Do or Die (group)

Do or Die is an American rap trio originally from the East Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side of Chicago, consisting of Belo Zero, N.A.R.D. and AK. The group experienced mainstream success with the platinum single "Po Pimp", which peaked at #22 on the Billboard Hot 100.[1][2][3]

Do or Die
OriginChicago, Illinois, United States
GenresHip hop
Years active1995–present
LabelsRap-A-Lot Records
Associated actsTwista, The Legendary Traxster, Johnny P., Scarface, Crucial Conflict, Kanye West, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Toxic, E-40, Danny Boy
MembersAK
Belo Zero
N.A.R.D.

Music career

1996: Picture This

Do or Die gained a hit with their first single, "Po Pimp". [2] Released on a tiny Chicago label, the track became a local hit and sparked the group's signing by Houston's Rap-A-Lot Records. Given a wide release in the summer of 1996, the single hit number 22, increasing the buzz for a full-length from the group. In September of that year, Picture This was released on Rap-A-Lot.[4] The album was certified Gold, and launched the group, as well as fellow Chicago rapper Twista, who was featured on the track, into superstardom. [3]

1998: Headz or Tailz

In 1998, the group released their sophomore album, "Headz or Tailz". Like the group's previous album, Headz or Tailz was a success, peaking at #13 on the Billboard 200 and #3 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, producing the successful single, "Still Po Pimpin", which featured Twista and Johnny P, and peaked at #62 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #16 on the Hot Rap Singles. [2] [3]

2000-2005: Victory, Pimpin' Ain't Dead, D.O.D

Do or Die went on to release several other charting albums throughout the early 2000s, including 2000's Victory, which featured E-40, Ja Rule, and Outlawz to name a few, and 2002's Back 2 the Game, which peaked at #64 on the Billboard 200 and #25 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. In 2003, the group released Pimpin' Ain't Dead, which spawned the hit single "Do U?", which featured Twista and Johnny P. Following this album, Do or Die released D.O.D. in 2005, which featured many notable industry names including production from Kanye West, DJ Quik, and R. Kelly.

2006: Get That Paper

Do or Die returned to Rap-A-Lot for 2006's Get That Paper. The album had a much darker, street-oriented sound to it and had only one feature on it from Rap-A-Lot label-mate Bun B. The album was met with critical success.[3]

In October 2007, Belo Zero pleaded guilty in a plea bargain to the shooting death of Raymond "B-Dog" Pinkston and was sentenced to 10 years in prison of which he served five years.[5] Belo continues to maintain that he shot Pinkston in self-defense, however after a 6 year long court battle, he agreed to the plea bargain.[5] During this time, Do or Die continued to make music and were featured on countless projects from various artists,[5] in addition to touring all over the country, and in 2009, they appeared on Twista's single "Yo Body" off his 2009 album, Category F5.

2015-present: Withdrawal EP, Picture This 2, death of Johnny P

Upon reuniting, Do or Die released several singles and new projects, [4] including "Loudpack" and "Do Yo Thang". The group also collaborated with French hip hop beatmaker Onra on his 2015 album Fundamentals on a track entitled "Over and Over" featuring Johnny P.

On April 15, 2015, Twista announced that he and Do or Die had completed work on a new collaborative EP together entitled Withdrawal (EP). The EP was released on May 19, 2015 and contains six tracks, including a single entitled "Aqua Fina", for which a video was released. In an interview with XXL shortly after the EP was released, Twista confirmed that there would be a follow-up EP entitled 'Withdrawal 2'.

On September 18, 2015 the group released Picture This 2. The album featured longtime collaborators Johnny P and Twista on several tracks as well as Rick Ross on the album's first single, "Love in the Sky".

On November 27, 2016, longtime Do or Die collaborator Johnny P died at age 44. While the exact cause of death is unknown, it was reported that Johnny P had been in a coma for several weeks until his death.[6][4]

Discography
Main article: Do or Die discography

Studio albums

Extended plays
  • Withdrawal with Twista (2015)

References
  1. "Artist Chart History - Do or Die". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2008-10-06.
  2. "Do Or Die's Victory, Ying Yang Twins Reissue Coming Tuesday". Mtv.com. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  3. "Chicago Legends Do Or Die Reflect On Their Influential Career - XXL". XXL Mag. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  4. "Do Or Die - Picture This 2 - CD - cover art, tracklisting". Undergroundhiphop.com. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  5. "Do Or Die's Belo Gets 10 Years For Murder". AllHipHop.com. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-10-09. Retrieved 2015-09-21.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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