Torae L. Carr (born March 18, 1977), known

mononym A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. In some cases, a mononym selected by an individual may have originally been from a polynym, a word which refers to one o ...

ously as Torae, is an American

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

from the

Coney Island Coney Island is a peninsular neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, Manhattan Beach to its east, L ...

section of

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. He has released a number of solo albums and collaborative works, and operates the independent record label Internal Affairs Entertainment.

Career

Torae gained recognition by collaborating with

DJ Premier Christopher Edward Martin (born March 21, 1966), known professionally as DJ Premier (also known as Preemo), is an American record producer and DJ. He is considered one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time. He was half of the hip hop duo ...

and Marco Polo. After releasing his debut mixtape ''

Daily Conversation ''Daily Conversation'' is a mixtape by American rapper Torae, released on January 29, 2008, under his own Internal Affairs Entertainment imprint, Soulspazm Records and Fat Beats Records. The mixtape was executive produced by Torae and DJ Vega Be ...

'' in 2008, he and Polo went on to receive critical acclaim for their collaborative LP entitled ''

Double Barrel "Double Barrel" is a 1970 reggae single by Dave and Ansell Collins (though credited in both the UK and the U.S. to 'Dave and Ansil Collins'). It was the second reggae tune to top the UK charts, two years after Desmond Dekker's number 1 breakth ...

''. In 2007,

HipHopDX ''HipHopDX'' is an online magazine of hip hop music criticism and news. The website's current president and publisher is Sharath Cherian and the Head Of Content is Jerry L. Barrow. ''HipHopDX'' is the flagship publication of Cheri Media Group. ...

featured him in their DXNext underground hip hop series. In the same year, he was named Chairman's Choice in '' XXL''.XXL Chairman's Choice: Torae In addition to Polo and Premier, Torae has worked with producers Eric G., Black Milk, and

Khrysis Christopher Frederick Tyson (born September 7, 1981), better known as Khrysis, is an American hip hop producer and half of the duo The Away Team. Khrysis' productions consist of samples of records with intricate melodies and diverse drum bea ...

. Torae has collaborated frequently with fellow Brooklyn MCs

Skyzoo Gregory Skyler Taylor (born December 24, 1982), known professionally as Skyzoo, is an American Songwriter and rapper. He has released a number of notable solo and collaborative albums, including '' Cloud 9: The 3 Day High'' with 9th Wonder in ...

and

Sha Stimuli Sha Stimuli (born Sherod Khaalis on August 9, 1978) is an American rapper from Brooklyn, New York City. He is known for his mixtape releases, beginning with ''Let Me Show You the Way'' in 2002, which earned him a spot in ''Source Magazine''s "U ...

. He has also worked with Tash of

Tha Alkaholiks Tha Alkaholiks, also known as Tha Liks, is an American hip hop trio from Los Angeles, California, United States. Since the early 1990s they have produced party music with a hardcore hip hop edge, powered by the beats of DJ and producer E-Swift ...

, Teflon, Chaundon,

Sean Price Sean Duval Price (March 17, 1972August 8, 2015) was an American rapper and member of the hip hop collective Boot Camp Clik. He was one half of the duo Heltah Skeltah, performing under the name Ruck, along with partner Rock. Early life and educati ...

Masta Ace Duval Clear (born December 4, 1966), known better by his stage name Masta Ace, is an American rapper and record producer from New York City. He appeared on the classic 1988 Juice Crew posse cut " The Symphony". He is noted for his distinct voice ...

, Wale, Nefew, and

Talib Kweli Talib Kweli Greene (; born October 3, 1975) is an American rapper. He earned recognition early on through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's musical career continued with ...

. He released his debut studio album, '' For the Record'', on November 1, 2011. The album features the production from

Pete Rock Peter O. Phillips (born June 21, 1970), better known by his stage name Pete Rock, is an American record producer, DJ and rapping, rapper. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time, and is often mentioned alongs ...

Large Professor William Paul Mitchell (born March 21, 1972), better known by the stage name of Large Professor (also Extra P. and Large Pro), is an American rapper and record producer. Based in New York City, he is known as a founding member of the underground ...

, and the Grammy Award-winning

9th Wonder Patrick Denard Douthit (born January 15, 1975),
better known as 9th Wonder, is a Skyzoo Gregory Skyler Taylor (born December 24, 1982), known professionally as Skyzoo, is an American Songwriter and rapper. He has released a number of notable solo and collaborative albums, including '' Cloud 9: The 3 Day High'' with 9th Wonder in ...

released their collaborative album, ''

Barrel Brothers ''Barrel Brothers'' is a collaborative studio album by American rappers Skyzoo and Torae. It was released on May 27, 2014 via First Generation Rich, Inc./Internal Affairs/Loyalty Digital Corp. Production was handled by Illmind, Antman Wonder, Aur ...

