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{{Short description|American rapper (born 1968)}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| image= 
| name = King T
| birth_name = Roger McBride
| alias  = King Tee
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|mf=yes|1968|12|14}}
| birth_place = [[Compton, California]], U.S.
| genre = {{hlist|[[West Coast hip-hop]]|[[gangsta rap]]}}
| occupation = {{hlist|Rapper|songwriter|record producer}}
| instrument = {{hlist|[[Vocals]]|[[Drums]]|[[Keyboard instrument|keyboards]]|[[drum machine]]|[[sampler (musical instrument)|sampler]]}}
| years_active = 1987–present<ref>{{cite book|author=Soren Baker|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wIFnDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT95|title=The History of Gangster Rap|isbn=978-1683352358|date=2018-10-02| publisher=Abrams |access-date=2019-11-21}}</ref>
| label = {{hlist|[[Capitol Records|Capitol]]|[[MCA Records|MCA]]|[[Aftermath Entertainment|Aftermath]]|[[Ruthless Records|Ruthless]]|Boss'Up}}
| associated_acts = {{hlist|[[Tha Alkaholiks]]|[[Xzibit]]|[[Dr. Dre]]|[[Ant Banks]]|[[Ice Cube]]|[[Crazy Toones]]|[[WC (rapper)|WC]]|[[Battlecat (producer)|DJ Battlecat]]|[[DJ Pooh]]|[[Chilly Chill]]}}
}}

'''Roger McBride''' (born December 14, 1968),<ref>[http://www.familytreelegends.com/records/39461?c=search&first=roger&last=mcbride Family Tree Legends], Familytreelegends.com</ref> better known by his stage name '''King T''' (formerly known as '''King Tee'''), is an American [[West Coast hip hop|West Coast hip hop rapper]] from [[Compton, California]]. Emerging as one of Compton's earliest hip hop artists, he was signed to [[Capitol Records]], where he released his debut album ''[[Act a Fool (album)|Act a Fool]]'' in 1988 with the hit singles "Act a Fool," "Payback's A Mutha," "The Coolest," and "Bass” [Remix], all of which were considered hip-hop classics. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he worked primarily with producer [[DJ Pooh]], and was responsible for the rise of [[Tha Alkaholiks]], whom he helped guide into the rap game.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The 50 Most Slept-On Rappers of All Time|url=https://www.complex.com/music/2012/11/the-50-most-slept-on-rappers-of-all-time/|access-date=2020-08-19|website=Complex.com|language=en}}</ref> King T is also the [[CEO]] of his own record label, King T Inc.

==Early life and career==
Roger McBride was born in [[Compton, California]], on December 14, 1968, and has attended high school. He had been around the [[Los Angeles]] hip-hop scene for many years alongside [[Ice-T]] and [[Kid Frost]] and is widely considered a pioneer in the genre. In 1988, he made his debut with ''Act a Fool'', which is considered a classic of [[West Coast hip-hop]].

===Tha Alkaholiks===
During his time with Capitol, T began mentoring a young trio of rappers called [[Tha Alkaholiks]],<ref name="LarkinDM">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Virgin Encyclopedia of Dance Music]]|editor=[[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]]|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=1998|edition=First|isbn=0-7535-0252-6|pages=183/4}}</ref> consisting of [[Tash (rapper)|Tash]], [[J-Ro]] and [[E-Swift]]. He also helped mentor their loosely affiliated collective, the [[Likwit Crew]]. The Likwit Crew also includes others, such as [[Xzibit]], who would later rise to fame and bring King T into the orbit of Compton producer [[Dr. Dre]]. Tha Alkaholiks put out their debut album ''[[21 & Over (album)|21 & Over]]'' under King T's guidance on [[Loud Records]] in 1993.

===The Notorious B.I.G. influence===
T greatly influenced [[The Notorious B.I.G.]] with his deep voice, flow and rhyme style, which Biggie would at times imitate on his 1994 album ''[[Ready to Die]]''. Tee later paid homage to Biggie on the track "6 In'a Moe'nin" on his album ''[[The Kingdom Come]]'', using a similar setup to and vocal samples of Biggie's track “Somebody Gotta Die". In 2010, [[Ice-T]] confirmed in an interview that King T was one of Biggie's favorite rappers.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2010-03-15|title=These Are Our Heroes: Ice-T|url=https://hiphopdx.com/interviews/id.1512/title.these-are-our-heroes-ice-t|access-date=2020-08-19|website=HipHopDX}}</ref>

==Record deals==
After 1993's ''[[Tha Triflin' Album]]'', on which T worked with [[Marley Marl]], he left Capitol for [[MCA Records|MCA]] and put out ''[[IV Life]]'' in 1994. After leaving MCA as well, he built with [[Dr. Dre]] and ended up signing to the producer's label, [[Aftermath Entertainment]]. However, T only released three songs while on the label: "Str8 Gone" and "Fame”, which appeared on ''[[Dr. Dre Presents the Aftermath]]'', and "Some L.A. Niggaz", which appeared on ''[[2001 (Dr. Dre album)|2001]]''. The two began working on King T's Aftermath album, but the project was subject to repeated push-backs. Eventually, King T requested a release from the label.

===Work with Ant Banks===
King T has also worked extensively with [[Oakland]] rapper and producer [[Ant Banks]]. He first appeared on Banks' 1997 compilation ''[[Big Thangs]]'', on the song "West Riden". In 2000 he was featured on ''[[Lead the Way (album)|Lead the Way]]'', an album by Banks' supergroup T.W.D.Y., on the song "No Win Situation".

