Johnny Reed McKinzie Jr., better known by his stage name Jay Rock, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Los Angeles, he signed with local independent label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) in 2005. He secured a major label joint venture deal with Warner Bros. Records and Asylum Records to release his 2008 debut single, "All My Life ". Failing to chart, the mergers fell through and Rock departed from both of the latter labels shortly after. He then signed with Missouri rapper Tech N9ne's label Strange Music in a joint venture deal with TDE in 2011.
Keenon Dequan Ray Jackson, known better as YG, is an American rapper from Compton, California. He released his debut mixtape 4Fingaz in 2008, and its follow-up, The Real 4Fingaz the following year. The latter gained recognition for its local hit song "Toot It and Boot It", which entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 67 and received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). He signed a recording contract with Def Jam Recordings in October 2009, which entered joint-venture with Atlanta-based rapper Jeezy's record label, CTE World, in 2013.
Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) is an American independent record label. Specializing in hip hop and R&B artists, TDE is based in Carson, California. The label was founded in 2004 by record producer Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith, who is the chief executive officer. His son, Anthony "Moosa" Tiffith Jr., and Terrence "Punch" Henderson are the presidents of the label.
Herbert Anthony Stevens IV, better known by his stage name Ab-Soul, is an American rapper. Raised in Carson, California, he signed to indie record label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) in 2007, where he eventually formed West Coast hip hop group Black Hippy, alongside fellow California-based rappers Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar and Schoolboy Q. He is perhaps most known for his introspective lyrics and his five independent albums under TDE, Longterm Mentality, Control System, These Days..., Do What Thou Wilt., and Herbert, which were all released to positive reviews and commercial success.
Overly Dedicated is the fourth solo mixtape by American rapper Kendrick Lamar, released on September 14, 2010, via Top Dawg Entertainment. The album features guest appearances from Dash Snow, Jhené Aiko, Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, Ash Riser, Dom Kennedy and Murs, among others. The album's production was handled by several TDE in-house producers, including King Blue, Sounwave, Tae Beast and Willie B; other producers such as Tommy Black, Jairus "J-Mo" Mozee, and Wyldfyer, also contributed production. The mixtape had sold a total of 12,000 copies as of October 2012.
Sudan Ameer Williams, better known by his stage name Iamsu!, is an American rapper and record producer from Richmond, California. He is the lead member of the hip hop group the HBK Gang, which was formed in 2008 and joined by fellow Bay Area artists including Kehlani and Sage the Gemini. He is best known for his guest appearances on Sage the Gemini's 2013 single "Gas Pedal" and LoveRance's 2011 single "Up!," both of which peaked within the top 50 of the Billboard Hot 100. He signed with Alternative Distribution Alliance to release his debut studio album Sincerely Yours (2014), which moderately entered the Billboard 200 and received mixed reviews.
Isaiah Rashad Joel McClain is an American rapper. His mainstream breakthrough followed after his performances on the 2012 Smoker's Club Tour alongside rappers Juicy J, Joey Badass and Smoke DZA. He is a founding member of the Chattanooga, Tennessee-based hip hop collective The House, which he formed with rappers YGTUT, Michael Da Vinci (MikeyD), Chris P, and Brian Brown.
The discography of YG, an American rapper, consists of six studio albums, 55 singles and nine mixtapes. YG's debut studio album, My Krazy Life, was released on March 18, 2014. His second studio album, Still Brazy, was released on June 17, 2016. His best known singles include "Big Bank", "My Nigga" and "Who Do You Love".
Kossisko Konan (1991/1992–present), known mononymously as Kossisko and formerly known as 100s, is an American singer/rapper and songwriter from Berkeley, California. In 2012, Kossisko, as rapper 100s, released their debut mixtape Ice Cold Perm. They were signed to Fool's Gold Records in June 2013. Following the release of the single "Ten Freaky Hoes", it was announced that Kossisko would be releasing their second mixtape, an EP titled Ivry, which was released on March 7, 2014, via Fool's Gold. It featured a greater g-funk and disco influence than their debut mixtape. They are also well known for the song "Life of a Mack", which appeared on the soundtrack of the video game Grand Theft Auto V. At the start of 2015, they retired the 100s persona and now performs under the name Kossisko. As Kossisko, they released their first single "This May Be Me" on February 17, 2015. The track was premiered by The Fader. Later that year, Kossisko released their debut EP, Red White N Cruel. In 2016, Kossisko launched a crowdfunding campaign to help fund their work on a short horror film titled '2037.'
