Anthony Shawn Criss (born December 2, 1970[4][5]), better known by his stage name Treach, is an American rapper and actor. He is perhaps best known as the lead rapper of the hip hop group Naughty by Nature.
Treach | |
|---|---|
 Treach in 2012 | |
| Born | December 2, 1970 East Orange, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Spouse(s) |
[3] Cicely Evans (m. 2019) |
| Children | 3 |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Labels | |
| Member of | Naughty by Nature |
| Website | naughtybynature |
Early life, family and education
editThis section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2024) |
Criss attended high school in East Orange, New Jersey.[6] Treach got involved in the growing hip hop scene.
Career
editThis section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (September 2023) |
Treach formed the hip hop group Naughty by Nature (originally named New Style) with Vin Rock and DJ Kay Gee in 1986. They attended the same high school in East Orange, New Jersey.[6] Sometimes he shared verses on songs with Vin Rock, but often, especially on the group's earlier albums, Treach was the sole performer on the song. Examples of this are some of the group's most well-known singles from their self-titled second album, such as "O.P.P." and "Ghetto Bastard". Both songs received moderate success.
After rising to fame for his music, Treach began acting in guest roles on television series and movies. Some of the TV series include CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Person of Interest, Blue Bloods. Some of his movies include Juice (1992), The Meteor Man (1993), Jason's Lyric (1994),[6] and a starring role in Love and a Bullet (2002).[7]
Personal life
editTreach is the older brother of Diesel, who is also a rapper and who is a member of the Rottin Razkals, a group closely affiliated with Naughty by Nature.
Treach had a close friendship with rapper Tupac Shakur.[8] They collaborated on Shakur's song "5 Deadly Venomz" and Treach appeared in his music video "Temptations."[9] Treach is a fan of battle rap.
Marriages
editTreach was married to Sandra Denton, better known as Pepa of the hip hop group Salt-n-Pepa, from July 1999 until 2001. The couple had one daughter, Egypt Jahnari Criss (born September 2, 1998).[citation needed] Denton documented the marriage in her 2008 memoir Let's Talk About Pepa, which included allegations of abuse. In April 2017, Treach responded on Instagram, saying they were all false.[10]
According to VH1, Treach has been with his common-law wife Cicely Evans for the last ten years.[when?] They have two children together. The couple starred on season 5 of Couples Therapy on VH1 in 2014. Treach and Cicely Evans married on September 8, 2019, in New Jersey.[11]
Legal issues
editTreach was arrested in Union City, New Jersey, on April 10, 2014. He allegedly passed traffic police in his Cadillac Escalade at 55 miles per hour in a 25-mile per hour zone and attempted to elude law enforcement officers after being given a signal to stop, leading them on a high-speed chase for nine blocks before stopping. He then left his vehicle and ran towards the police car; the officers drew their weapons and ordered him to return to his vehicle. Treach later complied with the officers' orders and was cited for reckless driving, speeding and driving with a suspended license. Officers also found there was a warrant for his arrest out of Essex County, New Jersey, for failing to appear at a hearing related to child support, and warrants out of Union City and Secaucus, New Jersey, for failing to appear at hearings related to motor vehicle violations.[12] He made his first court appearance on the charge in Jersey City, New Jersey, on April 11 and spent the night in Hudson County jail in Kearny before being released after posting $15,000 bail.[13]
Discography
edit- Studio albums
- Independent Leaders (1989)
- Naughty by Nature (1991)
- 19 Naughty III (1993)
- Poverty's Paradise (1995)
- Nineteen Naughty Nine: Nature's Fury (1999)
- IIcons (2002)
- Anthem Inc. (2011)
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Juice | Radames' Homie | |
| 1993 | The Meteor Man | Blood | |
| 1994 | Jason's Lyric | Alonzo | |
| 1997 | First Time Felon | Tyrone | TV movie |
| 2000 | Boricua's Bond | - | |
| The Contract | Bishop | Short | |
| Rhapsody | Friend | TV movie | |
| 2001 | 3 A.M. | Bass | |
| 2002 | Face | Michael | |
