Me Phi Me
Encyclopedia
Me Phi Me is a multiplatinum
selling American rapper from Flint
, Michigan
. Me Phi Me is both the name of the musical group and the name of its lead performer.
Wilburn was the youngest of five brothers and one sister raised in a home filled with diverse music. As a student in high school, he admired the lyrical virtuosity of hip-hop icons. The name Me Phi Me was born in 1987 as an homage to venerable historically black fraternities like Alpha Phi Alpha
and Kappa Alpha Psi
. It quickly evolved into a definition of intelligence and individuality as outlined in his song "...and I Believe," which features traditional frat stomp/stepping
as the backbeat.
alternative to the popular gangster
sound of the early 1990s.
His 1992 debut release ONE
was produced by Chicago
native and first cousin Christopher Cuben-Tatum (a.k.a. Cee Tha Wizzard) of Concept Enterprises International on BMG
/RCA Records
, and featured classic funk
samples from Sly and the Family Stone, James Brown
, and others layered with the unprecedented use of live twelve-string folk guitars
, performed by John M. Falasz III, live jazz bass, traditional frat stepping or stomp, harmonica
solos (Rags Murtaugh), and other unique organic instruments, including the haunting Armenia
n Duduk
as performed by Djivan Gasparyan
(Gladiator).
One track from his CD "Sad New Day" became a single with a video
by three-time director Julien Temple
, who also shot Me Phi's videos for "Black Sunshine" and "Pu' Sho Hands 2Getha," which enjoyed significant Buzz Bin
play on MTV
and BET
.
From Murfreesboro
, Tennessee
(southeast of Nashville
), Me Phi Me saw many of the songs from ONE featured in international television synchronization, most notable being the opening and closing theme for Robert De Niro
's 1993 TriBeCa
television drama anthology series on FOX
.
In 1993, Me Phi Me's song "Revival!" was featured on the multiplatinum soundtrack to Ben Stiller
's debut film about Generation X
called Reality Bites
. In 1995, director Kathryn Bigelow
chose Me Phi Me's song "hereWEcome" as the theme for Jeriko One, a character in the futuristic movie Strange Days
, in which Me Phi makes his big-screen debut alongside actor Glenn Plummer
.
Me Phi Me is married with a stepdaughter named Gabrielle, plus two biological daughters Autumn and Imani by former wife Nannette. He actively assists his church choir in Baltimore, Maryland
when not consulting at a Fortune
Top 20 corporation(with fellow artist Nick Limneos). He continues to write music and rhymes, with plans for the release of previously unreleased songs.
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
selling American rapper from Flint
Flint, Michigan
Flint is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit. The U.S. Census Bureau reports the 2010 population to be placed at 102,434, making Flint the seventh largest city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Genesee County which lies in the...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. Me Phi Me is both the name of the musical group and the name of its lead performer.
Wilburn was the youngest of five brothers and one sister raised in a home filled with diverse music. As a student in high school, he admired the lyrical virtuosity of hip-hop icons. The name Me Phi Me was born in 1987 as an homage to venerable historically black fraternities like Alpha Phi Alpha
Alpha Phi Alpha
Alpha Phi Alpha is the first Inter-Collegiate Black Greek Letter fraternity. It was founded on December 4, 1906 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Its founders are known as the "Seven Jewels". Alpha Phi Alpha developed a model that was used by the many Black Greek Letter Organizations ...
and Kappa Alpha Psi
Kappa Alpha Psi
Kappa Alpha Psi is a collegiate Greek-letter fraternity with a predominantly African American membership. Since the fraternity's founding on January 5, 1911 at Indiana University Bloomington, the fraternity has never limited membership based on color, creed or national origin...
. It quickly evolved into a definition of intelligence and individuality as outlined in his song "...and I Believe," which features traditional frat stomp/stepping
Stepping (African-American)
Stepping or step-dancing is a form of percussive dance in which the participant's entire body is used as an instrument to produce complex rhythms and sounds through a mixture of footsteps, spoken word, and hand claps...
as the backbeat.
Career
Known for rap as well as traditional lyrics, Me Phi Me provided an acousticAcoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
alternative to the popular gangster
Gangsta rap
Gangsta Rap is a subgenre of hip hop music that evolved from hardcore hip hop and purports to reflect urban crime and the violent lifestyles of inner-city youths. Lyrics in gangsta rap have varied from accurate reflections to fictionalized accounts. Gangsta is a non-rhotic pronunciation of the word...
sound of the early 1990s.
His 1992 debut release ONE
One (Me Phi Me album)
ONE is the debut album by American Alternative hip-hop group Me Phi Me, released on February 18, 1992 by RCA Records. Generally considered the first folk-rap album, ONE was a critics darling in the United States, United Kingdom, Europe and Scandinavia, though sales were limited...
was produced by Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
native and first cousin Christopher Cuben-Tatum (a.k.a. Cee Tha Wizzard) of Concept Enterprises International on BMG
BMG
Bertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann...
/RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
, and featured classic funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
samples from Sly and the Family Stone, James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
, and others layered with the unprecedented use of live twelve-string folk guitars
Twelve string guitar
The twelve-string guitar is an acoustic or electric guitar with 12 strings in 6 courses, which produces a richer, more ringing tone than a standard six-string guitar...
, performed by John M. Falasz III, live jazz bass, traditional frat stepping or stomp, harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
solos (Rags Murtaugh), and other unique organic instruments, including the haunting Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
n Duduk
Duduk
The duduk , traditionally known since antiquity as a Ծիրանափող is a traditional woodwind instrument indigenous to Armenia. Variations of it are popular in the Middle East and Central Asia...
as performed by Djivan Gasparyan
Djivan Gasparyan
Djivan Gasparyan is an Armenian musician and composer. He plays the duduk, a double reed woodwind instrument related to the orchestral oboe. Gasparyan is known as the Master of the duduk.-Biography:...
(Gladiator).
One track from his CD "Sad New Day" became a single with a video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
by three-time director Julien Temple
Julien Temple
Julien Temple is an English film, documentary and music video director. He began his career with short films featuring the Sex Pistols, and has continued with various off-beat projects, including The Great Rock And Roll Swindle, Absolute Beginners and a documentary film about Glastonbury.-Temple...
, who also shot Me Phi's videos for "Black Sunshine" and "Pu' Sho Hands 2Getha," which enjoyed significant Buzz Bin
Buzz Bin
MTV's Buzz Bin was a select group of music videos by up and coming artists and bands that the network deemed "buzz worthy", "cutting edge", or "the next big thing"...
play on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
and BET
Bet
Bet or BET may refer to:* A wager in gambling* Basic Economics Test * Bet , the second letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Aramaic, Hebrew, Phoenician and Syriac* Brunauer-Emmett-Teller isotherm. See BET_theory...
.
From Murfreesboro
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Murfreesboro is a city in and the county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 108,755 according to the United States Census Bureau's 2010 U.S. Census, up from 68,816 residents certified during the 2000 census. The center of population of Tennessee is located in...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
(southeast of Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
), Me Phi Me saw many of the songs from ONE featured in international television synchronization, most notable being the opening and closing theme for Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro, Jr. is an American actor, director and producer. His first major film roles were in Bang the Drum Slowly and Mean Streets, both in 1973...
's 1993 TriBeCa
TriBeCa (TV series)
TriBeCa was a television drama anthology series created by David J. Burke and co-produced with Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal for TriBeCa Productions in 1993 that aired on the Fox Network...
television drama anthology series on FOX
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
.
In 1993, Me Phi Me's song "Revival!" was featured on the multiplatinum soundtrack to Ben Stiller
Ben Stiller
Benjamin Edward "Ben" Stiller is an American comedian, actor, writer, film director, and producer. He is the son of veteran comedians and actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara....
's debut film about Generation X
Generation X
Generation X, commonly abbreviated to Gen X, is the generation born after the Western post–World War II baby boom ended. While there is no universally agreed upon time frame, the term generally includes people born from the early 1960's through the early 1980's, usually no later than 1981 or...
called Reality Bites
Reality Bites
Reality Bites is a 1994 American romantic comedy-drama film written by Helen Childress and featuring the directorial debut of Ben Stiller. It stars Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke and Stiller, with major supporting roles played by Janeane Garofalo and Steve Zahn. The film was shot on location in Austin...
. In 1995, director Kathryn Bigelow
Kathryn Bigelow
Kathryn Ann Bigelow is an American film director. Her best-known films are the cult horror film Near Dark , the surfer/bank robbery action picture Point Break , the science fiction/film noir Strange Days , the historical/mystery film The Weight of Water and the war drama The Hurt Locker...
chose Me Phi Me's song "hereWEcome" as the theme for Jeriko One, a character in the futuristic movie Strange Days
Strange Days (film)
Strange Days is a 1995 cyberpunk science fiction film directed by Kathryn Bigelow and produced and co-written by James Cameron and Jay Cocks, starring Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett, Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore, Michael Wincott and Vincent D'Onofrio. Despite positive reviews, the film was a...
, in which Me Phi makes his big-screen debut alongside actor Glenn Plummer
Glenn Plummer
Glenn E. Plummer is an American film and television actor.Plummer was born in Richmond, California. He has appeared in numerous films and television series, primarily in supporting roles or small bit parts, such as High Top in Colors. His prominent roles came in the films Menace II Society, Speed,...
.
Me Phi Me is married with a stepdaughter named Gabrielle, plus two biological daughters Autumn and Imani by former wife Nannette. He actively assists his church choir in Baltimore, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
when not consulting at a Fortune
Fortune (magazine)
Fortune is a global business magazine published by Time Inc. Founded by Henry Luce in 1930, the publishing business, consisting of Time, Life, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated, grew to become Time Warner. In turn, AOL grew as it acquired Time Warner in 2000 when Time Warner was the world's largest...
Top 20 corporation(with fellow artist Nick Limneos). He continues to write music and rhymes, with plans for the release of previously unreleased songs.