Victor Mercer (born November 16, 1980), better known by his stage name Celph Titled, is an American rapper and record producer who is a member of the

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

supergroup

Army of the Pharaohs AOTP logo ''(as seen on In Death Reborn)'' Army of the Pharaohs (most commonly abbreviated as AOTP or A.O.T.P.) is an American underground hip hop collective originating from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formed by Jedi Mind Tricks founder Vi ...

, as well as the Demigodz along with Connecticut rapper

Apathy Apathy, also referred to as indifference, is a lack of feeling, emotion, interest, or concern about something. It is a state of indifference, or the suppression of emotions such as concern, excitement, motivation, or passion. An apathetic i ...

, Ryu from Get Busy Committee, and rapper Blacastan and

Esoteric Western esotericism, also known as the Western mystery tradition, is a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas and currents are united since they are largely distinct both from orthod ...

. Mercer moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and began working as an in-house producer and A&R. The now-defunct BUDS International and Bronx Science Records released all of his early records on vinyl, including those of his original group, Equilibrium, and singles from his longstanding partner,

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

-winner

Mike Shinoda Michael Kenji Shinoda ( ; born February 11, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and graphic designer. He co-founded the rock band Linkin Park in 1996 and is the band's co-lead vocalist, as well as rhythm guitarist, ...

, of

Linkin Park Linkin Park is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Agoura Hills, California, in 1996. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn, bass ...

, invited Mercer to join his

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

cohorts,

Styles of Beyond Styles of Beyond was an American underground hip hop group from the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California. The group consists of MCs Ryan Patrick Maginn (Ryu) and Takbir Bashir (Tak), Colton Raisin Fisher ( DJ Cheapshot), and produce ...

, as an official part of Fort Minor's album '' The Rising Tied'' (2005). After working with

DJ Green Lantern James Christopher D'Agostino (born July 7, 1975), professionally known as DJ Green Lantern, is an American hip hop DJ and producer from Rochester, New York. In 2002, D'Agostino was signed by American rapper Eminem, to become the official DJ for ...

on the Invasion " Fort Minor: We Major"

mixtape In the modern music industry, a mixtape is a musical project, typically with looser constraints than that of an album or extended play. Unlike the traditional album or extended play, mixtapes are labeled as laid-back projects that allow artists mo ...

, Mercer embarked on a nationwide tour with Fort Minor in 2006. Mercer released '' The Gatalog'', a four-disc set of his guest appearances and freestyles, going back to his early releases from 1998, as his official first offering to a thriving fanbase that already viewed him as a seasoned veteran. After the release of ''The Gatalog'' and a move back to Tampa, Mercer spent three years working with D.I.T.C. multi-platinum producer, Buckwild, on his first album, '' Nineteen Ninety Now'', released on October 26, 2010, on No Sleep Recordings.

Early life

Celph Titled was born in

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

, and grew up in Hillsborough County.

Career

Mercer moved to

-winner

, of

, invited Mercer to join his

cohorts,

, as an official part of Fort Minor's album '' The Rising Tied'' (2005), released on Linkin Park's Machine Shop Recordings/

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...

. Shinoda handled production for the album.

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American Rapping, rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, the ...

, who worked with Linkin Park on their collaborative EP '' Collision Course'', served as an

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...

for the album. Shinoda collaborated with many longtime friends (such as hip hop group

, Jonah Matranga, Holly Brook and Linkin Park turntablist

Joe Hahn Joseph Hahn (born March 15, 1977) is an American musician, DJ, director, and visual artist best known as the DJ and creative director of the rock band Linkin Park, doing the scratching, turntables, sampling, and programming for all eight of ...

), as well as many notable and underground hip-hop and R&B artists (such as

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John Legend John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He began his musical career working behind the scenes for other artists, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Every ...

Black Thought Tariq Luqmaan Trotter (born October 3, 1973), better known as Black Thought, is an American rapper, singer, actor and the lead Emcee (hip hop), MC of the hip hop group The Roots, which he co-founded with drummer Questlove in Philadelphia. Regar ...

Lupe Fiasco Wasalu Muhammad Jaco (born February 16, 1982), better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco ( ), is an American rapper, record producer and Music education, music educator. Born and raised in Chicago, he gained mainstream recognition for his gue ...

