Kurupt began his winding career with d**h Row Records and rose to momentary fame alongside Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, but struggled to establish himself as a successful solo artist. Born Ricardo Brown in Philadelphia in 1972, he moved to Hawthorne, CA, as a teen, where he befriended Snoop and joined the roster of d**h Row. He debuted on Dre's Chronic album (1992) and continued to contribute guest appearances to successive d**h Row releases, most notably Snoop's Doggystyle (1993). He ultimately debuted as one-half of tha Dogg Pound, a partnership with rapper/producer Daz Dillinger spun-off from Snoop's enormous success at that time. Together with Daz and Snoop, Kurupt enjoyed sizable success with Dogg Food (1995) and its hit singles: "Let's Play House" and "New York, New York." Three years later the then-A&M-affiliated Antra Records released Kuruption! (1998), the rapper's ambitious double-disc solo debut. The album met modest success but make much of a commercial impact, nor did its tighter, more traditional follow-up, Tha Streetz Is a Mutha (1999). Kurupt's next release, Space Boogie: Smoke Oddessey (2001), aimed for crossover success, incorporating pop-rap elements as well as unlikely big-name guests like Fred Durst and Everlast, but again made little impact beyond the rapper's limited following. Meanwhile, Kurupt teamed with Daz for another Dogg Pound album, Dillinger & Young Gotti (2001), which presented a much more underground sound, released independently by D.P.G. Recordz. Meanwhile, d**h Row released 2002 (2001), a collection of leftovers from tha Dogg Pound's mid-'90s era. In the wake of these many releases and little accompanying commercial success, Kurupt returned to the long-quiet d**h Row label in 2002 and helped Suge Knight revive the infamous label. Against the Grain, released in 2004, was the first fruits of the relationship. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide