Remy Ma
Encyclopedia
Reminisce Smith better known by her stage name
Remy Ma, formerly known as Remy Martin, is a Grammy nominated American rapper and former member of Fat Joe
's rap crew, Terror Squad
. Ma was featured on the group's hit song "Lean Back
" from their second album True Story and M.O.P.
's "Ante Up (Remix)." Her debut solo album, There's Something about Remy: Based on a True Story
, was released on February 7, 2006. She is one of seven female rappers to ever have a number one single on the Billboard Hot 100
chart, with Terror Squad
's number one single "Lean Back
." She has also won two Vibe awards, two Source
awards, an ASCAP pop award and a BET
award for "Best Female Hip Hop", as well as two other nominations. Remy cites Big Punisher and Roxanne Shante
as her biggest influences.
and often saw the consequences and terrors of her family's drug abuse with her own eyes. She was forced to take care of her little brothers and sisters at a young age and retreated from her home issues by writing poetry. She learned about how hard society was on women and minorities. She then took out her anger by framing her poetry into raps that she would use against her school mates during lunch sessions. Her reputation quickly grew around the Bronx and word eventually got to the late MC, Big Pun
of her and her work. After one meeting and a freestyle session, Pun immediately became her mentor. Remy made her first appearances in the music industry on Big Pun's album "Yeeeah Baby" (under the name Remi Martin) on the tracks "Ms. Martin" & "You Was Wrong". After the death of Big Pun
, rapper Fat Joe signed Smith to his imprint label under SRC
and Universal
and made her a member of Terror Squad
. Following the success of Lean Back, which garnered Remy a Grammy nomination, her debut solo album, There's Something About Remy: Based on a True Story
, went on to sell only 150,000 units in its first year of release due to Universal Records
' poor promotion. Fat Joe and Remy were frustrated at the way the album was being promoted by Universal and how the label wasn't releasing the right singles. With the solo albums lackluster debut, Smith decided to end her relationship with Fat Joe and the Terror Squad, breaking her deal with SRC/Universal in the process.
Remy Ma released 2 singles from her debut album There's Something About Remy, the club-anthems "Whuteva
" and "Conceited
". The album moved 37,000 units in its opening week and 158,000 units within the first year. The album received outstanding reviews from XXL Magazine with XL to Rollingstone and Vibe Magazine. She currently writes updates and posts it via Her official twitter
and MySpace
pages.
. Also in the works was Remy Ma's debut album as part of the all-female rap supergroup
3Sum
, alongside female rappers Shawnna
and Jacki-O
. All of these plans were officially postponed and put on hold after taking part in a shooting incident that could possibly put her career to a complete halt.
, assault, and criminal weapon possession.
Smith was later charged with witness tampering
and assault after an August 2007 incident in which she was accused of causing several male friends to attack a witness
' boyfriend.
Smith retained the services of the attorney Ivan Fisher
. However, on March 27, 2008, Smith was convicted of assault, illegal weapon possession and attempted coercion in connection with these charges. She was immediately taken into custody pending sentencing scheduled for May 13. She was acquitted of witness tampering and gang assault, charges which involved the purported intimidation of the boyfriend of a witness. At her sentencing, the Judge noted her disregard for the victim following the shooting—commenting that the rapper rifled through the victim's purse looking for the alleged stolen money, as Barnes-Joseph sat seriously wounded in the car. Smith then exited the vehicle, jumped into a waiting car and drove off, leaving Barnes-Joseph bleeding in the front seat. It was not disclosed if Smith had in fact retrieved any stolen money from the victim's purse.
Since the shooting, Barnes-Joseph has undergone several surgeries to repair damage done to her as a result of the shooting. Allegedly, she still experiences numbness in both legs and digestive problems as a result of the damage the bullet did to her intestines. In 2007, Barnes-Joseph filed an $80 million civil lawsuit against Smith for damages, along with pain and suffering. According to her lawyers, Smith is serving her eight-year term at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women
in Bedford Hills, New York
located in Westchester County
and is expecting to be released in 2015. Ma wed her fiancee, rapper Papoose
, while in prison in May 2008.
Smith wrote a letter to her fans via GLobal Grind in Late 2009 stating "I really miss everything but I especially can't wait to get back in the studio and onstage again, I've been writing like crazy," she wrote in a blog entry. "First off I'd like to send love to C-Murder, his family and children...Some people are aware, but I realize that a lot of people don't know that I have a son. He just turned 9 years old and I was able to celebrate his birthday with him and Pap, they stayed with me for 5 days and 4 nights. We had so much fun. I cooked breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I baked cookies, cakes, and banana pudding. We watched movies, played board games and took a lot of pictures...I just want to say that I so love the 'Wendy Williams Show.' I try to watch it. I love watching the videos that are sent in of little kids saying 'How You Doin?' I couldn't pay my son to do that! I have to go on her show though when I get home."
