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Supreme (born Jon Malone August 10, 1973) is a radio personality, musician, producer, songwriter, publisher and music historian. Supreme is currently the host of The Classic Hip Hop Show on WUHT FM. The show airs Saturday mornings from 7am to 11am.
'''Supreme''' (born '''Jon Malone''' [[August 10]], [[1973]] in Detroit, Michigan) is a radio personality, musician, producer, songwriter, publisher and music historian. Supreme is currently the host of The Classic Hip Hop Show, airing Saturday mornings on [[WUHT-FM]].


'''EARLY LIFE'''
==Early life==
Supreme was born Jon Malone in Detroit, MI and raised on the west side. One of his schoolmates in elementary school was neo soul crooner Dwele, whom Supreme would later work with. Supreme's mother, Elizabeth (Roper) Malone, was an interior decorator from Greenville, AL. Supreme's father Johnny Malone is a singer/songwriter who penned hits for A Taste of Honey and fronted his own band with songwriting partner Allan Barnes of The Blackbyrds. The band, Malone & Barnes and Spontaneous Simplicity, was based in Washington D.C. A self proclaimed "music brat", Supreme spent a considerable amount of his childhood traveling due to his fathers' touring and recording schedule. Frequent visitors to the family home were Commodores' bassist Ronald LaPread, pianist/flautist Brian Jackson, legendary producers The Mizell Brothers, and famed JB's trombonist Fred Wesley among others. Attending these sessions would have a profound impact on Supreme and inhance his love for the arts. Supreme loved to draw and was an avid comic book collector. At 10 years old, Supreme was already a master at drums, piano, and violin. The mysterious and iconic Detroit DJ The Electrifying Mojo also played a major part in shaping Supreme's musical interests. Mojo was known for his Midnight Funk Association radio show, which defied genre boundaries by blending soul, funk, rock, classical, new wave, and techno. Hip hop culture grew in the Detroit area thanks to the national success of Run DMC and the youth were listening including Supreme. After his mothers' death in 1989, Supreme left Detroit to settle in her hometown of Greenville, AL. Greenville offered a stark contrast to the harsh environment of Detroit and possibly a chance for Supreme to focus on his own life. As he puts it, he "got to be a big fish in a small pond". He eventually finished high school there. Supreme's love for hip hop grew as he was introduced to the music of Public Enemy, Slick Rick, and NWA. Around this time he bought his first drum machine, an Alesis SR-16, and started recording his own demo tapes on a used Tascam 4-track recorder. He began to collaborate with other rap talent in the area and realized he had the knack for producing and composing.
Malone is the son of musician Johnny Malone and interior decorator Elizabeth Roper Malone. He was born in Detroit and raised on that city's west side. He spent a lot of time traveling while his father toured and met numerous musicians who visited the family home. He mastered the drums, piano and violin by the age of 10. He also collected comic books and was a fan of The Electricfying Mojo's "Midnight Funk Association" radio show on WJLB-FM. He adopted the MC name "Poet Supreme" based on a line in Public Enemy's "Rebel Without a Pause", later shortening it to "Supreme".


'''FROM COLLEGE TO MOTOWN RECORDS'''
After his mothers' death in [[1989]], Supreme left Detroit to settle in her hometown of Greenville in Butler County. He completed high school there and began recording his own hip-hop demos on an Alesis SR-16 drum machine and Tascam 4-track recorder. He also collaborated with other rap artists in the area and polished his skills in producing and composing music. He graduated in [[1991]].
In 1991, Supreme graduated from high school and headed to Alabama State University. Confused about what to major in, he transferred his scholarship to the University of Montevallo in 1992. As a mass communications major, Supreme was granted access to the television and recording studios eventually becoming audio engineer for the campus TV news program. In 1994, he started his own radio show, Basement Flava, which would be the campus' first ever hip hop based radio program. In addition, Supreme established relationships with then-fledgling indie labels such as Relativity and Loud Records, who serviced the show with records by newcomers like Wu Tang Clan, Mobb Deep, Fat Joe, and Common. 1995 was a turning point for Supreme, as he was torn between finishing college and joining his father, who was now living in Los Angeles, to establish a career in music full time. A friend gave him a contact with Motown Records in L.A. who were looking for interns. This proved to be the breakthrough Supreme needed. Supreme traveled out to California to intern in the A&R department. Jheryl Busby, then president of Motown, was so impressed with his drive and passion for learning the business, Supreme was offered an actual paying job in the A&R and video production departments. A year later, Busby resigned and Andre Harrell took over as president. The company was then downsized and subsequently the L.A. offices were dissolved. Supreme soon found himself without a job and decided to return to Alabama to finish school and work on his demo.


