Dutch hip hop or Nederhop, is hip hop music created by musicians in the Netherlands and Flanders.
James Todd Smith, known professionally as LL Cool J, is an American rapper, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur from Queens, New York. With the breakthrough success of his single "I Need a Beat" and the Radio LP, LL Cool J became an early hip-hop act to achieve mainstream success along with Kurtis Blow and Run-DMC.
Southern hip hop, also known as Southern rap, South Coast hip hop, or dirty south, is a blanket term for a regional genre of American hip hop music that emerged in the Southern United States and the Southeastern United States, especially in Atlanta, New Orleans, Houston, Memphis, and Miami—five cities which constitute the "Southern Network" in rap music.
The Chronic is the debut studio album by American hip hop producer and rapper Dr. Dre. It was released on December 15, 1992, by his own record label Death Row Records and distributed by Interscope Records. Recording sessions for the album took place in June 1992 at Death Row Studios in Los Angeles and at Bernie Grundman Mastering in Hollywood. The album is named after a slang term for high-grade cannabis, and its cover is an homage to Zig-Zag rolling papers. It was Dr. Dre's first solo album after he had departed from hip hop group N.W.A and its label Ruthless Records over a financial dispute.
Straight Outta Compton is the debut studio album by rap group N.W.A, which, led by Eazy-E, formed in Los Angeles County's City of Compton in early 1987. Released by his label, Ruthless Records, on August 8, 1988, the album was produced by N.W.A members Dr. Dre, DJ Yella, and Arabian Prince, with lyrics written by N.W.A members Ice Cube and MC Ren along with Ruthless rapper The D.O.C. Not merely depicting Compton's street violence, the lyrics repeatedly threaten to lead it by attacking peers and even police. The track "Fuck tha Police" drew an FBI agent's warning letter, which aided N.W.A's notoriety, N.W.A calling itself "the world's most dangerous group."
Doggystyle is the debut studio album by American rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg. It was released on November 23, 1993, by Death Row Records and Interscope Records. The album was recorded and produced following Snoop's appearances on Dr. Dre's debut solo album The Chronic (1992), to which Snoop contributed significantly. The West Coast style in hip-hop that he developed from Dre's first album continued on Doggystyle. Critics have praised Snoop Doggy Dogg for the lyrical "realism" that he delivers on the album and for his distinctive vocal flow.
Anthony Cruz, better known by his stage name AZ, is an American rapper from Brooklyn, New York. He is known for being a longtime and frequent music partner of East Coast rapper Nas and also a member of hip hop group The Firm alongside Nas, Foxy Brown, Cormega and Nature. Online magazine About.com listed AZ as the "Most Underrated [Rapper] of All Time", and made it onto the sites' "Top 50 MCs of Our Time (1987–2007)", where he was reiterated as "arguably the most underrated lyricist ever."
Joseph Anthony Budden II is an American broadcaster, cultural critic, media personality, and former rapper. He first gained recognition as a rapper is with his 2003 top 40 single "Pump It Up" and as a member of the hip hop supergroup Slaughterhouse. In 2018, he retired from rap, and found success as a broadcaster, having a much publicized run as a co-host on Everyday Struggle for Complex. He currently hosts The Joe Budden Podcast, released twice a week through Spotify and YouTube, and State of the Culture on Revolt. He has been described as "Howard Stern of Hip-Hop".
"Hate It or Love It" is a single by American rapper and West Coast hip hop artist The Game, featuring vocals from his former G-Unit member 50 Cent. It was released as the third official single from The Game's debut studio album The Documentary (2005). The song features production from duo Cool & Dre, with additional production from Dr. Dre. The song features a music sample of "Rubber Band" by The Trammps from their debut album The Legendary Zing Album (1975). "Hate It or Love It" peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 for five consecutive weeks, becoming The Game's second top ten song on the chart as a lead artist and 50 Cent's eighth. It is The Game's highest-charting single on the Billboard Hot 100 to date. The song was kept from the number one position on the Billboard Hot 100 by 50 Cent's single, "Candy Shop",. "Hate It or Love It" reached the number one spot on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, making it yet again another top ten hit on the chart alongside "How We Do" which also featured 50 Cent. Outside of the United States, "Hate It or Love It" peaked within the top ten of the charts in multiple countries, including the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland, and the United Kingdom.
