Ransom
Jersey City rapper Randy Nicholls, better known as Ransom, is praised for his skillful, confident lyricism and productive work ethic. He began releasing and appearing on mixtapes during the 2000s, first working with Hitchcock as the A-Team before focusing on his solo career. Though he flirted with the mainstream, nearly signing to Def Jam and appearing on releases by Fabolous and Nicki Minaj, he's thrived in the underground, continually honing his craft with releases like 2013's The Proposal and 2016's History of Violence. After a brief hiatus, he became more prolific than ever during the 2020s, exploring a gritty, cinematic style in line with peers like Griselda and Roc Marciano. He's frequently collaborated with producers like Nicholas Craven (the Directors Cut and Deleted Scenes series) and Harry Fraud (2024's Lavish Misery), and is also part of 38 Spesh's Trust movement.
Randy Nicholls was born in Brooklyn in September 1980. His father's slaying and mother's serious illness forced Nicholls to stay in foster care a few years, but he and his mother eventually relocated to Jersey City when he was about eight years old. A lifestyle of selling drugs, which landed him in and out of jail as a teen, ensued; however, the young rapper wanted out. In 2000, he and his friends put up money to buy a recording studio, which initiated Nicholls' rap career under the moniker Ransom. Not long afterwards, he teamed up with fellow rapper Hitchcock to form the A-Team. Known for their Hardhood Classics street albums, the two became staples on the mixtape circuit in New Jersey, but barely dented the scene in neighboring New York. After a deal with Def Jam didn't pan out, the two went their separate ways around 2006.
Ransom didn't lose much momentum, constantly appearing on DJ Clue mixtapes as well as shelling out his own, including the Best in the City volumes and Ransom Note. In 2007, Ransom received some press over traded lyrical barbs with Joe Budden, also a Jersey City native, who included a verse from Ransom and Hitchcock on his Mood Muzik 3 mix album, claiming a reunion by the defunct A-Team. Ransom's Street Cinema mixtape was issued by New York indie Babygrande in 2008. Following other mixtapes like 2010's Lights Camera Action, the Statik Selektah collaboration The Proposal appeared on Brick Records in 2013. Pain & Glory: The Album, named after an earlier mixtape series, appeared in 2014. History of Violence was released in 2016, followed by Greatest Rapper Alive and the EP 1% (with a guest appearance by Freddie Gibbs) in 2017.
Ransom retired from rapping in 2018, instead focusing on behind-the-scenes executive work. However, he was inspired to return in 2020 after finding a kinship with Canadian producer Nicholas Craven and Buffalo rappers 38 Spesh and Che Noir. Ransom and Craven released three Directors Cut volumes, the Deleted Scenes EP, and Crime Scenes during the year. Se7en (with appearances by Lloyd Banks and Royce da 5'9"), Heavy Is the Head (with Big Ghost Ltd), and Coup de Grace (with Rome Streetz) all appeared in 2021. In 2022, Ransom released No Rest for the Wicked, the EP This Life Made Me (with Mayor), and Chaos Is My Ladder (with V Don). Directors Cut 4 and Deleted Scenes 2, both with Craven, and the EP Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child were all issued in 2023. Lavish Misery, a brief but potent release with producer Harry Fraud, appeared in 2024.
© Cyril Cordor & Paul Simpson /TiVo
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Poppin' Bottles
Dance - Released by Speqtrum Music on Aug 17, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bomberman 2017
Dance - Released by Pussy Lounge Music on Jul 7, 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Scriptures (feat. DJ Eclipse)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by C-Lance Productions on Aug 10, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Street Cinema
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Babygrande Records on Apr 29, 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Flying Dutchman
Ransom, Buren Van De Brandweer
Free Jazz & Avant-Garde - Released by Brandstichters on Mar 15, 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Enter The Dragon
Rock - Released by Earache Digital Distribution on Apr 14, 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Innocence & Gangsta
Free Jazz & Avant-Garde - Released by Pussy Lounge Music on Oct 30, 2015
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Innocence & Gangsta
Free Jazz & Avant-Garde - Released by Pussy Lounge Music on Oct 30, 2015
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Li’l Green-eyed Monster
Rock - Released by 2256716 Records DK on Oct 31, 2023
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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A Christmas Held To Ransom (Special 2023 Version)
Rock - Released by 2256716 Records DK on Nov 13, 2020
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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OTW (feat. Racky Slatt)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by OutofTheWorld on Mar 24, 2023
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Coming Up On The Side
Metal - Released by 5225066 Records DK on Apr 15, 2023
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Money Where the Mouth Is
Metal - Released by RANSOM on Dec 17, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Humo de Traición
Rock - Released by 5804739 Records DK on Dec 3, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
On Eythin (feat. 1shotsha)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Presidential on Aug 5, 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo