Lana Michele Moorer, better known by her stage name MC Lyte, is an American rapper. Considered one of the pioneers of female rap, MC Lyte first gained fame in the late 1980s, becoming the first female rapper to release a full solo album with 1988's critically acclaimed Lyte as a Rock. The album spawned the singles "10% Dis" and "Paper Thin".
Percy Robert Miller Sr., known by his stage name Master P, is an American rapper, record producer, record executive, actor and entrepreneur. He is the founder of the record label No Limit Records, which was relaunched as New No Limit Records through Universal Records and Koch Records, and again as Guttar Music Entertainment, and currently, No Limit Forever Records. He is also the founder and CEO of P. Miller Enterprises and Better Black Television, which was a short-lived online television network. Miller gained fame in the mid-1990s with the success of his hip hop group TRU as well as his fifth solo rap album Ice Cream Man (1996), which contained his first single "Mr. Ice Cream Man". Miller's popularity grew in 1997 after the success of his Platinum single "Make 'Em Say Uhh!". In total, Miller has released 15 studio albums.
World Class Wreckin' Cru was an American electro group, during the 1980s in the Los Angeles area, that contributed to rap's development. Two of its members, Dr. Dre and DJ Yella, attained greater fame as members of N.W.A, which pioneered gangsta rap. A song by the Cru had also featured R&B singer Michel'le.
Derek Emmanuel Barbosa (born April 8, 1974), better known by his stage name Chino XL, is an American rapper and actor. He has released four solo studio albums. Ricanstruction: The Black Rosary (2012), won the 2012 HHUG Album of the Year Award.
The Hrsmn is an American hip hop supergroup consisting of the artists Canibus, Ras Kass, Killah Priest, and Kurupt. They have released two albums. The name of the group is in reference to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, who appear in the Book of Revelation from the Bible. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are traditionally named Pestilence, War, Famine, and Death. Throughout the HRSMN songs, there are many references to each of the members representing a specific entity. They are Pestilence, War (Canibus), Famine (Kurupt), and Death. They have each frequently appeared on each of the members solo albums, such as Canibus's 2000 B.C. and Killah Priest's Priesthood. Other affiliated members include Chino XL, and Pharoahe Monch.
Mario Sentell Giden Mims, known professionally as Yo Gotti, is an American rapper and music executive. In 1996, he released his debut album Youngsta's On a Come Up under the alias Lil Yo. He went on to release From Da Dope Game 2 Da Rap Game (2000), Self-Explanatory (2001), Life (2003), Back 2 da Basics (2006), Live from the Kitchen (2012), I Am (2013), The Art of Hustle (2016), I Still Am (2017), Untrapped (2020), and CM10: Free Game (2022).
Cameron Jibril Thomaz, better known by his stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper, singer and actor from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He signed with local independent label Rostrum Records to release his debut studio album, Show and Prove (2006). His contract entered a short-lived joint venture with Warner Bros. Records the following year. His Eurodance-influenced single, "Say Yeah" was released in 2008 and received urban radio airplay; it entered the Rhythmic Top 40 and Hot Rap Songs charts, becoming his first minor hit.
Rostrum Records is an American independent record label initially located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, now located in Los Angeles, California. Benjy Grinberg is the founder and president of the label, which currently has sixteen artists on its roster, some of the more notable artists being Mac Miller, Wiz Khalifa, Rich the Kid, Mod Sun, The Bird and the Bee, Donora, Lambo Anlo, TeamMate, Mike Taylor, BRÅVES, Juliann Alexander, and Boaz. Rostrum Records has sold millions of albums and singles, and Rostrum's artists have been nominated for a combined total of eleven Grammy Awards.
Olubowale Victor Akintimehin, better known by his stage name Wale, is an American rapper. He first became known for his 2006 song "Dig Dug ", which became popular in his hometown of Washington D.C. and led Wale to gain further local recognition as he amassed a number of follow-up releases. Wale signed with English DJ-producer Mark Ronson's Allido Records in 2007, and after a three-label bidding war, he entered a joint venture with Interscope Records for US$1.3 million the following year. During this time, Wale's mixtapes and singles saw national attention as he appeared on MTV and various Black America-focused magazines.
Sean Michael Leonard Anderson, known professionally as Big Sean, is an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan. He met high-profile rapper Kanye West as a teenager, and signed with his record label GOOD Music, an imprint of Def Jam Recordings in 2007. He gained popularity following the release of his third mixtape, Finally Famous Vol. 3: Big (2010). His debut studio album, Finally Famous (2011) peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and spawned the Billboard Hot 100-top 40 singles "My Last", "Marvin & Chardonnay", and "Dance (Ass)". His second album, Hall of Fame (2013) was supported by the top 40 single "Beware", and likewise peaked at number three on the Billboard 200.
