Tremaine Johnson is a rapper and producer who is better known by his stage name Tree or MC Tree G. He is responsible for cultivating his own unique sound called "Soul Trap", the fusion of the soul music of the past with present-day rap.[2][3]
MC Tree G | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Tremaine Johnson |
| Also known as | Tree |
| Born | October 1983[1] Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2010–present |
Early life
editTree was brought up in the Cabrini-Green project, the second largest housing project in Chicago, Illinois.[4] He would go to Chicago Salem Church with his grandmother, where he first developed an interest in music and started singing.[5] He attended DuSable High School.[1]
Tree was later forced to move to a different end of the Cabrini-Green projects after his parents separated.[5] He worked odd jobs, like shining shoes at Shedd Aquarium, the Rock N Roll McDonald's, and for the printing company, Forslund Grabowski, in 2001.[5] While at Forslund Grabowski, Tree started to rap, produce and record seriously.[5] He worked for nine years in the women's footwear department at Nordstrom before leaving to officially pursue his music career.[1]
Career
editTree received support from the producers of Project Mayhem and started writing music in the 1990s but didn't release any music until 2010, when he was 27 years-old.[1] He started recording under the nickname his family had for him, Tree, short for Tremaine.[5] In 2010, he released his debut album, The 3rd Floor.[6] After that, he released Sunday School, which made MTV's Top Mixtapes of the Year list in 2012, Sunday School II, 2015's Trap Genius, and 2019's WE Grown NOW.[6] In 2021, he released the album Soul Trap.[2][7]
Discography
editAlbums
edit- The 3rd Floor (2010)
- Sunday School (2012)
- Sunday School II: When Church Lets Out (2013)
- Trap Genius (2015)
- WE Grown NOW. (2019)
- The Wild End (2019) - with Parallel Thought
- Soul Trap (2021)
- FREE TREE (2023)
EPs
edit- The Lit (2012)
- Trillin (2012) - with 110% Pure
- The @Mctreeg EP (2014)
- #TreeSwag (2014) - with Chris Crack
- Tree + Crack (2014) - with Chris Crack
- VicTree EP (2015) - with Vic Spencer
- I.B. Tree (2016) - with I.B.C.L.A.S.S.I.C.
- The Johnson & Johnson EP (2017) - with Nemesis
- The Tree EP (2017)
- Goat (2018)
- The Blue Tape (2020)
References
edit- ^ a b c d Borrelli, Christopher (19 July 2013). "Age and rap: Rapper Tree straddles hip-hop's youth, elder statesmen". Chicago Tribune.
- ^ a b Galil, Leor (19 March 2021). "Chicago rapper-producer Tree extends his winning streak with Soul Trap". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
- ^ Krez, Jake (2 March 2021). "MC Tree Reminds Everyone Who Created 'Soul Trap' With His Latest Album". Elevator Magazine. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
- ^ Drake, David (15 March 2013). "15 Unsigned Rappers Who Should Get a Deal After SXSW". Complex.
- ^ a b c d e Galil, Leor (15 August 2012). "Tree grows his own way". Chicago Reader.
- ^ a b Ma, David. "In His Own Words: How MC Tree Quietly Reigned In 2019". Okay Player. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
- ^ "Soul Trap". Album of the Year. Retrieved 5 March 2021.