Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, emerged in the mid- to late 1980s as a controversial hip-hop subgenre whose lyrics assert the culture and values typical of American street gangs and street hustlers. Many gangsta rappers flaunt associations with real street gangs, like the Crips and the Bloods. Gangsta rap's pioneers were Schoolly D of Philadelphia in 1985, Ice-T of Los Angeles in 1986, and especially N.W.A in 1988. In 1993, via record producer Dr. Dre, rapper Snoop Dogg and their G-funk sound, gangsta rap took the rap genre's lead and became mainstream, popular music.
Eric Lynn Wright, known professionally as Eazy-E, was an American rapper who propelled West Coast rap and gangsta rap by leading the group N.W.A and its label, Ruthless Records. He is often referred to as the "Godfather of Gangsta Rap".
Artis Leon Ivey Jr., known professionally as Coolio, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Coolio achieved mainstream success in the mid-to-late 1990s with his albums It Takes a Thief (1994), Gangsta's Paradise (1995), and My Soul (1997). He is best known for his 1995 Grammy Award-winning hit single "Gangsta's Paradise", as well as other singles "Fantastic Voyage" (1994), "1, 2, 3, 4 " (1996) and "C U When U Get There" (1997).
Delmar Drew Arnaud, known professionally as Daz Dillinger, is an American rapper and record producer. In the 1990s at Death Row Records, aided the catapult of West Coast rap and gangsta rap into the mainstream. He is one half of the rap duo tha Dogg Pound, along with Kurupt.
"Gangsta's Paradise" is a song by American rapper Coolio, featuring American singer L.V. The song was released on Coolio's second album of the same name (1995), as well as the soundtrack for the 1995 film Dangerous Minds. It interpolates Stevie Wonder's 1976 song "Pastime Paradise".
R&G : The Masterpiece is the seventh studio album by American rapper Snoop Dogg. It was released on November 16, 2004, by Doggystyle Records, making its first on Star Trak Entertainment and Geffen Records. Recording sessions took place from November 2003 to September 2004 in each of several recording studios. The album's production was handled from The Neptunes, The Alchemist, Lil Jon, Hi-Tek, Warryn Campbell, and L.T. Hutton, among others.
Tyree Cinque Simmons, professionally known as DJ Drama, is an American DJ, record executive and music promoter. He is the co-founder of Generation Now, an Atlantic Records imprint with artists including Lil Uzi Vert, Jack Harlow, and Skeme on its roster. He initially gained recognition as the official DJ for Atlanta rapper T.I. and as a prominent mixtape DJ with his series, Gangsta Grillz. Numerous artists have appeared on DJ Drama's Gangsta Grillz tapes, including Lil Wayne, Fabolous, Ludacris, Jeezy, Gucci Mane, and many others. He was a co-founder of the Atlanta-based DJ and artist collective known as the Aphilliates. Drama has released 5 studio albums, curating tracks with some of the industry's most lucrative talent, the most recent of which being Quality Street Music 2 in 2016.
Gangsta Grillz: The Album is the debut album by hip hop disc jockey DJ Drama, bearing the name of his popular Gangsta Grillz mixtape series, that was released on December 4, 2007, by Aphilliates Music Group, Embassy Entertainment, Grand Hustle Records and Atlantic Records.
All Day Everyday is the fourth studio album by American rap group South Central Cartel. It was released on June 3, 1997 via Rush Associated Labels. Recording sessions took place at Echo Sound and Kitchen Sync Studio in Los Angeles.
Gangsta Walking is a street dance that originated in African-American communities in Memphis, Tennessee alongside "Buck" music during the 1990s. The Gangsta Walk is commonly performed to crunk music due to the particular 'bounce' in the beat and the movement the dancers make to keep with it. Though Gangsta Walking has been around for many years, much of the dance is still exclusive to the city and surrounding areas.
The "Star Wars Gangsta Rap" is a parody song based on the original Star Wars trilogy. The song was later popularized as a Flash animated music video and was the first winner of the Audience Choice Award in the Lucasfilm-sponsored Official Star Wars Fan Film Awards.