'''INTRODUCTION TO RADIO'''
==College and Motown==
In 1996, Supreme completed his first solo effort, the hip hop collectors' item ''Supreme's Lounge''. Only 300 cassettes were pressed. ''Supreme's Lounge'' made quite an impact and was courted by several independent labels for distribution. It wasn't until radio personalities Kori White, B-Brian, and Chris Coleman gave it a thumbs-up that Supreme decided to switch his focus to the radio industry. In 1998, Supreme began his radio career in Birmingham in the research and promotions departments at Cox Radio, eventually landing a part time on-air slot. He held several side jobs during this time and also worked with many local artists. This same year his father officially retired from the music industry and decided to give his half of the publishing company (Lonebar Music) to Supreme. At the time Lonebar was inactive. Supreme reactivated the company and started licensing sample clearances for his father's music. The most notable sample was A Taste of Honey's "Disco Dancin'" which was used by R. Kelly for "Money Makes the World Go Round" from his 1998 ''R'' album. In 1999, he started "The Eargasm", a weekly hip hop showcase at the High Note Lounge which would become Birmingham's longest running (1999-2004). Supreme joined a local funk/jazz outfit called Mecca's Groove as keyboardist and lead singer. In 2000, he became assistant program director for Clear Channel's V105.9 (WENN FM). The station folded in 2001 and new father Supreme needed to make ends meet. He went to work at a local Southside coffee shop and sang for tips while there. Being on the Southside meant obtaining gigs for the band would become easier.  
After high school, Malone enrolled at [[Alabama State University]], but transferred a year later to the [[University of Montevallo]], studying mass communications. While there he became an audio engineer for the campus TV news program. He launched his own radio show, "Basement Flava" on the campus' radio station in [[1994]].


'''RETURN TO DETROIT'''
Malone left college in [[1995]] to pursue an artists & reportoire internship at Motown Records in Los Angeles. He was subsequently promoted by CEO Jheryl Busby to a full time position in A&R and production, but was a victim of downsizing when new CEO Andre Harrell closed the Los Angeles office a year later. He returned to Montevallo to complete his degree and work on a demo tape.
In 2002, Supreme returned to Detroit and was introduced to P-Funk keyboardist Amp Fiddler. Amp's solo releases were well recieved overseas, but he was ready to break stateside. Supreme contributed two songs ("I Believe In You" and "Unconditional Eyes") and helped Amp's ''Waltz of a Ghetto Fly'' album become an underground success in the U.S. At this time Detroit was experiencing a return to prominence in the music industry thanks to the emergence of the neo soul movement. Supreme established a working relationship with several of Detroit's hottest artists and beatsmiths such as Slum Village, Jay Dee, Phat Kat (who has family ties in Ensley), Dwele, and Vernon D. German. Supreme also worked on his second album titled ''The Marlon Malone Experience'' in 2005. This was the first time he ever concentrated on singing as well as rapping. The beats were heavily influenced by his Detroit roots with a bit of Southern flavor. This album is also a collector's item.


'''THE DIAMOND SOUL EXPERIENCE'''
==Music career==
In 2005, Supreme arrived back in Birmingham to work with Citadel broadcasting urban WUHT FM (Hot 107.7). He was added to the DJ Rahdu-hosted neo soul/rare grooves/hip hop program, The Diamond Soul Experience. Later in the year, the duo hosted a weekly live concert version of the show at the now-defunct martini bar Amani Raha. Performers at the live show include Anthony David, Saul Williams, Eric Roberson, and Goapele.
In [[1996]] Supreme completed a solo demo, ''Supreme's Lounge'', on audiocassette. The debut garnered interest from several independent hip hop labels. He began collaborating with other area artists while also pursuing a career in radio. In [[1998]] he took a job in research and promotions with Cox Communications in [[Birmingham]], eventually earning a part-time on-air slot.


'''PRODUCTION WORK'''
During the same year Supreme's father retired from music publishing and handed him the reins to his then-inactive company, [[Lonebar Music]]. Supreme began licensing sample clearance for his father's recordings, including a sample from A Taste of Honey's "Disco Dancin'" which was used by R. Kelly for "Money Makes the World Go Round" in his 1998 ''R'' album.
Supreme's production work can be heard on considerable amount of neo soul/hip hop artists' albums. He has collaborated with Wes Felton (formerly W.Ellington Felton) on his numerous albums. The video for the Supreme-produced "Funky Feeling (You So Funky)" recieved airplay on VH1 Soul and BETJ, subsequently landing on the list of Top 100 videos of 2007. Supreme and Felton are currently working on an joint project called ''Travel Music'', with Felton supplying the vocals while Supreme does the beats. Supreme has also worked with Raheem DeVaughn on "Lay Awhile" a song that was slated for DeVaughn's latest release ''Love Behind the Melody''. Supreme orchestrated the re-release of his fathers' 1976 album ''Freedom Serenade'' in a joint venture with West Coast indie label Ubiquity Records. Supreme is the executive producer and chief beatsmith on the latest release from Shaheed ''Health Wealth and Knowledge of Self'' which features a guest appearance from Akil the MC from Jurassic 5. Supreme recently remixed the single "Breath Control" which features Wes Felton and can be heard on Shaheed's myspace page: [http://www.myspace.com/shaheedtawheed]


