Reflection Eternal is an American hip hop duo composed of emcee Talib Kweli and producer Hi-Tek. They released their first album, Train of Thought, in 2000. They have since released a mixtape, The RE: Union, in late December 2009, and their second album Revolutions Per Minute was released May 18, 2010.
Otis Jackson Jr., known professionally as Madlib, is an American DJ, music producer, multi-instrumentalist, and rapper. He is widely known for his collaborations with MF Doom, J Dilla, and Freddie Gibbs. Madlib has described himself as a "DJ first, producer second, and MC last." His stage name is an acronym for "Mind Altering Demented Lessons In Beats".
Tsidi Ibrahim, known professionally as Jean Grae, is an American rapper. She rose in the underground hip hop scene in New York City and has built an international fanbase. Grae's unique music and lyrical style have earned the artist recognition as a favorite emcee by many rap artists such as Talib Kweli, Jay-Z, and Black Thought of the Roots.
Quality is the debut studio album by American rapper Talib Kweli. The album was released on November 19, 2002, by Rawkus Records. It received wide critical acclaim and had some commercial appeal from the song "Get By", produced by Kanye West. Kludge magazine included it on their list of best albums of 2002.
Patrick Denard Douthit, better known as 9th Wonder, is a hip hop record producer, record executive, DJ, and rapper from North Carolina. He began his career as the main producer for the group Little Brother in Durham, North Carolina, and has also worked with Jean Grae, Wale, Murs, Buckshot, Erykah Badu, David Banner, Rapsody, and Talib Kweli. As of 2010, 9th Wonder raps under the name of 9thmatic. 9th Wonder's production often builds on samples from artists such as Al Green and Curtis Mayfield.
The Unspoken Heard is the hip-hop collaborative of rapper Asheru and producer Blue Black. It is often referred to as Asheru & Blue Black of the Unspoken Heard. They began getting significant recognition in underground hip-hop around the turn of the millennium. Their sound is reminiscent of the New York "new school" sound of the early 1990s, particularly that of the Native Tongues Posse.
Blacksmith is a music management company and a record label founded by Harlem born Corey Smyth and Talib Kweli of Black Star.
Eardrum is the third studio album by American hip hop artist Talib Kweli. The album was released on August 21, 2007, by Blacksmith Records and Warner Bros. Records. The album features guest appearances from Res, Jean Grae, UGK, Raheem DeVaughn, Roy Ayers, Kanye West, Norah Jones, Coi Mattison, Lyfe Jennings, will.i.am, Sa-Ra, KRS-One, Musiq Soulchild, Strong Arm Steady, Sizzla, Justin Timberlake and Marsha Ambrosius.
Kendra Ross is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, music business executive, and community organizer from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She was born in Youngstown, Ohio.
Hi-Teknology²: The Chip is a sequel album to Hip hop producer Hi-Tek's first album, Hi-Teknology. Born as Tony Cottrell, He had spent most of his time in the low key hip-hop scene of Cincinnati, Ohio who eventually ran into Mood in 1992. Working with them kickstarted his career and affiliated himself with many MCs. He is best known for his collaboration with Talib Kweli on the album Reflection Eternal. He rose in popularity with the underground hip-hop scene and has worked alongside many talented even Grammy-nominated artists such as 50 Cent and Busta Rhymes. Although working with many talented artists and having a huge impact working with Rawkus Records Collective, it was time for him to show off his own unique abilities which led to his three solo albums. The release of his sequel album Hi-Teknology gained quick recognition and was soon to be sought after by many up-and-coming artists to produce their own albums.
Nicholas Marcell Speed is an American rapper, record producer, and disc jockey from Detroit, Michigan, United States. He has produced tracks for 50 Cent, Mopreme Shakur, Lloyd Banks, M.O.P., Talib Kweli, Phat Kat, Musiq Soulchild, Bishop Lamont, Danny Brown and many more.
Kenn Starr is an American rapper from Suffolk, Virginia, currently residing in the Washington, D.C. metro area. Starr is a member of the Low Budget Crew and also the duo Isaac Jones. His solo debut album, Starr Status, was released in 2006. His latest album, Square One was released in 2015.
Jason Daniel Rawls, better known by his stage name J. Rawls, is an American hip hop musician, producer, disc jockey (DJ), educator, and speaker born in Columbus, Ohio. He is best known for his work with Masta Ace, Mos Def and Talib Kweli. Because of his work with Black Star, a hip hop group composed of Mos Def and Talib Kweli, and their sole debut studio album, Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star, Dr. Rawls was soon placed on the map among independent hip-hop producers and became an independent hip-hop main-stay. The album became a huge success and was part of a major force in the late 1990s underground hip-hop explosion. Dr. Rawls has also worked with artists such as Dose One, Domo Genesis, Capital Steez, Beastie Boys, Slum Village, Diamond D, John Robinson, El Da Sensei, Sadat X, Count Bass D, Grand Agent, 9th Wonder, J-Live, Us3 and Moka Only.
Gregory Skyler Taylor, known professionally as Skyzoo, is an American rapper and songwriter. He has released a number of notable solo and collaborative albums, including Cloud 9: The 3 Day High with 9th Wonder in 2006, The Salvation in 2009, A Dream Deferred in 2012, Music For My Friends in 2015, and his most recent solo album All the Brilliant Things. Skyzoo has also released a plethora of non-commercial mixtapes including Corner Store Classic and The Great Debater throughout his career, and has worked with artists such as Jill Scott, Wale, Lloyd Banks, Tyrese, Dr. Dre, Raheem Devaughn, Black Thought, Jadakiss, Talib Kweli, Spike Lee, John Legend, and others. Skyzoo has headlined or co-headlined often-yearly tours throughout Europe, the United Kingdom, Africa, Australia, and Asia, and he owns and operates the independent record label First Generation Rich.
Hip hop based education (HHBE) refers to the use of hip hop, especially rap songs and lyrics, as curricular resources.
Colors Nikolai Paiva, better known by his stage name Niko Is, is a Brazilian-American hip hop recording artist born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Currently based in Orlando, Florida, he is signed to Talib Kweli's Javotti Media. Niko's catalogue includes projects like Chill Cosby and the Good Blood LP, which were both released to generally positive reviews and moderate success. His Javotti Media debut, Brutus, was produced by frequent collaborator, Thanks Joey and was released to critical acclaim on February 4, 2015.
Talib Kweli Greene is an American rapper. He earned recognition early on through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's musical career continued with solo success including collaborations with producers and rappers Kanye West, Just Blaze, and Pharrell Williams. His most recent album, Gotham, was released in 2020. In 2011, Kweli founded his own record label, Javotti Media.
Axel Dahlen, better known by his stage name Axel Foley, is an American underground hip hop musician based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States.
Gabriel Stevenson, professionally known as Like, is an American record producer, rapper, DJ and songwriter. A three time Grammy nominee, he began working with the Pacific Division, a hip hop trio, better known as Pac Div in 2006.
Speed Walton is an American hip hop artist based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Speed gained recognition while using his previous stage name Buggs Tha Rocka During that time he released various underground mix-tapes and projects.
