Shante Scott Franklin (born April 4, 1981), better known by his stage name Currensy (often stylized as Curren$y), is an American rapper. In 2011, he founded the label

Jet Life Recordings Shante Scott Franklin (born April 4, 1981), better known by his stage name Currensy (often stylized as Curren$y), is an American rapper. In 2011, he founded the label Jet Life Recordings. Music career 2002–2008: No Limit and Young Mone ...

Music career

2002–2008: No Limit and Young Money

In 2002, Currensy was signed to

Master P Percy Robert Miller Sr. (born April 29, 1967), known by his stage name Master P, is an American rapper, record executive, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He is the founder of the record label No Limit Records, which was relaunched as ...

No Limit Records No Limit Records is an American record company founded by Master P. The label's albums were distributed by Priority Records, Universal and Koch Records. The label included artists such as Snoop Dogg, Mercedes, Silkk the Shocker, Mystikal, M ...

and was a late addition to the

504 Boyz 504 Boyz were an American hip hop group from New Orleans, Louisiana named for the New Orleans area code. The original 504 Boyz, Master P (as "Nino Brown"), Mystikal (as "G. Money"), Silkk The Shocker (as "Vito"), C-Murder, and Krazy, released ...

. The song "Get Back" by

, produced by

Donald XL Robertson Donald "XL" Robertson is an American hip-hop recording artist, record producer and entrepreneur, born and raised in New Orleans. Background Donald XL Robertson was exposed to soul, Funk & Jazz music at a very young age raised in The Big Ea ...

, was featured on the 2003 film ''

Malibu's Most Wanted ''Malibu's Most Wanted'' is a 2003 American comedy film written by and starring Jamie Kennedy and co-starring Taye Diggs, Anthony Anderson, Blair Underwood, Regina Hall, Damien Dante Wayans, Ryan O'Neal, and Snoop Dogg. The film is written by t ...

'' soundtrack. Currensy appeared on 5 songs in Master P's '' Good Side, Bad Side'' album. Even though he was signed with No Limit, he represented C-Murder's TRU label. Currensy has several songs with

C-Murder Corey Miller (born March 9, 1971), better known by his stage name C-Murder, is an American rapper and songwriter. He initially gained fame in the mid-1990s as a part of his brother Master P's label No Limit Records, primarily as a member of the ...

, and was featured on the late

Soulja Slim James Adarryl Tapp Jr. (September 9, 1977 – November 26, 2003), better known by his stage name Soulja Slim, was an American rapper and songwriter. He is perhaps best known for featuring on the U.S. number one hit "Slow Motion". Early life Jam ...

's album, ''

Years Later ''Years Later'' is the third studio album by American rapper Soulja Slim. Track listing References Soula Slimat AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It c ...

'' (2002). In 2004, Currensy signed with

Cash Money Records Cash Money Records is an American record label founded in 1991 by brothers Ronald "Slim" Williams and Bryan "Birdman" Williams. Distributed by Republic, formerly known as Universal Republic, the label has been home to a roster of mostly hip ...

and

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman, joining ...

Young Money Entertainment Young Money Entertainment is an American record label founded by rapper Lil Wayne. Young Money's president is Lil Wayne's lifelong friend and fellow rapper Mack Maine. The label was an imprint of Cash Money Records and is distributed by Republ ...

. He was featured on Lil Wayne's mixtape ''

Dedication 2 ''Dedication 2'' is the fifth mixtape by Lil Wayne, hosted by DJ Drama. It is a sequel to Lil Wayne's previous mixtape, '' The Dedication'', and is second in DJ Drama's ''Gangsta Grillz'' series with Lil Wayne. It is one of the few mixtapes in ...

'', ''The Suffix'' and several unreleased songs while with Young Money. He released a mixtape entitled ''Welcome Back'' in 2004. He was featured in Lil Wayne's "Grown Man" on ''

Tha Carter II ''Tha Carter II'' is the fifth studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne. It was released on December 6, 2005, by Cash Money Records, Young Money Entertainment and Universal Records. Recording sessions took place from 2004 to 2005, with Birdman ...

