Nicholas Neil Carter, better known by his stage name Murs, is an American rapper. His name is an acronym for which he himself has created multiple meanings, such as "Making the Universe Recognize and Submit" or "Making Underground Raw Shit."
The Black Album is the eighth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z. It was released on November 14, 2003, through Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. It was advertised as his final album before retiring, which is also a recurring theme throughout the songs, although Jay-Z resumed his recording career in 2005. For the album, Jay-Z wanted to enlist a different producer for each song, working with Just Blaze, Kanye West, the Neptunes, Eminem, DJ Quik, Timbaland, 9th Wonder and Rick Rubin, among others. The album also features a guest appearance by Pharrell Williams.
Brian Joseph Burton, known professionally as Danger Mouse, is an American musician and record producer. He came to prominence in 2004 when he released The Grey Album, which combined vocal performances from Jay-Z's The Black Album with instrumentals from the Beatles' The Beatles, also known as The White Album. In 2008, Esquire named him one of the "75 most influential people of the 21st century".
Daniel Dumile, also known by his stage name MF Doom or simply Doom, was a British-American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Noted for his intricate wordplay, signature metal mask, and "supervillain" stage persona, he became a major figure of underground hip hop and alternative hip hop in the 2000s.
Lex Records is a British independent record label. Most releases on the label are alternative hip hop, alternative rock or electronic music. Dazed described Lex as a label "...whose wildly creative output spans over a decade of landmark releases that have changed the music industry no end."
Ghetto Pop Life is a collaborative studio album by Danger Mouse and Jemini. It was released on Lex Records in 2003. It features guest appearances from tha Liks, J-Zone, Prince Po, and the Pharcyde. In 2004, a reprint of the album with three additional tracks was released in the United States.
Tariq Luqmaan Trotter, better known as Black Thought, is an American rapper, singer, actor and the lead MC of the hip hop group The Roots, which he co-founded with drummer Questlove in Philadelphia. Regarded as "one of the most skilled, incisive, and prolific rappers of his time", he is widely lauded for his live performance skills, continuous multisyllabic rhyme schemes, complex lyricism, double entendres, and politically aware lyrics. He and The Roots perform as the house band for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, frequently playing games with Fallon and his guests.
The Mouse and the Mask is the only studio album by Danger Doom, a collaboration between the hip hop artists Danger Mouse and MF Doom. It was released in Europe on October 10, 2005, and on October 11, 2005 by the independent punk label Epitaph Records in the United States. It was also released by Lex Records in the UK on October 17, 2005, with different cover art.
Electric Circus is the fifth studio album by American rapper Common, released on December 10, 2002, on the now-defunct MCA Records. The album was highly anticipated and praised by many critics for its ambitious vision. However, it was not as commercially successful as his previous album, Like Water for Chocolate, selling under 300,000 copies. An eclectic album, Electric Circus features fusions of several genres such as hip hop, pop, rock, electronic, and neo soul. "I wasn't feeling hip hop," the rapper remarked. "So my motivation for that album were other genres of music, like Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix. It wasn't hip hop." This was Common's second and last album for MCA, as well as the final album released under the label, which would soon be merged into Geffen Records a year later.
Thomas Smith, better known by his stage name Jemini the Gifted One, is a rapper from Brooklyn, New York. He has most notably worked with Danger Mouse on the 2003 album Ghetto Pop Life, which features rappers such as The Pharcyde, Tha Alkaholiks, J-Zone, and Prince Po from Organized Konfusion.
Danger Doom was an American hip hop supergroup consisting of Danger Mouse and MF DOOM. Their first album, The Mouse and the Mask, was released October 10th, 2005, and followed by the Occult Hymn EP in 2006.
Lawrence Baskerville, better known by his stage name Prince Po, is an American rapper and record producer from Queens, New York City, New York. He is a founder of Ice Bearz Movement.
The Slickness is the first solo studio album by Prince Po, one half of American hip hop duo Organized Konfusion. It was released on Lex Records in 2004. It peaked at number 53 on the CMJ Top 200 chart.
Complex is an alternative hip hop compilation album released on Lex Records on 21 April 2012. It compiled the ten tracks that Lex had released digitally to mark its tenth anniversary.
Trap is a subgenre of hip-hop which originated in the Southern United States, with lyrical references to trap starting in 1991 but the modern sound of trap appearing in 1999. The genre gets its name from the Atlanta slang term "trap house", a house used exclusively to sell drugs. Trap music is known for its simple, rhythmic, minimalistic productions that uses synthesized drums, and is characterized by complex hi-hat patterns, snare drums, bass drums, some tuned with a long decay to emit a bass frequency, and lyrical content that often focuses on drug use and urban violence.
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. After meeting hometown rapper Waka Flocka Flame, Luellen signed with his record 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; it was credited on several commercially successful releases throughout the remaining decade.
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.
Kobe Vidal Crawford Jr., known professionally as NoCap, is an American rapper and singer. He signed with YoungBoy Never Broke Again's namesake record label, an imprint of Atlantic Records in 2019. His debut studio album, Mr. Crawford (2022), peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200 and saw widespread critical praise. He is noted for his use of wordplay.
Ghetto Gospel is the debut studio album by American rapper and singer Rod Wave, released on November 1, 2019, through Alamo Records and Interscope Records. The album features guest appearances from Kevin Gates, who also served as its executive producer, and Lil Durk. The production on the record was primarily handled by AceLexOnDaTrack and Yung Tago with assistance from Ashton Sellars, Blake Slatkin, Drum Dummie, MalikOTB, SephGotTheWaves, SpeakerBangerz, Tahj Money, TnTXD, and several other producers. The album serves as a follow-up to Green's fifth mixtape, PTSD (2019).
"GhettoMusick" is a song recorded by American duo Outkast for their fifth studio album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003). While it was included on Big Boi's disc Speakerboxxx, the song features vocals from André 3000, its sole producer, as well. It was written by the duo alongside Kenneth Gamble and Bunny Sigler, who are credited due to the song containing excerpts from their composition "Love, Need and Want You", performed by Patti LaBelle. The up-tempo track amasses an array of musical styles, including electroclash, electro-funk, hip hop, soul and techno. Lyrically, it confronts contemporary rappers for their lack of ambition and competence. The song was released as the lead single from Speakerboxxx/The Love Below on July 15, 2003, by Arista Records and LaFace Records.
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