Name Frukwan Bey Birth name Arnold Hamilton Role Musician | Also known as The Gatekeeper Genres Hip hop music | |
Associated acts StetsasonicGravediggaz Music groups Gravediggaz, Stetsasonic (1981 – 1991) Albums 6 Feet Deep, The Pick - the Sickle and the S, Nightmare in A‑Minor, In Full Gear, Blood - Sweat & No Tears Similar Anthony Ian Berkeley, Prince Paul, Daddy‑O, Shabazz the Disciple, 9th Prince Profiles |
Frukwan "Live this 120"
Frukwan Sun-Star Allah-Bey (born Arnold Hamilton) is an American hip hop musician. He is best known as The Gatekeeper from the hip hop group Gravediggaz and was a member of the pioneering hip hop band Stetsasonic.
Contents
- Frukwan Live this 120
- Early life
- Music career
- Solo
- With Stetsasonic
- With Gravediggaz
- Other appearances
- Songs
- References
Early life
When he was young, his family moved from Harlem to Brooklyn, and he grew up in Breukelen projects. There, during his middle teens, Frukwan was a Break dancer and started emceeing, he became associated with an older DJ crew called Phase 3 Disco. He began merely carrying crates of records and spending time with them as they traveled the Tri-state area, doing block parties and DJ battles. Eventually he began rapping.
Frukwan attended Thomas Jefferson High School where he was one of three captains for the Big Orange Wave football team. He played starting right half back, free safety and backup quarterback for the varsity team but then was injured his senior year. With his dream of college football on hold, he focused on emceeing. He also attended the Mayer School of Fashion Design in New York.
Music career
From 1981 to 1989, Frukwan was a member of Stetsasonic, which also featured future Gravediggaz collaborator Prince Paul. Frukwan left Stetsasonic after their second album, and within a couple more years, Stetsasonic disbanded.
In 1992 Frukwan resurfaced as a member of the Gravediggaz, associated with the Wu-Tang family alongside Prince Paul, RZA and Too Poetic. Performing as The Gatekeeper, Frukwan was the group's most prolific lyricist. Upon RZA and Prince Paul's departures from Gravediggaz in 1997, Frukwan founded Black Lordz Production and Sun-Star Music Group while continuing to perform with Too Poetic. They released 2002's Nightmare in A-Minor, an album produced by the group's two remaining emcees.
After Too Poetic's death in 2001, Frukwan released a solo album in 2003, Life. A new solo album is scheduled for release in 2009.
Solo
With Stetsasonic
With Gravediggaz
Other appearances
Songs
1-800 Suicide
Nightmare in A-Minor
6 Feet Deep
Just When You Thought It Was Over
Dangerous Mindz
Big Shot Dead
Running Game
Fairytalez
God vs Devil
Nowhere to Run - Nowhere to Hide
End of da World
Diary of a Madman
What da Fuck
What's the Meaning?
Never Give Up
It Gets Deep
2 To Da Head
Time & Space
Times R Hard
My House
Answering Machine
Ready for War
Defective Trip
False Things Must Perish
Blood Brothers
Killing Fieldz
Bang Your Head
Last Man Standing
Graveyard Chamber
Mike Check Intro: Prince Paul
Death Trap
Mommy - What's a Gravedigga?