Joell Ortiz

Rapper Joell Christopher Ortiz was one of the most celebrated independent artists in early-2000s New York. He won a coveted spot in The Source Magazine's “Unsigned Hype” column, which quickly earned him a deal with Jermaine Dupri’s So So Def label before he inked a contract with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment. His intoxicating flow, heady narratives and gritty street tales earned him a loyal fanbase. Ortiz’s lack of commercial success led to his departure from Aftermath, but he had some of his greatest wins as an artist after the split, linking up with Joe Budden, Crooked I and Royce da 5'9 in 2008 to form the rap supergroup Slaughterhouse, which was eventually snatched up by Eminem’s Shady Records in 2011. The group’s second and final LP, 2012’s Welcome To: Our House, reached the top of a number of charts and reinvigorated Ortiz’s burgeoning solo career, which includes a number of releases with stalwart indie label Mello Music Group, like 2021’s Autograph.