Fred Brathwaite, more popularly known as Fab 5 Freddy, is an American visual artist, filmmaker, and hip hop pioneer. He is considered one of the architects of the street art movement. Freddy emerged in New York's downtown underground creative scene in the late 1970s as a graffiti artist. He was the bridge between the burgeoning uptown rap scene and the downtown No Wave art scene. He was immortalized in 1981 when Debbie Harry rapped on the Blondie song "Rapture" that "Fab 5 Freddy told me everybody's fly." In the late 1980s, Freddy became the first host of the groundbreaking hip-hop music video show Yo! MTV Raps.
Christopher George Latore Wallace, better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper and songwriter. Rooted in the New York rap scene and gangsta rap traditions, he is widely considered one of the greatest rappers of all time. Wallace became known for his distinctive laidback lyrical delivery, offsetting the lyrics' often grim content. His music was often semi-autobiographical, telling of hardship and criminality, but also of debauchery and celebration.
Yasiin Bey, previously known by his stage name Mos Def, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. Bey began his hip hop career in 1994, alongside his siblings in the short-lived rap group Urban Thermo Dynamics (UTD), after which they appeared on albums by Da Bush Babees and De La Soul. He subsequently formed the duo Black Star, alongside fellow Brooklyn-based rapper Talib Kweli, and they released their eponymous debut album in 1998. He was featured on the roster of Rawkus Records and in 1999 released his solo debut, Black on Both Sides. His debut was followed by The New Danger (2004), True Magic (2006), and The Ecstatic (2009). The editors of About.com listed him as the 14th greatest rapper on their "50 Greatest Rappers of All Time" list. Some of Mos Def's top hits include "Oh No", "Definition", and "Respiration".
Lana Michele Moorer, better known by her stage name MC Lyte, is an American rapper, DJ, actress and entrepreneur. Considered one of the pioneers of female rap, Lyte first gained fame in the late 1980s, becoming the first solo female rapper to release a full album with 1988's critically acclaimed Lyte as a Rock. She released a total of eight solo studio albums and an EP with Almost September.
Dana Elaine Owens, known professionally as Queen Latifah, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, actress, and producer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, she signed with Tommy Boy Records in 1989 and released her debut album All Hail the Queen on November 28, 1989, featuring the hit single "Ladies First". Nature of a Sista' (1991) was her second and final album with Tommy Boy Records.
Salt-N-Pepa is an American hip-hop group formed in New York City in 1985. Group members included Salt, Pepa, and DJ Spinderella. They were signed to Next Plateau Records and released their single "Push It" in 1987, which hit number one in three countries and became a top 10 or top 20 hit in various countries. Their debut album, Hot, Cool & Vicious, sold more than 1 million copies in the US, making them the first female rap act to achieve gold and platinum status. Their fourth album, Very Necessary, sold over 7 million copies worldwide, making it the highest-selling album by a female rap act in history at the time.
Queensbridge Houses, also known simply as Queensbridge, is a public housing development in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens, New York City. Owned by the New York City Housing Authority, the development contains 96 buildings and 3,142 units accommodating approximately 7,000 people in two separate complexes. The complex opened in 1939 and is the largest housing project in North America.
Henry Chalfant is an American photographer and videographer most notable for his work on graffiti, breakdance, and hip hop culture.
Hip hop or hip-hop is a culture and art movement that was created by African Americans, Latino Americans and Caribbean Americans in the Bronx, New York City. The origin of the name is often disputed. It is also argued as to whether hip hop started in the South or West Bronx. While the term hip hop is often used to refer exclusively to hip hop music, hip hop is characterized by four key elements: "rapping", a rhythmic vocal rhyming style (orality); DJing, which is the practice of making music with record players and DJ mixers ; b-boying/b-girling/breakdancing (movement/dance); and graffiti. Other elements are: hip hop culture and historical knowledge of the movement (intellectual/philosophical); beatboxing, a percussive vocal style; street entrepreneurship; hip hop language; and hip hop fashion and style, among others. The fifth element, although debated, is commonly considered either street knowledge, hip hop fashion, or beatboxing.
