'''Lorenzo Jerald Patterson''' alias '''MC Ren''' est un américain né le Compton, situé dans le Sud du comté de Los Angeles.

Il se revèle au monde du 1989. Après avoir connu un succès mondial avec leurs deux premiers albums, les NWA se séparent en 1991 suite à différents conflits financiers et lorsque Dr. Dre choisit de rejoindre Death Row Records. 

En 1992, MC Ren se lance dans une carrière solo avec un premier album intitulé ''Kizz My Black Azz''. Assez étonnamment, avec peu de promotion commerciale, cet album réalisé avec la collaboration de or. Son second album personnel, ''Shock of the Hour'', sortit en 1993 après que MC Ren se soit converti à la nation de l'Islam et ne laissa pas une impression durable.

MC Ren connut alors une période difficile avec le décès brutal de son DJ (DJ Train), mort dans un incendie juste avant la sortie de ''The Villain in Black'' en 1996. Avant de quitter le label 1998), son dernier album à ce jour. Il a cependant été invité à participer à plusieurs morceaux par quelques rappeurs (snoop dogg, The DOC, Dr Dre, cypress hill )

{{Infobox musical artist  <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->
| Name                = MC Ren
| Img                 = 
| Img_capt            = 
| Landscape           =
| Background          = solo_singer
| Birth_name          = Lorenzo Gerald Patterson
| Alias               = R-E-N<br>Ruthless Villain<br>The Villain in Black
| Born                = 
| Origin              = Compton, California
| Instrument          = 
| Genre               = Hip hop
| Occupation          = Rapper
| Years_active        = 1988 - present
| Label               = Ruthless, Island Def Jam, Interscope, Universal Motown
| Associated_acts     = N.W.A<br>Above The Law
| URL                 = 
| Notable_instruments = 
}}
'''Lorenzo Jerald Patterson''' (born Compton, California) better known by his stage name '''MC Ren''' is a rapper who formed part of the group N.W.A.

==Biography==
Born and raised in Compton, he joined the gangsta rap group N.W.A after finishing his senior year at Dominguez High School. In 1987 he was notably featured on the debut album by friend Eazy-E. Following the success of that album, Ren contributed vocals on the ''Straight Outta Compton'' (1988) album as well writing several tracks after Ice Cube left the group in 1989.<ref name=yahoo>[http://music.yahoo.com/ar-256005-bio--MC-Ren MC Ren biography.] Yahoo. Accessed January 3 2008.</ref> As part of N.W.A, Ren wrote and performed three solo recordings, two of which - 'Just Don't Bite It' (from the 100 Miles And Runnin' E.P.) and the follow up album track 'She Swallowed It' (Efil4Zaggin) cemented MC Ren's status as a songwriter.

N.W.A became the first gangsta rap group to gain mainstream success. However, as their album ''#1 spot on the platinum.<ref name=RIAA>[http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=Kizz%20My%20Black%20Azz&artist=&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2008&sort=Artist&perPage=25 ''Kizz My Black Azz'' certification.] RIAA. Accessed January 3 2008.</ref> MC Ren's next album, ''Life Sentence'', was scrapped while he converted to the Nation of Islam<ref>[http://www.worldwideconnected.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=213 Interview with MC Ren - Interview<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>  Capital Punishment Organization. ''Shock of the Hour'' in 1993 was released the next year. It also features the single "Mayday on the Frontline" which appeared in the film ''CB4''. Following this, there was the release 'Forget What Ya Heard'. Two years followed before an E.P. sampler for the 'Villain In Black' album hit the streets. This particular 12" is considered a collectors' item. Incidentally, during the 1992-94  period, Ren along with the likes of Dre, Warren G (Dre's half brother) Eazy-E and Snoop Dog Dogg were instrumental in pioneering what would become known as 'G Funk' - a direct evolution from the N.W.A. sound. This sound can actually be traced back as far as the 1987 N.W.A release 'Dopeman'. However it wasn't until the N.W.A group split that the likes of Ren, Dre and Eazy developed their own brand of G Funk. MC Ren's "Same Old Shit" and "Fuck What Ya Heard" being good examples of his own style.

Soon after, MC Ren soon fell on hard times when DJ Train died in a house fire before the release of ''2001'' album, but only took part in the intro, speaking.

In 2000 he appeared on the song "Hello" which featured Dr. Dre and Ice Cube on Ice Cube's ''War & Peace Vol. 2 (The Peace Disc)'' album. He joined the Up In Smoke Tour that same year just to rap this verse on this track.

In addition, MC Ren released the straight-to-DVD movie entitled ''Lost in the Game'' in 2004.

His most recent work has appeared on some more politically-oriented projects such as with Public Enemy, specifically Paris' album ''Hard Truth Soldiers Vol. 1'' as well as on Public Enemy's album ''Rebirth of a Nation'' (2006). Paris did state, however, in a recent interview with Rapstation.com that "MC Ren is retired and won't be doing a full-length album as far as I know. I get at him for verses, that's about it."
MC Ren appeared on the VH1 ''Hip Hop Honors'' talking about Eazy-E in the tribute to him.
As of late 2007, Ren is supposed to be in work with Long Beach based rapper, RBX alongside Big Rocc. The group is called ''Concrete Criminals'' and have been promising a 2008 release date for a debut album.<ref>[http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.5941/title.mc-ren-returns-with-rbx-as-concrete-criminals mc-ren-returns-with-rbx-as-concrete-criminals.] HipHopDX. Accessed November 9 2007.</ref>