Grand Puba

Maxwell Dixon (born on March 4, 1966 in New Rochelle, New York) is better known as Grand Puba; a golden age-era East Coast figurehead who was sampled by 2Pac on his 1995 track "Old School". After laying the groundwork for his hip-hop career with short-lived 1980s NYC group Masters of Ceremony, Dixon made a name for himself as an emcee for political hip-hop pioneers Brand Nubian, releasing an acclaimed 1990 album, One for All, that's revered for its social conscience. Following the release of the LP, Dixon's tenure with Brand Nubian became marred by interpersonal conflict and he quit the group to pursue a solo career, later rejoining to record their 1998 album Foundation. Dixon made his solo debut in 1992 with Reel to Reel (1992) on Elektra, the same major label as Brand Nubian. Reel to Reel spawned popular singles "360 Degrees (What Goes Around)" and "Check It Out" (with Mary J. Blige) and reached number 28 on the Billboard 200. Dixon released his second studio album in 1995, 2000, which was also a commercial success. He returned to music in 2001 with third album Understand This, released on his Rising Son label. In 2009, Dixon dropped his fourth solo album, Retroactive, which featured production from Q-Tip, Large Professor and Kid Capri as well as fellow Brand Nubians. In 2016, he released his politically charged fifth studio album, Black to the Future.