- Red Handed Bio
On the road early in his career as a rapper, producer, and DJ, Red Handed knew he was battling the odds: "I remember me and Memphis Bleek rapping in the back of the van, I'm the only Bronx dude in the van, everDONOTBLOCKOURADSybody else was from Brooklyn!" From his days touring with Jay-Z and his crew to promoting his current breakthrough single "Dem Girlz" featuring Paul Wall, Red Handed has never been one to back down from a challenge.
Born Juan Cordova, Red Handed grew up in the Bronx, New York. Hip-hop had already become a part of Red's identity when at 11 years old, he began experimenting with turntables, rapping, and writing songs he would record on a tape deck with friends. Red Handed fondly recalls how the mecca of New York hip-hop shaped him growing up: "Growing up in that era you could go to the park to see Eric B and Rakim. I remember sneaking into The Castle where you could see Kid Capri perform live. That basically shaped me into the type of artist I am."
His first break came at The Sports Bar in the Bronx, where he hosted the popular Thursday night party that drew performers including Jay-Z, Brand Nubian, and Fat Joe as they began to solidify the New York stardom that launched them nationwide. "One day it just took off, people came from different cities, different states every week. We used to stuff five to eight hundred people in there, on two floors that were not huge," Red recalls. Working alongside renowned DJs including Funkmaster Flex and Starchild, Red Handed capitalized on the opportunity to watch and learn from the best. "It was so different from today, they didn't mind you watching because they wanted everyone to know how to create this music. Everyone wanted to stand together, and now it's every man for himself."
The legendary DJ Kid Capri offered especially influential advice to the newcomer. Red says, "He showed me the ropes, not just as a DJ but how to carry yourself as an artist at all times, whether you're a DJ or a rapper." Kid offered Red Handed a new swagger--knowing that a rapper might get a crowd involved for an hour, if lucky, but the DJ has to keep the people moving until the club shuts down. Treating DJing as the art form it is, Red's developing talent began to demand an artist's respect, as he moved from the DJ booth to center stage.
Having earned his stripes in the club, Red Handed was in high demand to tour with artists including Jay-Z in 1996 and a seven year stint with Foxy Brown. Among such respected voices Red Handed fine-tuned his rap game, learning from Jay-Z's lyrical skills and Foxy's mastery of diction and flow. After rubbing shoulders with the elites of hip-hop, he was ready to strike out on his own.
In 1998, Red Handed formed a group called 1 Life 2 Live, casting his rapper cohorts as the gangsters and millionaires that dominated the long-running soap opera by the same name. The group's single, "With or Without You," produced by Red Handed from a U2 sample, was created as fodder for an underground mixtape. When it caught the ear of Mark Pitts, then manager of the Notorious B.I.G, he shopped the concept album at Universal and then successfully at LaFace. Internal drama at the label caused two years of delays and finally the expiration of the contract, but 1 Life remains a family to this day. "At the end of the day, it just made me hungrier," says Red. "If you think I'm not good enough to come out before Goodie Mob and Outkast and Usher, I'll write even more incredible songs. For some reason it felt like somebody was trying to keep me out of the game."
While still under-contract with LaFace, Red took on another character role--that of ghostwriter. Though he's mum on which prominent female artists used his words, Red Handed relished the chance "to be in someone else's skin," if only for a song. Finally, following a period signed to Kid Capri's Def Jam imprint, Red signed with Martin "Moe" Peguero's Deja Vu Entertainment to work on his solo project full-time. Far from his earlier battles with major-label hierarchy, Red's relationship with Peguero is strong and mutually supportive, stemming from production Red did for one of Peguero's groups early on. Red has found a home in Deja Vu for his drive to succeed. "An independent situation is the best situation an artist can be in," says Red Handed. "There's love and tension--the artist and CEO are in each other's face. He wants to make it on top just like you want to be on top, so he's going to fight just as hard."
Two years ago, a chance encounter at the Superbowl with then-unknown rapper Paul Wall in Houston, Texas grew into a dynamic creative partnership for both artists. Following a performance in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Wall and Red Handed recorded "The Best of Both Cities" mixtape for Deja Vu, showcasing their respective roots in Houston, hip-hop's latest conquest, and New York, the culture's birthplace. By popular demand following the mixtape release, the single "Dem Girlz" featuring Paul Wall and Scooby has made a strong impact on Southern radio with its seductive rhymes and Dirty South track.
Red Handed has gone through the best and worst of times, and by his own description has a unique sound that is "Bookbag(underground), with a commercial twist to it." Get ready for the full-length album on Deja Vu/Universal, Long Time Coming, hitting the streets next spring.
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