Kenna Kenna Zemedkun, known professionally as Kenna, is an Ethiopian-born American musician, philanthropist and technology creative. His track "Say Goodbye to Love" was nominated for Best Urban/Alternative Performance in the 2009 Grammy Awards. Kenna ...

, Eric Bobo, Sixx John and Celph Titled) for the album. After working with

on the Invasion " Fort Minor: We Major"

, Mercer embarked on a nationwide tour with Fort Minor in 2006. The mixtape was made as a warm-up/

prequel A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work. The term ...

to promote their first album '' The Rising Tied'', and was first released on the internet as a free download. Mercer released a compilation titled '' The Gatalog'', a four-disc set of his guest appearances and freestyles, going back to his early releases from 1998, as his official first offering to a thriving fanbase that already viewed him as a seasoned veteran. After the release of ''The Gatalog'' and a move back to Tampa, Mercer spent three years working with the Diggin' In The Crates (D.I.T.C.) multi-platinum producer, Buckwild, on his first album, '' Nineteen Ninety Now'', released on October 26, 2010, on No Sleep Recordings. On January 14, 2013, Apathy confirmed that ''Killmatic'' would be released on March 5. Along with that, he confirmed the official album art. Four days later, Apathy, through his YouTube account, released the first single for ''Killmatic'' titled "Demigodz Is Back". On May 5, 2013, Demigodz released their second studio album titled Killmatic. It featured all members including Celph Titled,

, Motive, Blacastan, Esoteric and Ryu. In Death Reborn,

fourth studio album, is set to be released April, 2014 and is stated to have Celph Titled on the album. On November 30, 2013,

Vinnie Paz Vincenzo Luviner ( Luvineri born October 5, 1977), better known as Vinnie Paz (formerly known as Ikon the Verbal Hologram), is an Italian-born American rapper and producer behind the Philadelphia underground hip hop group Jedi Mind Tricks. He ...

revealed that two new Army Of The Pharaohs albums would be released in 2014. The first album; '' In Death Reborn'' is slated for a release on 22 April and the second LP is expected to drop in November. Celph Titled is confirmed to be on the upcoming albums; new members including Demigodz member Blacastan and Zilla from

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

are said to be joining the group.

Discography

Albums

* ''The Rubix Cuban'' (Unreleased) * 2006: '' The Gatalog: A Collection of Chaos'' * ''The Fresh Prince of Hell's Lair'' (Unreleased)

Collaborations

Army of the Pharaohs

*2006: '' The Torture Papers'' *2007: ''

Ritual of Battle ''Ritual of Battle'' is the second studio album by underground hip hop collective Army of the Pharaohs. Released on September 25, 2007 under Babygrande Records, the album features group members Vinnie Paz, Jus Allah, OuterSpace, Chief Kamac ...

'' *2010: ''

The Unholy Terror ''The Unholy Terror'' is the third studio album by underground hip hop collective Army of the Pharaohs. The album was released on March 30, 2010. The album debuted in the ''Billboard'' 200 at number 179 selling 3,200 units in its first week ...

'' *2014: '' In Death Reborn'' *2014: '' Heavy Lies the Crown''

Demigodz

*2007: ''The Godz Must Be Crazier'' (with Demigodz) *2013: '' Killmatic'' (with Demigodz)

Boss Hog Barbarians (with J-Zone)

*2006: ''Every Hog Has Its Day''

With
Apathy Apathy, also referred to as indifference, is a lack of feeling, emotion, interest, or concern about something. It is a state of indifference, or the suppression of emotions such as concern, excitement, motivation, or passion. An apathetic i ...

*2006: '' No Place Like Chrome'' *TBA: ''Will Sing for Vengeance''

With Buckwild

*2010: '' Nineteen Ninety Now'' *2011: ''Nineteen Ninety More''

With Stu Bangas

*2024: New Unnamed Album

References

External links

* , his official website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Celph Titled American hip-hop record producers American male rappers Army of the Pharaohs members Living people Underground rappers Musicians from Tampa, Florida Rappers from Florida American musicians of Cuban descent Hispanic and Latino American rappers 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians 1980 births Demigodz members