Memphis Bleek

Memphis Bleek shot to fame in the mid to late '90s, making a name for himself thanks in part to Jay-Z taking him under his wing.

Born Malik Deshawn Cox in New York and raised in the Marcy Projects of Brooklyn, Bleek made his recorded debut with 'Coming of Age' on Jay-Z's debut album, 'Reasonable Doubt' in 1996 (the first of many such appearances - Bleek can also be heard on 'Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life' (1998), 'Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter' (1999), 'The Dynasty: Roc La Familia' (2000) and 'The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse' (2002)). Bleek was pulled into the Roc-A-Fella camp as one of the first artists signed to the label, and after his appearance on the super-successful 'Hard Knock Life' there was a lot of hype surrounding Bleek's debut, 1999's 'Coming of Age'. It was the Billboard 200's Hot Shot Debut for its release week, peaking at number seven.

Bleek's sophomore effort, 'The Understanding', followed in 2000, 'M.A.D.E.' was released in 2003 and '534' came out in 2005. Since then his output has largely taken the form of self-released mixtapes.