Cypress Hill is an American hip hop group from South Gate, California, formed in 1988. They have sold over 20 million albums worldwide, and they have obtained multi-platinum and platinum certifications. The group has been critically acclaimed for their first five albums. They are considered to be among the main progenitors of West Coast hip hop and 1990s hip hop. All of the group members advocate for medical and recreational use of cannabis in the United States. In 2019, Cypress Hill became the first hip hop group to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
O'Shea Jackson Sr., known professionally as Ice Cube, is an American rapper, songwriter, actor, and film producer. His lyrics on N.W.A's 1988 album Straight Outta Compton contributed to gangsta rap's widespread popularity, and his political rap solo albums AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted (1990), Death Certificate (1991), and The Predator (1992) were all critically and commercially successful. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of N.W.A in 2016.
G-funk, short for gangsta funk, is a sub-genre of gangsta rap that emerged from the West Coast scene in the early 1990s. The genre was heavily influenced by the synthesizer-heavy 1970s funk sound of Parliament-Funkadelic, often incorporated through samples or re-recordings. It was represented by commercially successful albums such as Dr. Dre's The Chronic (1992) and Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle (1993).
Shawntae Harris-Dupart, better known by her stage name Da Brat, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Chicago, she began her career in 1992 and signed with Jermaine Dupri's So So Def Recordings two years later to release her debut studio album, Funkdafied (1994). Receiving platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), it became the first album by a female hip hop solo act to do so.
Eve Jihan Cooper is an American rapper, singer, and actress from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her debut studio album, Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryders' First Lady (1999) peaked atop the Billboard 200, received double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and spawned the hit singles "What Ya Want", "Love Is Blind", and "Gotta Man". That same year, she guest featured on the Roots' Grammy Award-winning single "You Got Me", as well as Missy Elliott's single "Hot Boyz", both of which peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100.
Luther Roderick Campbell, also known as Luke Skyywalker, Uncle Luke and simply Luke, is an American rapper, promoter, record executive, actor, and former leader of the rap group 2 Live Crew. He is known for having helped create the Miami bass genre, for establishing one of the first rap groups and rap labels in Southern hip hop, and his sexually crude call and response lyrics which were unique for the time period. He also starred in a short-lived show on VH1, Luke's Parental Advisory.
Clipse, also known as The Clipse, is an American hip hop duo, chiefly active from 1994 to 2010. It consists of brothers Gene "No Malice" and Terrence "Pusha T" Thornton. Pusha T was known as Terrar during the group's early years, while No Malice was originally known as Malicious, then changed his stage name to Malice soon after the group's formation, before changing it again to No Malice in 2012 following a conversion to Christianity. The duo were based in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and were heavily affiliated with producer and fellow Virginia Beach native, Pharrell Williams, who convinced the two in 1992 to be a rap duo instead of solo artists. Williams would go on to serve as their label head, main producer and frequent guest artist through most of their career. The duo frequently rapped about the drug dealing they had done in their youth. Clipse was integral in establishing Virginia as one of the East Coast's strongholds in hip hop.
"Drop It Like It's Hot" is a song by American rapper Snoop Dogg featuring fellow American musician Pharrell Williams. It was released on September 27, 2004, as the lead single from Snoop Dogg's seventh studio album, R&G : The Masterpiece (2004). The song was produced by the Neptunes. It is regarded as an iconic song, with Snoop performing the chorus and the second and third verses while Pharrell performs the first verse.
The Predator is the third studio album by American rapper Ice Cube. It was released on November 17, 1992, through Lench Mob Records and Priority Records. The album was released just within months of the 1992 Los Angeles riots; many songs comment on racial tensions in the United States. The production on the album was primarily handled by DJ Pooh, Sir Jinx, Torcha Chamba and DJ Muggs. The title is in part reference to the movie Predator 2, and the album itself includes samples from the film.
"It Was a Good Day" is a song by American rapper Ice Cube, released on February 23, 1993 by Lench Mob and Priority as the second single from his third solo album, The Predator (1992). The song was written by Ice Cube and produced by DJ Pooh, peaking at No. 7 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and No. 27 on the UK Charts. On the Billboard Hot 100, the song peaked at No. 15, making it Ice Cube's highest-charting single on the chart to date. Its music video was directed by F. Gary Gray. The song's lyrics describe a generic pleasant day from his life; according to Ice Cube, he had no specific date in mind, though several attempts have been made to identify one.
