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."
Alan Daniel Maman, known professionally as The Alchemist, is an American record producer and DJ. Critically acclaimed for his sample-heavy production style, he is regarded as one of the most influential producers in modern hip hop and underground rap. His frequent collaborators include Eminem, Action Bronson, Freddie Gibbs, Roc Marciano, Conway the Machine, Westside Gunn, Boldy James, and Earl Sweatshirt.
Hustlenomics is the second studio album by American rapper Yung Joc. It was released, by Bad Boy Records on August 28, 2007. The album contains the singles "Coffee Shop" and "Bottle Poppin," both featuring rapper Gorilla Zoe.
Aleksander Thomas Manfredi, better known by his stage name Exile, is an American record producer, disc jockey and occasional rapper. Aside from his solo career, he is a member of the musical groups Emanon alongside Aloe Blacc, as well as Blu & Exile.
Below the Heavens is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo Blu & Exile. It was released by Sound in Color on July 17, 2007. It serves as Blu's debut album, while Exile had previously released his solo album Dirty Science and two albums as a member of the duo Emanon.
Johnson Barnes III, better known by his stage name Blu, is an American rapper and record producer from Los Angeles, California. He performs as one half of the duo Blu & Exile, which was formed in 2007 and whom released their debut studio album, Below the Heavens in July of that year. He is also the forefront member of the California-based collective, Dirty Science. He is recognized for his collaborative albums with record producers Mainframe, Ta'Raach, Bombay, Damu the Fudgemunk, Madlib, Nottz, and Union Analogtronics.
Blu & Exile are an American hip hop duo, formed in 2007, composed of rapper Blu and hip hop producer Exile.
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.
Category F5 is the seventh studio album by American rapper Twista. Its title is taken from the Fujita scale. The album marks the first collaboration with Chicago producer the Legendary Traxster since 2004's Kamikaze. The album was released on July 14, 2009. Originally scheduled to feature Kanye West, Akon, Busta Rhymes, Mr. Criminal, Tech N9ne, and Static Major, guest appearances were pared down as many of the recorded songs were leaked, including the song "Problems" featuring Tech N9ne, which was cut because of sample-clearance problems. The track "She Got It" was cut because the track was not 100% ready. "All Right" was included on iTunes as a bonus track.
Santiago Leyva, known by his stage name Fashawn, is an American hip hop recording artist from Fresno, California. He first gained major attention after releasing his debut album Boy Meets World in 2009, which was produced entirely by Exile. The album received critical acclaim and landed him on the cover of XXL Magazine's Top 10 Freshmen issue in 2010. Since then, Fashawn has collaborated with other artists and producers such as Nas, J. Cole, Wiz Khalifa, Evidence, Murs, Aloe Blacc, Blu, Big Mike, Brother Ali, The Alchemist, and 9th Wonder. In 2014, Fashawn performed the entrance theme to WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley's rematch against Manny Pacquiao.
Live from the Tape Deck is the collaborative studio album by Brooklyn rapper Skyzoo and New Jersey producer Illmind, released on October 5, 2010 by Duck Down Records and distributed through E1 Entertainment. It was preceded by Skyzoo's first studio album, The Salvation (2009), although it isn't its follow-up. The album serves as a prelude to his second studio album A Dream Deferred (2012).
Cats & Dogs is the second solo studio album by American rapper and record producer Evidence. It was released on September 27, 2011 through Rhymesayers Entertainment. Recording sessions took place at ALC Laboratories in Santa Monica, Soundproof West in Venice, The Drug Lab and Soundproof East in Los Angeles, Infamous Studios in Queens, Stophouse Studios in Minneapolis and All This Could Be Yours in San Francisco. Production was handled by the Alchemist, Sid Roams, DJ Premier, Rahki, Charli Brown, Twiz the Beat Pro, and Evidence himself. It features guest appearances from Aesop Rock, Aloe Blacc, Catero, Krondon, Lil' Fame, Prodigy, Raekwon, Rakaa Iriscience, Ras Kass, Roc Marciano, Slug, Step Brothers and Termanology, with cameos from Amber Strother, Danny Keyz, Noelle Scaggs and Wendy Guerra.
