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 are members of a Brooklyn-based subculture centered around Polo Ralph Lauren apparel and other fashion brands. The movement was most prominent in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The group's motto is the "2LLs," which are "love and loyalty ...

Lo Lifes

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

, a Ralph Lauren Polo "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 item ...

) 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 ha ...

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.

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 (“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-dustri ...

(“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, and Ralph Lauren Polo, 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 awar ...

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'' (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 (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 - "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, Guilty Simpson, 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