Los Angeles, CA · hip-hop · blues-rock

Everlast

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House of Pain's frontman turned bluesman — 'What It's Like' still lands heavy, acoustic grit and rap cadence sharing one gravel voice.

Born Erik Francis Schrody on August 18, 1969, Everlast attended Taft High School in Los Angeles at the same time as Ice Cube and N.W.A affiliate Krazy Dee. He came up through Ice-T's Rhyme Syndicate before House of Pain, and his 1990 solo debut, Forever Everlasting, sold poorly and was largely forgotten.

House of Pain grew out of Taft High School too, with fellow alumnus DJ Lethal joining Everlast and Danny Boy. Signed to Tommy Boy Records, their 1992 debut went multi-platinum on the strength of the DJ Muggs-produced 'Jump Around,' and the group toured with the Ramones, Beastie Boys and Rage Against the Machine before splitting in 1996.

A heart attack pushed Everlast toward a different sound. Whitey Ford Sings the Blues, produced with Dante Ross and John Gamble, sold more than three million copies and pushed acoustic and electric guitar against rapped and sung verses. 'What It's Like' earned a Grammy nomination, reached number 13 on the Hot 100, and the album peaked at number 9 on the Billboard 200; the follow-up single 'Ends' cracked the rock top 10.

He guested on Santana's 'Put Your Lights On,' which won a Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 2000, and later spent years recording as part of La Coka Nostra alongside former House of Pain members and other rappers. He also picked up an Emmy nomination in 2008 for the theme to the TV series Saving Grace, and has released eight solo albums in all, moving between hip-hop, rock, blues and Americana.

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