Arabian Prince
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Kim Renard Nazel (born June 17, 1965), 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 ...
s Arabian Prince or Professor X, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and DJ. He is best known as a founding member of
N.W.A N.W.A (an abbreviation for Niggaz Wit Attitudes) was an American hip hop group whose members were among the earliest and most significant popularizers and controversial figures of the gangsta rap subgenre, and the group is widely considered ...
.


Early life

Nazel was born in Compton, California to the son of Joseph "Skippy" Nazel Jr., a prominent African-American author and radio talk show host. His musical background came from his mother, a piano teacher and classical musician. His family tried its best to shelter him, sending him to a Catholic school and keeping him busy with football to keep him away from the gangs. The younger Nazel got his first experience with making music at the radio station his father hosted his talk show on; Nazel used the radio station's equipment to put together
mixtape A mixtape (alternatively mix-tape, mix tape or mixed tape) is a compilation of music, typically from multiple sources, recorded onto a medium. With origins in the 1980s, the term normally describes a homemade compilation of music onto a cassette ...
s that he would sell at school. Nazel went on to graduate from Junípero Serra High School in nearby Gardena.


Music career

Nazel took the stage name of DJ Prince and started selling mixtapes at school. While working at a luggage store at the Del Amo Mall, its owner, Sam Nassif, asked him to DJ a party at a community center. He kept performing there for several weekends and the success persuaded Nassif to invest even more in the place, renaming it "The Cave", where Nazel would continue to host for over three years and even after his N.W.A. days. Nassif also funded DJ Prince's first record, "Strange Life". He changed his stage name when he was 15 years old at the Skateland USA, the same skating venue credited for launching the NWA a few years later, due to a fan's suggestion. He said about his name: Arabian Prince started working with Bobby Jimmy & the Critters in 1984. He also produced the hit single and album for J.J. Fad, "
Supersonic Supersonic speed is the speed of an object that exceeds the speed of sound ( Mach 1). For objects traveling in dry air of a temperature of 20 °C (68 °F) at sea level, this speed is approximately . Speeds greater than five times ...
". In 1986, he was a founding member of
N.W.A N.W.A (an abbreviation for Niggaz Wit Attitudes) was an American hip hop group whose members were among the earliest and most significant popularizers and controversial figures of the gangsta rap subgenre, and the group is widely considered ...
, but soon after fellow member
Ice Cube An ice cube is a small piece of ice, which is typically rectangular as viewed from above and trapezoidal as viewed from the side. Ice cubes are products of mechanical refrigeration and are usually produced to cool beverages. They may be produc ...
came back from the Phoenix Institute of Technology in 1988, Arabian Prince left over royalty and contract disagreements. "I started off as a solo artist", he said, "so I was aware of what a royalty statement was. I knew that when these many records were sold, there is a quarterly statement. When you look at it, you can see how much money was paid and then share it. This was not the case. We were also never paid for touring."
Eazy-E Eric Lynn Wright (September 7, 1964 – March 26, 1995), known professionally as Eazy-E, was an American rapper who propelled West Coast rap and gangsta rap by leading the group N.W.A and its label, Ruthless Records. He is often referred t ...
, Ice Cube and
MC Ren Lorenzo Jerald Patterson (born June 16, 1969), better known by his stage name MC Ren, is an American rapper, songwriter and record producer from Compton, California. He is the founder and owner of the record label Villain Entertainment. MC Ren ...
remained as the main performers, DJ Yella was the
turntablist Turntablism is the art of manipulating sounds and creating new music, sound effects, mixes and other creative sounds and beats, typically by using two or more turntables and a cross fader-equipped DJ mixer. The mixer is plugged into a PA system ...
and
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 ...
was the main producer. After leaving N.W.A, Arabian Prince began a solo career. His first album, ''
Brother Arab ''Brother Arab'' is the debut studio album by American hip hop recording artist Arabian Prince. It was released on November 28, 1989 through Orpheus Records with distribution via EMI USA, a division of Capitol Records. Recording sessions took pla ...
'', was released in 1989 with the single "She's Got A Big Posse"; ''
Where's My Bytches ''Where's My Bytches'' is the second studio album by Arabian Prince. Track listing # "Where's My Bytches" – 1:24 # "Ho's 2 Bozak" – 5:52 # "Where Ya Been Bytch" – 5:18 # "Gotta Get Some Pussy Quick" – 5:00 # "Shoulda Stayed in My Bed" ...
'' followed in 1993. In the mid-2000s, he started releasing music again, with his Professor X project on the Dutch label Clone Records. "I could not release the record under Arabian Prince", he said, "because I already had a single out, so I called myself Professor X on that record." In 2007, he performed as a DJ on the 2K Sports Holiday Bounce Tour with artists from the Stones Throw label. In 2008, Stones Throw released a compilation of his electro-rap material from the 1980s. One of his songs was included on the 2007 video game, ''
College Hoops 2K8 ''College Hoops 2K8'' is a video game by Visual Concepts and 2K Sports. It was released on November 19, 2007 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation 3. The cover features Greg Oden, formerly of the Ohio State Buckeyes. Almost every sc ...
''. In 2015, a biopic about N.W.A. titled ''
Straight Outta Compton ''Straight Outta Compton'' is the debut studio album by rap group N.W.A, which, led by Eazy-E, formed in Los Angeles County's City of Compton in early 1987. Released by his label, Ruthless Records, on August 8, 1988, the album was produced b ...
'' was released; however, Arabian Prince was not portrayed in the film, and his role was omitted completely. The following year, N.W.A. was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...
, but again, Arabian Prince was not included nor mentioned. In 2018, Arabian Prince appeared on the ''
AmeriKKKant ''AmeriKKKant'' is the fourteenth studio album by industrial metal band Ministry, which was released on March 9, 2018. It is their first release on Nuclear Blast, and marked the longest gap between studio albums in the group's entire career; at ...
'' album of industrial-metal band
Ministry Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian ...
. He made a second appearance on Ministry's 2021 album '' Moral Hygiene''.