''.

Selected discography

* 2008: ''

'', Album * 2009: ''

'', Album (with

Marco Polo Marco Polo (, , ; 8 January 1324) was a Venetian merchant, explorer and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in ''The Travels of Marco Polo'' (also known as ''Book of the Marv ...

) * 2011: ''Heart Failure'', EP * 2011: '' For the Record'', Album * 2012: ''Off the Record'', EP * 2013: ''Admission of Guilt'', Mixtape * 2014: ''

'', Album (with

as Barrel Brothers) * 2016: ''

Entitled An entitlement is a provision made in accordance with a legal framework of a society. Typically, entitlements are based on concepts of principle ("rights") which are themselves based in concepts of social equality or enfranchisement. In psycholog ...

'', Album * 2018: ''

All Praises Due All or ALL may refer to: Language * All, an indefinite pronoun in English * All, one of the English determiners * Allar language (ISO 639-3 code) * Allative case (abbreviated ALL) Music * All (band), an American punk rock band * ''All'' (All a ...

'', Album

Complete discography

* TORAE - "Just Dat Simple" from ''Unsigned Artists Vol.1'' (1996) UNSIGNED ARTISTS ENTERTAINMENT * TORAE - "Party On" "Lick A Shot" from ''Unda' Investigation'', EP (1997) AFFINITY RECORDINGS * TORAE - "Gimme The Mic" b/w "Spice Thang", 12" single (1998) INTERNAL AFFAIRS ENTERTAINMENT * TORAE - ''Coney Island's Finest'', EP (2001) INTERNAL AFFAIRS ENTERTAINMENT * The Co. - "Promises" b/w "T.I.M.E.", 12" single (2006) AV8 RECORDS *

9th Wonder Patrick Denard Douthit (born January 15, 1975),
better known as 9th Wonder, is a The Dream Merchant Vol. 2'', Album (2007) 6 HOLE RECORDS * Born Talent - "Deep With The Lyrical" from ''The Essence'', Album (2007) 54 SIDE RECORDS * Dela - "Just Chill" from ''Atmosphere Airlines'', Album (2007) DRINK WATER MUSIC * Skyzoo & TORAE - "Get It Done" b/w "Click", 12" single (2007) FAT BEATS RECORDS * Chaundon - "3 Kings", "Told You That" from ''Carnage'', Album (2008) DEFEND MUSIC * DJ K.O. - "Someday", "3 In The Chamber", "That Knack" from ''Picture This'', Album (2008) SHAMAN WORKS * eMC - "Backstage" from ''The Show'', Album (2008) M3 RECORDS * Khrome - "Grizzly" from ''The Beasts Released'', Album (2008) GODSENDANT MUSIC * Medinah Starr - "Beauty and Pain" from ''Serious Intermission'', Album (2008) INTROSPECT RECORDS * Pumpkin Head - "Hands High" from ''Picture That'', Album (2008) SOULSPAZM RECORDS *

Shabaam Sahdeeq Marcus Vialva (born January 13, 1974), better known by his stage name Shabaam Sahdeeq, is an alternative hip hop artist from Brooklyn, New York. He first reached fame with Rawkus Records and was featured alongside artists including Busta Rhy ...

- "Keep Comin" from ''Relentless'', Album (2008) MARVIAL, LLC *

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 ...

- "Destined To Shine" from ''Stick 2 The Script'', Album (2008) SHOWOFF RECORDS *

Supastition Supastition is an American underground hip hop artist from Greenville, North Carolina. He has also recorded under the name of Kam Moye and Blackmel (in earlier years). He has appeared on songs with the likes of KRS-One, The RZA, Ras Kass, Te ...

- "It's All Over" from ''Leave Of Absence'', Album (2008) DOMINATION RECORDS * DJ JS1 - "Bang Da Underground" from ''No Sellout'', Album (2009) GROUND ORIGINAL/FAT BEATS RECORDS *

DJ Spinna Vincent E. Williamsbetter known by his stage name DJ Spinna, is an American hip hop and deep house producer from Brooklyn. According to Allmusic, he has "remained strictly an underground artist despite his astonishing talent." Life and career Spi ...

- "Lyrics Is Back" from ''Sonic Smash'', Album (2009) HIGH WATER MUSIC *

El Da Sensei William E. Williams, also known as El Da Sensei is an American rapper from Newark, New Jersey. During the 1990s he was a member of the hip hop duo, Artifacts. Since then he has released several solo albums. In 2015, at The 14th Annual Indepen ...

