Everlast
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Everlast | |
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![]() Everlast performing in 2015 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Erik Francis Schrody |
Also known as | Whitey Ford |
Born | Long Island, New York, U.S.[1] | August 18, 1969
Origin | Los Angeles, California, U.S.[1] |
Genres | Hip hop, rock, blues, country[2] |
Instruments | Vocals, guitar, piano, turntables |
Years active | 1989–present |
Labels | Martyr Inc., Warner Bros., Tommy Boy, Island, Island Def Jam, Universal, Play It Again Sam |
Associated acts | House of Pain, La Coka Nostra, Soul Assassins, Cypress Hill, DJ Muggs, Ice-T, Santana, Ill Bill, Kurupt, Sadat X, Bronx Style Bob, The Alchemist |
Website | martyr-inc |
Erik Francis Schrody (born August 18, 1969),[3] known by his stage name Everlast, is an American musician, singer, rapper, and songwriter, known for his solo work and as the frontman for hip hop group House of Pain. He was also part of the hip hop supergroup La Coka Nostra, which consists of members of House of Pain and other rappers. In 2000, he received a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal with Latin rock band Santana for "Put Your Lights On".
Formative years[]
Everlast went to Taft High School at the same time Ice Cube and N.W.A and the Posse member Krazy Dee were attending. Everlast states about N.W.A in an interview with LA Weekly:
"I was around when Straight Outta Compton was being made. I watched and learned a lot. ... I'm here as a white kid opening up for the likes of Big Daddy Kane, Slick Rick and N.W.A. cause I'm rolling with Ice-T. I was just coming up in the game. I opened for them, met them. They were larger than life."[This quote needs a citation]
Career[]
Late 1980s–mid 1990s: Early career and group's breakthrough[]
Emerging as a member of Ice-T's group Rhyme Syndicate, Everlast's 1990 debut album Forever Everlasting was a commercial disappointment.[4] Following the album's failure, Everlast teamed up with fellow Taft High alums DJ Lethal and Danny Boy to form the hip-hop trio House of Pain.[4] The group was signed to Tommy Boy Records, and their 1992 self-titled debut album went multiplatinum, spawning the successful DJ Muggs produced single "Jump Around".[4]
Fashioning themselves as rowdy Irish-American hooligans (Lethal is actually of Latvian descent), they toured with various rap and alternative rock bands such as the Ramones, Beastie Boys and Rage Against the Machine after their breakthrough. They participated together with Helmet, along with several other rap acts, on the influential 1993 rock-rap collaborative Judgment Night movie soundtrack (Everlast also played a villain in the film). The group eventually disbanded in 1996, and Everlast once again pursued a solo career.[4]
1998–2001: Solo breakthrough[]
Everlast's 1998 album Whitey Ford Sings the Blues was both a commercial and critical success[4] (selling more than three million copies).[citation needed] Whitey Ford Sings the Blues was hailed for its blend of rap with acoustic and electric guitars, developed by Everlast together with producers Dante Ross and John Gamble.[citation needed] The album's lead single "What It's Like" proved to be his most popular and successful song, although the follow-up single, "Ends", also reached the U.S. rock top 10.
Everlast followed-up this success by collaborating with Santana on the track "Put Your Lights On" on Santana's 1999 album Supernatural. It charted at No. 118 on the pop chart, but did considerably better with rock radio airplay, peaking at No. 8 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. "Put Your Lights On" won Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal at the 2000 Grammy Awards. That year, a feud erupted between Everlast and Eminem. Eminem and Everlast crossed paths before a concert in early 1999. Eminem says he did not greet Everlast because he did not recognize him right away, and said Everlast did not acknowledge him. Everlast's version is that he tried to congratulate Eminem on his success, and Eminem blew him off. Everlast's verse from the Dilated Peoples all star track "Ear Drums Pop (Remix)" contained a thinly veiled reference to Eminem ("Cock my hammer, spit a comet like Haley/I buck a .380 on ones that act shady"), and went on to warn "You might catch a beatdown out where I come from" in his recounting of the incident.[5] Eminem, in turn, blasted Everlast several times in public and with the song "I Remember (Dedication to Whitey Ford)" released as the B-side to his group D12's 12" vinyl single "Shit on You". In it, Eminem talks about how he remembered Everlast's music, however, now "Kid Rock and Limp Bizkit came along." Everlast responded with the track "Whitey's Revenge", released only on his official website. While the song contained references to Eminem's strained relationships with his wife and mother, it was "Better run and check your kid for your DNA", again referring to Eminem's daughter, Hailie Jade Mathers, that set Eminem off. The track ends with the spoken words, "I ain't wasting no more time with you man. Fuck that shit, That's it".[6][7] Eminem and D12 responded with "Quitter", the second half of which is a take off on "Hit 'Em Up" by 2Pac and the Outlawz (a diss song mainly aimed at The Notorious B.I.G.).[8] The track ends with the spoken words, "Fuck him, that's it, I'm done, I promise, I'm done, that's it." It was reported that long-time friends of Eminem, group Limp Bizkit, were meant to be featured on "Quitter", but Fred Durst canceled at the last moment. The record continued its release without featuring Limp Bizkit, causing the Everlast-Eminem dispute to continue. Everlast echoed similar sentiment on the status of this feud, stating in various interviews that he felt everything had been said and he would now refrain from further responses. However, following Eminem's disses towards them on "Quitter", Evidence & Dilated Peoples responded with the track "Search 4 Bobby Fisher".[9] In a TRL interview, Limp Bizkit member DJ Lethal made a statement that if Mathers and Schrody were to fight in real life, Everlast would win. This irked Eminem, and an insulting track aimed at both Everlast and Limp Bizkit appeared on D12's mainstream debut, Devil's Night, as a hidden track called "Girls". B-Real of Cypress Hill claimed that Everlast recorded another diss towards Eminem following the release of "Quitter", but it went unreleased due to him deciding to instead squash the feud.[10] Eminem, their fight has settled since then and there is a mutual respect between Mathers and Schrody.[11] Further indicating an end to lyrical hostilities between the two, Eminem seemingly gave a shout out to Everlast on The Marshall Mathers LP 2 song entitled "Baby".[12]
Despite the success of Whitey Ford Sings the Blues and his success with Santana, Everlast's follow-up album, Eat at Whitey's (2000), stumbled commercially at first in the United States. However, it was eventually certified gold. The album was also embraced critically, especially by Rolling Stone which reviewed the album between "good" and "great" and focused on it as that month's most important release.
