

Lo Lifes

In 1988, Thirstin Howl the 3rd and Rack-Lo co-founded the Lo Lifes, a

Ralph Lauren Polo Ralph Lauren, ( ; ; born October 14, 1939) is an American fashion designer, philanthropist, and billionaire businessman, best known for the Ralph Lauren Corporation, a global multibillion-dollar enterprise. He has become well known for his co ...

"boosting" (

shoplifting Shoplifting is the theft of goods from an open retail establishment, typically by concealing a store item on one's person, in pockets, under clothes or in a bag, and leaving the store without paying. With clothing, shoplifters may put on items ...

) crew that formed from the union of two smaller crews: Ralphie's Kids from Crown Heights and Polo USA (United Shoplifters Association) from Brownsville. In the original 2016 edition of Howl's book ''Bury Me With the Lo On'' (a second edition was released in 2017), Howl writes: Howl has also stated of the Lo Lifes: ''Bury Me With the Lo On'' takes its name from the lyrics of Howl's song, "The Polo Rican" ("When I die, bury me with the Lo on / Official to the death, all eternity and so on"), as well as a photo that appears in the book of a Lo Life member wearing a

Polo Polo is a ball game played on horseback, a traditional field sport and one of the world's oldest known team sports. The game is played by two opposing teams with the objective of scoring using a long-handled wooden mallet to hit a small hard ...

ski sweater in his coffin. In August 2015 Howl launched a Lo Life clothing line inspired by vintage Ralph Lauren, in partnership with Willie Esco of

Coogi Coogi is an Australian fashion brand known for colorful knitwear. Founded in 1969 as "Cuggi" in Toorak, Australia, the label was renamed in 1987. In addition to clothing, the company's 1992 international trademark filing registered the brand fo ...

Music career

Howl was first recognized by music publications in 1997, when he was profiled in

The Source ''The Source'' is an American hip hop and entertainment website, and a magazine that publishes annually or . It is the world's longest-running rap periodical, being founded as a newsletter in 1988 by Jonathan Shecter. David Mays was the ma ...

's Unsigned Hype column, but continued to exercise creative control by producing his own music and videos. His music has been featured on

Lyricist Lounge, Volume One ''Lyricist Lounge, Volume One'' is the second hip hop compilation album by American record label Rawkus Records. The double-disc was released on May 5, 1998 as the first installment of ''Lyricist Lounge'' album series, based on New York's ''Lyri ...

(“Bathroom Cipher”) and

Soundbombing II ''Soundbombing II'' is the second installment in Rawkus Records Rawkus Records was an American hip hop record label known for starting the careers of many rappers. Rawkus started in 1995 with releases in hip-hop, drum and bass and fun-dustria ...

(“Brooklyn Hardrock”). Of Puerto Rican descent, Howl is bilingual and is known for rapping in both Spanish and English. With his catalogue including tracks about topics as various as living with his mom, Hanna-Barbera character

Penelope Pitstop Penelope Pitstop is a fictional character who appeared in the 1968 Hanna-Barbera animated series ''Wacky Races'' and the spin-off ''The Perils of Penelope Pitstop'', and was voiced by Janet Waldo. She also appeared in the 2017 reboot of ''Wacky ...

, and

, he has been described by Nate Patrin of

Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several award ...

as "one of the least-precedented, never-imitated voices in underground hip-hop."

Discography

Studio albums

*''Skillionaire'' (1999) *''Skillosopher'' (2000) *''Serial Skiller'' (2001) *''

Skilligan's Island ''Skilligan's Island'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper Thirstin Howl III, who also served as producer and executive producer for the album. It was released on July 23, 2002 through Landspeed Records. History ''Skilligan's Island' ...

'' (2002) *'' Fire & Ice'' (2003) with Father Time & Godforbid as Alaskan Fishermen *''Skillitary'' (2004) *''La Cura'' (2006) *''Lo Down & Dirty'' with Rack-Lo (2006) *''Natural Born Skiller'' (2011) *'' Mami & Papi'' (2013) with

Hurricane G Gloria Rodríguez (1970 – November 6, 2022), better known by her stage name Hurricane G, was an American rapper of Puerto Rican descent. Her 1997 single release "Somebody Else" charted at #10 by Billboard Magazine on Hot Rap Singles, and at # ...

*''Survival of the Skillest'' (2013) *''Skillmatic'' (2017)

Mixtapes

*''Skilluminaty'' (2005) *'' The Lo-Life General'' (2006) *''Chuletas Con Tostones'' (2009) *''Skill Recognize Skill'' with

J-Love The following is a list of Wu-Tang Clan's associated acts and affiliates, known as the Killa Beez, the Midwest Wasps, and the Wu Fam. At times, they are directly funded, supported, or produced by Clan members, are formed as extension groups origin ...

(2010) *''Brother Lo The 37th Chamber'' (200?)

Compilations

*''Love And Loyalty - The Sound Track'' (2000) *''Licensed to Skill'' (2003)

Singles

*"Brooklyn Hard Rock" (12") (1999) *"The Polorican" (12") (1999)

Featured guest appearances

Statik Selektah Static may refer to: Places *Static Nunatak, a nunatak in Antarctica United States *Static, Kentucky and Tennessee *Static Peak, a mountain in Wyoming ** Static Peak Divide, a mountain pass near the peak Science and technology Physics *Static el ...

- "Ralph Lauren’s Closet” (from the album ''The Balancing Act'') (2020) * The Nicewun JM - “Underground Livin’” (from the album ''Celebratin’ Hip Hop... Over Here'') (2021) * The Mighty Rhino - “We Gon’ Stomp Shit” (also featuring

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, Mari ...

Guilty Simpson Byron Dwayne “Guilty” Simpson is an American rapper and songwriter from Detroit, Michigan whose recording career spans more than 20 years. He is signed to Stones Throw Records, and is known for being one of the late producer J Dilla’s favo ...

, Bonshah, Fraction and Ultra Magnus, from the album ''To Relieve The Sorrow-Laden Heart'') (2022)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Howl, Thirstin, III Living people Puerto Rican rappers Place of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) People from Brownsville, Brooklyn 21st-century American rappers Fashion influencers