1500 or Nothin' is an American musical ensemble composed of record producers, songwriters, musicians and music
videographers, formed in 2006, in Los Angeles, California.[1] With headquarters located in
Inglewood, California, 1500 or Nothin' is composed of three internal divisions: 1500 Or Nothin' Music, 1500 Or Nothin' Video, and 1500 Or Nothin' Ancillary.[1] In 2006, 1500 or Nothin' began to create "a variety of music genres including Hip-Hop Rap, Rhythm & Blues, Alternative Rock, Urban and New Adult Contemporary.[1] The collective 1500 or Nothin' has[2] lent their writing, production or instrument skills to records for
Justin Timberlake,
Asher Roth,
Jay-Z,
Kanye West,
T.I.,
Bruno Mars and
B.o.B.[3]
In addition, the 1500 or Nothin' band or The Fifteen Hundreds as they are often referred to, are an 8-piece band that tours internationally and makes television appearances[2] regularly with artists including
Snoop Dogg,
Lupe Fiasco,
The Game, and
Faith Evans. 1500 Or Nothin' official members are Larrance "Rance" Dopson, Charles 'Uncle Chucc' Hamilton, Lamar 'Mars' Edwards, Brody Brown,
James Fauntleroy, Kenneth "Bam" Alexander, Alexandria Dopson, Carlos 'Los' Mc Swain, and Jeret Black.
Members
Larrance Dopson also known as Rance – piano, drums, guitar, percussion, and CEO. Dopson is credited with constructing the Grammy-nominated crew.[4] He had opportunities to work with super-producers
Just Blaze,
Bryan-Michael Cox,
Teddy Riley and
Tim & Bob which gave the guys their first shot at production on
Bobby Valentino's
self-titled album in 2005. That led to other collaborations with artists such as
Tyrese.
Grammy Award nominated producer for his work on
Marsha Ambrosius' song "Far Away" along with his six songs on
Lupe Fiasco's "Food and Liquor 2".[5] In 2020, Dopson was named to the Ebony Power 100 List.[6] Dopson co-founded 1500 Sound Academy with
James Fauntleroy and
Twila True.[7]
Lamar Edwards also known as Mars or Marz – piano, drums, guitar, percussion. Mars joined 1500 or Nothin' during his high school years.[8] He has released two solo projects hosted by
DJ Don Cannon, Life on Mars (June 13, 2009) and My Guy Mars (September 26, 2013). He was a contributor to
Dirty Projectors'
2017 self-titled album. Also, he is a member of
Smash Factory, a production company launched in collaboration with producer
Lil' C and multi-platinum artist
T.I.[8] In September 2016, Mars released his third full-length project, a mixtape titled No Days Off, under the
pseudonymMy Guy Mars.[9][10]
Brody Brown – bass, piano, drums, guitar, percussion. In collaboration with
Bruno Mars, the pair have successfully worked on numerous
Grammy nominated tracks. In 2012 the pair was nominated for Song of The Year for "Grenade". Brown is also a collaborator for
Cee Lo Green{'s}... album
The Lady Killer. Brown was able to contribute both piano and bass to "
Fuck You!" Mars and Brown also worked on
Travie McCoy's single "Billionaire", as well as B.o.B.'s "
Nothin' on You".[11] He is part of Shampoo Press & Curl, a production and songwriting team, along with Mars and Philip Lawrence.[12][13]
Former members
Kenneth "Bam" Alexander Jr – Drummer, producer, writer and singer.[14] Bam has contributed to hits such as Jay-Z's "
Show Me What You Got" from the
Kingdom Come album released in 2006. Bam has also produced 2 songs that were featured in the 2009 film Dough Boys[15] He has toured with many artists, including R&B artist
Bobby Valentino, a former member of
Ludacris' record label,
Disturbing Tha Peace.[16]
Alexandria Dopson – singer, songwriter. She has lent her writing, production or instrument skills to records for[17] Snoop's daughter, Cori B, and received writing credit Cori B's "Do My Thang".[17]
Charles 'Uncle Chucc' Hamilton – piano, drums, guitar, bass, percussion, vocals. At the early age of 5, Chucc was already developing his skills & talents as musician at his church where he learned to play organ, guitar, bass & the drums.[18] He released a solo album Be Your Teddy Bear under
Doggy Style Records on December 17, 2012 and a gospel album with The Zion Messengers, No One But You in May 2013. Uncle Chucc began to receive more recognition as a solo artist after recording the chorus on Snoop Dogg's, "
Neva Have 2 Worry".[19] He died on January 27, 2023.
Carlos 'Los' McSwain – Drummer. Los has lent his instrument skills on records for
J. Holiday, Destiny's Child and
Snoop Dogg.[20] He died on August 5, 2018.
Jeret "J.Black" Black – singer, songwriter. J Black is featured on records such as "Christmas on Soul" with
Terrace Martin featuring Snoop Dogg.[21] He has recorded and toured with The Game,
DJ Quik,
Kurupt,
Royce da 5'9" and
Eminem.
In anticipation of his sixth album Mastermind, Miami-based rapper
Rick Ross teamed up with the 1500 or Nothin' band to give concertgoers a whole new experience for 'One Night Only on August 14, 2013 at
Club Nokia at L.A. LIVE.[22] Live on tour or for television appearances,[2] the band had performed with artists such as
Nas, Lupe Fiasco, Rick Ross, Snoop Dogg, The Game,
Xzibit, T.I., Faith Evans, and
Fort Minor.[2] They are currently working with rapper
Azealia Banks. They appeared at her April 2015 shows at the
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
Ventures
As a growing label, 1500 or Nothin' has partnered with
Peer Publishing Company to create their own publishing company, 1500 Or Nothin' Publishing. They have signed artists Janae,
Ally Brooke, and more.[23]
1500 or Nothin' has also created the 1500 Sound Academy with member
James Fauntleroy as one of the instructors. The facility offers courses relating to production, mixing, writing, musicianship, and management to aspiring music professionals.[24]
Band
Current Members
Larrance Dopson - keyboards, MD, percussion
Lamar "Mars" Edwards - keyboards
Brody Brown - bass guitar
Kenneth "Bam" Alexander - drums
James Faunterloy - guitar, vocals, percussion
DJ Young Guru - DJ, programming
Just Blaze - DJ, keyboards, programming
Former Members
Carlos McSwain - drums (died 2018)
Jaret Black - backing vocals
Latoya Williams - backing vocals
Uncle Chucc - lead guitar, bass, vocals (died January 27, 2023)
Awards and recognition
In 2012, 1500 or Nothin' had eight
Grammy nominations[25] and by 2014 were nominated for 21in total.[4]