& The Returners - "Money

art 2 Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...

from ''The Money'', EP (2009) COALMINE RECORDS * Keelay & Zaire - "Saturday" from ''Prelude To Drive'', EP (2009) MYX MUSIC LABEL * Lee Bannon - "A New Song" from ''Me & Marvin'', Album (2009) TOY BOX MUSIC * Marco Polo & TORAE - ''Double Barrel'', Album (2009)

DUCK DOWN RECORDS Duck Down Music Inc is a New York City based record label, talent management, music-marketing, and consulting company founded by Drew "Dru-Ha" Friedman and Kenyatta "Buckshot" Blake in 1995. In Duck Down's 20-year existence, the Company has rel ...

* Marco Polo & TORAE - "Double Barrel" b/w "Hold Up" & "Combat Drills", 12" single (2009) DUCK DOWN RECORDS/FAT BEATS *

Rapper Big Pooh Thomas Louis Jones III (born February 12, 1980), better known by his stage name Big Pooh (or Rapper Big Pooh), is an American rapper, who, along with fellow rap artist Phonte, is a member of the acclaimed North Carolina hip hop group Little Bro ...

- "It's A Go" from ''

The Delightful Bars ''The Delightful Bars'' is the second album by the North Carolina rapper Rapper Big Pooh. It was released for digital and retail versions on March 24, 2009, followed by other four versions, with different track lists and songs: "North American Pi ...

'', Album (2009)

HALL OF JUSTUS The Justus League was a hip hop collective from North Carolina founded in 1999. The collective consists of a total of 15 members (8 emcees, 5 producers, 1 DJ, and 1 consultant aka "Minister of Opinion". The emcees are: Cesar Comanche, Chaundon ...

- "What's Wrong With That? (Wake Up The World)" from ''My Soul To Keep'', Album (2009) CHAMBER MUSIK * Shuko - "Super M.C.S." from ''The Foundation'', Album (2009) COALMINE RECORDS * Statik Selektah - "Destined To Shine (Obama Remix)" from ''Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost & Damned (Special Edition)'', EP (2009) SHOWOFF RECORDS * Beat*Society & DJ K.O. - "That Knack", "3 In The Chamber", "Someday" from ''Master Thieves 02: Picture These Remixes'', Album (2010) SOULSPAZM RECORDS * Cimer Amor - "Another Classic" from ''Another Classic'', EP (2010) * Cold Heat - "When It Rains" from ''Life Behind Bars'' (2010) GROUND ORIGINAL/SOULSPAZM RECORDS *

Steele Steele may refer to: Places America * Steele, Alabama, a town * Steele, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Steele, Kentucky, an unincorporated community * Steele, Missouri, a city * Lonetree, Montana, a ghost town originally called Steele ...

of Smif-N-Wessun - "Amerikkka's Nightmare" from ''Amerikkka's Nightmare, Pt. 2 Children of War'', Album (2010) DUCK DOWN RECORDS * Little Brother - "24" from ''Left Back'', Album (2010) HALL OF JUSTUS * M7 - "U Gotta Love It" from ''NYC The 5 Boroughs'', Album (2010) M7 RECORDS * Marco Polo - "Combat Drills", "Exile Radio Remix" from The Stupendous Adventures of Marco Polo, Album (2010) DUCK DOWN RECORDS * Statik Selektah - "Get Out" from '' 100 Proof: The Hangover'', Album (2010) SHOWOFF RECORDS *

M-Dot Michael Januario (born January 13, 1983) better known by his stage name M-Dot is an Italian-American rapper and producer. Before becoming a rap musician, Januario played college basketball at BHCC, MCLA and Fitchburg State. Career Born in R ...

& DJ Jean Maron - "Be Easy" from ''Run MPC'', Album (2010) SOULSPAZM/EMS PRODUCTIONS * TORAE - ''Heart Failure'', EP (2011) INTERNAL AFFAIRS ENTERTAINMENT/SOULSPAZM * TORAE - ''For the Record'', Album (2011) INTERNAL AFFAIRS ENTERTAINMENT * TORAE - ''Off the Record'', EP (2012) INTERNAL AFFAIRS ENTERTAINMENT/SOULSPAZM * TORAE - ''Black Christmas'', EP (2012) INTERNAL AFFAIRS ENTERTAINMENT * ''

'' (

& TORAE) - ''Barrel Brothers'' (2014) First Generation Rich, INC./INTERNAL AFFAIRS ENT.

Mixtapes

* TORAE - ''Make Room At The Top'' (2003) INTERNAL AFFAIRS ENTERTAINMENT * DJ Vega Benetton - "Freestyle" from ''Streets of New York'' (2004) * Skyzoo - "Blackout" from ''The City's Favorite'' (2005) * Marco Polo &

Mick Boogie Mick Batyske, known by his stage name DJ MICK (also sometimes styled as MICK) and formerly Mick Boogie, is an American DJ and entrepreneur. He is an A-list DJ and spun private parties for celebrities including Kanye West, LeBron James, Jay-Z a ...