| Empire | Chedda | ||
| Book of Love | Jay Black | ||
| Baseball Wives | Carl | TV movie | |
| Love and a Bullet | Malik Bishop | ||
| Conviction | Tank | TV movie | |
| 2003 | El Chupacabra | Dr. Goodspeed | |
| F.A.T. | Ralf | ||
| 2005 | Today You Die | Ice Kool | |
| The Game Is Dead | Muta | Video | |
| Feast | Vet | ||
| 2006 | Park | Tow Truck Driver | |
| Connors War | Connors | Video | |
| 13 Graves | Inglewood Jake | TV movie | |
| 2007 | Playas Ball | Ricardo Perez | |
| 2008 | The Verdict | Reverend Toussaint | TV movie |
| Ca$h Rules | Trouble | Video | |
| 2009 | A Day in the Life | Armor | |
| The Art of War III: Retribution | Agent Neil Shaw | Video | |
| Before I Self Destruct | Cedrick | Video | |
| 2012 | Zoo | - | |
| One Blood | Malcome Smith | ||
| 2013 | Atlantic Rim | Lieutenant Jim Rushing | Video |
| The Lost Book of Rap | Pac | Short | |
| 2017 | Six 2 Six | Curtis Taylor | |
| 2020 | Equal Standard | Trigger | |
| For NYC | - | Short | |
| 2022 | Vanished: Searching for My Sister | Coogi | TV movie |
| Lord of the Streets | Jason Dyson |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | House of Style | Himself | Episode: "Fall Edition" |
| New York Undercover | Sheik | Episode: "You Get No Respect" | |
| 1999 | Oz | Malcolm 'Snake' Coyle | Recurring Cast: Season 3 |
| 2001-02 | Soul Food | Philky | Episode: "I'm Afraid of Americans" & "A Taste of Justice" |
| 2002 | Third Watch | Vernon | Episode: "Crime and Punishment: Part 1 & 2" |
| 2003 | Fastlane | Cyrus | Episode: "Defense" |
| 2005 | Law & Order: Trial by Jury | Bruno Johnson | Episode: "41 Shots" |
| 2006 | VH1 Goes Inside | Himself | Episode: "Yo! MTV Raps" |
| The Sopranos | Marvin | Episode: "The Fleshy Part of the Thigh" | |
| 2009 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Reginald X. Oldman | Episode: "Salome in Manhattan" |
| 2013 | Person of Interest | Reginald 'Reverb' Marshall | Episode: "Reasonable Doubt" |
| 2014 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Lincoln Mayfield | Episode: "Let's Make A Deal" |
| Couples Therapy | Himself | Cast Member: Season 5 | |
| 2015 | Come Back Kings | Himself | Main Cast |
| The Player | Reaper | Episode: "Downtown Odds" | |
| 2016 | Love & Hip Hop | Himself | Episode: "Endings Beginnings" |
| The Night Of | Willy John | Episode: "The Season of the Witch" & "Samson and Delilah" | |
| 2017 | Blue Bloods | Tyrell Green | Episode: "Pick Your Poison" |
| Hip Hop Squares | Himself/Contestant | Episode: "Downtown Odds" | |
| 2019 | Growing Up Hip Hop | Himself | Episode: "A Proposal in the Heir" |
| 2020-22 | The Family Business | Brother X | Recurring Cast: Season 2 & 4, Guest: Season 3 |
References
edit- ^ "Naughty By Nature". Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll. Touchstone. 2001. p. 681. ISBN 978-0-7432-0120-9.
- ^ "CERTIFIED". ASCAP.com. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
- ^ "Rappers Treach of Naughty By Nature and Pepa of Salt N' Pepa wed in Kansas Tattoo Shop". JET Magazine. Vol. 95, no. 22. May 3, 1999. p. 15 – via Google Books.
- ^ Berry, S. Torriano; Berry, Venise T. (May 7, 2015). "Treach". Historical Dictionary of African American Cinema. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 438. ISBN 978-1-4422-4702-4.
- ^ "Treach biography and filmography". tribute.ca.
- ^ a b c Hoffmann, Frank (2016). Chronology of American Popular Music, 1900-2000. Taylor & Francis. p. 468. ISBN 9781135868864.
- ^ "Treach: List of Movies and TV Shows". tvguide.com. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ Bandini (May 20, 2017). "Treach Flies To L.A. & Wages War To Protect Tupac's Legacy". Ambrosia For Heads. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
- ^ Hochman, Steve (September 24, 1995). "2Pac's Pals Turn Out for Tupac-Less Video". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
- ^ Alexis, Diamond (April 28, 2017). "Treach Slams His Ex-Wife Pepa On Instagram". BET.com. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ "Treach Criss & Cicely Evans Season 5". VH1.com. Archived from the original on September 5, 2014. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
- ^ "Anthony 'Treach' Criss of hip hop group Naughty by Nature arrested in Union City". NJ.com. April 11, 2014. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
- ^ "Naughty by Nature member 'Treach' Criss released from Hudson jail". NJ.com. April 15, 2014. Retrieved March 9, 2015.