EarthGang is an American hip hop duo from Atlanta, Georgia, composed of Olu and WowGr8. They are co-founders of the musical collective Spillage Village, with JID, Hollywood JB, JordxnBryant, 6lack, Mereba, and Benji.
Still Brazy is the second studio album by American rapper YG. It was made available for streaming on June 14, 2016, by Apple Music. Later, it was released physically for the digital download purchases on June 17, 2016, by 4Hunnid Records, CTE World and Def Jam Recordings. The album features production handled by Swish, P-Lo, Terrace Martin, Larrance Dopson, CT Beats, Ty Dolla Sign and Hit-Boy, while YG enlisted the collaborators such as Lil Wayne, Drake, Nipsey Hussle and Slim 400, among others.
Joseph Davis, better known by his stage name Joey Purp, is an American rapper from Chicago, Illinois. He is one half of Leather Corduroys. He is one of the founding members of Savemoney.
Miles Parks McCollum, known professionally as Lil Yachty, is an American rapper and singer. He first gained recognition in August 2015 for his viral hit "One Night" from his debut EP Summer Songs. He then released his debut mixtape Lil Boat in March 2016, and signed a joint venture record deal with Motown, Capitol Records, and Quality Control Music in June of that year.
Joshua Dai’Quan Goods, known professionally as Tate Kobang, is an American rapper, songwriter and record producer. Although active in the Baltimore hip-hop scene since 2011, he rose to prominence with "Bank Rolls (Remix)", a 90-second promotional single for his April 2015 release "Live Hazey", released on YouTube on April 19, 2015, in remembrance of his mother. In 2020, he co-wrote the single "Mr. Right Now" by 21 Savage and Metro Boomin.
Ransom 2 is the debut studio album by American record producer Mike Will Made It. It is the sequel to his 2014 mixtape Ransom, and was released on March 24, 2017. The album features guest appearances by Kendrick Lamar, Rae Sremmurd, Big Sean, Lil Wayne, YG, Pharrell Williams, 2 Chainz, Young Thug, Chief Keef, and others.
Kamaiyah Jamesha Johnson is an American rapper and singer from Oakland, California. Her debut mixtape, A Good Night in the Ghetto, was released in 2016 to critical acclaim. In 2017, Kamaiyah was named as one of the ten of XXL's 2017 Freshman Class. She released her second mixtape, Before I Wake, in 2017. In 2020, she launched her own label, GRND.WRK, releasing her third mixtape, Got It Made, through the label.
Christopher Smith Jr., better known by his stage name Smino, is an American rapper. Smino is the founder of the musical collective Zero Fatigue with Bari, Monte Booker, Jay2, and Ravyn Lenae. He is one third of the supergroup Ghetto Sage, with Saba and Noname. Smino is signed to Downtown Records and Interscope.
Telefone is the debut mixtape by American rapper Noname. Originally announced in 2012, the mixtape faced numerous delays and was finally released four years later on July 31, 2016, as a free digital download. It features guest appearances from Saba, Ravyn Lenae, Raury, and Smino among others.
"We the People...." is a song by American hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest, and the first single from their sixth and final album, We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service. Produced by Q-Tip and co-produced by Blair Wells, the song contains a sample of the drum break of "Behind the Wall of Sleep" by Black Sabbath. The name of the track refers to the first three words of the Preamble to the United States Constitution. The chorus of the politically-charged song parodies Donald Trump's presidential campaign. "We the People...." was critically acclaimed and included on several year-end lists by publications.
Halal Gang is a Canadian hip hop collective based in Toronto, Ontario. The name stems from the preponderance of the group having Muslim origins with East African and Caribbean Canadian roots. Initially the group is said to have stemmed out from a gang participating in criminal activity. The group was established in 2010 as a group of youths from Regent Park inspired to make music. Its original incarnation includes Puffy L'z. Mustafa the Poet, Mo-G, Safe and Smoke Dawg.
