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All Music Guide:
Though Kokane had been involved with the West Coast rap scene since the dawn of gangsta rap, he was never able to secure any substantial success for himself until 2000 when he played a major role in the success of Snoop Dogg's Tha Last Meal. His eccentric vocal approach is half fluid rapping and half weird P-funk-influenced singing. This balance made Kokane a perfect choice to lay down the vocal hooks for Snoop's album, as he appeared on eight of the album's 19 tracks.
The son of Motown staff composer Jerry Long ("Ball of Confusion," "Just My Imagination," "Still Waters Run Deep"), Kokane's life has always included music, though it is the old school funk of the '70s that most influences his style. He began his career as a vocalist in the mid-'80s as rap was first appearing in his native Los Angeles before eventually signing to Eazy-E's Ruthless Records label in 1991. In addition to co-writing "Appetite for Destruction" for NWA's Niggaz4life, Kokane also contributed to other West Coast gangsta rap albums such as Above the Law's Black Mafia Life. His first solo single, "Nickel Slick Nigga," appeared on the Deep Cover soundtrack as well as his debut album for Ruthless, Who Am I. His second album for Ruthless, Funk Upon a Rhyme, appeared in 1994 but didn't sell many copies, dooming Kokane to a frustrating sabbatical period where he made the occasional cameo. He reappeared in late 1999 with a solo album on Eureka Records, They Call Me Mr. Kane, yet this album never escaped the underground. Ironically, it was on the L.A. posse track found on Dr. Dre's 2001 album, "Some L.A. Niggaz," that Kokane scored big; this encounter with Dre's camp led to his relationship with Snoop, who signed him to Dogghouse Records, bringing a renewed sense of promise to Kokane's long-running career.
Wikipedia:
Kokane, also known as Jerry B. Long, Jr. (born 1969), is a rapper from Pomona, California best known for his co-appearances on Dr. Dre's album 2001 and the work on G-funk album Funk Upon A Rhyme and his backup work with Snoop Dogg in Tha Last Meal album, who signed him to Dogghouse Records, bringing a renewed sense of promise to Kokane's long-running career. He is the son of Motown composer "Jerry Long, Sr.". He started his career at Eazy-E's Ruthless Records, co-writing songs for N.W.A and Above the Law. He released his first solo album under the name "Who Am I?". He signed with Koch Records, forming a new group, The Hood Mob, led by him, joined by Cricet and Contraband. They released an album on July 3, 2006.
Career [edit]
His musical career began in 1989 under the name "Kokkaine". His first release, Addictive Hip Hop Muzick in 1991 was credited as "Who Am I?". "Who Am I?" was used for that album because of particular laws forbidding using his common artist name. Kokane's life has always included music, though it is the old school funk of the 1970s that most influences his style. His eccentric vocal approach is half fluid rapping and half weird P-funk-influenced singing. He began his career as a vocalist in the mid-1980s as rap was first appearing in his native Los Angeles before eventually signing to Eazy-E's Ruthless Records label in 1991. His first solo single, "Nickel Slick Nigga," appeared on the Deep Cover soundtrack. In addition to co-writing "Appetite for Destruction" for N.W.A.'s Niggaz4life, Kokane also contributed to other West Coast gangsta rap albums such as Above The Law's Black Mafia Life. In his second album, Funk Upon a Rhyme, he completely changed his style, incorporating a great deal of singing and packin' it with G Funk. Two years later, Kokane was a free agent. He left Ruthless right after Eazy-E death. He reappeared in late 1999 with a solo album on Eureka Records, They Call Me Mr. Kane, yet this album never escaped the underground. Ironically, it was on the L.A. posse track found on Dr. Dre's 2001 album, "Some L.A. Niggaz," that Kokane scored big; this encounter with Dre's camp led to his relationship with Snoop Dogg. Though Kokane had been involved with the West Coast rap scene since the dawn of gangsta rap, he was never able to secure any substantial success for himself until 2000 when he played a major role in the success of Snoop's Tha Last Meal. He has worked with artists such as Above The Law, N.W.A., Eazy-E, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Tha Eastsidaz, Cypress Hill, Ice Cube, E-40, Kurupt, Nipsey Hussle, among others. He continues to make music today and still contributes to the West Coast rap scene.
