Philadelphian rapper
Beanie Sigel had a rapidly rising career, beginning with his appearance on one of underground rapper/producer
DJ Clue?'s mixtapes, to his cameos on
Jay-Z's
Vol. 2: Hard Knock Life, to a consequent solo deal with Roc-a-Fella Records. His distinctive, slightly drawling delivery and his clever but hard-hitting rhymes were showcased on his debut album, 2000's The Truth, which featured contributions from
Jay-Z,
Memphis Bleek,
Eve, and
Scarface, and production by
the Ruff Ryders'
Swizz Beatz and Suave House's Tony Draper. His second album,
The Reason, hit the streets in summer 2001, led by the single "Beanie (Mack B****)."
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Sigel soon launched his State Property line of clothing by announcing his gear would have hidden pockets and gun holsters. Legal problems plagued the rapper in 2003 when he was arrested on federal weapon and drug charges stemming from a police chase where
Sigel allegedly tossed a loaded handgun. He was arrested again in September the same year on attempted murder charges for allegedly shooting a man in the stomach. The attempted murder trial was thrown out of court once already by the beginning of 2005 but was set to be retried while
Sigel was pleading guilty to the federal weapon charges. Preparing for jail,
Sigel went into high gear and completed a movie, an album, and five videos to support the new album. The album, The B.Coming, hit the shelves in March of 2005 while the movie, State Property 2, was released in April. Out of prison by the end of the year,
Sigel went to work on his fourth album,
The Solution; though there seemed to be fluctuations in
Sigel's stance in the split between
Jay-Z and Damon Dash, the rapper remained with
Jay-Z, on Roc-a-Fella, and
The Solution was issued in December 2007. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
