Tony Sunshine

2025-05-28T21:02:43Z

70.158.101.147:

{{short description|Singer}}
{{BLP sources|date=June 2008}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Tony Sunshine
| image =
| caption =
| background =
| birth_name =
| alias =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1977|04|23}}
| birth_place = [[New York City]], [[New York (state)|New York]], U.S.
| genre = [[Contemporary R&B|R&B]], [[Hip hop music|hip hop]]
| years_active = 1998–present
| occupation = Singer
| label =
| | past_member_of = [[Terror Squad (group)|Terror Squad]]
}}

'''Antonio Cruz''' (born April 23, 1977), known professionally as '''Tony Sunshine''', is an American [[contemporary R&B|R&B]] singer of Puerto Rican descent.{{cn|date=October 2024}} He is best known as a member of [[Fat Joe]]'s hip hop group [[Terror Squad (group)|Terror Squad]] in the late 1990s, and notably guest appeared on group cohort [[Big Pun]]'s 2000 single, "[[100% (Big Pun song)|100%]]" and also appeared on [[Cuban Link]]'s single "Still Telling Lies" that same year.<ref name="Birchmeier">{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=terror-squad-p366641/biography|pure_url=yes}}|title=Biography: Terror Squad|last=Birchmeier|first=Jason|publisher=[[Allmusic]]|accessdate=26 November 2010}}</ref> His guest appearance alongside Armageddon on Fat Joe's 2003 single, "All I Need" peaked at number 54 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]], while his guest appearance on [[Lumidee]]'s 2007 [[cover version|cover]] "[[She's Like the Wind#Lumidee and Tony Sunshine version|She's Like the Wind]]" peaked at number 43 on the chart. He was led by Joe to sign with [[Jive Records]] to release his 2004 debut single "Oh My God" (featuring [[Sean Combs|Diddy]] and Dirtbag), which failed to chart.

==Early life==
Raised in the Bronx, Cruz was discovered by fellow Bronx native [[Fat Joe]] at the age of thirteen, who attempted to secure a recording contract for the teen. Cruz then adopted the name Tony Sunshine, and ultimately became a member of [[Terror Squad (group)|Terror Squad]]. Fat Joe, the group's leader, said he respected and understood Cruz's talent.<ref name="LoC">[http://www.dubcnn.com/2015/05/18/exclusive-interview-with-former-terror-squad-member-tony-sunshine/ DubCNN Interview]</ref>

==Career==
Cruz performed vocals for Terror Squad cohort Big Pun, on his songs "100%", "Laughin at You", and "My Dick". He has also appeared on Fat Joe's songs "TS Piece" and "All I Need". Terror Squad's [[Terror Squad: The Album|self-titled debut album]] was released in 1999, on which Cruz made numerous appearances. Cruz has also appeared on [[Cuban Link]]'s 24K album, contributing vocals to the tracks "Freak Out", "Still Telling Lies", "Hey Mama", and "Taste of Pastry".

Cruz signed with [[Jive Records]] to release his 2004 single "Oh My God", which failed to chart. Fat Joe was then able to finalize a record deal for Cruz in 2005 with Epic and [[Sony BMG]], although he was dropped in May of the following year and subsequently signed to Urban Box Office. In November 2006, the label collapsed and left Cruz as an independent artist. In 2007, he guest featured on fellow New York singer [[Lumidee]]'s single, "[[She's Like the Wind#Lumidee and Tony Sunshine version|She's Like the Wind]]". As well as the English version, a [[Spanglish]] version was also recorded.

In 2010, he independently released the single "Say Hey" (featuring [[Swizz Beatz]]) in July of that year. In 2015, Cruz released the mixtape ''No Filter''. In 2016, Cruz reunited with Fat Joe and Terror Squad, although this resulted in no major releases.

==Discography==
===Singles===
*2003: "Grey Goose" (featuring [[Fat Joe]])
*2004: "Oh My God" (featuring [[Sean Combs|Diddy]] and Dirtbag)
*2010: "Say Hey"
*2011: "#1 Baby"
*2013: "Don't Deserve"
*2015: "Crying"
*2016: "Danger" (featuring [[Chris Rivers]])
*2017: "Talk About it"
*2018: "Take Me Away"
*2019: "Bruce Leroy"
*2019: "Shots Fired"
*2020: "Wandas Son" (featuring Dre of [[Cool & Dre]])
*2021: "You Said"

===Featured singles===
*2000: "[[100% (Big Pun song)|100%]] ([[Big Pun]] featuring Tony Sunshine)
*2000: "Still Telling Lies" ([[Cuban Link]] featuring Tony Sunshine)
*2003: "All I Need" (Fat Joe featuring Tony Sunshine and Armageddon)
*2007: "[[She's Like the Wind]]" ([[Lumidee]] featuring Tony Sunshine)

===Mixtapes===
*2015: ''No Filter'' <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ballerstatus.com/2015/05/07/tony-sunshine-its-going-down-dd35-exclusive/|title=Tony Sunshine – It's Going Down (DD35 Exclusive) |publisher=BallerStatus.com |date=May 7, 2015}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Instagram|iamtonysunshine}}
*[http://www.facebook.com/BronxLoveInc Tony Sunshine on Facebook]

{{Terror Squad}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sunshine, Tony}}
[[Category:American contemporary R&B singers]]
[[Category:Terror Squad (group) members]]
[[Category:Rappers from the Bronx]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1977 births]]
[[Category:21st-century American rappers]]
[[Category:21st-century American singers]]

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Tony Sunshine