The two men that make this trend-setting rap group have come a long way down their own dirt roads. Producing impressive beats since the age of twelve, Ken Jo's first love was the beat machine. Over the years, he's made beats for countless regional artists and many notables like Ludacris, 8 Ball & MJG, John Oates (of Hall & Oates) Juvenile, Field Mob, Thrill Da Playa, head member of the multi-platinum 69 Boyz, and has even co-produced with his music idol Mr. DJ (Outkast's Grammy-winning producer). Although Paul D's first love was rap, he has never let his words stay confined to the beat. In 2002, he joined Black on Black Rhyme, the world's largest poetry troupe, and in 2005, he won the Southern Fried Poetry Slam in Charlotte, North Carolina, a competition which consisted of over 120 poets, solidifying him as the best spoken word artist in the Southeastern U.S. With one self-published book under his belt, Paul is now planning his first spoken word album, which also highlights Ken Jo's versatile production.
2002 brought both good and bad changes for TheR.I.P.Y. (an acronym meaning The Radiance is Purely Yours). Now in college at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University and Florida State University respectively, both Ken Jo and Paul D widened their perspectives on life. They linked up with manager and former high school friend of Ken Jo's, Gerard "G-Gracious" Singfield, to launch Jangalang Entertainment, an independent label named after a close friend, Chris "Jangalang" Mitchell, who was killed in a freak basketball accident in that same year. TheR.I.P.Y. drew energy from the spirit of their lost friend and from their new experiences to put out Strictly For Da Streetz (2002), the critically-acclaimed underground album that featured over twenty original tracks! Ken Jo's bass-thumping production and smooth delivery mixed with Paul D's lyrical versatility made them a threat in any regard. TheR.I.P.Y. began to gain fans by opening up for the likes of T.I., Field Mob, Cee-Lo from Goodie Mob, Bone Thugz-N-Harmony, Lil' Flip, 3-6 Mafia, Trick Daddy, Chingy, Freeway, and others. Now three years later, TheR.I.P.Y. is now considered a local legend in their hometown of Albany, Georgia, amongst the musical greats before them like Suthern Klick (the first group from Albany to be offered a major label deal) and Field Mob, one of the Hip-Hop's greatest duos today.
TheR.I.P.Y. (an acronym meaning The Radiance is Purely Yours), got their first studio time in 2000 by winning a rap competition thrown by a local radio station in Albany, Georgia. The four-track demo, entitled Overdose, earned them respect amongst music heads in the city and gave them the confidence to self-produce their first album, Off the Rip (2000), in the attic (dubbed the Southern Chamber) of Ken Jo's parent's house. Ken Jo and Paul D began to forge a new sound, reminiscent of Outkast and Goodie Mob, one that focused more on the actual skill of rapping and making good music and less on material glorification. TheR.I.P.Y. received regional recognition in the South Georgia/North Florida with these two albums but are still not content. Ken Jo and Paul D have marinated on all these past accomplishments to present their third album, Sober Life, which they predict will change the rap game as we know it.
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