Everlast
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Erik Francis Schrody, known by his stage names Everlast and Whitey Ford, was born on August 18, 1969, and is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter who has successfully reinvented himself across multiple musical genres. Originally emerging as a member of Ice-T's Rhyme Syndicate, Everlast's 1990 debut album "Forever Everlasting" was a commercial disappointment. However, this setback led him to team up with fellow Taft High alumni DJ Lethal and Danny Boy to form the hip-hop trio House of Pain.
House of Pain was signed to Tommy Boy Records, and their 1992 self-titled debut album went multi-platinum, spawning the enormously successful DJ Muggs-produced single "Jump Around," which became one of the defining anthems of 1990s hip-hop. Following House of Pain's success, Everlast's breakthrough as a solo artist came in 1998 with his album "Whitey Ford Sings the Blues," which blended rock and hip-hop in innovative ways and garnered him his first Grammy Award nomination for the introspective hit song "What It's Like."
In 2000, Everlast received a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal alongside Latin rock band Santana for "Put Your Lights On." From 2006 to 2012, he was also part of the hip-hop supergroup La Coka Nostra, which consisted of members of House of Pain and other rappers. After establishing himself as a rapper earlier in his career, Everlast subsequently reinvented himself with a new sound that fused acoustic rock, folk, blues, and hip-hop under the alias Whitey Ford, demonstrating his artistic versatility and willingness to evolve beyond genre boundaries.