Memphis Bleek

About

Malik Deshawn Cox (born June 23, 1978), known by his stage name Memphis Bleek, is an American rapper. He is best known for his work with fellow New York City-based rapper Jay-Z, with Cox often described as his hype man or protégé. Cox signed with his Roc-A-Fella Records label imprint in the late 1990s, through which he has released four major label studio albums: Coming of Age (1999), The Understanding (2000), M.A.D.E. (2003), and 534 (2005). He has since founded his own labels: Get Low Records in 1998, and Warehouse Music Group in 2016—through which he signed rapper Casanova.

Memphis Bleek was born in Brooklyn. He grew up in the Marcy Houses, located in the Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, the same neighborhood as rapper Jay-Z.

Memphis Bleek was one of the first artists signed to Roc-A-Fella, as a “protégé” of Jay-Z. The name “Memphis”, which the rapper explained paid homage to pimps, was a backronym for “Making Easy Money, Pimping Hoes In Style” and “Bleek” was a childhood nickname stemming from his younger sister trying to pronounce his first name, Malik. Bleek’s first official appearance was on the song “Coming of Age” from Jay-Z’s…