Charles Hamilton (rapper)

Charles Hamilton
Hamilton performing in 2007
Hamilton performing in 2007
Background information
Birth nameCharles Eddie-Lee Hamilton Jr.
Born (1987-11-10) November 10, 1987 (age 36)
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.[1]
OriginManhattan, New York City, U.S.
GenresHip hop
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • record producer
DiscographyCharles Hamilton discography
Years active2005–present
Labels
Member of
Websitecharleshamilton.app

Charles Eddie-Lee Hamilton Jr. (born November 10, 1987) is an American rapper from Cleveland, Ohio.[3] He released his debut mixtape, Crash Landing in June 2008, and signed an undisclosed multi-million dollar recording contract with Interscope Records two months later. He released 11 follow-up mixtapes and his debut studio album, The Pink Lavalamp (2008) that same year, although none of which were released by the label. In December, he was selected for XXL magazine's second Annual Freshmen Class list, which was issued the following year.[4][5]

Hamilton was due to release his second album and major label debut, This Perfect Life in 2009; however, he became a frequent source of controversy for his conduct on social media and in public settings throughout that year—stemming from Hamilton's undiagnosed and alleged bipolar disorder at the time—leading him to be dropped from the label by September. In 2010, Hamilton signed with NewCo Records and was due to release the album My Heart, which was shelved once more. Hamilton instead opted to release a several mixtapes on personal blogs from 2011 to 2014. Much of his unreleased material had become leaked online.

In early 2015, Hamilton signed with Republic Records to release the single "New York Raining" (featuring Rita Ora), which was used for the television series Empire. The following year, Hamilton released his second album and major-label debut, Hamilton, Charles (2016) to positive reception despite minimal commercial response.[6] Along with his solo career, he was part of the group The Chosen Few, as well as Lupe Fiasco's alternative hip hop collective All City Chess Club. His music and public image contained frequent tributes to the video game series Sonic the Hedgehog.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference r1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Charles Hamilton | Turn First Artists". Archived from the original on January 29, 2015. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
  3. ^ Florez, Joey (July 27, 2016). "5 Influential Rappers That Broke The Mental Health Stigma". HuffPost.
  4. ^ IGA (November 3, 2008). "Charles Hamilton : Press : Charles Hamilton on the cover of XXL Magazine". Interscope.com. Archived from the original on December 20, 2008. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
  5. ^ "What Happened to Charles Hamilton?". HotNewHipHop.com. December 5, 2017.
  6. ^ "Charles Hamilton Announces Debut Album 'Hamilton Charles' – Fashionably-Early". Fashionable-early.com. April 16, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2018.