Fugees is an American hip hop group formed in 1990. Deriving its name from a shortening of the word "refugees", the group consists of Wyclef Jean, Pras Michel, and Lauryn Hill. The group rose to prominence in the mid-1990s for their pioneering blend of reggae, R&B, funk and hip hop, which eschewed gangsta rap and made them one of the most significant alternative hip hop acts. They occasionally rapped in Haitian Creole, and were one of the first hip hop bands to incorporate live instrumentation, along with The Roots.
"Rapper's Delight" is a 1979 hip hop track by the Sugarhill Gang, produced by Sylvia Robinson. Although it was shortly preceded by the Fatback Band's "King Tim III ", "Rapper's Delight" is credited for introducing hip-hop music to a wide audience, reaching the top 40 in the United States, as well as the top three in the United Kingdom and number one in Canada. It was a prototype for various types of rap music. The track interpolates Chic's "Good Times", resulting in Chic's Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards threatening to sue Sugar Hill Records for copyright infringement; a settlement was reached that gave the two songwriting credits. The track was recorded in a single take. There are five mixes of the song.
Marcel Theo Hall, known professionally as Biz Markie, was an American rapper and singer. Markie was best known for his fun style, and being "the Human Beatbox" due to the way he manipulated his voice, mouth, and body to mimmic early drum machines. Markie's 1989 single "Just a Friend", became a Top 40 hit in several countries and was named No. 100 on VH1's list of the 100 greatest hip-hop songs of all time in 2008. Markie was sometimes referred to as the "Clown Prince of Hip Hop".
Digital Underground was an American alternative hip hop group from Oakland, California. Their personnel changed and rotated with each album and tour.
Mary J. Blige is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the "Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and "Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Awards, twelve NAACP Image Awards, and twelve Billboard Music Awards, including the Billboard Icon Award. She has been nominated for three Golden Globe Awards and two Academy Awards, including one for her supporting role in the film Mudbound (2017) and another for its original song "Mighty River", becoming the first person nominated for acting and songwriting in the same year.
Christopher Edward Martin, known professionally as DJ Premier, is an American record producer and DJ. He is considered one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time. He was half of the hip hop duo Gang Starr—alongside the rapper Guru—and presently forms half of the hip hop duo PRhyme, together with Royce da 5'9".
"Gangsta's Paradise" is a single by American rapper Coolio. Interpolating Stevie Wonder's 1976 song "Pastime Paradise", the single was released on August 1, 1995. The song features vocals from American singer L.V. who served as a co-composer and co-lyricist with Coolio and Doug Rasheed, with Wonder also being credited for the composition and lyrics. Certified Platinum in October, the song was included on Coolio's second album Gangsta's Paradise in November 1995.
Amel Eliza Larrieux is an American singer-songwriter and keyboardist. Larrieux rose to fame in the mid-1990s as a founding member of the duo Groove Theory along with Bryce Wilson. After leaving the group in 1999, she released her debut solo album, Infinite Possibilities, the following year on Epic Records.
"Ice Ice Baby" is the debut single by American rapper Vanilla Ice, K. Kennedy and DJ Earthquake. It was based on the bassline of the song "Under Pressure" by British rock band Queen and British singer David Bowie, who did not receive songwriting credit or royalties until after it had become a hit. Released on Vanilla Ice’s debut album, To the Extreme (1990), it is his best-known song. It has appeared in remixed form on Platinum Underground and Vanilla Ice Is Back! A live version appears on the album Extremely Live, while a nu metal version appears on the album Hard to Swallow, under the title "Too Cold".
"The Message" is a song by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. It was released as a single by Sugar Hill Records on July 1, 1982, and was later featured on the group's debut studio album of the same name.
"It Was a Good Day" is a song by American rapper Ice Cube, released on February 23, 1993 as the second single from his third solo album, The Predator (1992). The song peaked at No. 7 on the 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. "It Was a Good Day" was ranked at No. 81 on the list of greatest rap songs of all time by About.com, No. 77 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s, No. 36 on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time, and No. 352 on the latter's list of Top 500 Best Songs of All Time. In 2008, the song was ranked at No. 28 on VH1's 100 greatest hip-hop songs.
"Headsprung" is a song by American hip hop artist LL Cool J. It was released on June 7, 2004 as the lead single from his eleventh album, The DEFinition. The song was a success on the charts, it peaked at number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 4 on the Hot Rap Songs and number 7 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
American R&B group TLC has released five studio albums, 13 compilation albums, six video albums, 25 singles, 11 promotional singles, and 24 music videos.
Wicked is the first single from rapper Ice Cube's third studio album The Predator. The additional vocals were performed by Don Jagwarr. The song's music video was directed by Marcus Raboy and features Anthony Kiedis and Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It is Ice Cube's first single to enter the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 55.
The discography of MC Hammer, or simply Hammer, includes hit records "U Can't Touch This", "Pray" and "2 Legit 2 Quit". Hammer is known for his flashy dance movements, choreography and Hammer pants. His superstar-status and entertaining showmanship made him a household name and hip hop icon. Hammer has sold more than 50 million records worldwide, breaking down numerous doors for rap music and demonstrating that hip-hop had the potential for blockbuster success. A multi-award winner, M.C. Hammer is considered a "forefather/pioneer" and innovator of pop rap, and is the first hip hop artist to achieve diamond status for an album.
"Night of the Living Baseheads" is the third single released by hip hop group Public Enemy, from their critically acclaimed album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. The lyrics deal with the effects of crack cocaine on African-Americans during the 1980s crack epidemic, referring to the slang for freebase cocaine "base" or crack cocaine. The song reached #62 on the U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks.
Colors is the soundtrack album to the Dennis Hopper-directed 1988 action crime film Colors. It was released on April 26, 1988 via Warner Bros. Records and mostly consisted of hip hop music. The album found success, peaking at number 31 on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold on July 12, 1988, but it is best remembered for its title track performed by Ice-T. The single wasn't a huge success on the charts, only making it to #70 on the Billboard Hot 100, although it was later ranked the 19th best hip-hop song of all time by VH1 in 2008. The second song on the album, "Six Gun" by Decadent Dub Team was remixed for the album by Dr. Dre of NWA.
"Apache" is a song written by Jerry Lordan and first recorded by Bert Weedon. Lordan played the song on ukulele to the Shadows while on tour, and liking the song, the group released their own version which topped the UK Singles Chart for five weeks in mid-1960. The Shadows' guitarist Hank Marvin developed the song's distinctive echo and vibrato sound. After hearing the Shadows' version, Danish guitarist Jørgen Ingmann released a cover of the song in November 1960 which peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US.
"I Ain't Goin' Out Like That" is a 1993 song by American hip hop group Cypress Hill, released as the third single from their second studio album, Black Sunday (1993). During a scheduled Saturday Night Live performance, the song was cut short and the group was banned after DJ Muggs lit up a cannabis joint on-air just before the song. It contains a sample of the opening bars from Black Sabbath's song "The Wizard". It was revealed that the band was high on mushrooms when this final track of the album was recorded.
Operation Beatbox is a various artists compilation album released on September 17, 1996 by Re-Constriction Records. The album compiles covers of popular hip hop tracks performed by electro-industrial acts, many of whom were part of the Re-Constriction roster. It served as a direct sequel to the similarly themed cover album compilation Shut Up Kitty, released in 1993.
