Tommy Wright III (born May 6, 1976 in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

) is an American rapper and

hip hop producer Hip hop production is the creation of hip hop music in a recording studio. While the term encompasses all aspects of hip hop music creation, including recording the rapping of an MC, a turntablist or DJ providing a beat, playing samples and "sc ...

. He began rapping in Memphis during the 1990s and is considered to be an early pioneer for fast-paced rap and trap production in South Memphis.

Musical career

Growing up in Memphis, Wright began producing music using four-track recording equipment. Between 1992 and 2001, he released five self-produced solo albums, one with N.O.D., and two more with group Ten Wanted Men. Wright owned, operated and produced the entirety of Street Smart Record's discography and previewed – if possibly never distributed – a street documentary, ''Behind Closed Doors'', for which a soundtrack was also created. Wright is acclaimed as one of the earliest figures of the Memphis rap sound, paving way to the early sound that groups like

Three 6 Mafia Three 6 Mafia is an American hip-hop group from Memphis, Tennessee, formed in 1991. Emerging as a horror-themed underground hip-hop group, they went on to enjoy mainstream success. The group's 1995 debut album ''Mystic Stylez'' became an influen ...

would be recognized for.

Resurgence

Despite stepping back from the music industry after 2001's ''Behind Closed Doors (Da Soundtrack)'', Wright maintained a cult following through the 2000s and 2010s. Wright later collaborated with

Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose. The Association of Bay Area Governments ...

rapper

Lil B Brandon Christopher McCartney (born August 17, 1989), known professionally as Lil B and Lil B The BasedGod, is an American rapper. He began his career as a member of the Berkeley, California-based hip hop group the Pack in 2005, who signed wi ...

on Secret, a song on the latter's 2019 mixtape, ''Loyalty Casket''. In 2022, producer Kelman Duran, who had received permission from late Memphis artist Princess Loko's family, estate, and close friend Wright to use her catalog of songs in his productions, sampled Wright's song with Princess Loko ("Still Pimpin") to create

dembow The dembow beat or dembow riddim is a musical rhythm best known for its use as the core percussion element in reggaeton music, having taken its name from the 1990 dancehall song " Dem Bow" by Shabba Ranks. The rhythm, first developed by Jamaican ...

and

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-infused opening track "I'm That Girl" from

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...

's seventh album ''

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

''.

Discography

Albums

* ''Memphis Massacre'' (cassette, mini album, mixed), 1992 * ''Ashes 2 Ashes, Dust 2 Dust'', 1994 * ''Runnin-N-Gunnin'' (cassette, album), 1995 * ''Tommy Wright & Ten Wanted Men – Wanted Dead or Alive'' (cassette, album), 1995 * ''On the Run'', 1996 * ''Tommy Wright* & Ten Wanted Men – 10 Toes Down'' (cassette, album), 1997 * ''Feel Me Before They Kill Me'', 1998 * ''NASHVILLE TAKEOVER'' (cassette, album), 2016

Compilations

* ''Greatest Hits'' (cassette, compilation), 1997 * ''Genesis (Greatest Underground Hits)'', 2000 * ''Behind Closed Doors (Da Soundtrack)'', 2001

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Tommy 1976 births Living people Rappers from Memphis, Tennessee African-American male rappers 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American musicians