2002–present: Subsequent success[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Everlast_of_House_of_Pain.jpg/200px-Everlast_of_House_of_Pain.jpg)
After the sale of the Tommy Boy Records' catalog of master tapes to Warner Bros. Records and its metamorphosis to a dance music label in 2002,[13] Everlast was without a label, but in 2003 he signed with Island/Def Jam. His fourth solo album, White Trash Beautiful (2004), was subsequently released after almost a four-year hiatus. Produced by Everlast and Dante Ross and featuring a lead single of the same name, White Trash Beautiful was described as an "effective mix of hip-hop trope and bluesy strum."[14]
In early 2006, Everlast teamed up with his former House of Pain mates DJ Lethal and Danny Boy to join the hip-hop group La Coka Nostra. The group first came to be due to the former House of Pain Hype man Danny Boy starting the group as a collective with rappers Slaine and Big Left (who has since left the group). Soon after the group started Ill Bill of a now disbanded Non Phixion and Everlast joined the group. Their first known song was "Fuck Tony Montana" which features B-Real of Cypress Hill and Sick Jacken. Due to the popularity of the song online, the group released several more online for free.
In 2007, Everlast was chosen to do the theme song for the TV show Saving Grace. The song plays during the show's main title sequence, and was originally released to digital outlets only, however, it was also included on Everlast's fifth solo album, Love, War and the Ghost of Whitey Ford. The album was released on September 23, 2008, on Everlast's own record label Martyr Inc, with distribution by Hickory Records/Sony/ATV Music Publishing (It was revealed through diditleak.co.uk that the album leaked out early on Friday August 29). A second single and video, "Letter Home From the Garden of Stone", was released for free download from martyr-inc.com in December 2007. The third single, a cover of Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues", was released to download on August 19. The music video for "Stone in My Hand" debuted on the martyr-inc website on October 28, 2008 making it the fourth video for the album.[15]
The group's debut album A Brand You Can Trust was released on July 14, 2009. The album features guests like Snoop Dogg, B-Real, Bun B, Immortal Technique, Sick Jacken, and Q-Unique. La Coka Nostra then joined the likes of Nas and Ill Bill's brother Necro on Rock the Bells.
In October 2011, his sixth solo album, Songs of the Ungrateful Living, was released through Martyr Inc. in partnership with EMI. Produced by Everlast in collaboration with DJ Lethal, Fredwreck and Darius Holbert, the album featured the lead single "I Get By". Like Love, War and the Ghost of Whitey Ford, a number of tracks on Songs of the Ungrateful Living contained overtly political and social themes.
Everlast left the group in 2012 in order to attend to his daughter's medical issues.[16]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7b/Everlast-14.jpg/290px-Everlast-14.jpg)
In 2013, Everlast and Eminem were featured on a Busta Rhymes track together.[12] On August 27, 2013, Everlast's acoustic album The Life Acoustic was released via his own record label Martyr Inc. That year, Everlast sued the inflatables company "Jump Around Rentals" for using the phrase "if you want to get down jump around" in their advertising, arguing it belonged to House of Pain.[17][needs update]
Starting in 2017, joining with Divine Styler and Sick Jacken, Everlast released a Warporn mixtape.[18]
On September 7, 2018, Everlast's seventh studio album Whitey Ford's House of Pain was released.[19]
Personal life[]
On the day Schrody finished recording Whitey Ford Sings the Blues, he experienced a tightening in his chest. It persisted for five hours, prompting his co-producer and friend John Gamble to insist Schrody go to the hospital. Schrody had a torn aortic valve, and his heart was essentially "drowning in blood".[20] It was while at the hospital that Schrody had a heart attack, a result not of rumored substance abuse - he had quit drinking two years prior - but a culmination of a heart condition he had as a child. He awoke after three days with an artificial heart valve and, at 28, recovered steadily.
