MC Ren (born Lorenzo Patterson, June 14, 1969, Los Angeles (Compton), California) joined up with the groundbreaking gangsta rap group N.W.A as he finished his senior year at Dominguez High School in Compton. By contributing hard-hitting vocals on the Straight Outta Compton (1989) album, Ren soon found himself a much more valuable member of the group after Ice Cube departed in 1989. After becoming the first hardcore rap group to gain mainstream success