Rapper and producer Tragedy Khadafi was born Percy Chapman on August 13, 1971, to a single mother; he grew up in the Queensbridge housing projects of Queens, New York. He got his rap start in 1985 when his rap group “The Superkids” self-released the single “Go Queensbridge.” Next, Tragedy joined the Queensbridge hip hop collective “The Juice Crew.”. At age 16 his rap career was interrupted when he began a 3-year prison term for robbery; during this time he joined the black spiritual organization 5% Nation. In 1993, Tragedy’s career picked up again when he signed with A&M records under the stage name “Intelligent Hoodlum.”. He eventually changed his stage name to Tragedy Khadafi. Although he came up during the East Coast-West Coast rivalry and had his share of beefs, Tragedy eventually swore off feuding as detrimental to hip hop. He continued to work not only as a rapper but as a producer; he played a role in the success of acts such as Capone-N-Noreaga. Tragedy has released nearly a dozen albums and a host of singles and EPs.