The Commission (hip hop)
Encyclopedia
The Commission was a hip hop
supergroup that was created by The Notorious B.I.G.
.
began forming the group. B.I.G. and Charli Baltimore
had been in an auto accident and the two discussed the group while recovering. B.I.G. envisioned a Mafioso rap supergroup. The original members were B.I.G., Baltimore, Busta Rhymes
, and Jay-Z
. It was extended to include Puff Daddy, Lil' Cease
, and producer Lance "Un" Rivera.
In the mid-1990s, the hip hop world was still riveted by the East Coast-West Coast rivalry, of which the Notorious B.I.G. was a major focus. Some feel that The Commission would have been the answer to 2Pac's constant slandering of East Coast rappers; specifically allies of Biggie Smalls. However, The Commission really got underway following the death of 2Pac, and numerous songs were made such as "Brooklyn's Finest", "I Love the Dough", "Victory", "What's Beef" and "Young G's".
In The Notorious B.I.G. song "What's Beef ?", the group members' "Commission" aliases are listed:
However, the plans for The Commission fell apart with the death of B.I.G. on March 9, 1997 and the group went their separate ways. An album was never completed.
nightclub which resulted in Rivera being stabbed twice in the stomach. In 2001, despite having proclaimed his innocence on his song "Guilty Until Proven Innocent
", Jay-Z pleaded guilty to misdemeanor
assault
and was sentenced to three years probation
as a result of a plea bargain
. Neither party has discussed the incident since or the details of the plea bargain.
In an interview, Charli Baltimore expressed some disappointment with Jay-Z and Rivera. She claims Jay-Z was ambivalent about the group and that she and Rivera clashed over the way she was marketed and other business matters.
A song titled "Whatchu Want (The Commission)" by Notorious B.I.G. and Jay-Z appears on the posthumous album Duets: The Final Chapter
.
DJ Mello and DJ Cinema got together to make the mixtape The Commission: The Album That Never Was. This mixtape consists of all new Jay-Z and B.I.G. remixes. It features artists such as Akon
, Rakim
, 2Pac, DMX
and Lil' Kim
.
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
supergroup that was created by The Notorious B.I.G.
The Notorious B.I.G.
Christopher George Latore Wallace , best known as The Notorious B.I.G., was an American rapper. He was also known as Biggie Smalls , Big Poppa, and The Black Frank White .Wallace was raised in the Brooklyn borough...
.
Formation and history
In 1996, The Notorious B.I.G.The Notorious B.I.G.
Christopher George Latore Wallace , best known as The Notorious B.I.G., was an American rapper. He was also known as Biggie Smalls , Big Poppa, and The Black Frank White .Wallace was raised in the Brooklyn borough...
began forming the group. B.I.G. and Charli Baltimore
Charli Baltimore
Tiffany "Charli Baltimore" Lane is an American Grammy Award nominated female rapper. Her stage name is taken from Geena Davis's character in the film The Long Kiss Goodnight.-Musical career:...
had been in an auto accident and the two discussed the group while recovering. B.I.G. envisioned a Mafioso rap supergroup. The original members were B.I.G., Baltimore, Busta Rhymes
Busta Rhymes
Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes ,Smith is an American rapper, producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the alias Busta Rhymes after NFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes...
, and Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
. It was extended to include Puff Daddy, Lil' Cease
Lil' Cease
James Lloyd, is an American rapper and member of hip hop group Junior M.A.F.I.A..Cease's first album release was Conspiracy with the Junior M.A.F.I.A in 1995....
, and producer Lance "Un" Rivera.
In the mid-1990s, the hip hop world was still riveted by the East Coast-West Coast rivalry, of which the Notorious B.I.G. was a major focus. Some feel that The Commission would have been the answer to 2Pac's constant slandering of East Coast rappers; specifically allies of Biggie Smalls. However, The Commission really got underway following the death of 2Pac, and numerous songs were made such as "Brooklyn's Finest", "I Love the Dough", "Victory", "What's Beef" and "Young G's".
