Charles Hamilton

Charles Eddie-Lee Hamilton Jr. (born November 10, 1987) is an American rapper from Cleveland, Ohio. He released his debut mixtape, Crash Landing in June 2008, and signed an undisclosed multi-million dollar recording contract with Interscope Records two months later. He released 11 follow-up mixtapes and his debut studio album, The Pink Lavalamp (2008) that same year, although none of which were released by the label. In December, he was selected for XXL magazine's second Annual Freshmen Class list, which was issued the following year. Hamilton was due to release his second album and major label debut, This Perfect Life in 2009; however, he became a frequent source of controversy for his conduct on social media and in public settings throughout that year—stemming from Hamilton's undiagnosed and alleged bipolar disorder at the time—leading him to be dropped from the label by September. In 2010, Hamilton signed with NewCo Records and was due to release the album My Heart, which was shelved once more. Hamilton instead opted to release several mixtapes on personal blogs from 2011 to 2014. Much of his unreleased material had become leaked online. In early 2015, Hamilton signed with Republic Records to release the single "New York Raining" (featuring Rita Ora), which was used for the television series Empire. The following year, Hamilton released his second album and major-label debut, Hamilton, Charles (2016) to positive reception despite minimal commercial response. Along with his solo career, he was part of the group The Chosen Few, as well as Lupe Fiasco's alternative hip hop collective All City Chess Club. His music and public image contained frequent tributes to the video game series Sonic the Hedgehog.