The Last Emperor - The Drifter

The Last Emperor is the recording name of Jamal Gray, Philadelphia-born hip-hop artist. He is renowned for his quick wit and lyrical skill. The Last Emperor took his moniker from the Bernardo Bertolucci film epic of the same name (The Last Emperor). He attended and graduated Overbrook High School (Philadelphia) then went on to obtain a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science/International Relations from Lincoln University. After moving to New York he began performing at open mic nights. It was at the Lyricist Lounge that he became known mainly for his eminent stage presence and hypnotizing live shows. The Last Emperor quickly gained a verse on KRS-One's 'C.I.A. (Criminals In Action)' with Zack De La Rocha. Two years after graduating from Lincoln he obtained a major recording contract from Aftermath Entertainment. Jamal amazingly became a protégé of Dr. Dre, a pioneer of hip-hop music, co-founder of Death Row Records, and the legendary producer of artists such as Snoop Dogg, Tupac Shakur, and Eminem. In 2003 official word came out that The Last Emperor had signed to Rawkus Records, but unfortunately, due to distribution problems, the record was kept off the rack. Last Emperor has his own label Red Planet Music Corp. which is distributed by Raptivism. Last Emperor's brother Que is his partner on the label. He has opened for such acts as the former Def Squad (Redman, EPMD, Das EFX and K-Solo), Common, The Roots, and KRS-One. He has performed at the Lyricist Lounge on several occasions. He’s traveled around the world from Denmark [Roskilde Festival], London [Jam in the park], and Norway [Quart Festival] to North America as the Guest MC for the popular rock group, Gorillaz. He's currently signed to Raptivism Records, but was signed to two different well known labels in the past: Aftermath Records and Rawkus Records. Last Emperor released his debut album Music, Magic, Myth (Palace of The Pretender in Europe) in 2003.