The hip-hop biopic Straight Outta Compton revolves around the journey of the rap group N.W.A beginning with the group's rise in the late 1980s. The original members were Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, and Arabian Prince, and then MC Ren (aka Lorenzo Patterson) joined in 1988. The Compton-based rapper is therefore considered one of the core members of the group, and Straight Outta Compton celebrates his legacy as well as that of the other N.W.A members. But the group disbanded in the early 90s, so where is MC Ren now?
We actually just saw him on Aug. 11, when the rapper attended the Los Angeles premiere of Straight Outta Compton at the Microsoft Theatre alongside Dr. Dre, DJ Yella and Ice Cube. Despite his Twitter rant a few months ago about not being included in the film's trailer, MC Ren seemed perfectly happy at the premiere. And he has plenty of reasons to be so — the rapper's post-N.W.A life has been filled with many collaborations, solo work, and a busy personal life. A quick look at the artist's discography shows that he definitely hasn't been bored the past 20+ years, so here are some figures to detail what happened to MC Ren in the years after his membership in N.W.A.
4 Studio Albums
MC Ren has released four studio albums since N.W.A's breakup: Shock of the Hour in 1993, The Villain in Black in 1996, Ruthless for Life in 1998, and the digital-only Reincarnated in 2009. In addition, in 1992, he released his EP Kiss My Black Azz, which was certified platinum.
13 Singles
The artist has released 13 singles between 1992 and 2014, four of which cracked the top 100 on US charts.
1 Movie (And Corresponding Soundtrack)
MC Ren wrote, produced and directed a movie called Lost in the Game, and released both the film and its soundtrack under his company Villain Entertainment.
Dozens Of Guest Appearances
The rapper has appeared on tracks with everyone from Snoog Dogg to Cypress Hill to former NWA bandmates Ice Cube and Dr. Dre.
1 Upcoming EP
MC Ren has a new album of his own on deck, and he's excited about it. A few days before the Straight Outta Compton premiere, the rapper tweeted, "I can't wait to finish my rebel music ep, it will be the hardest record in a while."
So although MC Ren is no longer a high school kid rising the ranks with a new hip-hop group, he is in no way out of the game. The rapper's earlier part of his career has now been commemorated through Straight Outta Compton, making many fans happy. But they can also be happy to know that the rest of MC Ren's career is still in the works.
Images: Ruthless Records (2), Villain Entertainment, MCRencpt1/Instagram, MCRencpt/Twitter
