Whether it's the Jackson 5 of the 60's or the Simpson sisters of the last decade, family can be a very potent formula in the music industry. Hip-hop artist Trae is testament to that with the history of acts that he has helped succeed through the years. Yet even with the bustle of maintaining the momentum of the group as a whole, this artist has enough time and talent to spare to make his own name as a solo artist in the hip-hop and rap niche.

Trae: Too Good To Be Just Solo

"There are a lot more people who go through what I go through than there are those who are rich and never had a more perfect life."

Whether it's the Jackson 5 of the 60's or the Simpson sisters of the last decade, family can be a very potent formula in the music industry. Hip-hop artist Trae is testament to that with the history of acts that he has helped succeed through the years. Yet even with the bustle of maintaining the momentum of the group as a whole, this artist has enough time and talent to spare to make his own name as a solo artist in the hip-hop and rap niche.

Trae Takes to the Stage

Born Frazier Thompson III in Houston, Texas on March 5, 1981, his first stab at music wasn't even his own project. He helped his cousin Joseph McVey - more popularly called Z-Ro - on his 1998 debut Look What You Did to Me. The album went on to become a classic, and the two cousins went on to form the rap trio Guerilla Maab with Dougie D, McVey's brother.

Guerilla Maab was met with some success, and the trio was able to release three albums - Rise in 1999, Resurrection in 2002 and Year of the Underdawgs in 2003 - all of which sold moderately well. They broke up after their third release, however, due to financial and career conflicts. Trae would go on to make his own name that same year with the release of his debut album Losing Composure.

Trae: Just as Good Solo

His 2003 debut was quickly followed up the next year by Same Thing Different Day, a four-disc opus. His next album, Restless from 2006, saw him already signed on with Rap-A-Lot Records, which also released Life Goes On the following year. The two records with Rap-A-Lot feature an impressive list of collaborators like Yung Joc and Lil' Wayne.

A fifth studio album, Tha Truth, has been confirmed for a February 2010 release date. He evidently had enough time for side projects to his solo career; between 1999 and 2009, he's credited for a total of 10 solo and collaboration albums. That's on top of more than half a dozen mixtapes released in the last four years alone.

Despite the lack of mainstream awards, more than a few people have noticed Thompson's career and contribution to hip-hop. In 2008, Houston Mayor Bill White declared July 22 Trae Day for Thompson's "contribution to the community". He's the first rap artist to be given such a distinction.

Did You Know That...

• ...Guerilla Maab members didn't really stop working with each other? Both Z-Ro and Dougie D helped record songs in Losing Composure.
• ...the business side is a family affair too? Losing Composure and Same Thing Different Day were both released under G-Maab Enterprises.

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