Tommy Wright III
Wright photographed in the summer of 1996.
Background information
Also known as	1 Man Gang
Born	(1976-05-06) May 6, 1976 (age 47) Memphis, Tennessee
Origin	Whitehaven, Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Genres	Memphis rap gangsta rap horrorcore
Occupation(s)	Rapper, producer
Years active	1992–present
Labels	Street Smart Records

Tommy Wright III (born May 6 1976 in Memphis, Tennessee) is an American rapper and hip hop producer. ^{[1] [2] [3]} He began rapping in Memphis during the 1990s and is considered to be an early pioneer for fast-paced rap and trap production in South Memphis. ^{[4] [5]}

Musical career

Growing up in Memphis, Wright began producing music using four-track recording equipment. Between 1992 and 2001, he released five self-produced solo albums, one with N.O.D., and two more with group Ten Wanted Men, owned, operated and produced the entirety of Street Smart Record's discography and previewed – if possibly never distributed – a street documentary, Behind Closed Doors, for which a soundtrack was also created. ^[6] Wright is acclaimed as one of the earliest figures of the Memphis rap sound, paving way to the early sound that groups like Three 6 Mafia would be recognized for.

Resurgence

Despite stepping back from the music industry after 2001's Behind Closed Doors (Da Soundtrack), Wright maintained a cult following through the 2000s and 2010s. ^[7]

Wright later collaborated with Bay Area rapper Lil B on Secret, a song on the latter's 2019 mixtape, Loyalty Casket. ^[8]

In 2022, producer Kelman Duran, who had received permission from late Memphis artist Princess Loko's family, estate, and close friend Wright to use her catalog of songs in his productions, sampled Wright's song with Princess Loko ("Still Pimpin") to create dembow and reggaeton-infused opening track "I'm That Girl" from Beyoncé's seventh album Renaissance. ^[9]

Discography

Albums

• Memphis Massacre (cassette, mini album, mixed), 1992 ^[10]
• Ashes 2 Ashes, Dust 2 Dust, 1994 ^[11]
• Runnin-N-Gunnin (cassette, album), 1995 ^[12]
• Tommy Wright & Ten Wanted Men – Wanted Dead or Alive (cassette, album), 1995 ^[13]
• On the Run, 1996 ^[7]
• Tommy Wright* & Ten Wanted Men – 10 Toes Down (cassette, album), 1997 ^[14]
• Feel Me Before They Kill Me, 1998 ^[15]
• NASHVILLE TAKEOVER (cassette, album), 2016 ^[16]

Compilations

• Greatest Hits (cassette, compilation), 1997 ^[17]
• Genesis (Greatest Underground Hits), 2000 ^[18]
• Behind Closed Doors (Da Soundtrack), 2001 ^[19]

References