Mississippi is best known as the home of the blues which developed among the freed African Americans in the latter half of the 19th century and beginning 20th century. The Delta blues is the style most closely associated with the state, and includes performers like Charley Patton, Robert Johnson, David "Honeyboy" Edwards, Willie Brown, Tommy Johnson, Ishmon Bracey, Bo Carter, Sam Chatmon, Mississippi John Hurt, Furry Lewis, Son House, Skip James, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, John Lee Hooker, Pinetop Perkins, Albert King and B.B. King.
D12 was an American hip hop collective from Detroit, Michigan. Formed in 1996, the group achieved mainstream success with its lineup of de facto leader Eminem, Proof, Bizarre, Mr. Porter, Kuniva and Swifty McVay.
Carl Terrell Mitchell, better known by his stage name Twista, is an American rapper. He is best known for his chopper style of rapping and for once holding the title of fastest English-speaking rapper in the world according to Guinness World Records in 1992, being able to pronounce 598 syllables in 55 seconds, but his fastest peak burst was on DJ Kay Slay's "Rolling 50 Deep", coming in at 14.07 syllables per second.
Ryan Daniel Montgomery, known professionally as Royce da 5'9", is an American rapper. Best known for his association with fellow Detroit rapper Eminem, they became acquainted in 1997 and formed the hip hop duo, Bad Meets Evil the following year. Their 2011 single, "Lighters" peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and preceded the release of their debut extended play (EP), Hell: The Sequel (2011). The song and its parent EP, which debuted atop the Billboard 200, have yielded Montgomery's furthest commercial success.
Penalty is an American record label and entertainment company, founded and run by CEO Neil Levine. The company was founded in 1995 as a record label specializing in hip-hop music.
Tha Eastsidaz is a hip hop duo consisting of Tray Deee and Goldie Loc put together by Snoop Dogg, who often featured on their songs. Their first appearance was on Tommy Boy Records Ride soundtrack with Crooked Eye Q on a Battlecat-produced song called "Feels So Good" in 1997.
Lavell William Crump, better known by his stage name David Banner, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor.
Bad Meets Evil is an American hip hop super duo composed of Detroit-based rappers Royce da 5′9″ ("bad") and Eminem ("evil"). Formed in 1997, the duo's name comes from the namesake song from Eminem's The Slim Shady LP (1999), which featured Royce da 5'9". They debuted the same year with the release of the double single, "Nuttin' to Do" and "Scary Movies", the latter of which for the soundtrack to the 2000 horror comedy parody film Scary Movie. A decade later, the duo reunited to release an extended play (EP) to critical and commercial success.
Evil Nine are an English electronic music duo comprising members Tom Beaufoy and Pat Pardy. Their musical style is primarily classified as breakbeat, although it additionally encompasses other influences.
Certified is the fourth studio album by American rapper and record producer David Banner. It was released on September 20, 2005 through Street Records Corporation, Big Face Entertainment and Universal Records.
Ricardo Emmanuel Brown, better known by his stage name Kurupt, is an American rapper and record producer. Born and raised in Philadelphia, he formed Tha Dogg Pound in 1992 along with Daz Dillinger; the rap duo has released eight albums. He also formed the hip hop group The Hrsmn in 1996, with whom he has released two albums. His debut solo album, Kuruption! (1998) was released by A&M Records and peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200.
Dominick Antron Wickliffe, better known by his stage name Kxng Crooked, is an American rapper from Long Beach, California. He is best known as a former member of the hip hop supergroup Slaughterhouse with other members Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz and Royce da 5'9". He is CEO of his own record labels, Dynasty Entertainment and C.O.B. Digital as well as Senior Vice President of Treacherous Records. Before starting his own label, he was also signed to Virgin Records and Death Row Records. He is currently one half of the rap duo Crook and Joell with his former Slaughterhouse bandmate, Joell Ortiz. Together, they released three studio albums.
Them Firewater Boyz Vol. 1 is the debut studio album by American rapper and a record producer David Banner. It was released independently on August 15, 2000, by Big Face Entertainment. The album features guest appearances from fellow American rappers such as Pimp C, Fiend, Devin the Dude, Kamikaze, Bone Crusher, Polow, Young Bleed and Noreaga, among others.
Rod Sepand, better known professionally as King Tech, is an American DJ, B-boy, VJ and audio engineer. He is one half of the duo Sway & King Tech.
The following is a select discography of albums and singles released by or featuring American rapper, producer, and actor, David Banner.
Steady Mobb'n was an American hip hop duo composed of Crooked Eye and Billy Bathgate, from the Ghost Town section of West Oakland. The duo were formally signed to No Limit Records & Bomb Shelter Entertainment in the late 1990s.
Slaughterhouse were an American hip hop supergroup consisting of rappers Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz, Kxng Crooked, and Royce da 5'9". They released their eponymous debut studio album independently in 2009, and signed to Shady Records, an imprint of Interscope Records to release it's follow up, Welcome to: Our House in 2012. The group disbanded in 2018.
Grey Skies is the title for the first and only album released by Crooked Lettaz, the Jackson, Mississippi duo composed of Kamikaze and David Banner. The album was released on April 20, 1999, by independent label, Penalty Recordings, with manufacturing and distribution handled by Tommy Boy Music.
G-Side is an American hip hop duo from Huntsville, Alabama. The group consists of ST 2 Lettaz and Yung Clova.
Neil Levine is an American music industry executive. He is best known as the founder of the hip-hop label Penalty Recordings, and is currently the CEO of its successor company, Penalty Entertainment. Levine helped to launch the careers of artists such as Capone-N-Noreaga, Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz, and Tha Eastsidaz.
