One of the most influential rappers of the early 1990s, Grand Puba rose to fame as the leader of the group Brand Nubian before releasing several hits as a solo artist. He was also instrumental in the early career of R&B icon Mary J. Bilge.
Puba—real name Maxwell Dixon—is a native of New Rochelle, NY, a city two miles north of the New York City border. Originally known as Grand Puba Maxwell, he made his debut at age 19 as a member of the group Masters of Ceremony, who released their first single in 1985 and a critically-acclaimed album in 1988.
In the late 1980s, Puba founded Brand Nubian with Sadat X, Lord Jamar, and DJ Alamo. The group’s 1990 debut One For All received a five mic review in The Source and is widely regarded as a hip-hop classic. The album spawned two top five rap hits, “Slow Down” and “Wake Up.” Puba also produced the majority of the album.