View source for Grand Puba

{{short description|American rapper}}
{{About|the rapper|the term derived from an opera character|Grand Poobah}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| background        = person
| name              = Grand Puba
| image             = Grand Puba in 2014.jpg
| caption           = Grand Puba performing, 2014.
| birth_name        = William Brewster Dixon III
| alias             = Grand Puba Maxwell<br />Grand P
| birth_date        = {{birth date and age|1966|03|04}}
| birth_place       = [[New Rochelle, New York]], U.S.
| genre             = [[Hip hop music|Hip hop]]
| occupation        = {{flatlist|
* Rapper
* record producer
}}
| years_active      = 1985–present
| label             = {{hlist|[[4th & B'way Records|4th & B'way]]|[[Island Records|Island]]|[[Elektra Records|Elektra]]|[[Arista Records|Arista]]|[[MNRK Music Group|MNRK]]|[[Babygrande Records|Babygrande]]}}
| current_member_of = [[Brand Nubian]]
| past_member_of    = {{hlist|Masters of Ceremony|Tray-Bag MC's}}
}}

'''Maxwell Dixon''' (born '''William Brewster Dixon III'''; March 4, 1966),<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1156173/bio|title=Grand Puba|website=IMDb.com|access-date=December 6, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/grand-puba-mn0000740499|title=Grand Puba &#124; Biography, Albums, Streaming Links|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=December 6, 2019}}</ref> known professionally as '''Grand Puba''', is an American rapper and record producer, best known as a member of [[Brand Nubian]] from [[New Rochelle, New York]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/brand-nubian-mn0000933772/biography|title=Brand Nubian &#124; Biography & History|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=December 6, 2019}}</ref> He was formerly a member of Masters of Ceremony.

==Early life==
Puba was born on March 4, 1966<ref>{{cite web |title=Happy 55th Birthday To Brand Nubian Founder Grand Puba! |url=https://thesource.com/2021/03/04/happy-55th-birthday-to-brand-nubian-founder-grand-puba/ |website=thesource.com|date=March 4, 2021 |access-date=3 June 2024}}</ref>  in [[New Rochelle, New York|New Rochelle]]. During the late 1970s, Puba first got into hip hop after purchasing cassettes of his favorite artists such as [[The Cold Crush Brothers]], [[T-Connection]] and [[Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Godcast Episode 173: Grand Puba
 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVpg4MtyoJQ&t=1878s |website=Youtube.com|date=May 1, 2021 |access-date=3 June 2024}}</ref> Puba attended the Remington Boys Club in [[New Rochelle]]. While at his club for boys, a DJ by the name of [[Grand Mixer DXT]] would send out cassette tapes at his club, to where Puba would learn to rap and  write rhymes. His first cousin by the name of Dr. Who (Tod Dixon),<ref>{{cite web |title=Masters of Ceremony: DJ Shabazz, Grand Puba Maxwell, Dr. Who, Don Barron|url=https://nmaahc.si.edu/object/nmaahc_2015.132.45|website=Nmaahc.si.edu|date= |access-date=7 June 2024}}</ref> that would later form a group with Puba as Masters of Ceremony, would bang on tables, spitting rhymes with each other. Puba himself was also a breakdancer. He began making beats on cassettes of his own, around in New Rochelle where he grew up. When he was finally known, he started DJing at clubs after his popularity grew. His first rap group was called the "Tray-Bag MC's".<ref name="youtube.com">{{cite web |title=Sadat X on how Brand Nubian started, his Hip Hop heroes, & being a Five Percenter Juan EP is Life|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7A21XkSNJac|website=Youtube.com|date=March 4, 2023 |access-date=3 June 2024}}</ref>

==Career==
He made his debut as '''Grand Puba Maxwell''' with the group Masters of Ceremony in 1985.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://nmaahc.si.edu/object/nmaahc_2015.132.45 | title=Masters of Ceremony: DJ Shabazz, Grand Puba Maxwell, Dr. Who, Don Barron|website=Nmaahc.si.edu }}</ref><ref name="Larkin90">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Virgin Encyclopedia of Nineties Music]]|editor=Colin Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=2000|edition=First|isbn=0-7535-0427-8|page=178}}</ref> Its album ''Dynamite'' (1988) was hailed by critics, but because of lack of sales the group soon disbanded and Puba became the lead emcee of Brand Nubian after working out a deal with A&R [[Dante Ross]] and signing to [[Elektra Records]].<ref name="youtube.com"/><ref name="Larkin90" /> After their debut album ''[[One for All (Brand Nubian album)|One for All]]'' (1990) — covering areas from [[reggae]]-influenced hip hop music to [[new jack swing]] — 

Puba left the group after disputes and began a solo career.<ref name="Larkin90" /> He released his first solo album ''[[Reel to Reel]]'' on [[Elektra Records]] in 1992, alongside DJ Stud Doogie and [[DJ Alamo]] who was previously a member with Brand Nubian. In 1992 Sean "Puffy" Combs tapped Grand Puba to collaborate with up & coming R&B singer Mary J. Blige on her debut album "What's the 411" The title song in which Puba co-wrote was the first time Blige incorporated her own rap technique which proved to be very successful. This was a rap/r&b hit record that went to number one on the R&B charts in the early spring of 1993. He released his second album ''[[2000 (Grand Puba album)|2000]]'' in 1995. 

Around 1997 he rejoined the group, recording a few tracks for various soundtracks leading up to the full-length album ''[[Foundation (Brand Nubian album)|Foundation]]'' in 1998. Puba's states in an interview with ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'', saying "I never did go, i just wanted that experience and it was a good thing".<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IwoEAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22DJ+Alamo%22+-wikipedia&pg=PA24 | title=Billboard Top R&B Albums | last1=Oumano| first1=Elena | year=1998 | work=Billboard}}</ref> In 1999, Grand Puba and Sadat X performed on the track "Once Again" on [[Handsome Boy Modeling School]]'s concept album ''So... How's Your Girl?''. After following Brand Nubian's 2004 record ''Fire in the Hole'', Grand Puba appeared on tracks with [[Beanie Sigel]] ("Bread and Butter", also featuring groupmate [[Sadat X]]), [[Missy Elliott]] ("My Struggles", featuring his onetime collaborator [[Mary J. Blige]]), and [[Ugly Duckling (hip hop group)|Ugly Duckling]] ("Something's Going Down Tonight").

He released his third album ''[[Understand This]]'' in 2001 on [[Koch Records]].

In 2009, Grand Puba released his fourth solo album, ''[[Retroactive (album)|Retroactive]]'', featuring production from [[Q-Tip (musician)|Q-Tip]], [[Large Professor]], [[Kid Capri]] as well as fellow Brand Nubians. Puba also appeared on the heavy [[posse cut]] "Fresh" together with [[Cormega]], [[KRS-One]], [[Big Daddy Kane]], [[DJ Red Alert]] and [[PMD (rapper)|PMD]].

In 2016, he released his fifth album ''[[Black from the Future]]''.

==Personal life==
Puba's son, Sonny Dixon, who goes by the name Stunna Gang, is also an emcee.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://insomniacmagazine.com/grand-pubas-seed-sonny-dixon-drops-lyrical-heat-on-a-statik-selektah-beat-god-body-tendency/|title=Grand Puba's Seed Sonny Dixon Drops Lyrical Heat On A Statik Selektah Beat – "God Body Tendency"|website=Insomniacmagazine.com|date=September 5, 2019 |access-date=June 4, 2024}}</ref>

== Discography ==
=== Studio albums ===
==== Solo ====
{{See also|Grand Puba discography}}
* ''[[Reel to Reel]]'' (1992)
* ''[[2000 (Grand Puba album)|2000]]'' (1995)
* ''[[Understand This]]'' (2001)
* ''[[Retroactive (album)|Retroactive]]'' (2009)
* ''[[Black from the Future]]'' (2016)
* ''The Brooklyn Premiere'' (2024) with [[Grandmaster Melle Mel]] and [[Cappadonna]]
* ''The Origin The Retirement Package Volume 1'' (2025)

==== with Masters of Ceremony ====
* ''Dynamite'' (1988)

==== with Brand Nubian ====
* ''[[One for All (Brand Nubian album)|One for All]]'' (1990)
* ''[[Foundation (Brand Nubian album)|Foundation]]'' (1998)
* ''[[Fire in the Hole (album)|Fire in the Hole]]'' (2004)
* ''[[Time's Runnin' Out]]'' (2007)
* ''[[Vamp Bikers]] with Grandmaster Melle Mel, Grand Master Caz and Grand Wizard Theodore, Directed by Eric Spade Rivas

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.discogs.com/artist/Grand+Puba Information about Grand Puba]
*{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=mn0000740499|label=Grand Puba}}

{{Grand Puba}}
{{Brand Nubian}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grand Puba}}
[[Category:1966 births]]
[[Category:African-American male rappers]]
[[Category:20th-century American male rappers]]
[[Category:20th-century American rappers]]
[[Category:Elektra Records artists]]
[[Category:Five percenters]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Musicians from New Rochelle, New York]]
[[Category:Rappers from New York (state)]]
[[Category:21st-century American rappers]]
[[Category:21st-century American male musicians]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American rappers]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American musicians]]
[[Category:Brand Nubian members]]