In June 2011, it was announced that after losing her appeal, Smith would have a parole hearing in September 2014 with an eligibility date set for January 31, 2015, according to court documents. If parole is denied she may remain in New York’s Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women until March 23, 2016 - her sentence’s maximum expiration date.
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
Remy Ma, formerly known as Remy Martin, is a Grammy nominated American rapper and former member of Fat Joe
Fat Joe
Joseph Antonio Cartagena , better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper, CEO of Terror Squad Entertainment, and member of musical groups D.I.T.C. and Terror Squad....
's rap crew, Terror Squad
Terror Squad (group)
Terror Squad is an American hip hop collective that was first established in 1998. Based in The Bronx borough of New York City, the members of Terror Squad collectively debuted on a song in member Fat Joe's album Don Cartagena...
. Ma was featured on the group's hit song "Lean Back
Lean Back
"Lean Back" is a 2004 single from the Terror Squad's album True Story. It features Fat Joe and Remy Ma, and was produced by Scott Storch. Fat Joe raps verses one and three, and Remy handles verse two...
" from their second album True Story and M.O.P.
M.O.P.
M.O.P., short for Mash Out Posse, is an American hip hop duo. The duo, composed of Billy Danze and Lil' Fame, is known for the aggressive delivery typically employed by both emcees. Although they maintain a strong underground following, they are mainly known for the song "Ante Up," released on...
's "Ante Up (Remix)." Her debut solo album, There's Something about Remy: Based on a True Story
There's Something about Remy: Based on a True Story
There's Something About Remy: Based on a True Story is the debut album by American rapper Remy Ma, released on February 7, 2006, the sixth anniversary of Big Pun's death...
, was released on February 7, 2006. She is one of seven female rappers to ever have a number one single on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart, with Terror Squad
Terror Squad (group)
Terror Squad is an American hip hop collective that was first established in 1998. Based in The Bronx borough of New York City, the members of Terror Squad collectively debuted on a song in member Fat Joe's album Don Cartagena...
's number one single "Lean Back
Lean Back
"Lean Back" is a 2004 single from the Terror Squad's album True Story. It features Fat Joe and Remy Ma, and was produced by Scott Storch. Fat Joe raps verses one and three, and Remy handles verse two...
." She has also won two Vibe awards, two Source
The Source (magazine)
The Source is a United States-based, monthly full-color magazine covering hip-hop music, politics, and culture, founded in 1988. It is the world's second longest running rap periodical, behind United Kingdom-based publication Hip Hop Connection. The Source was founded as a newsletter in 1988...
awards, an ASCAP pop award and a BET
Bet
Bet or BET may refer to:* A wager in gambling* Basic Economics Test * Bet , the second letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Aramaic, Hebrew, Phoenician and Syriac* Brunauer-Emmett-Teller isotherm. See BET_theory...
award for "Best Female Hip Hop", as well as two other nominations. Remy cites Big Punisher and Roxanne Shante
Roxanne Shanté
Roxanne Shanté is an American hip-hop pioneer. Born and raised in the Queensbridge Projects, Shanté first gained attention through the Roxanne Wars and her association with the Juice Crew....
as her biggest influences.
Biography
Remy Ma grew up in Castle Hill Projects in the Bronx, New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and often saw the consequences and terrors of her family's drug abuse with her own eyes. She was forced to take care of her little brothers and sisters at a young age and retreated from her home issues by writing poetry. She learned about how hard society was on women and minorities. She then took out her anger by framing her poetry into raps that she would use against her school mates during lunch sessions. Her reputation quickly grew around the Bronx and word eventually got to the late MC, Big Pun
Big Pun
Christopher Lee Rios , better known by his stage name Big Pun , was an American rapper who emerged from the underground rap scene in The Bronx in the late 1990s...
of her and her work. After one meeting and a freestyle session, Pun immediately became her mentor. Remy made her first appearances in the music industry on Big Pun's album "Yeeeah Baby" (under the name Remi Martin) on the tracks "Ms. Martin" & "You Was Wrong". After the death of Big Pun
Big Pun
Christopher Lee Rios , better known by his stage name Big Pun , was an American rapper who emerged from the underground rap scene in The Bronx in the late 1990s...