Lord Steppington is the debut studio album by California-based hip hop duo Step Brothers. The album was released on January 21, 2014 by Rhymesayers Entertainment. The record was produced entirely by Alchemist with one track produced by Evidence, and includes guest appearances from Action Bronson, Roc Marciano, Blu, Fashawn, Rakaa, Oh No, Styles P, Domo Genesis and The Whooliganz – Alchemist's old group which included actor Scott Caan.
Give Me My Flowers While I Can Still Smell Them is the second studio album by American hip hop duo Blu & Exile. Originally recorded in 2009 and leaked online in 2011, it was released through Dirty Science and Fat Beats on September 4, 2012. Recorded at the DirtyScience Labs and produced entirely by Exile, it features guest appearances from Adad, Andy Allo, Black Spade, Fashawn, Homeboy Sandman, Jimetta Rose, J. Mitchell, and Johaz of Dag Savage.
Digi+Phonics is an African American hip hop production team, composed of California-based record producers Tae Beast, Sounwave, Dave Free and Willie B. They currently serve as the main in-house producers for Carson-based record label, Top Dawg Entertainment. Digi+Phonics work significantly on projects from all the members of hip hop supergroup Black Hippy, who are also signed to Top Dawg and is composed of rappers Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Schoolboy Q, and Ab-Soul. Their best known productions include "Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe" by Kendrick Lamar, "There He Go" by Schoolboy Q, and "Terrorist Threats" by Ab-Soul. They frequently co-produce songs together and put the finishing touches on the projects released by Top Dawg Entertainment.
Christian Walcott Webster, better known by his stage name Chris Webby, is an American rapper from Norwalk, Connecticut. Webster has released many mixtapes such as the DJ Drama-hosted Bars On Me (2012) and his EP There Goes the Neighborhood (2011), which peaked at number 101 on the Billboard 200. He has worked with various artists such as Freeway, Mac Miller, Joell Ortiz, Big K.R.I.T., Method Man, Apathy, Prodigy, Bun B, Tech N9ne, Jarren Benton and Kid Ink. In 2013 he and his label, Homegrown Music, signed a deal with E1 Music. He then released Homegrown, another EP, in November 2012. Webster released his debut studio album Chemically Imbalanced on October 27, 2014.
Isaiah Rashad Joel McClain is an American rapper. His mainstream breakthrough followed after his performances on the 2012 Smoker's Club Tour alongside rappers Juicy J, Joey Badass and Smoke DZA. He is a founding member of the Chattanooga, Tennessee-based hip hop collective The House, which he formed with rappers YGTUT, Michael Da Vinci (MikeyD), Chris P, and Brian Brown.
Crenshaw is the eighth official mixtape by American rapper Nipsey Hussle. The mixtape was released as a free digital download on October 8, 2013, on mixtape hosting websites. It was also released in a limited first edition of 1,000 copies for $100 each including other incentives via his All Money In record label. The mixtape features production by The Futuristiks, 1500 or Nothin', 9th Wonder, DJ Dahi, Mike Free, Ralo, Wizzo and Jiggy Hendrix, among others. Guest appearances on the mixtape came from Rick Ross, Dom Kennedy, Slim Thug, James Fauntleroy II, Z-Ro, Skeme and Sade among others. The mixtape was supported by the singles "Checc Me Out" featuring Dom Kennedy and Cobby Supreme, "U See Us", "The Weather" featuring Rick Ross, "If U Were Mine" featuring Fauntleroy, and "1 of 1".
The Ecology is the second studio album by American hip hop recording artist Fashawn. The album was released on February 24, 2015 by Nas' Mass Appeal Records. Nas serves as executive producer for the album, and guest features include Nas himself, Aloe Blacc, BJ the Chicago Kid, and Dom Kennedy. The album's production, similar to Fashawn's debut album Boy Meets World, is handled primarily by Exile, with additional contributions by DJ Khalil, The Alchemist, and more.
HipHopDX is an online magazine of hip hop music criticism and news. The website's president and publisher is Sharath Cherian and the Head of Content is Jerry L. Barrow. HipHopDX is the flagship publication of Cheri Media Group.