The hip hop scene in Chicago, Illinois, has produced many artists of various styles. Rappers in Chicago include Polo G, Kanye West, Do or Die, Common, Da Brat, Lupe Fiasco, Hona Costello, Chance the Rapper, Rhymefest, SEVENSIXX, Bump J, Chief Keef, Cupcakke, Lil Durk, King Louis, King Von, Shawnna, Noname, Fredo Santana, Calboy, G Herbo, Jay Lyn Gatz, Lil Bibby, Crucial Conflict, Open Mike Eagle, Jeremih, Juice WRLD, Juice, Saba, Ramaj Eroc, Lud Foe, Twista, FBG Duck, FBG Brick, Dooski Tha Man, MOB Scrap, Rooga, Dreadrock, Young Pappy, L’A Capone, RondoNumbaNine, and many more rappers
Richard Preston Butler Jr., better known by his stage name Rico Love, is an American singer, songwriter, actor, and record producer. He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, but split his childhood between Milwaukee, Wisconsin and New York City's Harlem neighborhood. He attended Florida A&M and, while visiting Atlanta, Georgia, worked his way into the music industry through connections with Usher, who would become one of Love's frequent collaborators.
"Daydreamin'" is the third single taken from Lupe Fiasco's album Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor (2006) and features soul singer Jill Scott.
"The Light" is the Grammy-nominated second single from Common's 2000 album Like Water for Chocolate. It was produced by Jay Dee and features keyboards performed by James Poyser. It samples "Open Your Eyes" as performed by Bobby Caldwell and the drums from "You're Gettin' a Little Too Smart" by The Detroit Emeralds. Framed as a love letter, it is a confession of Common's love for a woman – specifically, his girlfriend at the time, Erykah Badu. Cynthia Fuchs of PopMatters describes it as a "charming, tender, and undeniably soulful declaration of affection and respect." A music video features Common, Erykah Badu and "recognizable sensual delights" including "a homemade Minnie Riperton cassette, a mango, a pink lava lamp [and] a deeply green water-beaded leaf."
"Lollipop" is the first single from rapper Lil Wayne's sixth studio album, Tha Carter III. The track posthumously features American singer Static Major and is produced by Deezle and Jim Jonsin. It heavily utilizes the Auto-Tune vocal effect. The song was released digitally on March 13, 2008.
"Mr. Carter" is a song by American hip hop artist Lil Wayne, released July 1, 2008, as a promotional single from his sixth album Tha Carter III (2008). The song, produced by DJ Infamous and Drew Correa, features a guest appearance from fellow American rapper Jay-Z. The title refers to the two artists' shared surname, although the two are not related. In the song, Wayne borrows lyrics from Jay-Z's song "Lucky Me", from his 1997 album In My Lifetime, Vol. 1. Lil Wayne had said that this track is his favorite from Tha Carter III.
"Wish You Would" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Ludacris, released September 2, 2008 as the first single from his sixth studio album Theater of the Mind (2008). The song, produced by DJ Toomp, features Ludacris' former rival, fellow Southern rapper T.I.. At the 2009 Grammy Awards, the song was nominated for an award in the category of Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. The song ultimately lost to T.I.'s respective single, "Swagga Like Us".
UFO Yepha is a famous Danish music duo made up of Kristian Humaidan known by his stage name UFO and Jeppe Bruun Wahlstrøm known by his stage name Yepha. The duo was from Svendborg, then Aarhus finally moving to Copenhagen in their last years. UFO Yepha split-up in 2011. At times, the duo were also known as Whyyou.
Troels Nielsen better known by his stage name Troo.L.S is a multiple award winning Danish musician and music producer from Albertslund, a suburb of Copenhagen.
"Rap God" is a song by American rapper Eminem. The song premiered via YouTube on October 14, 2013, and was released in the United States on October 15, 2013, as the third single from Eminem's eighth studio album, The Marshall Mathers LP 2 (2013). It contains references to previous conflicts in Eminem's career, as well as to other rappers' conduct. The song received very positive reviews, with critics praising Eminem's lyrical ability and rapping speed, amid some accusations of homophobic lyrics.
Ready to Die is the debut studio album by American rapper The Notorious B.I.G., released on September 13, 1994, by Bad Boy Records and Arista Records. The album features productions by Yung Chedder, Bad Boy founder Sean "Puffy" Combs, Easy Mo Bee, Chucky Thompson, DJ Premier, and Lord Finesse, among others. It was recorded from 1993 to 1994 at The Hit Factory and D&D Studios in New York City. The partly autobiographical album tells the story of the rapper's experiences as a young criminal, and was the only studio album released during his lifetime, as he was murdered sixteen days before the release of his second album Life After Death in 1997.
