Do or Die is an American rap trio, formed in 1995 by rappers, AK-47, Belo Zero, and N.A.R.D.  They signed a recording contract with Rap-A-Lot Records, a small independent label.  In 1996, they released Picture This.  The album peaked at #27 on the Billboard Top 200

Do Or Die

So that just goes to show you the power of Do or Die - it's just the lack of marketing and promotion. We didn't have the power to get a lot of people to know who we were. Now we're bringing that visual back to life, with that visual more people will get to know and understand who Do or Die is.

The Early Years

Do or Die is an American rap trio, formed in 1995 by rappers, AK-47, Belo Zero, and N.A.R.D.  They signed a recording contract with Rap-A-Lot Records, a small independent label.  In 1996, they released Picture This.  The album peaked at #27 on the Billboard Top 200 and at #3 on the Top R&B/rap charts.  Their single, Po Pimp, peaked at #1 on the R&B/rap chart and remains their biggest hit.

The Recording Years

Headz or Tailz was released in 1998.  Peaking at #13 on the Billboard Top 200 and at #3 on the R&B/rap charts, the album equaled the success of its predecessor.  The single, Still Po Pimpin almost matched the success of Po Pimp, peaking at #62.  Their success continued with their 2000 release, Victory.  Again, it debuted at #13 on the Top 200 and #4 on the R&B/rap charts.  Ja Rule, Outlawz, and Feloney, among others, made guest appearances on the album.

Do or Die saw their popularity wane, starting with their 2002 album, Pimpin' Ain't Dead.   While the albums still charted, they steadily dropped in ratings.  Two more albums were released in 2004 and 2006.  Singles, Higher and Magic Tricks, were released but attracted little attention critically or commercially.  Despite lackluster sales for each album, the trio has sold over 3.5 million albums overall.  

Aftermath

Do or Die is credited with launching Chicago's first national hip hop movement, in conjunction with hip hop group Crucial Conflict.  In 2007, member,  Belo Zero, was sentenced to ten years in prison for second degree murder of Raynard Plinkton.  In spite of this, their next album, Trunk Music, was scheduled in September, 2008.  It was pushed back indefinitely.  

In 2009, The Legendary Traxster, who had produced the albums for Do or Die, announced that he is reuniting with Twista, who had collaborated with the trio on Po Pimp and a few additional tracks.  They confirmed that they will work together to produce their new album.  They did not make it clear,  however, if this album will be Trunk Music, or a different album.

Did you know . . .

1. Belo Zero's murder conviction was due to a gang-related shooting in 2002.  His girlfriend was found guilty of obstruction of justice and bribing a witness.

2. Twista, who collaborated with Do or Die to record  Po Pimp, has won fourteen awards from such organizations as the Grammy Awards, Source Awards, and Billboard.  

3. Do or Die's producer, the Legendary Traxster, has worked with Mariah Carey, co-writing and co-producing her 2005 release, The Emancipation of Mimi.  He has also produced for Cam'ron, Mystikal, Tech N9ne, The Outlawz, Crucial Conflict, and Psychodrama.

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