''. While still at Young Money, Currensy created Fly Society with skateboarder Terry Kennedy, first as a clothing company, then expanding to release music. He released the song, "Where da Cash At" as the lead single for his Young Money debut, ''Music To Fly To'', in 2006. In 2007, another mixtape was released entitled ''Life at 30,000 Feet''. He remained with Young Money until late 2007. In 2008, Currensy released ''Independence Day,'' his first project after leaving Young Money and the first of seven mixtapes to be released that year while he struck out as an independent artist.

2009–2010: ''This Ain't No Mixtape'', ''Jet Files'' and ''Pilot Talk''

Currensy signed with

Amalgam Digital Amalgam Digital is an independent record label based in East Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 2006 by Anyextee, the privately owned label had been home to a variety of artists throughout the decade before significantly downsizing in its later ye ...

to release his debut album, ''

This Ain't No Mixtape ''This Ain't No Mixtape'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Curren$y. It was released digitally on April 21, 2009, while it was released physically on June 28, 2011, by Amalgam Digital Amalgam Digital is an independent record label ba ...

'', in 2009. This album was entirely produced by Monsta Beatz. Currensy was also selected to XXL magazine's annual "Freshman Class" list, and released his second album, ''

Jet Files ''Jet Files'' is the second studio album by American rapper Curren$y. It was released digitally on October 6, 2009, while it was released physically on June 28, 2011, by Amalgam Digital Amalgam Digital is an independent record label based in Ea ...

'', through Amalgam Digital that same year. Amalgam Digital released physical copies of This Ain't No Mixtape and Jet Files on May 31, 2010. Currensy's third album, ''

Pilot Talk ''Pilot Talk'' is the third studio album by rapper Curren$y. It was released under Damon Dash's DD172 record label division, BluRoc Records.Snoop Dogg, Big K.R.I.T. and

Mos Def Yasiin Bey (; born Dante Terrell Smith, December 11, 1973), previously and more commonly known by his stage name Mos Def (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. His hip hop career began in 1994, alongside his siblings in the s ...

, amongst others, with most of the songs produced by Ski Beatz. Prior to the album's release, there was news of ''Pilot Talk'' being released under a newly relaunched

Roc-A-Fella Records Roc-A-Fella Records was an American hip hop record label and music management company founded by record executives and entrepreneurs Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Damon "Dame" Dash, and Kareem "Biggs" Burke in 1994. History 1994–2000: Formation ...

. However, Currensy stated in interviews with both XXL and Complex Magazine that the album would be released under Damon Dash's

DD172 DD172 is a media collective founded by American entrepreneur Damon Dash. DD172 encompasses ''America Nu'', a magazine; and VNGRD79, a web design firm. It also includes an art gallery. DD172 is named for Dash's initials and its original street addr ...

record label division, BluRoc Records and distributed through

Def Jam Recordings Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The l ...

. Currensy made numerous appearances on labelmate Ski Beatz' debut studio album, '' 24 Hour Karate School'', which was released on September 21, 2010.

2010–2011: ''Pilot Talk II'' and ''Weekend at Burnie's''

Currensy's fourth album, ''

Pilot Talk II ''Pilot Talk II'' is the fourth studio album by rapper Curren$y. The majority of the album was produced by Ski Beatz and The Senseis. Curren$y himself stated in an interview that the album would be released October 26, 2010. The album was moved ...

'', was released on November 22, 2010, which featured Fiend and

Raekwon Corey Woods (born January 12, 1970), better known by his stage name Raekwon The Chef, or simply Raekwon (), is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as a founding member of the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, which achieved mainstream success ...

, among others, with many of the songs produced by Ski Beatz. 2010 also saw the release of mixtape Smokee Robinson with DJ

Don Cannon Donald Cannon (born August 2, 1979) is an American DJ, record producer, songwriter, and record executive. Cannon is a co-founder of the Atlantic Records imprint, Generation Now. He was also a member of the prominent Atlanta mixtape collective, ...

. On February 1, 2011, it was announced that Currensy signed a label deal with

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

for his imprint, Jet Life Recordings. ''

Covert Coup ''Covert Coup'' is the first collaboration mixtape by rapper Currensy and producer The Alchemist. The mixtape featured guest appearances from rappers Prodigy of Mobb Deep, Freddie Gibbs, Smoke DZA and Fiend and contains ten songs. ''Covert Coup ...

'' was his first project on his Jet Life Recordings imprint under Warner Bros. Released for free via Currensy's official website on April 20, the album contains ten songs completely produced by

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 ...

. He released a mixtape, ''Weekend at Burnie's'' on June 28, 2011, featuring his Jet-Life anthem "#JetsGo", which was produced by Rahki. The rest of the mixtape was produced by frequent collaborator Monsta Beatz. In 2011, Currensy and his Jet Life crew released the album '' Jet World Order'', under Jets International / iHipHop. Every track on this album features Young Roddy and Trademark da Skydiver. Frequent collaborators of Currensy are also featured on this album, including Smoke DZA,

The Cool Kids The Cool Kids are an American hip hop duo composed of rappers Sir Michael Rocks and Chuck Inglish. The Cool Kids' music had been released primarily to the independent Chocolate Industries via their own label C.A.K.E. Recordings. Reed and Inger ...

' Mikey Rocks, Cornerboy P, Fiend, Street Wiz, and Nesby Phips. Currensy himself appears on three tracks.

2012–2013: ''The Stoned Immaculate'' and ''Live in Concert''

On November 10, 2011, Currensy announced through Twitter the release of a new album. '' Muscle Car Chronicles'', a two-disc set, was released on February 14, 2012. Currensy also planned on releasing ''Pilot Talk III'' in 2013, and mentioned the possibility of it being a free album. In February 2012, Currensy released the EP ''Here...'', and a few days later released another EP ''#The1st28'' with

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 ...

. On April 21, 2012, the track listing for ''The Stoned Immaculate'' was released. In July 2012, Currensy released the EP featuring all production by Harry Fraud, ''

Cigarette Boats ''Cigarette Boats'' is an EP by American rapper Curren$y and producer Harry Fraud. It was released for online download on July 10, 2012. XXL named it the "2012 EP of the Year." Track listing * All songs produced by Harry Fraud Rory Willia ...

''. On October 31, 2012, he released the mixtape ''Priest Andretti''. He will release a new tape 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 20 ...

, titled ''Live in Concert''. In November 2012 Currensy gave an update on his and Wiz Khalifa's mixtape ''Live in Concert'' saying its release is being held up by sample issues. In January 2013, Currensy said that due to these same legal issues, the mixtape would likely become a retail album. It was released as an iTunes only EP on April 20, 2013. On February 3, 2013, Currensy released his latest mixtape ''New Jet City'' with guest appearances from Wiz Khalifa, French Montana,

Jadakiss Jason Terrance Phillips (born May 27, 1975), better known by his stage name Jadakiss, is an American rapper from Yonkers, New York. He began his career in the 1990s as a member of the rap trio The Lox, managed by Ruff Ryders and signed with B ...

, Juvenile,

Juicy J Jordan Michael Houston III (born April 5, 1975), known professionally as Juicy J, is an American rapper and record producer. Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, he is a founding member of the Southern hip hop group Three 6 Mafia, established i ...

Trinidad James Nicholaus Joseph Williams (born September 24, 1987), better known by his stage name Trinidad James (often stylized as Trinidad Jame$), is a Trinidadian-American rapper. In 2012, he signed a recording contract with Def Jam Recordings. The label d ...

and Rick Ross among others. On October 30, 2013, Currensy released ''The Stage'' EP with Smoke DZA and Harry Fraud.

2014–present: ''The Drive In Theatre'' and ''Pilot Talk III''

Currensy announced a new mixtape, ''The Drive In Theatre'', in January 2014. He followed up on January 26, 2014, with the release of a new single, "Godfather 4" featuring

Action Bronson Ariyan Arslani (born December 2, 1983), professionally known as Action Bronson, is an American rapper, songwriter, chef, wrestler, exotic olive oil taster, and television presenter. Born and raised in Queens, New York, he embarked on his musical ...

. On February 4, 2014, Currensy took to Twitter to announce a release date for ''The Drive In Theatre'', it was released on February 14, 2014. On January 17, 2013, Currensy announced on Twitter that he and Ski Beatz began the process of making '' Pilot Talk III''. The album has been in development ever since, with Currensy, in various interviews, naming possible guest appearances from

Lil Boosie Torence Ivy Hatch (born November 14, 1982), better known by his stage name Boosie BadAzz or simply Boosie (formerly Lil Boosie), is an American rapper. Hatch began rapping in the 1990s as a member of the hip hop collective Concentration Camp, ev ...

, Wiz Khalifa, Ab-Soul, French Montana, Action Bronson,

, and Riff Raff, with a majority of the production handled by Ski Beatz, along with some production from

Cool & Dre Cool & Dre are a record production and songwriting duo from North Miami, Florida, consisting of Marcello "Cool" Antonio Valenzano and Andre "Dre" Christopher Lyon. The duo are best known for their work with Terror Squad founder Fat Joe, first ...

. On January 19, 2015, Currensy posted the album's possible artwork on his Instagram account, created by David Barnett, who was also responsible for the artwork of the first two Pilot Talk albums. On March 1, 2015,

DJ Skee Scott Keeney (born 15 November 1983), better known by his stage name DJ Skee, is an American artist, television host, radio personality, and entrepreneur. Skee rose to fame as the first DJ to discover and play superstar artists on the radio incl ...

released the first single "Alert" featuring Styles P and produced by Ski Beatz. On March 15, 2015, Currensy announced that he'll be releasing ''Pilot Talk III'' exclusively on a $100 USB drive, "bundled with a Jet Life shirt and ''Pilot Talk 3'' look book" with accompanying music videos. However, he also hinted at the album may be up for streaming. The bundle was available for pre-order on the Jet Life website, which also confirmed that it will not be released on iTunes. It was set for release on April 4, 2015. He released 12 mixtapes in 2016.

Jet Life Recordings

On February 1, 2011, Currensy started his imprint Jet Life Recordings.

Current artists

* Street Wiz * Tiny C Style * Fendi P (formerly Corner Boy P) * Fiend * Mr. Marcelo * MaryGold * T.Y.

Legal issues

In March 2012, news surfaced of legal action being taken against Damon Dash by Currensy. In the lawsuit, the rapper claimed that he never legally signed to Dash's DD172 label, and the record executive released the pair of albums (''Pilot Talk I'' and ''Pilot Talk II'') as well as ''Muscle Car Chronicles'' without authorization. Currensy demanded that Dash immediately stop releasing his music for profit, and pay $1.5 million in damages. On October 6, 2015, Currensy was awarded $3 million in settlement stemming from the 2012 lawsuit against Dash for releasing material of his music without his consent.

Discography

;Studio albums *''

'' (2009) *''

Pilot Talk ''Pilot Talk'' is the third studio album by rapper Curren$y. It was released under Damon Dash's DD172 record label division, BluRoc Records.Pilot Talk II ''Pilot Talk II'' is the fourth studio album by rapper Curren$y. The majority of the album was produced by Ski Beatz and The Senseis. Curren$y himself stated in an interview that the album would be released October 26, 2010. The album was moved ...

