Ariyan Arslani (born December 2, 1983), professionally known as Action Bronson, is an American rapper, songwriter, chef, wrestler, and television presenter. Born and raised in Queens, New York, he released his debut mixtape Bon Appetit ..... Bitch!!!!! in January 2011 and independently released his debut album, Dr. Lecter, in March 2011. In August 2012, Arslani signed his first major-label deal with Warner Bros. Records, but was later moved to the Atlantic Records-distributed label Vice Records.
Arslani went on to create two self-released mixtapes, Rare Chandeliers (2012) with American music producer, Daniel Alan Maman, better known as The Alchemist, and Blue Chips 2 (2013) with longtime producer Party Supplies, before releasing his major-label debut, an extended play (EP) titled Saaab Stories, with frequent collaborator Harry Fraud, in 2013. He released his major-label debut album, Mr. Wonderful, in March 2015, debuting at number seven on the US Billboard 200 chart, receiving over 48,000 streams that week.
Aside from his career in music, Arslani hosted The Untitled Action Bronson Show, a talk/variety show, and still hosts his travel program Fuck, That's Delicious, on Viceland. His frequent collaborators and lifelong friends Meyhem Lauren, The Alchemist, and Big Body Bes are regulars on both of his television series. Renowned chefs such as Mario Batali, Andrew Zimmern, Daniel Boulud, Rick Bayless, Grant Achatz, and others have been guests on his television series. In September 2017, Arslani published a cookbook based on his travel show, also titled Fuck, That's Delicious.
Biography
1983–2010: Early life and career
Ariyan Arslani was born in Flushing, Queens, New York City, on December 2, 1983, to an Albanian Muslim father and an American Jewish mother. Growing up he had been raised in his father's Muslim tradition. He attended Bayside High School, in Bayside, Queens, and graduated in 2002. Before embarking on a career as a rapper, which was originally just a hobby, Bronson worked as a cook at his father's Mediterranean restaurant in Forest Hills. He hosted his own online cooking show, Action in the Kitchen. After breaking his leg in the kitchen, Bronson concentrated solely on rapping.
2011: Dr. Lecter and Well Done
Action Bronson's debut studio album Dr. Lecter was independently released by Fine Fabric Delegates on March 15, 2011. The album, produced entirely by New York City-based music producer Tommy Mas, was made available for digital download and also in CD-R, on his official website. In November of that year, Bronson followed up with Well-Done, a collaborative effort with American hip hop producer Statik Selektah. On March 12, 2012, he released his second mixtape, titled Blue Chips, with Party Supplies.
2012–2013: Major-label deal and Saaab Stories
In August 2012, it was announced Paul Rosenberg signed Action Bronson to a management deal with Goliath Artists, which also houses names such as Eminem, The Alchemist, Blink-182 and Danny Brown. In the same month, Bronson was featured on Odd Future-rapper Domo Genesis and American hip hop producer The Alchemist's collaborative album No Idols, on tracks "Elimination Chamber" (featuring Earl Sweatshirt and Vince Staples) and "Daily News" (featuring SpaceGhostPurrp and Earl Sweatshirt). Later that year Action Bronson joined both Warner Bros. Records, via media company VICE, and concert booking agency NUE. On November 15, 2012, Bronson released Rare Chandeliers, a collaborative mixtape with the Alchemist.
In March 2013, Bronson performed at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and later that month was featured on XXL Magazine's 2013 Freshman Class, a list of up-and-coming rappers. In May 2013, Action Bronson was moved to Atlantic Records, and subsequently released an extended play (EP) titled Saaab Stories, on June 11, 2013. The EP was produced entirely by American music producer Harry Fraud and features guest appearances from fellow American rappers Raekwon, Wiz Khalifa, and Prodigy. Released as a digital download only, the EP was preceded by the single, "Strictly 4 My Jeeps". In July 2013, he indicated wanting to get fellow Queens-bred rappers, Nas and Kool G Rap, on his major-label debut album, but unfortunately couldn't get them on. Also in July, Bronson announced his major-label debut album would be released in early 2014.