Juelz Santana
Juelz Santana (born LaRon Michael Johnson on May 10, 1984) is Half African American and Half Honduran rapper from Woodbury, who is best known for his "featured" status on Cam'ron's 2002 hits, "Oh Boy" and "Hey Ma". Juelz began writing rhymes at the age of 12. He was originally signed to Priority Records as one half a duo called Draft Pick. The group had several shows around New York City while together, including Amateur Night at the Apollo Theatre, where they won two weeks in a row. Some time after this, he was introduced to Cam'ron through a cousin; in 1998, he became a member of the group, The Diplomats, whose members include Cam'ron, Jim Jones (rapper), 40 Cal, Hell Rell, Jha-Jha, SAS, and Freekey Zeekey. He is now signed as a solo artist to DipSet but unlike the rest of The Diplomats, who are signed to Koch Records, Santana is currently signed to Def Jam.He also has a younger sister that is currently living in Woodbury New Jersey. She is now 17 years old.
He was voted #2 in the VIBE Vixen top 50 sexiest rappers behind T.I. at #1. He is notable for the unique ability to rap while refraining from rhyming. He is well known for the controversy over his words about the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks, "I worship the late prophet/The great Mohammed Omar Atta/For his courage behind the wheel of the plane/Reminds me of when I was dealing caine". (The August 2nd New York Post called the lyrics "detestable".) "I didn't say nothing bad about September 11th", says Juelz. "I just stated the fact of Atta's courage. A lot of people are not willing to do what he did, and that's the same way I feel about my Diplomat family. I'd do anything for them, and he did anything for what he believed in." Juelz proves that he does not condone what happened on 9/11 by his lyrics on Cam'ron's track "I Love You" on Diplomatic Immunity Disc Two (2003), where Santana raps: "I still smell the rotting people that lay/down in Ground Zero/forgotten, left there for days/probably left there to stay/left to decay/broken pieces of towers left as their graves/I pray: let them be saved."
Juelz's debut album, From Me To You, was released on August 19th, 2003, featuring the single "Santana's Town".
Dip Set Byrd Gang Purple City Status
Juelz Santana is slated to release the album "What the Game's Been Missing", due in November 2005. Two singles have been released, "Mic Check" and "There It Go (The Whistle)".
Juelz Santana is also known to create popular slogans. More recently, "Aye!", heard in the beginning of his 2005 single, "There It Go (The Whistle Song)".
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot 100 | US R&B/Hip-Hop | US Rap | |||
| 2005 | "Run It!" (Chris Brown feat. Juelz Santana) | #1 (1 week) | #1 (2 weeks) | #24 | Chris Brown |
| 2005 | "There It Go! (The Whistle Song)" | #23 | #12 | #10 | What the Game's Been Missing |