Brown Sugar is a 2002 American romantic comedy film written by Michael Elliott and Rick Famuyiwa, directed by Famuyiwa, and starring Taye Diggs and Sanaa Lathan. The film is a story of a lifelong friends, A&R Andre and Editor-in-Chief Sidney. The two can attribute their friendship and the launch of their careers to a single, seminal childhood moment – the day they discovered hip-hop on a New York street corner. Now some 15 years later, as they lay down the tracks toward their futures, hip-hop isn't the only thing that keeps them coming back to that moment on the corner.
Akir is an American hip hop recording artist, producer, songwriter activist and, teaching artist known for his complex lyrics and social-political content. His name is an acronym for "Always Keep It Real".
Nelson George is an American author, columnist, music and culture critic, journalist, and filmmaker. He has been nominated twice for the National Book Critics Circle Award.
Mutulu Olugbala, better known by his stage name M-1, is an American rapper, songwriter, and activist from Brooklyn, New York. He is best known for his work as one half of the political hip hop duo dead prez with stic.man.
Adnan Hamidović, better known by his stage name Frenkie, is a Bosnian rapper from Tuzla. The themes present in his music are often concerned with the political situation in Bosnia, as well as traditional hip-hop subject matter such as battle rapping and pop culture. As of 2019, he has recorded four successful full-length albums to date: Odličan CD (2005), Povratak Cigana (2007), Protuotrov (2009), Troyanac (2012) and Egzil (2017). He also released extended plays Pokreni se (2008) and Putanja (2016), and a Bosnian only released album DOSTA! (2006).
Gregory Skyler Taylor, known professionally as Skyzoo, is an American actor and rapper. 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 In Celebration Of Us. 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.
Nathaniel Hall, better known by his stage name Afrika Baby Bam, is an American hip hop artist, born in Brooklyn, New York, and was part of the hip-hop group the Jungle Brothers. He was named in honor of Afrika Bambaataa. He is also known as Afrika, Baby Bam, and most recently B.A.M. He now travels the world as a nomad.
Divine Bradley is a social imagineer, business coach, youth mentor, motivational speaker, community leader, serial social entrepreneur who founded a youth-led non-profit organization at age 17 in New York City that led to the opening of several community centers with the purpose of providing students recreational activities as well as mentoring programs to promote financial responsibility and community leadership.
The Harlem International Film Festival (Hi) is an annual five-day film festival in Harlem, New York. The first festival took place in 2005. Michael Franti's I Know I'm Not Alone was named Best International Documentary at the festival that year. The short film Eme Nakia was selected to be screened at the 2006 festival. Also that year, The Hip Hop Project produced by Queen Latifah and Bruce Willis was named Best Documentary Film. Nigerian film Anchor Baby was named Best Film at the 2010 festival and won another award there as well. Omoni Oboli was named Best Actress that year. Najat Jellab's short film The Projectionist premiered at the 2013 festival. The festival named Vanessa L. Williams Best Actress one year. Short film In The Field, directed by Matthew Hope, was screened at the festival one year.:)
A. Ladson, better known by his stage name Rayne Storm, is an American rapper and producer from Harlem, New York. He initially gained attention in 2006 with the release of his first mixtape Storms Coming. Since his debut on Storms Coming, Rayne has founded the independent label Monopolyhouse, released several remixes to chart topping or viral songs and has made a number of guest appearances. On January 1, 2016, Rayne released his EP titled Supreme with features from Tash (rapper) of Tha Alkaholiks, DecadeZ, L.I.V.E.Wire, iLL Drew, Profane Remy, Black Silver, Perelini and Harlem Hitman. Supreme EP was re-released in 2018 with "All Black " inspired by the Black Panther Marvel movie as well as a new song "Work " and intro/outro skits.
Monica Lynch is a music business executive, record producer, and former President of hip-hop/dance music label Tommy Boy Records. She has hosted radio programs on free-form WFMU since 1997, and worked as an A&R consultant for Queen Latifah and Martina McBride.