'' (2010) *'' Weekend at Burnie's'' (2011) *''

The Stoned Immaculate ''The Stoned Immaculate'' is the sixth studio album by American hip hop recording artist Curren$y. It was released through Warner Bros. Records on June 5, 2012. This release was his first "major" release through Warner Bros. The album features ...

'' (2012) *'' Pilot Talk III'' (2015) *'' Canal Street Confidential'' (2015) *''Back at Burnie's'' (2019) *''Collection Agency'' (2021) *''Still Stoned on Ocean'' (2021) *''Pilot Talk IV'' (2021) ; ;Collaboration albums *'' How Fly'' (with

) (2009) *''

'' (with

) (2011) *'' Jet World Order'' (with

Jet Life Jet Life is an American hip hop collective formed in New Orleans, Louisiana, originally consisting of rappers Curren$y, Trademark da Skydiver, and Young Roddy. All members of the Jet Life collective are signed to Jet Life Recordings, which is ...

) (2011) *'' Muscle Car Chronicles'' (with Sean O'Connell) (2012) *'' Jet World Order 2'' (with Jet Life) (2012) *'' Live in Concert'' (with

) (2013) *''

Fetti ''Fetti'' is a collaborative studio album by American rappers Curren$y and Freddie Gibbs and record producer The Alchemist. It was released on October 31, 2018 for streaming and digital download by Jet Life Recordings, ESGN Records and ALC Recor ...

'' (with

Freddie Gibbs Fredrick Jamel Tipton (born June 14, 1982), better known by his stage name Freddie Gibbs, is an American rapper from Gary, Indiana. After initially being signed to Interscope Records in 2006, Gibbs recorded his debut studio album under the label ...

) (2018) *'' 2009'' (with Wiz Khalifa) (2019) *''Gran Turismo'' (with

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 e ...

) (2019) *''Pheno Grigio'' (with Berner) (2019) *''Plan of Attack'' (with Trademark da Skydiver &

Young Roddy Roderick Brisco (born September 20, 1986), better known by his stage name Young Roddy (or simply Roddy), is an American hip hop recording artist signed to Jet Life Recordings and iHipHop Distribution. Early life Young Roddy was born and raised ...

) (2019) *''Prestige Worldwide'' (with

Smoke DZA Sean Pompey (born February 8, 1984), better known by his stage name Smoke DZA, is an American rapper and songwriter. Biography 1984–2007: Early life and career beginnings Smoke DZA was born February 8, 1984 at Harlem Hospital in New York ...

) (2019) *''The Tonite Show with Curren$y'' (with

DJ Fresh Daniel Edward Stein (born 11 April 1977), better known by his stage name DJ Fresh, is an English musician, DJ, record producer, best known for making electronic music. He is one of the principal members of the drum and bass group Bad Company, ...

) (2020) *''Spring Clean'' (with Fuse) (2020) *''The OutRunners'' (with

Harry Fraud Rory William Quigley (born January 26, 1987), known professionally as Harry Fraud, is an American record producer. Primarily a hip hop producer, Fraud began producing at an early age and began interning at a recording studio after graduating hig ...

) (2020) *''The Director's Cut'' (with Harry Fraud) (2020) *''Bonus Footage'' (with Harry Fraud) (2020) *''Welcome to Jet Life Recordings'' (with Jet Life) (2021) *''Welcome to Jet Life Recordings 2'' (with Jet Life) (2021) *''Highest in Charge'' (with Trauma Tone) (2021) *''Matching Rolexes'' (with Kino Beats) (2021) *''Regatta'' (with Harry Fraud) (2021) *''Continuance'' (with The Alchemist) (2022) *''Spring Clean 2'' (with Fuse) (2022)

References

External links

* {{Authority control Living people African-American male rappers No Limit Records artists Cash Money Records artists Def Jam Recordings artists Rappers from New Orleans 1981 births Southern hip hop musicians Young Money Entertainment artists 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people