Q Biography & Awards | Billboard.com

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Artist Info

Biography

Rapper Q came on the scene in 2008 with an intense marketing campaign that involved everyone from SoSo Def man Jermaine Dupri to consumer good giant Procter & Gamble. Born Kareem Savage and raised in Brooklyn, NY, Q was first spotted in the late '90s alongside fellow rappers Red Caf� and Gravy in Da Franchise. Signed to Violator, the group landed on 1999's Violator: The Album compilation along with 2001's Vol. 2, but the label never released a full-length from the crew. Q had moved to Miami with the group but after they split in 2001, he moved to Atlanta. It was there he befriended DJ Khaled along with DJ Shakim, who introduced Q to Jermaine Dupri. Dupri signed the rapper to his SoSo Def label in 2006 and introduced him through a remix of Alicia Keys' massive hit "No One." As Dupri's empire began to come under the Def Jam umbrella in 2007, Q came along. Soon a marketing campaign was drawn where the rapper would appear in television and magazine ads for Procter & Gamble's Tag Body Spray along with an episode of MTV Diary, a reality show that rarely featured debut artists. It was all in anticipation of Q's debut album, planned for a 2008 release. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide