MC Breed

Background

MC Breed was born Eric Tyrone Breed on June 12, 1971, in Flint, Michigan. He came up in the Detroit-area rap scene and is often cited as one of the first rappers from Michigan to have national success. His cousin Al Breed was half of the Flint duo DFC (Da Funk Clan) with Bobby "T-Dub" Thompson.

Breakthrough

His first album, MC Breed & DFC (1991), was released on S.D.E.G. Records with distribution through Ichiban Records. It reached No. 142 on the Billboard 200 and No. 38 on the R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart. Its single "Ain't No Future in Yo' Frontin'" peaked at No. 66 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 12 on Hot Rap Singles; the follow-up "Just Kickin' It" reached No. 10 on Hot Rap Singles. 20 Below followed in 1992 on Wrap/S.D.E.G./Ichiban.

The New Breed (1993, Wrap/Ichiban) brought in West Coast producers including Warren G, The D.O.C. and Colin Wolfe. Its lead single "Gotta Get Mine," featuring 2Pac, reached No. 6 on Hot Rap Songs and later appeared in the 2002 film 8 Mile. Funkafied (1994) was his highest-charting album at No. 106 on the Billboard 200 and No. 9 R&B/Hip-Hop, with guests including George Clinton and The D.O.C.

Later Career

Breed kept a steady release schedule through the late 1990s and 2000s: Big Baller (1995), To Da Beat Ch'all (1996) and Flatline (1997) on Wrap, It's All Good (1999) on Power Records, The Fharmacist (2001) on Fharmacy Records, and The New Prescription (2004) through Urban Music Zone and Psychopathic. His sound moved from independent Midwest rap to G-funk and later to Southern production. Collaborators over his career included 2Pac, Too $hort, 8Ball & MJG, Ant Banks, Esham, Proof, Slum Village and the Dayton Family.

On September 5, 2008, Breed collapsed while playing basketball after kidney failure. He died in his sleep at a friend's home in Ypsilanti, Michigan, on November 22, 2008, at age 37. He had been working on an album titled The Original Breed: Swag Heavy, and recorded a final song, "Everyday I Wait" with the Outlawz, shortly before his death.