Jonathan H. Smith, better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American hip-hop recording artist and record producer. He was instrumental in the commercial breakthrough of the hip-hop subgenre crunk in the early 2000s and is often credited as a progenitor of the genre. He was the frontman of the crunk group Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz, with whom he has released five albums. In addition, Lil Jon served as a producer for most recordings by artists who popularized the genre; these include Pitbull, Too Short, E-40, Ludacris, Ciara, and Usher.
Def Jam South was a music division of Def Jam Recordings. The label focused primarily on southern acts. It was best known for launching the career of its first artist signed, Ludacris and his own imprint, Disturbing tha Peace. In 2004, following the signing of Jeezy and hip-hop's overdominance of trap music, the division was folded into Def Jam.
Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik is the debut studio album by the American hip hop duo Outkast, released on April 26, 1994, by LaFace Records and Arista Records. Having befriended each other two years prior, rappers André 3000 and Big Boi pursued recording music as a duo and worked with production team Organized Noize, leading to a record contract with LaFace. With the team producing, Outkast recorded the album at the Dungeon, D.A.R.P. Studios, Purple Dragon, Bosstown, and Doppler Studios, all in their hometown of Atlanta, Georgia.
Although the music scene of Atlanta is rich and varied, the city's production of hip-hop music has been especially noteworthy, acclaimed, and commercially successful. In 2009, The New York Times called Atlanta "hip-hop's center of gravity", and the city is home to many famous hip hop, R&B, and neo soul musicians.
Radric Delantic Davis, known professionally as Gucci Mane, is an American rapper. He is credited, along with fellow Atlanta-based rappers T.I. and Jeezy, with pioneering the hip hop subgenre trap music for mainstream audiences into the 2000s. His debut studio album, Trap House (2005) was released by the independent label Big Cat Records and entered the Billboard 200; it was followed by Hard to Kill (2006), which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100 entry with its 2007 single, "Freaky Gurl". That same year, he released his third album, Trap-A-Thon before signing with Atlantic Records to release his fourth album, Back to the Trap House (2007).
Rowdy Records is a record label distributed through Motown. It was founded by record producer Dallas Austin in 1992, and the precursor to his entertainment company, Freeworld Entertainment.
Jasiel Amon Robinson, better known by his stage name Yung Joc, is an American rapper from Atlanta, Georgia. He is best known for his 2006 single "It's Goin' Down", which peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100. Prior to its release, he signed with Puff Daddy's Bad Boy South, an imprint of Atlantic Records in a joint venture with Block Entertainment; the song served as lead single for his debut studio album, New Joc City (2006). Both the album and its sequel, Hustlenomics (2007), peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 despite mixed critical responses. He is also known for his guest appearance on T-Pain's 2007 single "Buy U a Drank ", which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100.
I'm Serious is the debut studio album by American rapper T.I., released on October 9, 2001 by Arista Records and Ghet-O-Vision Entertainment. It remains his only release with the former label.
UpFront Records is a record label owned and founded by DeVyne Stephens. Stephens began his career in the early 1990s with Devyne featuring 90 Miles an Hour. "I was one of the first artists L.A. [Reid] and Babyface signed to LaFace Records," he says. But the group broke up before it could release an album.
Otis Williams Jr., better known by his stage name OJ da Juiceman, is an American rapper. He was formerly signed to Gucci Mane's 1017 Records. OJ da Juiceman is also the founder of vanity label 32 Entertainment.
PSC or Pimp Squad Click, is an American hip hop group from Bankhead, Atlanta, Georgia. Formed in 2001, the group was originally composed of six members, southern rappers Big Kuntry King, Mac Boney, C-Rod, AK, Young Dro And T.I. In 2002, the group began amassing several self-released mixtapes, namely their In da Streets series, which garnered them local recognition. PSC released their debut studio album 25 to Life, in 2005, under Grand Hustle Records and Atlantic Records.
Juaquin James Malphurs, known professionally as Waka Flocka Flame, is an American rapper from Atlanta, Georgia. He first became known for his 2009 single "O Let's Do It", which entered the Billboard Hot 100 and led him to sign with Gucci Mane's 1017 Records, an imprint of Warner Records that same year. His 2010 follow-up single, "No Hands" reached number 13 on the chart and received diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Both songs, along with "Hard in da Paint" and "Grove St. Party", preceded the release of his debut studio album Flockaveli (2010), which peaked at number six on the Billboard 200. His second studio album, Triple F Life: Friends, Fans & Family (2012) peaked at number ten on the chart and was supported by the singles "Round of Applause", "I Don't Really Care" and "Get Low".
The Appeal: Georgia's Most Wanted is the seventh studio album by American rapper Gucci Mane. It was released on September 28, 2010, by 1017 Brick Squad Records, Warner Bros. Records and Asylum Records. It serves as a sequel to his previous studio release The State vs. Radric Davis (2009), which was released after the Atlanta rapper's incarceration from prison. The album debuted at number 4 on the US Billboard 200, with first-week sales of 61,450 copies; it has sold an estimated 169,500 copies as of the week ending of August 21, 2011.
Atlanta has a thriving music industry and is considered to be a capital of hip-hop including crunk, of R&B and its offshoot neo-soul, and of gospel music - in addition to a thriving indie-rock and live music scene. Classical, country and blues have historically been well represented. From the 1920s through 1950s the city was a major center for country music.
Joshua Howard Luellen, known professionally as Southside, is an American record producer, rapper and songwriter. Based in Atlanta, he is recognized in the music industry for his aggressive, trap-infused production work for prominent hip hop artists. His association with hometown rapper Waka Flocka Flame led Luellen to sign to his label Brick Squad Monopoly, an imprint of Gucci Mane's 1017 Records, as in-house talent in 2010. Luellen and labelmate, fellow producer Lex Luger established the production team 808 Mafia that same year, who were credited on several commercially successful releases throughout the remaining decade.
Greg Hogan, better known by his stage name Frenchie, is an American rapper. He was in Gucci Mane's 1017 Records group 1017 Brick Squad and Waka Flocka Flame's Brick Squad Monopoly. Frenchie is credited for introducing Nicki Minaj and French Montana to Debra's Mizay Entertainment before their mainstream breakouts.
Jeffery Lamar Williams Jr., known professionally as Young Thug, is an American rapper. Known for his eccentric vocal style and fashion, he is considered an influential figure in modern hip hop and trap music, and a pioneer of the mumble rap microgenre. Williams embarked on a musical career in 2011, releasing a series of mixtapes beginning with I Came from Nothing. In 2013, he signed with fellow Atlanta rapper Gucci Mane's 1017 Records and gained further attention and praise for his debut mixtape with the label, 1017 Thug, released in February of that year.
1017 Global Music, LLC, also known as The New 1017 Records, is an American record label founded by Gucci Mane in 2007. Its formation followed his departure from Mizay Entertainment and the dissolution of So Icey. The label's most notable artists include Gucci Mane, Young Thug, Waka Flocka Flame, Pooh Shiesty and OJ da Juiceman.
YSL Records is an American record label based in Atlanta, Georgia. It was founded in 2016 by the Atlanta-based rapper Young Thug. The company is a label imprint of 300 Entertainment. Its artists include Gunna, Lil Keed and more. Several contemporary artists, including Drake, Future, Lil Uzi Vert, Playboi Carti, Lil Baby, Lil Gotit, NAV, Travis Scott, and Slimelife Shawty have expressed allegiance to YSL, but are not contractually signed.