===San Andreas: The Original Mixtape===
''[[San Andreas: The Original Mixtape]]'' is the debut album by American West Coast rapper Young Maylay, released July 5, 2005. King T co-wrote and produced most of the songs on the album. He made appearances and some productions on songs "Liq Hittaz", "That’s Real", “Inna Ghetto", “Boss Up Freestyle", “Twist A Corner", “Salute'n G'z", and "Speak On It". The album was released by Maylay's record label, Maylaynium Musiq.

===Releases===
In 2002, King T independently released his Aftermath album, ''[[The Kingdom Come]]'', produced by Dr. Dre and [[Battlecat (producer)|DJ Battlecat]]. He also released ''The Ruthless Chronicles'' in 2004, which had songwriting by T's protégé [[Young Maylay]] and featured some of the songs heard on ''The Kingdom Come'', as well as others produced by [[DJ Quik]]. King T also guested on [[DJ Muggs]]' ''[[Soul Assassins II]]'' album.

King T was mentioned on [[Nas (rapper)|Nas]]' song “Where Are They Now?"  in 2006, and in 2007 appeared on the song's West Coast remix, along with [[Kam (rapper)|Kam]], [[Ice-T]], [[Candyman (rapper)|Candyman]], Threat,  and [[The Conscious Daughters]], MC Breeze of LA Posse, and the [[Seattle]]-based artist [[Sir Mix-A-Lot]]. After this appearance, King T put out a mixtape called ''Boss Up, Vol. 1'' with music by [[Snoop Dogg]], [[The Game (rapper)|The Game]], J-Ro, and several other West Coast artists. In 2006, he made a guest appearance on the song "Poppin' Off" from Xzibit's album ''[[Full Circle (Xzibit album)|Full Circle]]''. He has also started his own label, though no artists are yet signed to it.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailymotion.com/tag/interview/video/x2948n_kingtee-interview |title=KingTee Interview - Video Dailymotion |website=Dailymotion.com |date=2007-06-13 |access-date=2012-03-30}}</ref>

A remix of King T's song "Money" appeared on Dr. Dre's son Hood Surgeon's ''The Autopsy Mixtape''. The song was renamed "Fast Money" and features King T and Dr. Dre. The original song was on ''The Kingdom Come''.

==Personal life==
His daughter, Heaven, died at the age of 16 after a car accident on May 19, 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://allhiphop.com/2009/05/30/king-tee%C2%92s-daughter-funeralized-today/|title=King Tee's Daughter Funeralized Today|last=Williams|first=Houston|date=2009-05-30|website=Allhiphop.com|access-date=2012-08-24}}</ref>

==Current events==
King T is currently signed to Table Records Music Distribution.<ref>[http://www.tablerecords.com Table Records Music Distribution, official site] Tablerecords.com Retrieved. 31-05-2014</ref>

In early 2013, King T announced he wants to record his final album. He stated that working on [[Xzibit]]'s song "[[Napalm (album)|Louis XIII]]" motivated him to record his last album.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2013-03-21|title=King T Says Dr. Dre & Xzibit Motivated Him To Rap Again, Recalls Years At Aftermath|url=https://hiphopdx.com/interviews/id.2065/title.king-t-says-dr-dre-xzibit-motivated-him-to-rap-again-recalls-years-at-aftermath|access-date=2020-08-19|website=HipHopDX.com}}</ref>

==Legacy==
King Tee (later known as King T), one of the West Coast's pioneering rappers, released a few major-label albums in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Though the Compton rapper enjoyed little commercial success, he is often cited{{by whom|date=June 2021}} as an influence upon the [[gangsta rap]]pers of the early to mid-1990s. He notably collaborated with a pair of premier West Coast rap producers, [[DJ Pooh]] and [[E-Swift]], who were largely unknown at the time. In later years, King T resurfaced from time to time; for instance, he was featured on [[Dr. Dre]]'s as ''[[2001 (Dr. Dre album)|2001]]'' and released some independent albums of his own, including ''[[The Kingdom Come]]''.

==Discography==
{{Main|King T discography}}
'''Studio albums'''
* ''[[Act a Fool (album)|Act a Fool]]'' (1988)
* ''[[At Your Own Risk]]'' (1990)
* ''[[Tha Triflin' Album]]'' (1993)
* ''[[IV Life]]'' (1995)
* ''[[The Kingdom Come]]'' (2002)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.myspace.com/kingtila Official MySpace]
* {{AllMusic|id=king-tee-mn0000079871|label=King Tee}}
* {{Discogs artist|82689|King Tee}}

{{King T}}
{{Likwit Crew}}
{{Aftermath Entertainment}}
{{Hip hop}}

{{Authority control}}

{{Portal bar|Los Angeles|California}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:King Tee}}
[[Category:1968 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:21st-century American male musicians]]
[[Category:21st-century American rappers]]
[[Category:African-American male rappers]]
[[Category:21st-century American male rappers]]
[[Category:20th-century American male rappers]]
[[Category:20th-century American rappers]]
[[Category:Aftermath Entertainment artists]]
[[Category:Gangsta rappers]]
[[Category:G-funk artists]]
[[Category:Rappers from Compton, California]]
[[Category:Rappers from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:West Coast hip-hop musicians]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American rappers]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American musicians]]
[[Category:Likwit Crew members]]