, rapper Fat Joe signed Smith to his imprint label under SRC
SRC Records
SRC Records is an American record label created by former Loud Records CEO Steve Rifkind. It is a subsidiary of Universal Music Group and is distributed through Universal Republic Records.-Company history:...
and Universal
Universal Records
Universal Records was a record label owned by Universal Music Group, and it is now owned by Manny Patino and Michael Jackson, and operated as part of the Universal Motown Republic Group.-History:...
and made her a member of Terror Squad
Terror Squad (group)
Terror Squad is an American hip hop collective that was first established in 1998. Based in The Bronx borough of New York City, the members of Terror Squad collectively debuted on a song in member Fat Joe's album Don Cartagena...
. Following the success of Lean Back, which garnered Remy a Grammy nomination, her debut solo album, There's Something About Remy: Based on a True Story
There's Something about Remy: Based on a True Story
There's Something About Remy: Based on a True Story is the debut album by American rapper Remy Ma, released on February 7, 2006, the sixth anniversary of Big Pun's death...
, went on to sell only 150,000 units in its first year of release due to Universal Records
Universal Records
Universal Records was a record label owned by Universal Music Group, and it is now owned by Manny Patino and Michael Jackson, and operated as part of the Universal Motown Republic Group.-History:...
' poor promotion. Fat Joe and Remy were frustrated at the way the album was being promoted by Universal and how the label wasn't releasing the right singles. With the solo albums lackluster debut, Smith decided to end her relationship with Fat Joe and the Terror Squad, breaking her deal with SRC/Universal in the process.
Remy Ma released 2 singles from her debut album There's Something About Remy, the club-anthems "Whuteva
Whuteva
Desmond A. Douglas, p/k/a WHUTEVA, is an American hip-hop recording artist from Queens, New York. At the age of 15, Whuteva met and made a pact with Grammy Award winning producer Rockwilder, who immediately took Whuteva under his wing and assisted him in his career. Whuteva has traveled across the...
" and "Conceited
Conceited
"Conceited ", simply known as "Conceited", is the second single by American rapper Remy Ma from her first studio album There's Something about Remy: Based on a True Story. The song was produced by Scott Storch.-Charts:...
". The album moved 37,000 units in its opening week and 158,000 units within the first year. The album received outstanding reviews from XXL Magazine with XL to Rollingstone and Vibe Magazine. She currently writes updates and posts it via Her official twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
and MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
pages.
Reality show, second album and supergroup
After her departure from Terror Squad, which was confirmed on April 10, 2007, Smith had a slew of new deals and offers coming from both record companies and television alike. She was in talks to record her own reality TV show in which cameras would follow her hectic life as a female rapper in the male-dominated rap scene. She was also busy recording what would be her second album, titled PunisHER, named after her late mentor Big PunBig Pun
Christopher Lee Rios , better known by his stage name Big Pun , was an American rapper who emerged from the underground rap scene in The Bronx in the late 1990s...
. Also in the works was Remy Ma's debut album as part of the all-female rap supergroup
Supergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
3Sum
3SUM
In computational complexity theory, 3SUM is the following computational problem conjectured to require roughly quadratic time:There is a simple algorithm to solve 3SUM in O time. This is the fastest algorithm known in models that do not decompose the integers into bits, but matching lower bounds...
, alongside female rappers Shawnna
Shawnna
Rashawnna Guy , better known by her stage name Shawnna is an American rapper. She was the first female artist signed to Def Jam through Ludacris' Disturbing tha Peace Records...
and Jacki-O
Jacki-O
Angela Kohn , better known as Jacki-O, is a Haitian American rapper from Miami, Florida, who is currently signed to her own label Jack Movement Entertainment. She got her first break in 2003 with the bawdy sex rap "Nookie" which garnered the MC comparisons to fellow Southern rappers Mia X and Trina...
. All of these plans were officially postponed and put on hold after taking part in a shooting incident that could possibly put her career to a complete halt.
Shooting incident
On July 13, 2007, Smith turned herself in to New York City police in relation to a shooting early that morning outside a Manhattan nightclub. Police say that while she was with a group of people outside the Pizza Bar, a Manhattan nightspot, a fight broke out at 4 a.m. During the entire incident, a gunshot to the torso wounded Makeda Barnes-Joseph, who has been accused of robbing Smith for thousands of dollars. Police sources indicate that Barnes-Joseph later identified Smith as the shooter. Security tapes from inside the club showed no evidence of any altercations or arguments. Smith pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murderAttempted murder
Attempted murder is a crime in England and Wales and Northern Ireland.-Today:In English criminal law, attempted murder is the crime of more than merely preparing to commit unlawful killing and at the same time having a specific intention to cause the death of human being under the Queen's Peace...
, assault, and criminal weapon possession.
Smith was later charged with witness tampering
Witness tampering
Witness tampering is harming or otherwise threatening a witness, hoping to influence his or her testimony.-Witness tampering in the USA:In the United States, the crime of witness tampering in federal cases is defined by statute at , "Tampering with a witness, victim, or an informant"...
and assault after an August 2007 incident in which she was accused of causing several male friends to attack a witness
Witness
A witness is someone who has firsthand knowledge about an event, or in the criminal justice systems usually a crime, through his or her senses and can help certify important considerations about the crime or event. A witness who has seen the event first hand is known as an eyewitness...
' boyfriend.
Smith retained the services of the attorney Ivan Fisher
Ivan Fisher
Ivan S. Fisher is a prominent New York criminal defense attorney. He represents white-collar clients and others targeted or charged in complex federal matters.As a young lawyer, Fisher represented the writer Jack Abbott in a murder trial...
. However, on March 27, 2008, Smith was convicted of assault, illegal weapon possession and attempted coercion in connection with these charges. She was immediately taken into custody pending sentencing scheduled for May 13. She was acquitted of witness tampering and gang assault, charges which involved the purported intimidation of the boyfriend of a witness. At her sentencing, the Judge noted her disregard for the victim following the shooting—commenting that the rapper rifled through the victim's purse looking for the alleged stolen money, as Barnes-Joseph sat seriously wounded in the car. Smith then exited the vehicle, jumped into a waiting car and drove off, leaving Barnes-Joseph bleeding in the front seat. It was not disclosed if Smith had in fact retrieved any stolen money from the victim's purse.
Since the shooting, Barnes-Joseph has undergone several surgeries to repair damage done to her as a result of the shooting. Allegedly, she still experiences numbness in both legs and digestive problems as a result of the damage the bullet did to her intestines. In 2007, Barnes-Joseph filed an $80 million civil lawsuit against Smith for damages, along with pain and suffering. According to her lawyers, Smith is serving her eight-year term at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women
Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women
Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women is a prison for women in Bedford Hills in the Town of Bedford, Westchester County, New York, USA. Bedford Hills, the only New York State Department of Correctional Services women's maximum security prison, is the largest women's prison in New York State...
in Bedford Hills, New York
Bedford Hills, New York
Bedford Hills is an unincorporated hamlet in the Town of Bedford, New York.-History:When the railroad was built in 1847, Bedford Hills was known as Bedford Station. Bedford Hills extends from a business center at the railroad station to farms and estates, eastward along Harris, Babbitt and Bedford...
located in Westchester County
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
and is expecting to be released in 2015. Ma wed her fiancee, rapper Papoose
Papoose (rapper)
Shamele Mackie , better known by his stage name Papoose , is an American rapper.-Biography:Born March 5, 1978 in Brooklyn, New York City by Sierra Leone and Native American parents, Papoose made his first attempts at rapping at the age of 7. He was given his name by his grandma Vivian because of...
, while in prison in May 2008.
Smith wrote a letter to her fans via GLobal Grind in Late 2009 stating "I really miss everything but I especially can't wait to get back in the studio and onstage again, I've been writing like crazy," she wrote in a blog entry. "First off I'd like to send love to C-Murder, his family and children...Some people are aware, but I realize that a lot of people don't know that I have a son. He just turned 9 years old and I was able to celebrate his birthday with him and Pap, they stayed with me for 5 days and 4 nights. We had so much fun. I cooked breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I baked cookies, cakes, and banana pudding. We watched movies, played board games and took a lot of pictures...I just want to say that I so love the 'Wendy Williams Show.' I try to watch it. I love watching the videos that are sent in of little kids saying 'How You Doin?' I couldn't pay my son to do that! I have to go on her show though when I get home."
In June 2011, it was announced that after losing her appeal, Smith would have a parole hearing in September 2014 with an eligibility date set for January 31, 2015, according to court documents. If parole is denied she may remain in New York’s Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women until March 23, 2016 - her sentence’s maximum expiration date.
Mixtapes
- Most Anticipated (2005)
- The BX-Files (2007)
- Shesus Khryst (2007)
- BlasRemy (2008)
External links
- Official website
- Remy Ma page at MTVMTVMTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
- Official twitter