The State vs. Radric Davis is the sixth studio album by American rapper Gucci Mane. It was released on December 8, 2009. The State vs. Radric Davis came after a slew of independent releases, mixtapes, and features over the prior few years. Productions from Polow da Don, Drumma Boy, Fatboi, Mannie Fresh, among others. Featured artists include Usher, Plies, Lil Wayne, Cam'ron, Soulja Boy, Rick Ross, Bun B, OJ da Juiceman, Wooh da Kid, Waka Flocka Flame, and Nicki Minaj. The iTunes deluxe version contains the EP, Wasted: The Prequel.
Malcolm James McCormick, known professionally as Mac Miller, was an American rapper, singer-songwriter, and record producer. Miller began his career in Pittsburgh's local hip hop scene in 2007, at the age of 15. In 2010, he signed a record deal with independent label Rostrum Records and released his breakthrough mixtapes K.I.D.S. (2010) and Best Day Ever (2011). Miller's debut studio album, Blue Slide Park (2011), became the first independently distributed debut album to top the US Billboard 200 since 1995.
Maybach Music Group is a record label founded by American rapper Rick Ross in 2008. An imprint of gamma. since 2023, the label was previously an imprint of Island Def Jam (2009–2011), Warner Records (2011–2012) and Atlantic Records (2012–2023). The label, having signed artists including Wale, Meek Mill, French Montana, Omarion, Rockie Fresh, and Stalley, has released a total of 29 studio albums, including three compilation albums in its Self-Made series. The "Maybach Music" vocal tag present in many of the label's recordings is spoken by Australian model Jessica Gomes.
Durk Derrick Banks, known professionally as Lil Durk, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter from Chicago, Illinois. He first garnered a regional following with the release of his Signed to the Streets mixtape series (2013–2014), which led to his signing of a recording contract from Def Jam Recordings. The label released his debut studio album, Remember My Name (2015) and its follow up, Lil Durk 2X (2016) to moderate commercial reception before parting ways with the artist in 2018.
Lonzo Anderson Ball is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A point guard, he played college basketball for one season with the UCLA Bruins, earning consensus first-team All-American honors before the Los Angeles Lakers selected him with the second overall pick of the 2017 NBA draft. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 2018.
Kentrell DeSean Gaulden, known professionally as YoungBoy Never Broke Again, also known as NBA YoungBoy, or simply YoungBoy, is an American rapper. From 2015 to 2017, he released eight independent mixtapes and garnered a regional following for his work. He signed with Atlantic Records in the latter year to release the singles "Untouchable" and "No Smoke", both of which marked his first entries on the Billboard Hot 100. Released in January of the following year, his single "Outside Today" became his first to reach the top 40 of the chart, and received quadruple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It served as both his mainstream breakthrough and the lead single for his debut studio album Until Death Call My Name (2018), which peaked at number seven on the US Billboard 200 despite mixed critical reception.
"Melo Ball 1" is a rap single by American professional basketball player Lonzo Ball, featuring singer Kenneth Paige. Released on September 8, 2017, it is Ball's first official song and is about his younger brother LaMelo Ball and his signature Big Baller Brand shoe, the Melo Ball 1 (MB1). A segment of the song first appeared in a video published by SLAM magazine that debuted the MB1 shoes. The song was produced by 80's Baby Entertainment, Inc. under his family-owned record label Big Baller Music Group.
David Wallace III, known professionally as Kashdami, is an American rapper from Prince George's County, Maryland. He initially rose to popularity in 2020 with his song "Kappin Up", this was assisted due to the song's associated music-video from WorldStar. In 2021 he regained popularity on video platform TikTok with his songs "Reparations", "Look N The Mirror", and "14" which featured rapper tana. These songs lead to heavy amounts of traction and growth on Kashdami's SoundCloud and TikTok accounts. He released his first major label mixtape Epiphany in June 2021
Steven Dale Lewis II, known professionally as tana, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He rose to popularity within the early months of 2021 with his hit singles "14" and "Antisocial" which gained traction throughout TikTok and SoundCloud. He then later signed to his first major label Galactic — a subsidiary of Republic Records within the late months of 2021.
Daniel Jerome Jenrette, known professionally as Dro Kenji, is an American rapper and singer from Summerville, South Carolina. He is currently signed to Internet Money Records and 10K Projects.
