Arian Asllani (born December 2, 1983), better known by the stage name Action Bronson, is an American rapper and former chef. In August 2012, he signed to Warner Bros. Records, but was later moved to Atlantic Records' imprint, Vice Records.
Bronson has released several mixtapes, such as Rare Chandeliers (2012), with American hip hop producer The Alchemist and Blue Chips 2 (2013) with longtime producer Party Supplies, before releasing his major label debut, an extended play (EP) titled Saaab Stories, with frequent collaborator Harry Fraud, in 2013. He released his major label debut album, Mr. Wonderful, on March 23, 2015.
Video Action Bronson
Biography
1983-2010: Early life and career
Bronson was born in Flushing, Queens, New York, the son of an Albanian Muslim father and an American Jewish mother. Growing up he was raised in Muslim tradition. Before embarking on a career as a rapper, which was originally just a hobby, Bronson was a respected fire-flame gourmet chef in New York City. He hosted his own online cooking show titled Action in the Kitchen. After breaking his leg in the kitchen, Bronson concentrated solely on his music career.
2011: Dr. Lecter and Well Done
Action Bronson's debut studio album Dr. Lecter was independently released under Fine Fabric Delegates on March 15, 2011. The album, produced entirely by New York City-based music producer Tommy Mas, was made available for digital download and also in CD-R, on his official website. In November of that year, Bronson followed up with Well-Done, a collaborative effort with American hip hop producer Statik Selektah. On March 12, 2012, he released his second mixtape, titled Blue Chips, with Party Supplies.
2012-13: Major-label deal and Saaab Stories
In August 2012, it was announced Paul Rosenberg signed Action Bronson to a management deal with Goliath Artists, which also houses names such as Eminem, The Alchemist, Blink-182 and Danny Brown. Also in August 2012, Bronson was featured on Odd Future-rapper Domo Genesis and American hip hop producer The Alchemist's collaborative album No Idols, on tracks "Elimination Chamber" (also featuring Earl Sweatshirt and Vince Staples) and "Daily News" (also featuring SpaceGhostPurrp and Earl Sweatshirt). Later that year Action Bronson joined both Warner Bros. Records, via media company VICE, and concert booking agency NUE. On November 15, 2012, Bronson released Rare Chandeliers, a collaborative mixtape with The Alchemist.
In March 2013, Bronson performed at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and later that month was featured on XXL Magazine's 2013 Freshman Class, a list of up-and-coming rappers. In May 2013, Action Bronson was moved to Atlantic Records, and subsequently released an extended play (EP) titled Saaab Stories, on June 11, 2013. The EP was produced entirely by American music producer Harry Fraud and features guest appearances from fellow American rappers Raekwon, Wiz Khalifa, and Prodigy. Released as a digital download only, the EP was preceded by the single, "Strictly 4 My Jeeps". In July 2013, he indicated wanting to get fellow Queens-bred rappers, Nas and Kool G Rap, on his major-label debut album. Also in July, Bronson announced his major-label debut album would be released in early 2014.
On November 1, 2013, Bronson released Blue Chips 2, the second installment in his Blue Chips series, in promotion of the album. On October 28, 2013, Funkmaster Flex announced he would be hosting an upcoming Action Bronson mixtape. Production was revealed to be coming from Erick Sermon, Mike Will Made It, DJ Mustard and Jahlil Beats. In a November 2013 interview with Rolling Stone, Bronson stated that he would have Kool G Rap and Mobb Deep, featured on his upcoming album.
2014-present: Mr. Wonderful
In February 2014, Action Bronson, J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar and 360 accompanied rapper Eminem, on a brief tour of Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. On May 6, 2014, Action Bronson debuted a food-oriented web series, titled Fuck, That's Delicious. The show is a Vice Records-sponsored monthly web series that chronicles the food-obsessed rapper's exploration of all things culinary.
On August 5, 2014, Bronson released the song "Easy Rider" as the first single from his debut album Mr. Wonderful. The song was produced by Bronson's longtime producer Party Supplies. On August 20, 2014, the music video for "Easy Rider", was released. The video for "Easy Rider", which was directed by Tom Gould, pays homage to the 1969 Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper film of the same name. Bronson officially released "Actin Crazy", via digital distribution on January 20. He released the full album on March 23, 2015.
In October, 2015, Bronson was hospitalized in Anchorage, Alaska, for emergency surgery after a concert on October 23. He remained in the hospital for several days.
On Monday May 16, 2016, he presented at the Webby Awards.
Maps Action Bronson
Television
Action Bronson is the star of two television shows which air on the Viceland channel: the food travel show Fuck, That's Delicious and the comedy documentary Traveling the Stars: Action Bronson and Friends Watch 'Ancient Aliens'.
Controversy
In March 2016, the Program Board of the George Washington University announced that Bronson would be the headlining performer for the University's yearly spring concert, "Spring Fling." Controversy soon erupted as Bronson's song "Consensual Rape" came to light, as well as statements Bronson made that were considered homophobic, transphobic, and misogynist. Various student groups have pushed for the University to cancel the performance in light of this, sparking a discussion on the merits of safe spaces versus artistic freedom. In April 2016, Bronson was similarly disinvited from the Trinity College Spring Weekend concert.
Bronson responded in an open letter, claiming that his songs "depict a story" and "aren't meant to be anything but an artistic expression," condemned all forms of sexual violence, and offered an apology.
Musical style
Influences
Action Bronson cites fellow American rappers Kool G Rap, Nas, Cam'ron, Mobb Deep, UGK and Wu-Tang Clan, as major influences.
Rapping style
Bronson frequently raps about food in his songs. He is also well known for his frequent, and often obscure, allusions to athletes and sports teams. Bronson's lyrics often make reference to sports in New York City but also touch on more obscure subjects such as professional bodybuilders, figure skating and sports betting.
Early in his career, Bronson gained recognition for lyrically and stylistically resembling fellow New York rapper Ghostface Killah of Wu-Tang Clan (with whom he collaborated, along with friend and fellow rapper Termanology, on a song called "Meteor Hammer", from the 2011 compilation album Legendary Weapons). Ghostface Killah himself has admitted to confusing Bronson's rapping for his own. In an interview with HipHopDX, Bronson was asked about how it was to be compared to the Wu-Tang rapper, and he responded with,
Yeah, I mean at the end of the day, it's all good because Ghostface Killah is one of the best rappers alive, so if I sound similar to the best rapper alive then that is fine. To me there is no comparison; he is a legend and I am a newcomer. If I would try and emulate with anyone it would be Kool G Rap, he is the person I look up to the most. I am not upset but at the end of the day I am my own person and no one can take that away from me.
Discography
- Dr. Lecter (2011)
- Well-Done (2011) (with Statik Selektah)
- Mr. Wonderful (2015)
- Blue Chips 7000 (2017)
Awards and nominations
BET Hip Hop Awards
The BET Hip Hop Awards was established in 2006 by the network to celebrate hip-hop performers, producers and music video directors.
See also
- List of hip-hop musicians
- List of people from Queens
- Music of New York City
References
External links
- Official website
Source of article : Wikipedia
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