In 1996, Everlast converted from Catholicism to Islam.[21] In a 2011 interview he stated, "even though I would consider myself still to be Muslim, I don't really. I really kinda reject all organized religion... when a bunch of people get together and are spiritual and they feel good about each other, great things can happen. But when you start enforcing your philosophy and ideals on other people who don’t necessarily share them all, it turns into Palestine and Israel, and all these kinds of things. Ya know? Indians and Pakistanis, ya know?"[22]
Also in 2015 he said, "To me, Islam is mine. Allah is God of all the worlds, and all mankind and all the Alameen (worlds/universe). Islam is my personal relationship with God. So nobody can put any more pressure on me than I can put on myself. But as far as the mosque where I pray, I have never felt more at home or more welcome"[23]
In May 2009, he married former April 2005 Penthouse model (under the pseudonym "Cassia Riley") Lisa Schrody.[citation needed] They have two daughters. Their first-born was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis in 2009 shortly after birth.[citation needed]
Musical style and influences[]
Everlast's music ranges from blues to hip hop and rock.[24] His influences include N.W.A, Beastie Boys, Cypress Hill, Ice-T, Gang Starr, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, and Run-DMC.[24][25]
Accolades[]
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2008 | "Saving Grace" | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music | Nominated | [26] |
2000 | "Put Your Lights On" | Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal | Won | [27] |
"What It's Like" | Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance | Nominated | ||
1992 | "Jump Around" | Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group | Nominated |
Discography[]
Studio albums
- Forever Everlasting (1990)
- Whitey Ford Sings the Blues (1998)
- Eat at Whitey's (2000)
- White Trash Beautiful (2004)
- Love, War and the Ghost of Whitey Ford (2008)
- Songs of the Ungrateful Living (2011)
- The Life Acoustic (2013)
- Whitey Ford's House of Pain (2018)[19]
Notes[]
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References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b Alona Wartofsky (February 14, 1999). "A B-Boy Changes His Tune, And Life". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
- ^ Tehee, Joshua (September 16, 2015). "Everlast brings hip-hop country rock to Fulton 55". The Fresno Bee. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
- ^ "Everlast". AllMusic. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Colin Larkin, ed. (2000). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Nineties Music (First ed.). Virgin Books. p. 148. ISBN 0-7535-0427-8.
- ^ "Dilated Peoples". Dilatedpeoples.com. Retrieved February 22, 2009.
- ^ "Whitey's Revenge". Sing365.com. Retrieved June 23, 2009.
- ^ "I Remember (Dedication To Whitey Ford)". Retrieved June 23, 2009.
- ^ "Quitter". Metrolyrics.com. Retrieved June 23, 2009.
- ^ "Search 4 Bobby Fisher". Lyrics007.com. Archived from the original on April 2, 2009. Retrieved June 23, 2009.
- ^ "An unreleased Eminem diss record by House Of Pain's Everlast exists, says Cypress Hill's B-Real". NME.
- ^ "Full Vibe Interview With Eminem | Aftermath Entertainment". Archived from the original on July 9, 2011. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Harling, Danielle (October 1, 2013). "Slaine Says Eminem & Everlast Appear Together On Unreleased Busta Rhymes Song". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on May 4, 2015. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
- ^ "Tommy Boy Artists Dance Again". Allbusiness.com. Retrieved February 22, 2009.
- ^ Johnny Loftus. "White Trash Beautiful". AllMusic. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
- ^ "Martyr Inc". Martyr-inc.com. Retrieved February 22, 2009.
- ^ "UNCLE HOWIE, LA COKA NOSTRA PARTS WAYS WITH EVERLAST - "MASTERS OF THE DARK ARTS" IN STORES JUNE 26, 2012". Unclehowie.tumblr.com. Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved May 11, 2012.
- ^ "Everlast: Don't jump around". Newshub. 3 News. November 15, 2013. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
- ^ "Warporn Industries aka Everlast, Sick Jacken*, Divine Styler - Warporn Industries". Discogs.com. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Pozzolano, Vincent (September 4, 2018). "Everlast – Whitey Ford's House of Pain (Album Review)". Crypticrock.com. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
- ^ "Erik Schrody: Built to Last". March 18, 1999.
- ^ "Interview with Everlast (Erik Schrody)". Islam.uga.edu. Retrieved May 11, 2012.
- ^ "Everlast Talks New Album, 20-Plus Years Of Evolution, Juggling House Of Pain And La Coka Nostra". Hiphopdx.com. October 22, 2011. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
- ^ "I felt at home in every mosque ... Allah is God of all the worlds". Arab News. July 24, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Ankeny, Jason (August 18, 1969). "Everlast". AllMusic. Retrieved May 11, 2012.
- ^ Keyes, Cheryl Lynette (2002). "Blending and Shaping Styles: Rap and Other Musical Voices". Rap Music and Street Consciousness. University of Illinois Press. p. 108. ISBN 9780252072017.
- ^ "Eric "Everlast" Schrody". Emmys.com. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
- ^ "Everlast". Grammy.com. November 19, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
External links[]
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