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Notable People

 

    1. 🎤 Uncle Murda — Rapper / Hip-Hop Artist

      The most well-known celebrity from Cypress Hills Houses is the rapper Uncle Murda.

      Leonard Grant (born July 25, 1980), better known by his stage name Uncle Murda, is an American rapper from the Cypress Hills Houses Projects of East New York.3 Uncle Murda, real name Leonard Grant, grew up in Cypress Hills Projects. He was called L.G. (for his initials) and then onto L-Murder by people who knew him.4

      He received his name “Uncle Murda” from Murda & Uncle being added by the kids in his neighborhood projects to whom he would generously give money.5

      Career Highlights:

      • Murda started to take rap seriously in 2006 and was heavy in the underground circuit of New York City.5
      • Signed by Jay-Z: In 2007, DJ Green Lantern and DJ Clue introduced Uncle Murda’s music to Jay-Z. The Brooklyn-born rapper/CEO signed Uncle Murda to Roc-A-Fella Records soon after. They started to promote him immediately by placing him on a track with popular label-mates Fabolous and Jay-Z for the song “Brooklyn” (featured on the From Nothin’ to Somethin’ album).6
      • Left Roc-A-Fella / Def Jam: In late 2008 rumors that Uncle Murda left Def Jam came about. In an interview with DJ Vlad, Uncle Murda confirmed the rumors that he had split from Def Jam and Roc-A-Fella Records, claiming everything went downhill since Jay-Z’s departure.6
      • Signed to G-Unit Records: On November 8, 2016, Uncle Murda signed a deal with 50 Cent and G-Unit Records.7
      • “Get the Strap” Hit: In 2018, “Get the Strap” featuring 50 Cent, 6ix9ine, and Casanova emerged as a contentious posse cut, peaking at number 96 on the Billboard Hot 100 and garnering over 100 million combined streams across platforms.8
      • Annual “Rap Up” Series: Uncle Murda at least once a year (sometimes there are different parts for a year) makes a track and records a video rapping about popular urban and political events.7 This annual tradition has become one of his signature contributions to hip-hop culture.
      • Surviving a Shooting: On January 22nd, 2008, Uncle Murda was shot while in a parked car on Linden Blvd in East New York. Ironically, the shooting happened after the rapper released his mixtape entitled “Respect the Shooter.” He discharged himself from the hospital less than 24 hours after he was admitted — with the bullet still embedded in his skull.6
      • His career, spanning over two decades, centers on gritty street narratives and unfiltered commentary on hip-hop culture, with early mixtapes establishing his raw lyricism before a brief major-label stint under 50 Cent’s G-Unit Records imprint.8

      📝 A Note on Cypress Hills Houses’ Legacy

      While Uncle Murda is the most publicly documented celebrity directly tied to Cypress Hills Houses, it’s important to note that the East New York / Cypress Hills area of Brooklyn has a rich history in hip-hop culture. During the summer months, hip-hop culture can be felt from Red Hook to Marcy to Cypress Hill down to Coney Island.9 The development itself is part of a broader East New York community that has produced many talented individuals, though most have not yet reached mainstream fame outside of their local communities.

      Unlike some other NYCHA developments (such as Marcy Houses for Jay-Z, or Queensbridge for Nas), Cypress Hills Houses does not have a widely documented list of famous alumni beyond Uncle Murda in publicly available sources. However, as with many NYCHA communities, there are undoubtedly countless unsung heroes — community organizers, educators, small business owners, and artists — who have emerged from this development and made significant impacts.

      Uncle Murda (Leonard Grant)

      Uncle Murda is an American rapper from East New York, Brooklyn, raised in the Cypress Hills and Pink Houses public housing projects.1 Born on July 25, 1980, he has had a career spanning over two decades.

      Career Highlights:

      • His career centers on gritty street narratives and unfiltered commentary on hip-hop culture, with early mixtapes establishing his raw lyricism before a brief major-label stint under 50 Cent’s G-Unit Records imprint.1
      • He spent his early years in the Cypress Hills Houses, a NYCHA public housing development in East New York1, which heavily influenced his music and perspective.
      • After his time with G-Unit Records (ending in 2015), he returned to independent releases, focusing on mixtapes and albums distributed through digital platforms.
      • He’s known for his annual “Rap Up” tracks that recap the year’s events in hip-hop.

      Note: It’s important to clarify that the hip-hop group Cypress Hill (famous for songs like “Insane in the Brain”) is NOT from Cypress Hills Houses in Brooklyn. People often confused them with the Brooklyn area called Cypress Hills, but the group members always had to clarify: ‘Nah, we’re from LA’2 – they’re actually from South Gate, California.

      If there are other notable figures from Cypress Hills Houses, that information isn’t readily available in public sources.