In The Notorious B.I.G. song "What's Beef ?", the group members' "Commission" aliases are listed:
- Lance "Un" Rivera - Uncle Paulie
- Puff Daddy - P. Diddy
- Lil' Cease - Caesar Leo de Janeiro
- Charli Baltimore
- Jay-Z - Iceberg SlimIceberg SlimIceberg Slim aka Robert Beck was a reformed pimp and American author of urban fiction.-Early life:Born Robert Lee Maupin, in Chicago on August 4, 1918, he spent his childhood in Milwaukee and Rockford, Illinois until he returned to Chicago...
- The Notorious B.I.G. - Frankie Baby a/k/a Frank White
However, the plans for The Commission fell apart with the death of B.I.G. on March 9, 1997 and the group went their separate ways. An album was never completed.
Post-breakup
On December 2, 1999, Jay-Z and Lance "Un" Rivera got into an altercation at a Times SquareTimes Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
nightclub which resulted in Rivera being stabbed twice in the stomach. In 2001, despite having proclaimed his innocence on his song "Guilty Until Proven Innocent
Guilty Until Proven Innocent
"Guilty Until Proven Innocent" is the third and final single from rapper Jay-Z's 2000 album The Dynasty: Roc La Familia. It features production by Rockwilder and a chorus sung by R. Kelly. The song's title flips the legal declaration "innocent until proven guilty" and its lyrics follow suit...
", Jay-Z pleaded guilty to misdemeanor
Misdemeanor
A misdemeanor is a "lesser" criminal act in many common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished much less severely than felonies, but theoretically more so than administrative infractions and regulatory offences...
assault
Assault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
and was sentenced to three years probation
Probation
Probation literally means testing of behaviour or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer...
as a result of a plea bargain
Plea bargain
A plea bargain is an agreement in a criminal case whereby the prosecutor offers the defendant the opportunity to plead guilty, usually to a lesser charge or to the original criminal charge with a recommendation of a lighter than the maximum sentence.A plea bargain allows criminal defendants to...
. Neither party has discussed the incident since or the details of the plea bargain.
In an interview, Charli Baltimore expressed some disappointment with Jay-Z and Rivera. She claims Jay-Z was ambivalent about the group and that she and Rivera clashed over the way she was marketed and other business matters.
A song titled "Whatchu Want (The Commission)" by Notorious B.I.G. and Jay-Z appears on the posthumous album Duets: The Final Chapter
Duets: The Final Chapter
Duets: The Final Chapter is a remix posthumous album featuring hip hop icon The Notorious B.I.G.. The album was released by Bad Boy Records on December 20, 2005 and charted at #3 selling 438,000 copies, beaten by the extremely high sales of Jamie Foxx's Unpredictable and Mary J Blige's The...
.
DJ Mello and DJ Cinema got together to make the mixtape The Commission: The Album That Never Was. This mixtape consists of all new Jay-Z and B.I.G. remixes. It features artists such as Akon
Akon
Aliaune Damala Badara Thiam, better known as simply Akon , is a Senegalese American R&B recording artist and songwriter.According to Forbes, Akon grossed $21 million in 2010, $20 million in 2009 and $12 million in 2008. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up", the first...
, Rakim
Rakim
William Michael Griffin Jr. , known by his stage names Rakim , Rakim Allah, R.A.K.I.M., and The Master, is an American rapper. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential and most skilled emcees of all time. Eric B...
, 2Pac, DMX
DMX (rapper)
Earl Simmons , better known by his stage name DMX, is a multiplatinum American rapper and actor who rose to fame in the late 1990s. His stage name pays tribute to the Oberheim DMX drum machine, an instrument he used when he made his own rap beats in the 80's...
and Lil' Kim
Lil' Kim
Kimberly Denise Jones , better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper and actress who was a member of the group Junior M.A.F.I.A.....
.