Cappadonna Biography
Darryl Hill, New York City, New York, USA. Raised in New York's Staten Island district, Cappadonna became the tenth official member of the Wu-Tang Clan. Hill had known members of the crew since grade school, and began writing and performing himself from the age of 15 onwards. His first recorded appearance on a Wu-Tang Clan product was in 1995, adding a lewd rap to "Ice Cream" on Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx ". Later in the same year he was heard on 'Winter Warz", the opening track on the soundtrack to Don't Be A Menace To South Central While You're Drinking Your Juice In The Hood. His big break came in 1996 when he received third billing on Ghostface Killah's hugely successful Ironman. By the time Wu-Tang Forever, the Wu-Tang Clan's second album, appeared the following year, Cappadonna was their chosen guest rapper. His eagerly anticipated debut The Pillage debuted at US number 3 in March 1998. Employing the usual production team of RZA, Tru Master and Goldfingaz, the album featured cameo appearances from several Wu-Tang Clan rappers. The superb backing tracks featured some of the finest examples of RZA's pared down sound, with Cappadonna spitting out winning raps over the top on the title track and "Dart Throwing".
After reuniting with the Wu-Tang Clan for 2000's The W, Cappadonna set about recording his second solo collection, The Yin And The Yang. The relative commercial failure of the album led to the cancelling of his major label recording contract with Epic Records. A troubled period for Cappadonna ensued, with the rapper moonlighting as a cab driver while he worked on his third album. The largely autobiographical The Struggle was released in September 2003 on the independent Artists & Producers label.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin. Licensed from Muze.
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