Celly Cel

About

Rapper and Songwriter since the 1990s known for his collaborations with iconic Bay Area artists such as Ice Cube and The Notorious B.I.G. His hip-hop career is legendary for both his solo works and the impressive number of collaborations with musicians and other artists in an impressive catalog of work. An example of how important his career has been to the music and rap industry communities are told on the track "My Wave" from Outlawz member E.D.I. Mean. E.D.I. Mean was a part of the Outlawz group along with Tupac Shakur. On the track, EDI raps about how Celly Cel was an artist Tupac showed off to the group in the early days of the Outlawz's career. 

Before Fame

Named Marcellus James McCarver at birth, he later chose the pseudonym Celly Cel as his preferred name for the entirety of his career. Fellow rappers E-40 and B-legit are credited for his introduction to the studio music industry. They would help him garner attention that would lead to fame, and they were able to use his knowledge of achieving prominent success as an independent artist to further their own careers and projects. His list of collaborative works is long and impressive. As an example, he performed in a spot during the Super Bowl for an MTV production with fellow artists Busta Rhymes, Method Man, and various NFL stars to promote the "NFL James" compilation. 

Trivia

His first studio album was through his own independent label, Realside Records. That was in 1994. He continued to release albums through to his 2020 album release, titled Focused. His biggest hit "It's Goin' Down," is regarded as a smash hit as it reached the #4 position on the Billboard Top 100 Hip Hop/R&B charts as well as the #26 spot for the Billboard Top 200 for all genres. Source magazine called Celly Cel's appearance on the 1996 record America is Dying Slowly (a philanthropic effort to support those who suffer from the HIV and AIDS virus) a "masterpiece."

Family Life

Born in Vallejo, California, he continues to reside there with his family and work with fellow rappers linked to the Bay Area culture.

Associated With

His smash hit, "It's Going Down," was splashed across social media in 2017 when NBA All-Star LeBron James posted a video of him jamming out and proclaiming his love for the song.