Inga DeCarlo Fung Marchand,better known by her stage name Foxy Brown,is an American rapper. Upon signing to Def Jam Recordings in 1996,she released her debut studio album,Ill Na Na in November of that year to critical and commercial success. It peaked at number seven on the Billboard 200,received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA),sold over seven million units worldwide,and was supported by the Billboard Hot 100-top ten single "I'll Be".
Reasonable Doubt is the debut studio album by American rapper Jay-Z. It was released on June 25,1996,by his own record label Roc-A-Fella Records and distributed by Priority Records. The album features production provided by DJ Premier,Ski,Knobody and Clark Kent,and also includes guest appearances from Memphis Bleek,Mary J. Blige,Jaz-O,and the Notorious B.I.G.,among others. The album features mafioso rap themes and gritty lyrics about the "hustler" lifestyle and material obsessions.
American rapper Jay-Z has released thirteen solo studio albums,four collaboration albums,one live album,one compilation album,one soundtrack album,two extended plays,one hundred and fifteen singles,nine promotional singles and eighty-two music videos. As of December 2014,Jay-Z has sold 29,179,000 studio albums in United States.
Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life is the third studio album by American rapper Jay-Z. It was released on September 29,1998,by Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. It went on to become his most commercially successful album,selling over 6 million copies in the United States. In the liner notes of the album,Jay-Z gives his thoughts on various tracks. The lyrics to the fast-paced "Nigga What,Nigga Who " are also included.
Jay-Z:Unplugged is rapper Jay-Z's 2001 live album that contains some of his past songs with live instruments performed by the hip-hop band the Roots. The album,which sold more than 600,000 copies,was recorded during the taping of an MTV Unplugged 2.0 episode on November 18,2001.
Rodolfo Franklin,known professionally as DJ Clark Kent,is an American hip hop record producer,DJ and music executive of Panamanian descent. His crew of DJs is called "The Supermen",and his DJ moniker is derived from the name of Superman's alter ego.
Ill Na Na is the debut studio album by American rapper Foxy Brown. It was released by Def Jam Recordings on November 19,1996,and reissued on September 29,1997,in the UK with an additional song "Big Bad Mamma". Brown began working on the album after being discovered by the production team Trackmasters and appearing on a number of singles by other artists,such as LL Cool J,Case and Jay Z. The immediate success of the singles led to a bidding war at the beginning of 1996,and in March,Def Jam Recordings won and signed the then 17-year-old rapper to the label. Mostly produced by Trackmasters,Ill Na Na features guest appearances from Blackstreet,Havoc,Method Man,Kid Capri and Jay Z. Lyrically,the album mainly focuses on themes of fashion,sex and mafia.
"Hustlin'" is the debut single by American rapper Rick Ross,and the first single from his debut album Port of Miami,produced by The Runners.
"Dead Presidents" is a 1996 song by American rapper Jay-Z. It was released as the first promotional single for Jay-Z's debut album Reasonable Doubt,though it did not directly appear on the album:a different version of the song with the same backing track and chorus but with different lyrics called "Dead Presidents II" appeared on Reasonable Doubt. "Dead Presidents II" was voted number 16 in About.com's Top 100 Rap Songs and number 42 in Rolling Stone's Top 50 Jay-Z Songs.
"Nigga What,Nigga Who" is a single by rapper Jay-Z's third album Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life. It was released on March 1,1999. The song is produced by Timbaland and features two artists:Big Jaz,who raps one verse and Amil,who speaks the track's chorus.
"Can't Knock the Hustle" is the third single from American rapper Jay-Z's debut album Reasonable Doubt. The song features a beat produced by Knobody. It is co-produced by Sean C and Dahoud Darien. The chorus is sung by Mary J. Blige.