"Check Yo Self" is the third and final single from American rapper Ice Cube's third solo album, The Predator (1992). It was released on July 13, 1993 by Priority Records, and features New York City rappers Das EFX. It topped both the US Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop and Rap charts while also reaching number 20 on the Hot 100 chart. The song retains two main versions, the original and a remix which utilizes the same beat as Grandmaster Flash's "The Message", titled "Check Yo Self ". The original mix includes a sample from the intro of the Beastie Boys' track "The New Style", which uses the phrase "check it" throughout the chorus.
"Bop Gun (One Nation)" is the third single from American rapper, actor and filmmaker Ice Cube's fourth album, Lethal Injection (1993). The song samples the Funkadelic song "One Nation Under a Groove". It reached number six on the US Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart and number 23 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart. The song features lyrics from Tom Tom Club's hit "Genius of Love."
"You Know How We Do It" is a song by American rapper, actor and filmmaker Ice Cube, released as the second single from his fourth studio album, Lethal Injection (1993). The song was released on February 2, 1994 by Lench Mob and Priority, and was a No. 30 hit on the US Billboard Hot 100. Musically, it is in the G-funk genre, and has the same kind of mood and feeling as "It Was a Good Day". The song samples "The Show Is Over" by Evelyn "Champagne" King, "Summer Madness" by Kool & the Gang, and "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson.
"You Can Do It" is a hip-hop song by American rapper Ice Cube. It was released as the second single from the Next Friday soundtrack. The song features Ice Cube's Westside Connection bandmate Mack 10, as well as rapper Ms. Toi. "You Can Do It" later used as the lead single on Cube's sixth studio album, War & Peace Vol. 2 . The song also appears on his Greatest Hits and In the Movies compilations. It would also appear on the soundtrack for the film Save the Last Dance.
Bow Down is the debut studio album by American West Coast hip hop supergroup Westside Connection. It was released on October 22, 1996, through Priority Records. Recording sessions took place at Ice Cube's house studio, Westsiiiiide Studios, in California, except for the song "Gangstas Make the World Go Round", which was recorded at Treehouse Studios in South Africa. Production was handled by Bud'da, Quincy Jones III, Binky Mack, and Ice Cube, who also served as executive producer. It features guest appearances from Allfrumtha I and The Comrads.
Raw Footage is the eighth studio album by American rapper Ice Cube. It was released on August 19, 2008, by his record label Lench Mob Records and EMI. The album features guest appearances from The Game, Butch Cassidy, Musiq Soulchild, Young Jeezy and WC. The album is his most political effort, since over a decade earlier with the release of his album The Predator (1992).
Alvin Nathaniel Joiner, better known by his stage name Xzibit, is an American rapper, actor, television presenter, and radio personality. He began his musical career in 1992, and signed with Loud Records, an imprint of RCA Records to release his debut studio album, At the Speed of Life (1996). The album saw positive critical reception, modestly entered the Billboard 200, and spawned the single "Paparazzi," which peaked at number 83 on the Billboard Hot 100. His second album, 40 Dayz & 40 Nightz (1998) was met with similar reception and spawned the single "What U See Is What U Get."
Music From the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Dangerous Ground is the original soundtrack to Darrell Roodt's 1997 action thriller film Dangerous Ground. It was released on February 11, 1997 via Jive Records, and entirely composed of hip hop music songs.
"Backyard Boogie" is the lead single released from Mack 10's second album, Based on a True Story. The song was produced by Bobby "DJ Bobcat" Ervin and mixed by Ant Banks.
Life of a Dark Rose is the eighth mixtape by American rapper Lil Skies, released on January 10, 2018, by All We Got Entertainment and Atlantic Records. The mixtape debuted at number 23 and peaked at number ten on the US Billboard 200 albums chart. The mixtape features a sole guest appearance from Landon Cube who appears on two of the singles, "Red Roses" and "Nowadays".
