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As one of the last few shining lights at Puff's crumbling Bad Boy empire, G-Dep's crisp, conversational flow was expected to help fill the gaping hole left at the label by the death of Biggie and resignation of the LOX. Interestingly, Dep's solo debut actually does a decent job (along with Black Rob's Life Story) of further cementing Puff's rep as a great spotter of talent. G-Dep cashes in on the street buzz that has been festering since his performances on the Bad Boy compilation The Saga Continues... on "Special Delivery," a modest head-nodder with its minimalist loop and drum programs--Puff ad-libs notwithstanding. On "I Am," which teams up arguably two of the greatest MCs of all time (Rakim and Kool G Rap) with Dep, and the Depster more than holds his own. "Keep It Gangsta" features an introspective Shyne waxing cryptically about the court case that got him locked down, and the clubby "Smash on the First Night" is another one of those must-hear gems. Still, the album has problem areas. Why lazily lift a loop from Eric B and Rakim's classic "Microphone Fiend" on "Doe Fiend"? And why do two of the best joints on this album ("Lets Get It," "Child of the Ghetto") already appear on the The Saga Continues...? - Hip Hop World / Amazon.com
With his Bad Boy days long behind him and almost a decade since the released of his only solo album, 'Child of the Ghetto,' G. Dep is ready to make his grand return. The Harlem-based rapper has signed with Famous Records (KRS-One, Ram Squad) to distribute and promote his official sophomore album 'Ghetto Legend,' out later this month.
"I am thrilled that I finally chose Famous Records as my new label and am quietly confident that with Mr. Collins vast experience in the Music Industry, that Famous will be my home for some time to come," said G-Dep of his new label and its president Jeffrey Collins. "Only good things will come from this move."
'Ghetto Legend' distributed through the Universal digital network and will be available on retail outlets including iTunes and Rhapsody. It marks the first time that the rapper has released an album since 'Bad Boy,' a collaboration with his former labelmate Loon.
G-Dep came in the game during Bad Boy's heyday in the early '00s, releasing 'Child of the Ghetto' in 2001. The album was considered a failure by industry standards, prompting Bad Boy CEO Sean 'Diddy' Combs to cut ties with the emcee. Since then, G. Dep was shopping for a label deal, recouping royalties until he found a new home. - The Boom Box
Discography
2001 - Child of the Ghetto (Bad Boy)
2007 - Bad Boy (w/ Loon) (Siccness)
2010 - Ghetto Legend (Famous)
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Bio
'G. Dep' is an acronym for “Ghetto Dependent” nicknamed "The Deputy" joined Bad Boy Entertainment in 1999, after Black Rob recommended him to Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, who listened to his demo and decided to put him on a couple of tracks on Black Rob’s album: ‘Life Story’. Impressed by G. Dep’s unique style P. Diddy immediately signed him to the Bad Boy label and he made a couple of appearances on Puff Daddy’s ‘Forever’ and Biggies ‘Born Again’.
Dep's debut album, Child of the Ghetto(Billboard 200 #106, R&B/Hip-Hop Albums #23), appeared in late 2001, featuring "Let's Get It," one of the better songs on the previously released Saga Continues, along with the lead single "Special Delivery”(R&B/Hip-Hop #59)."Despite the success on ‘Let’s Get It’(US #80, R&B/ Hip-Hop #18, Radio #74), which introduced the “Harlem shake” dance to the world, he failed to make huge sales on the label and his album remains one of the most bootlegged albums to date. His contribution the family is shown on ‘The Saga Continues...’ rapping on some of the best tracks on the album including ‘Child of the Ghetto’ which shows his raw street ability, along with other collaborations with the family. After a brief hiatus in which his future was uncertain G. Dep came back released a mixtape called 'The Deputy: The Sheriff is back in town’.
G. Dep's life before Bad Boy, although not garnering as much notice outside of the NYC hip-hop community, is considered by many to be far superior from a [[quality of work]] perspective. His early mixtapes and bootlegs made him an underground hip-hop legend in the mid-to-late 90's. On [[Gang Starr]]'s fourth album, [[Hard to Earn]], an in-booklet shout-out is given to leading underground MC's, namely the [[Wu-Tang Clan]] and G. Dep. Again, Guru and DJ Premier showed their respect for Dep by featuring him on their next two major releases. In 1997 G. Dep appeared under the name G-Depp on DJ Premier's New York Reality Check 101 (track 5: Head Over Wheels). The next year, Dep found himself rapping alongside Guru and Shiggy-Sha on Gang Starr's Moment of Truth (track 17: The Mall).
On February 13, 2007, G-Dep & fellow Bad Boy Alumnus rapper “Loon” released the collaborative album "Bad Boy", which officially marks G. Dep's return to rapping after a long hiatus. He then began hitting the mixtape circuit w/ ‘Deponomics’ with DJ E-Nyce & G. Dep & Friends: The Renniassance w/ DJ M-80, among others. His latest project ‘Ghetto Legend’ (available on iTunes) on Famous /Universal is his long overdue sophomore project and his first label project since ‘Bad Boy’ w/ Loon.
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