Other ventures

Aside from his music career, he worked in
special effects Special effects (often abbreviated as SFX, F/X or simply FX) are illusions or visual tricks used in the theatre, film, television, video game, amusement park and simulator industries to simulate the imagined events in a story or virtual wor ...
, 3D animation and
video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
s.


''Straight Outta Compton'' movie controversy

After the release of the NWA film, ''Straight Outta Compton'', in 2015, Arabian Prince said to VladTV: "A lot of the scenes in real life, I was there -I'm just not there in the film, which I'm like, if you're gonna write me out of a movie, shoot some other scenes. Don't write scenes where I was there." Some of the pivotal scenes would be choosing the name for the band, the tour and the infamous Detroit concert. He also remembers himself as the main opposer to Jerry Heller about the royalties and the money, a role that in the movie was instead given to Ice Cube.


Discography


Solo

*''Strange Life'' (1984) Rapsur Records *''
Brother Arab ''Brother Arab'' is the debut studio album by American hip hop recording artist Arabian Prince. It was released on November 28, 1989 through Orpheus Records with distribution via EMI USA, a division of Capitol Records. Recording sessions took pla ...
'' (1989) Orpheus Records *''
Where's My Bytches ''Where's My Bytches'' is the second studio album by Arabian Prince. Track listing # "Where's My Bytches" – 1:24 # "Ho's 2 Bozak" – 5:52 # "Where Ya Been Bytch" – 5:18 # "Gotta Get Some Pussy Quick" – 5:00 # "Shoulda Stayed in My Bed" ...
'' (1993) Da Bozak Records


Compilations

*'' Situation Hot'' (1990) Macola Records *'' Innovative Life: The Anthology, 1984–1989'' (2008) Stones Throw Records *''Professor X'' (2007/2008) Clone Records


With N.W.A

*" Panic Zone" (Single) (1987) *''
N.W.A. and the Posse ''N.W.A. and the Posse'' is a compilation album, re-releasing N.W.A and associated groups' underground rap songs from the Los Angeles area's rap scene on November 6, 1987.Roni Sarig, ''Third Coast: Outkast, Timbaland, and How Hip-hop Became a Sou ...
'' (1987) *''
Straight Outta Compton ''Straight Outta Compton'' is the debut studio album by rap group N.W.A, which, led by Eazy-E, formed in Los Angeles County's City of Compton in early 1987. Released by his label, Ruthless Records, on August 8, 1988, the album was produced b ...
'' (1988)


References


External links


Interview with Arabian Prince & Biography on westcoastpioneersAugust 2008 Interview
with
L.A. Record ''L.A. Record'' is an independent music magazine originally published weekly as a broadsheet poster. The poster usually depicts a local Los Angeles musicians and according to the magazine editors is meant to recreate an iconic album cover. In Mar ...

Arabian Prince RBMA lectureArabian Prince: What Happened After ''N.W.A. and the Posse''?
at ''
Phoenix New Times ''Phoenix New Times'' is a free digital and print media company based in Phoenix, Arizona. ''New Times'' publishes daily online coverage of local news, restaurants, music and arts, as well as longform narrative journalism. A weekly print issue ...
''
DJ Arabian Prince Interview
NAMM Oral History Library (2020) {{DEFAULTSORT:Prince, Arabian 1964 births Living people African-American male rappers Musicians from Compton, California N.W.A members Ruthless Records artists 20th-century American rappers 21st-century American rappers American hip hop singers African-American male singer-songwriters 20th-century African-American male singers 21st-century African-American male singers Singer-songwriters from California