Fucking Nicknames, How Do They Work?

July 29, 2010 1:17 PM

What are some musicians / other artists whose stage names contain single letters, as in Violent J or Jay-Z? Bonus points if we can get through the entire alphabet (or most of it).
posted by l33tpolicywonk to Media & Arts (69 answers total)

J Mascis?
posted by spicynuts at 1:20 PM on July 29, 2010 [2 favorites]

Chuck D.
posted by jquinby at 1:21 PM on July 29, 2010

Do they have to still be alive? Eazy- E, Schooly D,
posted by spicynuts at 1:21 PM on July 29, 2010

Tod A (Cop Shoot Cop, Firewater).
posted by julthumbscrew at 1:22 PM on July 29, 2010

You should check out the Wikipedia list of stage names using a browser that lets you search for whole words...
posted by Perplexity at 1:22 PM on July 29, 2010

Q-Tip
posted by arco at 1:23 PM on July 29, 2010

Oh, and Mike Doughty used to go by M. Doughty back in the Soul Coughing era.
posted by julthumbscrew at 1:23 PM on July 29, 2010

If two letters are allowable, you could add K.D. Lang and CC Deville.

I think I've made history by putting those 2 names in the same sentence.
posted by jquinby at 1:23 PM on July 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

E-40
posted by wongcorgi at 1:24 PM on July 29, 2010

P Diddy
posted by 2bucksplus at 1:24 PM on July 29, 2010

G. Dep
posted by wongcorgi at 1:24 PM on July 29, 2010

M. Ward
posted by ND¢ at 1:24 PM on July 29, 2010

Bun B
posted by ND¢ at 1:25 PM on July 29, 2010

If hyphens are allowed then N-dubs is an n for you.
posted by 92_elements at 1:25 PM on July 29, 2010

E.
posted by zamboni at 1:25 PM on July 29, 2010

T-Pain
posted by maudlin at 1:26 PM on July 29, 2010

U-God (Wu Tang)
Vitamin C
posted by 2bucksplus at 1:26 PM on July 29, 2010

Genesis P-orridge
Kenny G
posted by five toed sloth at 1:27 PM on July 29, 2010

Geza X
posted by InfidelZombie at 1:27 PM on July 29, 2010

D. Boon
posted by cac at 1:27 PM on July 29, 2010

Ice-T
posted by verbyournouns at 1:28 PM on July 29, 2010

Special K
posted by wongcorgi at 1:28 PM on July 29, 2010

Bun E. Carlos
posted by anazgnos at 1:28 PM on July 29, 2010

Pimp C

Juicy J (from Three 6 Mafia)
posted by fryman at 1:29 PM on July 29, 2010

ODB?
U-God
posted by wongcorgi at 1:29 PM on July 29, 2010

A+
posted by ND¢ at 1:30 PM on July 29, 2010

C-Murder
posted by wongcorgi at 1:31 PM on July 29, 2010

C-Murder

DJ Z-Trip
posted by fryman at 1:31 PM on July 29, 2010

Terminator X
J Geils Band
Special K
Local H
posted by mhum at 1:31 PM on July 29, 2010

Pusha-T
posted by wongcorgi at 1:31 PM on July 29, 2010

G. Love
posted by DrGirlfriend at 1:32 PM on July 29, 2010

Karen O.
posted by verbyournouns at 1:33 PM on July 29, 2010

MC Hammer
posted by spicynuts at 1:34 PM on July 29, 2010

Heavy D

Kool G Rap

B-Real (from Cypress Hill)
posted by fryman at 1:34 PM on July 29, 2010

MC and DJ shouldn't count.
posted by k8t at 1:35 PM on July 29, 2010

Response by poster: MC and DJ shouldn't count.

I don't think so either. I'm also going to call fowl on middle initials. I'm really looking for WORD LETTER or LETTER WORD. Hyphens okay.

Keep em coming. This is going great.
posted by l33tpolicywonk at 1:37 PM on July 29, 2010

Chunky A
posted by Clambone at 1:37 PM on July 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: For those of you still playing at home, letters we're missing: F, I, L, R, S, V, W, Y
posted by l33tpolicywonk at 1:38 PM on July 29, 2010

L. Boogie?
posted by wongcorgi at 1:40 PM on July 29, 2010

Big L
posted by wongcorgi at 1:40 PM on July 29, 2010

Willie D (from the Geto Boys)

Warren G

J-Kwon

El-P

There's a lot on this list of rappers, though I haven't heard of a lot of them, so I don't know how active they are, if that matters.
posted by fryman at 1:40 PM on July 29, 2010

k-os
posted by Lemurrhea at 1:41 PM on July 29, 2010

Zion I for an I, but they're a duo.
posted by fryman at 1:41 PM on July 29, 2010

Grandmaster B (Bud Bundy's alter ego)
posted by drjimmy11 at 1:41 PM on July 29, 2010

R Kelly
posted by fryman at 1:42 PM on July 29, 2010

Does Tenacious D count?
posted by beandip at 1:42 PM on July 29, 2010

Willie D
J Dilla
Positive K
Master P
Schooly D

(Courtesy of Wikipedia)
posted by Clambone at 1:43 PM on July 29, 2010

Best answer: Okay, I took Perplexity's suggestion and ran with it - copied that Wikipedia page, formatted the hell out of it in Excel, did a search for any single letters, weeded out the middle names... and here's what we have (sorry for repeats!):

A Martinez (Adolph Larrue Martinez, III)
B Real (Louis Freese)
D Flame (Daniel Kretschmar)
D Train (James Williams)
K Ci (Cedric Hailey)
L Shankar (a k a Shenkar) (Lakshminarayanan Shankar)
M Flo (Ryu Yong Gi and Taku Takahashi)
M Shadows (Matthew Charles Sanders)
P Diddy (Sean John Combs)
P Star (Priscilla Star Diaz)
Q Tip (Jonathan Davis (now Kamaal Fareed))
R Kelly (Robert Sylvester Kelly)
T Bone Burnett (Joseph Henry Burnett)
T Bone Walker (Aaron Thibeaux Walker)
T Boz (Tionne Watkins)
T I (Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr.)
T La Rock (Clarence Ronnie Keaton)
T Pain (Faheem Najm)
T Texas Tyler (David Luke Myrick)
U God (Lamont Jody Hawkins)
U Know Yunho (Yunho Jung)
U Roy (Ewart Beckford)
X Pac (Sean Michael Waltman)
Mr T (Lawrence Tureaud, later Lawrence Tero)
Big L (Lamont Coleman)
Bun B (Bernard Freeman)
Dog G (Tseng Kuan-jung)
Ice T (Tracy Marrow)
Jay Z (Shawn Corey Carter)
Mel B (Melanie Janine Brown)
Mel C (Melanie Chisholm)
Ray J (William Raymond Norwood, Jr.)
Eazy E (Eric Lynn Wright)
Eric B (Eric Barrier)
Gina G (Gina Gardiner)
John 5 (John Lowery)
Mike D (Michael Diamond)
Pimp C (Chad Butler)
Pimp C (Chad Butler)
Agent M (Emily Whitehurst)
Chuck D (Carlton Ridenhour)
Daddy G (Grant Marshall)
David J (David Haskins)
Derek B (Derek Bolland)
Jimmy O (Jean Jimmy Alexandre)
Karen O (Karen Lee Orzolek)
Kenny G (Kenneth Bruce Gorelick)
Shock G (Gregory Jacobs)
Steve O (Stephen Gilchrist Glover)
Andrew G (Andrew Jonas Günsberg)
Jazzie B (Beresford Romeo)
Master D (Deeder Saidullah Zaman)
Master P (Percy Miller Sr.)
Triple H (Paul Michael Levesque)
Warren G (Warren Griffin)
Ya Kid K (Barbara Kamosi Maoso Duogi)
LL Cool J (James Todd Smith)
LL Cool J (James Todd Smith)
Special K (Kevin Keaton)
Vitamin C (Colleen Ann Fitzpatrick)
Positive K (Darryl Gibson)
Murray the K (Murray Kaufman)
Terminator X (Norman Lee Rogers)
posted by julthumbscrew at 1:46 PM on July 29, 2010 [3 favorites]

Shock G
posted by wongcorgi at 1:47 PM on July 29, 2010

Lemon D
posted by Chairboy at 1:47 PM on July 29, 2010

I Am Robot and Proud
posted by Jaltcoh at 1:48 PM on July 29, 2010

: F, I, L, R, S, V, W, Y

7L - did an album with esoteric (hip-hop)

Louie V - kc hip-hop artist

Big L !
posted by fizzix at 1:53 PM on July 29, 2010

I Roy
U Roy
posted by hydrophonic at 1:55 PM on July 29, 2010

Response by poster: Still looking for F, S, W, Y
posted by l33tpolicywonk at 1:55 PM on July 29, 2010

Y Kant Tori Read
posted by mkb at 1:57 PM on July 29, 2010 [2 favorites]

Y & T

D'oh! mkb beat me to it, with a much more awesome Y!
posted by Jaltcoh at 1:59 PM on July 29, 2010

Adam F.
Steve Winwood has gone by the name W and there's a band Trespassers W.
S is pseudonym for Sandii.
posted by mkb at 2:15 PM on July 29, 2010

Papa M
posted by whiskeyspider at 2:32 PM on July 29, 2010

l33tpolicywonk: "58Still looking for F, S, W, Y"

Y clef?
posted by Bonzai at 2:35 PM on July 29, 2010

Response by poster: hal_c_on: "Are we done now?"

Yep. Thanks everybody.
posted by l33tpolicywonk at 3:17 PM on July 29, 2010

Jay-Z? Haha: ZZ & De Maskers
posted by ouke at 4:32 PM on July 29, 2010

LL Cool J.
Vitamin C.
posted by Pronoiac at 5:57 PM on July 29, 2010

King Boy D.
posted by Pronoiac at 6:03 PM on July 29, 2010

Huh? Mike D, but no MCA?
posted by Ghidorah at 6:58 PM on July 29, 2010

Tonio K.
posted by rfs at 7:40 PM on July 29, 2010

Carlos D, former bass player of Interpol.
posted by Kattullus at 8:21 PM on July 29, 2010

I once heard Mr. T asked what his real name was. He replied, "My real name IS 'Mister T' -- My first name is Mister, my last name is T, and my middle name is the period after "Mr".
posted by fourcheesemac at 8:30 PM on July 29, 2010

HR (from Bad Brains).

Do I get a bonus for two single-letters?
posted by macdara at 4:17 AM on July 30, 2010

Looks like this has been settled, but I just want to add -M-.
posted by srah at 1:22 PM on July 30, 2010