Lorenzo Jerald Patterson better known by his stage name MC Ren, is an American rapper, songwriter and record producer from Compton, California. He is the founder and owner of the record label Villain. His moniker is derived from the middle letters in his first name (Lorenzo).
 

MC Ren began his solo career signed as a solo artist to Eazy-E's Ruthless in early 1987, while still attending high school. By the end of 1987, after having written almost half of Eazy-Duz-It, he was included in N.W.A. After the group disbanded in 1991, he stayed with Ruthless, before leaving the label in 1998.

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In June 1993, he married Yaasamen Alaa, with whom he has five children. His oldest son, Anthony, is an aspiring rapper under the name "Waxxie", and has collaborated with other sons of N.W.A members.

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In April 1993, Patterson began attending a mosque, and by July he was a fully registered member of the Nation of Islam, known as Lorenzo X. Two years later he left the organization and converted to Sunni Islam. Source.