He began his career as a vocalist in the mid-1980s before eventually in 1989 he linked up with his cousin
Cold 187um (who gave him his stage name/moniker "Kokane") and signing a production deal with
Laylaw they recorded a 3 song demo and sent it to
Eazy-E eventually signing to
Eazy-E's
Ruthless Records label in late 1989. His debut album,
Addictive Hip Hop Muzick, was released in 1991, on which he was credited as "Who Am I?" to avoid infringing on laws which forbade the use of his usual moniker. His first solo single, "Nickel Slick Nigga", appeared on the
Deep Cover soundtrack. In addition to co-writing "
Appetite for Destruction" for
N.W.A's
Niggaz4life, Long also contributed to other West Coast
gangsta rap albums such as
Above the Law's
Black Mafia Life. For his second album, 1994's
Funk Upon a Rhyme, Long drastically changed his style, incorporating a great deal of singing and an eccentric form of G-funk. He would leave Ruthless Records shortly after Eazy-E's death in 1995. He was supposed to be on
Tupac Shakur's
One Nation collaboration album, alongside others, before Shakur's murder in 1996 cut plans for the album short. He continued to make guest appearances until releasing his third solo album through Eureka Records in 1999, entitled
They Call Me Mr. Kane. It was on the Los Angeles
posse cut "Some L.A. Niggaz", from
Dr. Dre's
2001 album, that Long's career found a second wind. While Long had been involved with
West Coast hip hop since the dawn of gangsta rap, he had been unable to secure any substantial success for himself. This changed after his work on
2001, through which Long developed a relationship with
Snoop Dogg and
Tha Eastsidaz. He soon became involved in
Tha Eastsidaz' debut album, and went on to play a significant role in the success of Snoop Dogg's
Tha Last Meal. Long spent the next few years signed to
Dogghouse Records, working on
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Kane. He later signed with
Koch Records, forming a new group, The Hood Mob, comprising himself and fellow rappers Cricet and Contraband. They released their only self-titled album
The Hood Mob on July 3, 2006. His eighth solo studio album,
The Legend Continues, peaked at number 196 on the US
Billboard 200 albums chart. Over the course of his career Long has worked with artists such as Above the Law,
Bad Azz,
C-Bo,
Cypress Hill,
Daz Dillinger,
Doggy's Angels,
E-40, Eazy-E,
Freddie Gibbs,
Goldie Loc,
Ice Cube,
Kurupt,
Mr. Short Khop,
Nipsey Hussle,
Roscoe,
Brotha Lynch Hung, Snoop Dogg,
Spice 1,
Suga Free,
Alchemist,
Big Tray Deee,
Too $hort,
WC, Weazel Loc,
George Clinton,
Ras Kass,
Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E.,
Ab-Soul,
Young Buck,
The Game,
Tony Yayo and many others. == Personal life ==