Robert Lee Greene, Jr. (born July 2, 1970), better known by his
stage name
A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...
Spice 1 (an acronym for "Sex, Pistols, Indo, Cash and Entertainment"), 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
Hayward, California. He began releasing albums in 1992.
Career
Jive Records (1991 – 1999)
In 1991 he released his first EP, ''
Let It Be Known''. In 1992 he released ''
Spice 1'', and in 1993 released ''
187 He Wrote''.
Spice 1 released six albums under
Jive Records
Jive Records was an American independent record label founded by Clive Calder in 1981 as a subsidiary to the Zomba Group. In the US, the label had offices in New York City and Chicago. Jive was best known for its successes with hip hop, R&B, ...
along with one
greatest hits album
A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...
. Three of them, ''
Spice 1'', ''
187 He Wrote'' and ''
AmeriKKKa's Nightmare'', were certified gold.
Personal life
Greene attended
Mt. Eden High School
Mt. Eden High School is a public high school in Hayward, California, United States, founded in 1960. It is part of the Hayward Unified School District. Mt. Eden High is located in southwest Hayward, near Union City.
Athletics
Sports offere ...
in
Hayward.
In an interview, Greene stated he once stole a car that resembled one owned by
Too Short
Todd Anthony Shaw (born April 28, 1966), better known by the stage name Too Short (stylized as Too $hort), is an American rapper and record producer. He became famous in the West Coast hip hop scene in the late 1980s, with lyrics often based on ...
and used it to make "doughnuts" (doughnut shaped tire burns) on the street outside of Too Short's mother's house, in an attempt to impress the older rapper.
When Greene received his first large check for his music, he stopped selling drugs and focused on making music instead.
In a recording session on September 7, 1996, Greene,
Tupac Shakur
Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...
, and
Kokane recorded the song Fame together, which is believed to be the last song that Shakur ever recorded
before he was shot in Las Vegas later that same night. Greene, being a close personal friend of the late rapper, was on his way to meet up with him in Las Vegas for an after party when he received news about Shakur's shooting.
On December 3, 2007, Greene was shot while sitting in his car outside his parents' home in
Oakland, California
Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...
.
He survived the shooting and later recovered at a hospital.
Discography
Studio albums
*''
Spice 1'' (1992)
*''
187 He Wrote'' (1993)
*''
AmeriKKKa's Nightmare'' (1994)
*''
1990-Sick
''1990-Sick'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper Spice 1, released December 5, 1995, on Jive Records. The album was produced by Ant Banks, Blackjack, Bosko, Chase and Clint "Payback" Sands. It peaked at number 3 on the ''Billboard'' To ...
'' (1995)
*''
The Black Bossalini'' (1997)
*''
Immortalized'' (1999)
*''
The Last Dance'' (2000)
*''
Spiceberg Slim
''Spiceberg Slim'' is the eighth studio album by American rapper Spice 1. The album was released in 2002 for Hard Tyme Records, & Riviera Records and made it to #79 on the Top R&B/Hip-hop album charts and #39 on the Top Independent album charts ...
'' (2002)
*''
The Ridah
''The Ridah'' is the ninth studio album of US rapper Spice 1. Keith Andrews, Travis Wilcox, and Robert Green "Spice 1" partnered up with Rajan Dave to produce it under XtraLaced Records, LLC. "Work It Tonite" track 1, a Punjabi East Indian Crosso ...
'' (2004)
*''
Dyin' 2 Ball
''Dyin' 2 Ball'' is Spice 1's 10th studio album. It was released on January 25, 2005 in the United States.
Track listing
# "Dyin' 2 ball"
# "It's a Shame"
# "Gangster As I Wanna Be" (featuring Michalobe & 40 Glocc
Lawrence Carl Demetrious W ...
'' (2005)
*''
The Truth'' (2005)
*''Haterz Nightmare'' (2015)
*''Throne of Game'' (2017)
*''Platinum O.G.'' (2019)
*''This Is Thug World, Vol. 1'' (2020)
Collaboration albums
*''
Criminal Activity
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Ca ...
''
with Criminalz (2001)
*''NTA: National Thug Association''
with Bad Boy (2003)
*''
The Pioneers''
with MC Eiht (2004)
*''
Thug Lordz Trilogy''
with Thug Lordz (2006)
*''
Keep It Gangsta
''Keep It Gangsta'' is the second collaboration album by American rappers MC Eiht and Spice 1. The album was released on February 21, 2006 on Real Talk Entertainment.
Track listing
#"Spit at Em'" - 0:28
#"No One Else" - 4:15
#"Raw Wit It" ...
''
with MC Eiht (2006)
*''Criminal Intent''
with Jayo Felony (2007)
*''Thug Therapy''
with Bossolo (2015)
References
External links
Spice 1on Facebook
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spice 1
Living people
African-American male rappers
American shooting survivors
People from Navarro County, Texas
People from Hayward, California
Rappers from Texas
Rappers from the San Francisco Bay Area
1970 births
West Coast hip hop musicians
Gangsta rappers
21st-century American rappers
21st-century American male musicians
People from Salida, California
21st-century African-American musicians
20th-century African-American people