PARIS
Paris hails from the San Francisco Bay Area and was
catapulted onto the national scene in 1990 with his
hit single "The Devil Made Me Do It" and
album of the same name. Since then his uncompromising
stance on political issues and biting social commentary
have both aided and hindered his quest to bring solid
music and messages to the masses. When his second
album, Sleeping With The Enemy was ready for release
in 1992, Paris was dropped from now-defunct Tommy
Boy Records and distributor Time Warner when they
discovered it's incendiary content - content which
included fantasy revenge killings of then-President
Bush and racist police officers. Rather than buckle
under pressure, he released the LP himself on his
newly-formed Scarface Records to major sales and national
acclaim.
Paris signed a major artist and distribution deal
with Priority Records for himself and Scarface Records
in 1993 and released his third LP, Guerrilla Funk,
and several then up-and-coming groups, most notably
the Conscious Daughters. Paris and Priority formally
severed their business relationship due to creative
differences in 1995, and in 1997, Paris signed a one-off
deal with now-defunct Whirling Records (distributed
by Rykodisc), for the release of his 4th LP, Unleashed.
Released in limited numbers, the LP went largely unnoticed
due to lack of focus and funding.
In 2003 Paris returned with a vengeance, injecting
a much needed dose of reality and consciousness into
an industry which now seems to only reflect corporate
hip-hop sensibilities. Sonic Jihad was released to
strong sales and critical acclaim, with Paris emerging
with his new label and website, Guerrilla Funk Recordings
(www.guerrillafunk.com). Born out of necessity, it's
a musical organization that counters the corporate
stranglehold of censorship currently plaguing the
entertainment industry, providing a home for projects
for such notable acts as dead prez and Public Enemy.
Paris has never been one to shy away from controversy.
During his self-imposed hiatus, he finely tuned his
most well-crafted project to date. Never one to mince
his words, he remains relentless in his quest to match
bomb tracks with messages that range from passionate
to incendiary. With new music forthcoming from Public
Enemy, dead prez, MC Ren, Kam and The Conscious Daughters,
Guerrilla Funk is set to balance out an industry seemingly
hell-bent on exploitation.
www.guerillafunk.com
Read the review of brand new release by Public Enemy
and Paris on www.RapReviews.com
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