Christopher George Latore Wallace, better known by his stage names The Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta rap, he is widely considered one of the greatest rappers of all time. Wallace became known for his distinctive laid-back lyrical delivery, offsetting the lyrics' often grim content.
Life After Death is the second and final studio album by American rapper the Notorious B.I.G., released on March 25, 1997, on Bad Boy Records and Arista Records. A double album, it was released sixteen days after his murder. It features collaborations with guest artists such as 112, Jay-Z, Lil' Kim, Mase, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Too $hort, Angela Winbush, D.M.C. of Run-D.M.C., R. Kelly, the Lox, and Puff Daddy. Life After Death exhibits the Notorious B.I.G. further delving into the mafioso rap subgenre. The album is a sequel to his first album, Ready to Die, and picks up where the last song, "Suicidal Thoughts", ends.
Reasonable Doubt is the debut studio album by American rapper Jay-Z. It was released on June 25, 1996, by his own record label Roc-A-Fella Records and distributed by Priority Records. The album features production provided by DJ Premier, Ski, Knobody and Clark Kent, and also includes guest appearances from Memphis Bleek, Mary J. Blige, Jaz-O, and the Notorious B.I.G., among others. The album features mafioso rap themes and gritty lyrics about the "hustler" lifestyle and material obsessions.
Hideyuki Yokoi, known professionally as Zeebra, is a Japanese hip hop rapper and DJ who made his first appearance in 1995. Zeebra is a former member of the hip-hop group King Giddra, which also included DJ Oasis and K Dub Shine. He went on to pursue a solo career shortly after in 1997, and signed with the Future Shock record label.
Rodolfo Franklin Sr., known professionally as Clark Kent or DJ Clark Kent, is an American hip hop record producer, DJ and music executive of Panamanian descent. His crew of DJs is called "The Supermen", and his DJ moniker is derived from the name of Superman's alter ego.
"Feelin' So Good" is a song recorded by American singer Jennifer Lopez for her debut studio album On the 6 (1999). The lyrics were written by Cory Rooney and Lopez, while the music was written by Steven Standard, George Logios and Sean "Puffy" Combs, who also produced the song. It was released on January 25, 2000, as the fourth single from On the 6.
Calvin LeBrun, better known as Mister Cee or DJ Mister Cee, is an American DJ, broadcaster, record executive and radio personality on New York's RADIO 103.9. He was the DJ behind rapper Big Daddy Kane's debut in 1988. He was also associate executive producer for the Notorious B.I.G.'s 1994 debut album, Ready to Die.
Hip hop or hip-hop, also known as rap, and formerly known as disco rap, is a genre of popular music that originated in the early 1970s by black African Americans and Caribbean Americans immigrants in the Bronx, a borough of New York City. It existed for several years prior to mainstream discovery. Hip-hop music originated as an anti-drug and anti-violence genre consisting of stylized rhythmic music that often accompanies rapping, a rhythmic delivery of poetic speech. According to the professor Asante of African American studies at Temple University, "hip hop is something that blacks can unequivocally claim as their own". The music developed as part of the broader hip hop culture, a subculture defined by four key stylistic elements: MCing/rapping, DJing/scratching with turntables, break dancing, and graffiti art. While often used to refer solely to rapping and rap music, "hip hop" more properly denotes the practice of the entire subculture. The term hip hop music is sometimes used synonymously with the term rap music, though rapping is not a required component of hip hop music; the genre may also incorporate other elements of the culture, including DJing, turntablism, scratching, beatboxing, and instrumental tracks.
5 Deadly Venoms of Brooklyn is a mixtape created by five New York City DJs, P.F. Cuttin', Mister Cee, Tony Touch, DJ Premier and Evil Dee. The mixtape was recorded in 1997 and released by Tape Kingz on cassette tape. The name of the album is a reference to a well-known kung-fu movie Five Deadly Venoms.
Frank Javiel Malave, better known by his stage name Frankie Cutlass, is an American award winning, Grammy nominated DJ, record producer, songwriter, and remixer from Harlem, New York City. He was a member of the Funkmaster Flex DJs The Flip Squad.
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 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.
Jersey club is a style of electronic club music that originated in Newark, New Jersey in the early 2000s. It was pioneered by DJ Tameil and other members of the Brick Bandits crew, who were inspired by Baltimore club's uptempo hybrid of house and hip hop. Other young producers also pushed for the progression of this style of music in the late 2000s.
"Barbie Dreams" is a song recorded by rapper Nicki Minaj for her fourth studio album Queen (2018). It was released on August 14, 2018, to radio stations through Young Money Entertainment and Cash Money Records as the third single from the album. The song was written by Minaj, Rashad "Ringo" Smith, Alexander Roland, the duo Mel and Mus composed of Melvin Hough II and Rivelino Raoul Wouter, Christopher Smith, James Brown, and Fred Wesley; while its production was done by Ringo, and Mel and Mus.
Brooklyn drill is a regional subgenre of drill music, which is a subgenre of rap music. It centered in Brooklyn, New York, that began as derivative of the drill music scene in Chicago and later became derivative of UK drill with its 808 percussion and sliding notes by producers from the UK drill scene. Brooklyn drill emerged around 2014 with the single "Hot Nigga" from the rapper Bobby Shmurda. Other early contributors were Rowdy Rebel, Bam Bino, Money Millz, Dah Dah and Curly Savv.
"Munch (Feelin' U)" is a song by American rapper Ice Spice, released on August 10, 2022.
Isis Naija Gaston, known professionally as Ice Spice, is an American rapper. Born and raised in the Bronx in New York City, she embarked on her musical career in 2021 after meeting American record producer RiotUSA while studying at college.
"Bikini Bottom" is a song by American rapper Ice Spice. It was released on October 28, 2022, through 10K Projects.
Like..? is the debut extended play (EP) by American rapper Ice Spice. It was released on January 20, 2023 through 10K Projects and Capitol Records, and was announced only hours prior to its release. Frequent collaborator RiotUSA served as the executive producer for the EP. The EP was preceded by the singles "Munch ", "Bikini Bottom", "In Ha Mood". The song "Gangsta Boo", with Lil Tjay, was Ice Spice's first song to enter the Billboard Hot 100 at number 82, while "In Ha Mood" went on to peak at number 58 on the chart.
"Gangsta Boo" is a song by American rappers Ice Spice and Lil Tjay from the former's debut extended play (EP), Like..? (2023).
"Princess Diana" is a song by American rapper Ice Spice. It is the second track on her debut extended play, Like..?, released on January 20, 2023, through 10K Projects and Capitol Records. A remix with Nicki Minaj was released as a single on April 14, 2023 and peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100, earning Ice Spice her second top-ten hit on the chart and the 22nd top-ten hit for Nicki Minaj.
