Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop musical collective formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its members include RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and, until his death in 2004, Ol' Dirty Bastard. Close affiliate Cappadonna later became an official member. They are credited for revitalizing East Coast hip hop and are considered one of the greatest hip hop groups of all time.
The Pharcyde is an American hip hop group, formed in 1989, from South Central Los Angeles. The original four members of the group are Imani, Slimkid3, Bootie Brown, and Fatlip. DJ Mark Luv was the group's first disc jockey (DJ), followed by producer J-Swift.
UGK was an American hip hop duo from Houston, Texas, more specifically an outskirt called Port Arthur, Texas, formed in 1987, by Bernard "Bun B" Freeman and Chad "Pimp C" Butler. They released their first major-label album, Too Hard to Swallow, in 1992, followed by several other albums charting on the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts, including the self-titled Underground Kingz album, which contained their single "International Players Anthem " and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, in August 2007. The duo has also been featured on hit singles by several other artists, such as "Big Pimpin'" by Jay-Z and "Sippin' on Some Syrup" by Three 6 Mafia. Pimp C founded UGK Records in late 2005. On December 4, 2007, Pimp C died in his West Hollywood, California hotel room.
Rufus Johnson, better known by his stage name Bizarre, formerly Bizarre Kid, is an American rapper and producer, best known for his work with the Detroit-based hip hop group D12.
Reginald Noble, better known by his stage name Redman, is an American rapper, DJ, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame in the early 1990s as an artist on the Def Jam label.
Iron Flag is the fourth studio album by American East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan, released on December 18, 2001, on Loud Records. It was certified gold in sales by the RIAA. Iron Flag served as the group's second lowest-selling album, as their record label, Loud, was on the verge of shutting down at the time. The album debuted at No. 32 on the Billboard 200 with 153,000 copies sold in its first week of release. It has sold over half a million copies in the United States and certified Gold by the RIAA. Rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard is completely absent from the album.
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.
Alan Daniel Maman, known professionally as The Alchemist, is an American record producer, DJ and rapper. 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 Prodigy, Eminem, Action Bronson, Freddie Gibbs, Roc Marciano, ScHoolboy Q, Conway the Machine, Westside Gunn, Boldy James, and Earl Sweatshirt.
Chad Aaron Bromley, better known by his stage name Apathy, is a rapper and producer from Willimantic, Connecticut.
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.
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. Since his debut, he has had a productive standard of releasing multiple albums.
In the modern music industry, a mixtape is a musical project, typically with looser constraints than that of an album or extended play. Unlike the traditional album or extended play, mixtapes are labeled as laid-back projects that allow artists more creative freedom and less commercial pressure. The term has significantly increased in popularity over the years due to high-profile artists marketing their projects as such. Mixtapes also have been inconsistently referred to as albums by reputable media outlets such as Pitchfork, Rolling Stone and Complex. This has caused notable confusion on the differences between an album and a mixtape.
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.
Ludaversal is the ninth studio album by American rapper Ludacris under Def Jam Recordings. His most recent album, it was released on March 31, 2015. Recording sessions took place during 2011 to 2015, while the production on the album was handled by several producers; including Mike Will Made It, Rico Love, Giorgio Tuinfort and Da Internz, among others.
Angel Del Villar II, better known by his stage name Homeboy Sandman, is an American rapper from Elmhurst, Queens, New York, United States.
Da Dirty 30 is the only studio album by American hip hop trio Cru. It was released on June 15, 1997, as a joint production by Def Jam Recordings and Violator Entertainment, with the entire production of the album coming from the group's producer Yogi. It features guest appearances from Black Rob, Anthony Hamilton, Antoinette, Jim Hydro, Ras Kass, Slick Rick, The Lox and Tracey Lee. The album was met with positive reviews but was not a huge commercial success, peaking at number 102 on the Billboard 200, number 26 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and topped the Top Heatseekers.
Troy Donald Jamerson, better known by his stage name Pharoahe Monch, is an American rapper known for his complex lyrics, intricate delivery, and internal and multisyllabic rhyme schemes.
The County Hound 2 is the second studio album by American rapper Cashis, who also served as executive producer. It was released independently on October 15, 2013, by his label Bogish Brand Entertainment. It serves as the sequel to his debut EP The County Hound EP, which was released on May 22, 2007 by Shady Records and Interscope Records. The album features guest appearances by Crooked I from Slaughterhouse, Obie Trice, Mistah F.A.B., Kuniva from D12, King Los, K. Young, Boaz, and Demrick among others. Production for the album took place from 2006 to 2013, and was handled primarily by Rikanatti and Eminem among others. The album was supported by eight singles — "Layin' in the Cut", "Mind on Money", "Imma Hustla", "Look at Me", "Hi", "Take the Pain", "Bright Lights" and "Red". It was also met with positive reviews from music critics.
Twenty88 is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo Twenty88, composed of rapper Big Sean and R&B singer-songwriter Jhené Aiko. It was released on April 1, 2016, by Def Jam Recordings, in a joint venture with both artists' imprint labels, GOOD Music and ARTium Recordings. The album features guest appearances from American R&B group K-Ci & JoJo and record producer Detail. Production was handled by Detail himself, as well as KeY Wane, Tommy Brown, Sidney Swift, Cam O'bi, Steve Lacy, Flippa and Jproof.