'''THE CLASSIC HIP HOP SHOW'''
In [[1999]], Supreme started "[[Eargasm|The Eargasm]]", a weekly hip hop showcase at the [[High Note Lounge]] which ran until [[2004]]. He also joined local funk/jazz outfit [[Mecca's Groove]] as keyboardist and lead singer. In [[2000]], he became assistant program director for Clear Channel's [[V105.9]] ([[WENN-FM]]), but was laid off when the station folded in [[2001]]. With a new wife and the first of two daughters to support, Malone took a job at a [[Southside community|Southside]] coffee shop, supplementing his income by singing for tips and promoting his band.
Currently, Supreme is the host of Hot 107.7's "Classic Hip Hop Show" which airs Saturday mornings from 7am until 11am. Guests of the show include Grandmaster Mele Mel, Doug E. Fresh & Slick Rick, and MC Lyte. Popular segments include the Classic Hip Hop Megamix, The Classic Hip Hop Block, and The Finish Line. During one episode, Doug E. Fresh proclaimed that Supreme was Birmingham's "hip hop encyclopedia", a nickname Supreme uses today. You can check out the show live here: [http://www.hot1077radio.com]


'''PERSONAL LIFE'''
In [[2002]], Supreme returned to Detroit. He contributed two songs ("I Believe In You" and "Unconditional Eyes") to P-Funk keyboardist Amp Fiddler's solo album ''Waltz of a Ghetto Fly'' which earned underground success. He began working with several Detroit-area artists in the emerging neo-soul movement. He released a second album, ''The Marlon Malone Experience'' in [[2005]], featuring more of his singing alongside rapped lyrics and blending the Detroit sound with some Southern influences.
Supreme is has been married since 2001 and has two daughters. In November 2007, Supreme became a Sunni Muslim. On occasion Supreme teaches Hip Hop classes, exploring the history of the culture. His most recent appearance was during the Miles College Spring Arts Festival in March 2008.


Supreme returned to Birmingham in [[2005]] to work at Citadel Broadcastings' [[WUHT-FM]] ([[Hot 107.7]]). He joined [[DJ Rahdu]] on his neo-soul/rare grooves/hip hop program, the [[Diamond Soul Experience]]. They also co-hosted a weekly live concert version of the show at [[Amani Raha]], bringing artists such as Anthony David, Saul Williams, Eric Roberson and Goapele to Birmingham.


Supreme's myspace page: [http://www.myspace.com/supremeonline]
During this time Supreme contributed production work to numerous neo soul and hop hop albums. He produced Wes Felton's "Funky Feeling (You So Funky)", the video for which was named one of the Top 100 Videos of 2007. He also contributed to Raheem DeVaughn's "Lay Awhile" and Shaheed's "Health Wealth and Knowledge of Self" with Akil the MC from Jurassic 5. He remixed the Shaheed single "Breath Control" with vocals by Wes Felton and orchestrated the re-release of his father's 1976 album ''Freedom Serenade'' on Ubiquity Records.
 
Currently, Supreme is the host of Hot 107.7's "[[Classic Hip Hop Show]]". During one episode, Doug E. Fresh proclaimed that Supreme was Birmingham's "hip hop encyclopedia", a nickname Supreme uses today as he shares his knowledge of hip hop culture with youth, such as at [[Miles College]]'s 2008 Spring Arts Festival.
 
In November [[2007]] Supreme converted to Sunni Islam.
 
==Discography==
* Supreme. ''Supreme's Lounge'' (1996) limited edition audiocassette
* Supreme. ''The Marlon Malone Experience'' (2005)
 
==External links==
* [http://www.myspace.com/supremeonline Supreme] at MySpace.com
* [http://www.hot1077radio.com/showdj.asp?DJID=42837 Supreme profile] at Hot 107.7's website
 
[[Category:1973 births]]
[[Category:Montevallo alumni]]
[[Category:DJs]]
[[Category:Rappers]]
[[Category:Music producers]]
[[Category:Montevallo alumni]]

Latest revision as of 11:53, 28 June 2008

Supreme (born Jon Malone August 10, 1973 in Detroit, Michigan) is a radio personality, musician, producer, songwriter, publisher and music historian. Supreme is currently the host of The Classic Hip Hop Show, airing Saturday mornings on WUHT-FM.