- "Casualty", "Good God" from ''Newport Authority'' (2007) *

- "Get It Done", "Click", "They Don't Want It" from ''

Corner Store Classic Corner may refer to: People *Corner (surname) *House of Cornaro, a noble Venetian family (''Corner'' in Venetian dialect) Places *Corner, Alabama, a community in the United States *Corner Inlet, Victoria, Australia *Corner River, a tributary of ...

'' (2007) * Legend, DJ Nice & Statik Selektah - "Intro" from ''Back To Basics'' (2008) * Mick Boogie - "Hand On The Pump" from ''Mick Boogie Presents – The Honor Roll'' (2008) * Sha Stimuli & DJ Victorious - "Bentley" from ''The Secret'' (2008) * Sha Stimuli & DJ Victorious - "Coulda Been Me" from ''Sha Stimuli & DJ Victorious Presents March On Washington'' (2008) * Tanya Morgan - "Shake It Off" from ''Tanya Morgan Is A Rap Group'' (2008) * TORAE - ''Daily Conversation'' (2008) INTERNAL AFFAIRS ENT./FAT BEATS * TORAE - ''Allow Me To Reintroduce Myself'' (2008) INTERNAL AFFAIRS ENTERTAINMENT *

DJ Concept DJ Concept is DJ and music producer from Long Island, New York. He is the co-founder of The Bash Brothers DJ Crew along with DJ Mickey Knox. Biography Between 2001 & 2007, Concept linked up with producer/mc Undefined to form the group Crisis Cente ...

& TORAE - ''Armed & Dangerous'' (2009) * Cambatta - "Smooth Flight" from ''The Visionary'' (2009) * DJ Concept Presents Skyzoo, Chaundon, & TORAE - ''Three Kings'' (2009) * DJ Critical Hype - "Intro", "Wack DJ's", "Outro" from ''DJ Critical Hype presents Marco Polo Blends'' (2009) * Lee Bannon - "A New Song" from ''Me & Marvin'' (2009) * Mr. Mecca - "Over Here" from ''The Cover Run'' (2009) *

- "Duck Down" from ''Kimbo Price'' (2009) DUCK DOWN RECORDS * Various Artists - "Smoke", "Get It Done", "Duck Down" from ''Duck Down Records Presents Download The Right Thing'' (2009) * Various Artists - "Pardon Me" from ''Illroots.com & Subconscious Threads Present – Spring Cleaning'' (2009) * DJ Quiz - "Freestyle" from ''Quiz Knows'' (2010) * Mick Boogie/NVME & Duck Down Records - "Talk Shit" from ''Survival Kit'' (2010) * Reks - "Rapanomics" from ''Between The Lines'' (2010) * Wale & 9th Wonder - "Sharp" from ''Back To The Feature'' (2010) 9TH WONDER PRESENTS * TORAE - ''Heart Failure'' (2011) INTERNAL AFFAIRS ENT. * E Holla & TORAE - ''Allow Me To Reintroduce Myself 2'' (2012) INTERNAL AFFAIRS ENT. * TORAE - ''Admission of Guilt'' (2013) INTERNAL AFFAIRS ENT.

References

* http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/dxnext/id.14/title.torae * https://web.archive.org/web/20090413000354/http://www.xxlmag.com/online/?p=10865 * https://web.archive.org/web/20100402000908/http://www.xxlmag.com/online/?p=47616 * http://hiphopgame.ihiphop.com/index2.php3?page=toraepolo * http://hiphopgame.ihiphop.com/index2.php3?page=torae * https://web.archive.org/web/20110811040150/http://admin.allhiphop.com/stories/breedingground/archive/2008/02/21/19323842.aspx * http://stage.allhiphop.com/stories/features/archive/2009/10/13/21975599.aspx * https://web.archive.org/web/20110707124726/http://www.amalgamdigital.com/blog/new-interview-w-torae/2009/04/29/ * https://web.archive.org/web/20101205193013/http://www.amalgamdigital.com/blog/a-couple-rounds-of-double-barrel/2009/06/15/ * https://web.archive.org/web/20101205193706/http://www.amalgamdigital.com/blog/grimy-fingernail-timbs-music/2009/04/29/ * http://www.brooklynbodega.com/2010/05/13/bhf-alumni-marco-polo-torae-interview/ * http://www.mtvu.com/music/hot-seat/marco-polo-torae/ {{Authority control African-American male rappers Living people Musicians from Brooklyn Rappers from New York City 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century African-American musicians 1977 births