Ricardo Emmanuel Brown, better known by his stage name Kurupt, is an American rapper and record producer. Born in Philadelphia and raised in Hawthorne, California, he formed Tha Dogg Pound in 1992 along with Daz Dillinger; the rap duo has released eight albums. He also formed the hip-hop group The Hrsmn in 1996, with whom he has released two albums. His debut solo album, Kuruption! (1998) was released by A&M Records and peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200.