Nine is the stage name of Derrick Keyes (born September 19, 1969), an emcee and protégé of DJ Funkmaster Flex from The Bronx, New York. Keyes got his break in late 1993 as a featured guest on Funkmaster Flex and
... Nine is the stage name of Derrick Keyes (born September 19, 1969), an emcee and protégé of DJ Funkmaster Flex from The Bronx, New York. Keyes got his break in late 1993 as a featured guest on Funkmaster Flex and the Ghetto Celebs' "Six Million Ways to Die". The verse showcased Nine's harsh, gravelly flow and the artist signed a deal with the now-defunct Profile Records. He is known for the singles "Whutcha Want?" (1994) and "Any Emcee" (1995).
Keyes originally recorded under the moniker 9MM (or Nine Double M) before changing his name to simply Nine. He stated, "I didn't want to be just be named after the gun (9mm)."[2] His stage name refers to his date of birth (9/19/1969), his shoe size, and his lucky number.[3]
Nas recently referred to 9 Double M on the track "Where are They Now?" from his album Hip Hop Is Dead. He is also referred to on the track "Twinz (Deep Cover ’98)" from Big Pun's debut album Capital Punishment, where Fat Joe says "Boogie Down major like Nine" referring to Nine's and his hometown, the Bronx.
Portions of Nine's "Whutcha Want?" were recently featured in advertisements by US automobile manufacturer Jeep. The ads used the song "Steady Bounce" by KRS-One from his album Strickly For Da Breakdancers & Emceez, which used a sample which from Nine’s "Whutcha Want?" According to an interview conducted with HalftimeOnline.com, Jeep never sought permission to use the sample and Nine is pursuing legal action.[2]
Nine also has a son that is 15 years of age named James Keyes. He is pursuing rapping and in his rapping career goes by the name of Mr. Keyes.
Nine also acted in an episode of New York Undercover (1997) .[4]
The album "Nine Livez", produced by Rob Lewis and Tony Stoute, generated several underground hits including "Whutcha Want?", "Redrum", "Ova Confident" and "Any Emcee". The album is considered to be a classic underground hip-hop album and is frequently sought after by collectors.