Early life

Malone is the son of musician Johnny Malone and interior decorator Elizabeth Roper Malone. He was born in Detroit and raised on that city's west side. He spent a lot of time traveling while his father toured and met numerous musicians who visited the family home. He mastered the drums, piano and violin by the age of 10. He also collected comic books and was a fan of The Electricfying Mojo's "Midnight Funk Association" radio show on WJLB-FM. He adopted the MC name "Poet Supreme" based on a line in Public Enemy's "Rebel Without a Pause", later shortening it to "Supreme".

After his mothers' death in 1989, Supreme left Detroit to settle in her hometown of Greenville in Butler County. He completed high school there and began recording his own hip-hop demos on an Alesis SR-16 drum machine and Tascam 4-track recorder. He also collaborated with other rap artists in the area and polished his skills in producing and composing music. He graduated in 1991.

College and Motown

After high school, Malone enrolled at Alabama State University, but transferred a year later to the University of Montevallo, studying mass communications. While there he became an audio engineer for the campus TV news program. He launched his own radio show, "Basement Flava" on the campus' radio station in 1994.

Malone left college in 1995 to pursue an artists & reportoire internship at Motown Records in Los Angeles. He was subsequently promoted by CEO Jheryl Busby to a full time position in A&R and production, but was a victim of downsizing when new CEO Andre Harrell closed the Los Angeles office a year later. He returned to Montevallo to complete his degree and work on a demo tape.

Music career

In 1996 Supreme completed a solo demo, Supreme's Lounge, on audiocassette. The debut garnered interest from several independent hip hop labels. He began collaborating with other area artists while also pursuing a career in radio. In 1998 he took a job in research and promotions with Cox Communications in Birmingham, eventually earning a part-time on-air slot.

During the same year Supreme's father retired from music publishing and handed him the reins to his then-inactive company, Lonebar Music. Supreme began licensing sample clearance for his father's recordings, including a sample from A Taste of Honey's "Disco Dancin'" which was used by R. Kelly for "Money Makes the World Go Round" in his 1998 R album.

In 1999, Supreme started "The Eargasm", a weekly hip hop showcase at the High Note Lounge which ran until 2004. He also joined local funk/jazz outfit Mecca's Groove as keyboardist and lead singer. In 2000, he became assistant program director for Clear Channel's V105.9 (WENN-FM), but was laid off when the station folded in 2001. With a new wife and the first of two daughters to support, Malone took a job at a Southside coffee shop, supplementing his income by singing for tips and promoting his band.

In 2002, Supreme returned to Detroit. He contributed two songs ("I Believe In You" and "Unconditional Eyes") to P-Funk keyboardist Amp Fiddler's solo album Waltz of a Ghetto Fly which earned underground success. He began working with several Detroit-area artists in the emerging neo-soul movement. He released a second album, The Marlon Malone Experience in 2005, featuring more of his singing alongside rapped lyrics and blending the Detroit sound with some Southern influences.

Supreme returned to Birmingham in 2005 to work at Citadel Broadcastings' WUHT-FM (Hot 107.7). He joined DJ Rahdu on his neo-soul/rare grooves/hip hop program, the Diamond Soul Experience. They also co-hosted a weekly live concert version of the show at Amani Raha, bringing artists such as Anthony David, Saul Williams, Eric Roberson and Goapele to Birmingham.

During this time Supreme contributed production work to numerous neo soul and hop hop albums. He produced Wes Felton's "Funky Feeling (You So Funky)", the video for which was named one of the Top 100 Videos of 2007. He also contributed to Raheem DeVaughn's "Lay Awhile" and Shaheed's "Health Wealth and Knowledge of Self" with Akil the MC from Jurassic 5. He remixed the Shaheed single "Breath Control" with vocals by Wes Felton and orchestrated the re-release of his father's 1976 album Freedom Serenade on Ubiquity Records.

Currently, Supreme is the host of Hot 107.7's "Classic Hip Hop Show". During one episode, Doug E. Fresh proclaimed that Supreme was Birmingham's "hip hop encyclopedia", a nickname Supreme uses today as he shares his knowledge of hip hop culture with youth, such as at Miles College's 2008 Spring Arts Festival.

In November 2007 Supreme converted to Sunni Islam.

Discography

  • Supreme. Supreme's Lounge (1996) limited edition audiocassette
  • Supreme. The Marlon Malone Experience (2005)

External links

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