Artist: Menacester (and Lafi P)
Real Name: Troy Gray
Birthplace: Ogden, UT
Location: Ogden, UT
Genre: Rap
Sub-genres: Gangster Rap, Hiphop
Biography:
Menacester (on the right in photo) is the artist name for rap music producer Troy L. Gray. He attended various schools ending up at Washington High in Ogden where he graduated early in 1992. Shortly thereafter Troy joined the Army and spent five years in Schweinfurt Germany. He left the military in 1997 but stayed in Germany. Quote “if u have to ask why u haven’t been there”.
He met Tongue Twister Mister while working for a German securtiy company contracted by the US Army where he was employed.
“I use to go up to his house and free style for hours! He would bring his beat machine to work and we would do our thang in the guard shack.”
He met DJ ICE E while renting an apartment from his dad, “We did tonz of hip hop parties where I would freestyle on the mic in front of over a hundred people”.
In 2001 he met GeoSuPhat who showed him techniques using music software and put him onto the path to making his own beats using Acid, and Fruity Loops. It was rough going at first, but then he began to master the programs he was using and developing his own ‘Menacester’ sound.
He came back to the States (Utah) when he got a letter from his Aunt D, that his mom was really sick from lupus,
” I sold everything I had over there except my computer and came to check on her”.
In 2004 Troy got a job with the DoD and works for the Army as a Unit Administrator where he met Lafi P who is also with the army.
Troy referring to his first meeting with Lafi P:
I let him hear a couple of beats and mixes I made using Acid and he was like “hey we need to do a song together”. I said “Can you rap”? He said “Hell YEAH!” So he came over and layed down his vocals on an instrumental by ‘BIG TUCK’. I produced and arranged the track, added effects and used my daughter to sing the hook. RIDE Was born. We both agreed it sounded good but we need to make our own beats and that’s when ‘What’ and ‘For You’ came along. These songs were just rough drafts and were in no shape or form ready for production. I just had to let the people know what kind of sound I was coming with.
Troy produces rap music under the name Menacester with Lafi P and his friends in their home studio in Ogden, Utah.
Menacester and Lafi P Links:
Tags: Lafi P, Menacester, rap, TMP