Gangsta Grillz: The Album Vol. 2 is the second studio album by American hip hop disc jockey DJ Drama. It was released on May 19, 2009, by Grand Hustle Records and Atlantic Records.
Number 23 Gangsta Grillz is the first mixtape by the American rapper Dorrough and DJ Drama, released on February 21, 2010. It is a part of Drama's 'Gangsta Grillz' series, and is also an advertisement mixtape for Dorrough's next studio album, Get Big.
Third Power is the third studio album by American hip hop disc jockey DJ Drama, released on October 11, 2011. It marks his first album not to be released in the Gangsta Grillz series, after his previous two studio albums Gangsta Grillz: The Album (2007) and Gangsta Grillz: The Album (2009). Featured guests on the album include Fabolous, Wiz Khalifa, Roscoe Dash, Freddie Gibbs, Young Jeezy, Wale, J. Cole, Chris Brown, Pusha T, French Montana, Crooked I, B.o.B, Gucci Mane, Ya Boy, Akon, Trey Songz, and Big Sean, among others.
This is the discography of American hip-hop artist DJ Drama. His first album, Gangsta Grillz: The Album, was released in December 2007. It contained two singles: "5000 Ones", featuring Nelly, T.I., Yung Joc, Willie the Kid, Young Jeezy, Diddy and Twista, and "The Art of Storytellin' Part 4", featuring OutKast and Marsha Ambrosius. His second album was released two years later. On Gangsta Grillz: The Album there were again two singles. The first single is "Day Dreaming", featuring Akon, Snoop Dogg and T.I. The second single of the album is "Ridiculous", featuring Gucci Mane, Yo Gotti, Lonnie Mac and OJ da Juiceman. Both singles weren't as successful as "5000 Ones" in the United States, but "Day Dreaming" did peak at #33 on the New Zealander RIANZ singles chart and at #59 on the Swedish Sverigetopplistan singles chart. In 2011 DJ Drama released his third studio album, Third Power. It was his first album not to be released in the Gangsta Grillz series. The lead single of the album is "Oh My", featuring Fabolous, Roscoe Dash and Wiz Khalifa. It was Drama's first song in the Hot 100. It peaked at #95. Besides it peaked at #18 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and #12 on the Hot Rap Songs. On March 1, 2012 DJ Drama announced the release of his fourth album: Quality Street Music. For the album DJ Drama released a new single: "We in This Bitch", featuring Young Jeezy, T.I., Ludacris and Future. It peaked at #68 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The next single, "My Moment, featuring 2 Chainz, Meek Mill, & Jeremih, peaked at #89 on the Hot 100 Singles chart, #24 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and #16 on the Hot Rap Songs. It becomes DJ Drama's most successful single to date.
The Lost Tape is a mixtape by American rapper 50 Cent. The mixtape, hosted by DJ Drama, is 50 Cent's first "Gangsta Grillz" mixtape. It was released as a free download on May 22, 2012.
The Dedication is the fourth mixtape by Lil Wayne, hosted by DJ Drama, released April 2005. It is the first mixtape in the Dedication/Gangsta Grillz series and it was produced and hosted by DJ Drama. The mixtape was given its name because as Wayne explains in the track "Intro", it is dedicated to everyone around the world and to the "fallen soldiers". The cover art shows a shirtless Wayne standing in the road with DJ Drama looking on in the back.
Gangsta is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kohske. It has been published in Shinchosha's Monthly Comic @BUNCH magazine since 2011. The series has inspired a spin-off manga, an audio drama series, an anime television series, and an original novel.
Lola Chantrelle Mitchell, better known by her stage name Gangsta Boo, is an American rapper, who was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. She was the second female member of the Memphis-based hip hop group Three 6 Mafia, where she initially rose to prominence. She left the group and label sometime in 2002, months after the release of her second album, Both Worlds *69, due to money disputes and issues regarding promotion of her album. She has since released mixtapes alongside artists like La Chat and Yelawolf, as well as some solo music. She has also been featured on albums by clipping. and Run The Jewels. She has been referred to as a pioneer of female rap music.
D-Day: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape is the fourth compilation album by American record label Dreamville. It was released on March 31, 2022, by Dreamville and Interscope as a Gangsta Grillz mixtape hosted by DJ Drama.