"(Always Be My) Sunshine" is a hip hop song by American rapper Jay-Z with guest vocals from fellow femcee Foxy Brown and R&B singer-songwriter Babyface who performs the song's chorus. It serves as the first single from his second album In My Lifetime,Vol. 1 (1997). The track features production by Daven "Prestige" Vanderpool. Vanderpool samples MC Lyte's "Cha Cha Cha",Alexander O'Neal's "Sunshine",Kraftwerk's "The Man-Machine" and The Fearless Four's "Rockin' It" for the track's beat. In addition,George Fonenette plays keyboards on this song. The song's lyrics helped indicate Jay-Z's change from his Mafioso rap style to a more commercial "shiny suit" style. Steve Juon of RapReviews.com supports the song claiming that it is a less gangsta version of The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Me &My Bitch",a well-received track. Jay-Z cites this song as "what killed the album."
"Jigga My Nigga" is a single by Jay-Z from the Ruff Ryders Entertainment compilation Ryde or Die Vol. 1. It was released on May 28,1999. It also appeared as a hidden track on Jay-Z's fourth album,Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter,contained within the final track "Hova Song (Outro)". Produced by Swizz Beatz,it reached number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song interpolates "Just You Just Me" by The Counts and "What's My Name?" by Snoop Dogg,using the line "what's my motherfuckin' name?". The beat was later remade for "Scenario 2000" by Eve featuring Ruff Ryders.
"I'll Be" is a song recorded by American rapper Foxy Brown for her debut studio album,Ill Na Na (1996),featuring Brooklyn-based rapper Jay-Z. It was released as the second single from the album on March 4,1997,by Violator and Def Jam Recordings. The song was written by Shawn Carter,Jean-Claude Olivier,Samuel Barnes,Angela Winbush,RenéMoore,Bobby Watson and Bruce Swedien with production by Trackmasters,and samples René&Angela's 1985 song "I'll Be Good". It was recorded at Chung King Studios in New York City,while the mixing of the track was finished at The Hit Factory. "I'll Be" is a hip hop and R&B song with explicit lyrics that revolve around sex and money.
The Nutty Professor Soundtrack is the soundtrack to Tom Shadyac's 1996 comedy film The Nutty Professor. It was released in June 1996 via Def Jam Recordings,and contained hip hop and R&B music.
Def Jam's How to Be a Player soundtrack is the soundtrack to the 1997 comedy film,Def Jam's How to Be a Player. It was released on August 5,1997,through Def Jam Recordings.
"Niggas in Paris" is a song by American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West from their collaborative album Watch the Throne (2011). The song is built around a synth bell loop from the Dirty South Bangaz music library,and contains vocal samples from "Baptizing Scene" by Reverend W.A. Donaldson,an interpolation of "Victory" by Puff Daddy featuring The Notorious B.I.G. and Busta Rhymes,and dialogue excerpts from the 2007 film Blades of Glory. On the week of the album's release,"Niggas in Paris" debuted at number 75 on the Billboard Hot 100,eventually peaking at number five. Outside of the United States,"Niggas in Paris" peaked within the top ten of the charts in the United Kingdom. As of 2018,it has sold 6.7 million archetype digital units in the United States. The song won Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards.
Jonathan Allen Burks Sr.,better known by his stage name Jaz-O,is an American rapper and record producer. Active in the late 1980s through the 1990s,he became known in retrospect as the mentor of fellow Brooklyn rapper Jay-Z. Burks,nicknamed "the Originator",debuted the artist on his 1986 single "H. P. Gets Busy". Burks signed with EMI to release three studio albums:Word to the Jaz (1989),To Your Soul (1990) and Kingz Kounty (2002). His debut extended play (EP),The Warmup (2021) was the first release from the Roc Nation subsidiary,Equity Distribution. He has also been credited with production work for other artists including Puff Daddy,Rakim,Usual Suspects,GZA,Kool G Rap,Queen Latifah,M.O.P.,and Group Home,among others.
The singles discography of American rapper Jay-Z consists of 68 singles as a lead artist,and 51 singles as a featured artist,as well as 14 promotional singles.
