Kurtis Walker, known professionally by his stage name Kurtis Blow, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Walker is the first commercially successful rapper and the first to sign with a major record label. "The Breaks", a single from his 1980 self-titled debut album, is the first certified gold record rap song. Throughout his career he has released 17 albums and is currently an ordained minister.
Rajinder Singh Rai, better known by his stage name Panjabi MC, is a British-Indian recording artist, rapper, record producer and DJ. He is best known for the worldwide Bhangra 2002 hit "Mundian To Bach Ke", which sold 10 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time. Among other songs, he gained acclaim with the 2003 release "Jogi". AllMusic has called him "one of the most prominent names in bhangra".
Robert Zemichiel, known professionally as Afrob, is a German rapper and actor. He was born in Venice, Italy but grew up in Stuttgart, Germany. He began rapping in 1994, and has released nine albums since: Rolle mit Hip Hop (1999), Made in Germany (2001), Wer hätte das gedacht? (2003), Hammer (2005), Der Letzte seiner Art (2009), Push (2014), Blockbasta (2015), Mutterschiff (2016), and most recently Abschied von Gestern (2019).
M.O.P. is an American hip-hop duo composed of rappers Billy Danze and Lil' Fame, best known for their song "Ante Up." The group has frequently collaborated with DJ Premier. The group is part of the Gang Starr Foundation. Fame occasionally produces under the moniker Fizzy Womack and has produced tracks on every M.O.P. release since 1996's Firing Squad. He has also worked for other artists, including Kool G Rap and Wu-Tang Clan.
"Drop It Like It's Hot" is a song by American rapper Snoop Dogg, featuring American singer, rapper and musician Pharrell Williams. It was released on September 27, 2004, as the lead single from Snoop Dogg's seventh studio album, R&G : The Masterpiece (2004). The song was produced by Williams alongside Chad Hugo as the Neptunes. It is regarded as an iconic song, with Snoop performing the chorus and the second and third verses while Pharrell performs the first verse.
Paul Hartmut Würdig, better known as Sido, is a German rapper. He interprets his stage name as "super-intelligentes Drogenopfer". It originally stood for "Scheiße in dein Ohr", a line from his track "Terroarr".
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were an American hip hop group formed in the South Bronx of New York City in 1978. The group's members were Grandmaster Flash, Kidd Creole, Keef Cowboy, Melle Mel, Scorpio, and Rahiem. The group's use of turntablism, breakbeat DJing, and conscious lyricism were significant in the early development of hip hop music.
"It's Like That" is the debut single of American hip hop group Run-D.M.C., released in 1983 by Profile Records. The song was remixed by house DJ Jason Nevins in 1997. His version was originally released in 1997 on 10-inch vinyl in the United States and became a sleeper hit in 1998. It sold around five million copies worldwide, placing it amongst the biggest selling singles of all time. In 2008, it was ranked number 40 on VH1's "100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs".
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.
"The Jump Off" is a song by American rapper Lil' Kim featuring fellow American rappers Mr. Cheeks and Timbaland, who produced the track. It was released by Atlantic Records on February 10, 2003 as the lead single from her third studio album La Bella Mafia (2003).
Lawrence "Kris" Parker, better known by his stage names KRS-One and Teacha, is an American rapper from The Bronx. He rose to prominence as part of the hip hop group Boogie Down Productions, which he formed with DJ Scott La Rock in the mid-1980s. KRS-One is known for his songs "Sound of da Police", "Love's Gonna Get'cha ", and "My Philosophy". Boogie Down Productions received numerous awards and critical acclaim in their early years. Following the release of the group's debut album, Criminal Minded, fellow artist Scott La Rock was shot and killed, but KRS-One continued the group, effectively as a solo project. He began releasing records under his own name in 1993. He is politically active, having started the Stop the Violence Movement after La Rock's death. He is also a vegan activist, expressed in songs such as "Beef". He is widely considered an influence on many hip-hop artists.
Joseph Robert Saddler, known by his stage name Grandmaster Flash, is an American musician and DJ. He created a DJ technique called the Quick Mix Theory. This technique serviced the break-dancer and the rapper by elongating the drum breaks through the use of duplicate copies of vinyl. This technique gave birth to cutting and scratching. It also gave rappers better music with a seamless elongated bed of beats to speak on. He also invented the slipmat.
"All I Do Is Win" is a song by American DJ and record producer DJ Khaled featuring American rappers T-Pain, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg, and Rick Ross. It was released on February 8, 2010 as the third single from the former's fourth studio album Victory, along with "Put Your Hands Up". The song peaked at number 24 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. The single was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
"Return of Hip Hop " is a 2001 single by DJ Tomekk from his debut album Return of Hip Hop. The song features KRS-One, Torch and MC Rene. KRS-One raps in English, Torch and MC Rene rap in German. The song peaked at No. 13 in Germany.
"Ich lebe für Hip Hop" is a single by hip hop producer DJ Tomekk, released in 2000. The song features GZA, Curse, Prodigal Sunn and the Stieber Twins. With the exception of repeating the song's title, Prodigal Sunn and GZA rap in English. Curse and the Stieber twins rap in German. The song peaked at number 11 in Germany.
Daniel Woodis, better known by his stage name DJ Class, is an American DJ from Baltimore, Maryland. A veteran of the Baltimore club scene, he started his career in the early 1990s and gained attention with his Unruly Records releases, including the local hit "Tear da Club Up". In 2009, DJ Class scored his most commercially successful single to date with "I'm the Shit", which was remixed by several artists and subsequently became a top 40 Billboard chart hit upon being re-released by Universal Republic Records.
"Doggfather" is a single by American rapper Snoop Dogg featuring vocals by American musician Charlie Wilson. It was released on April 8, 1997 as the third and final single from Snoop's second album Tha Doggfather (1996). Daz Dillinger produced "Doggfather", and wrote it with Snoop Doggy Dogg and Charlie Wilson. The hip hop song samples "Humpin'" from Wilson's group The Gap Band. "Doggfather" didn't chart in the US, but peaked at number 20 in both New Zealand and the UK.
Run-DMC was an American hip hop group from Hollis, Queens, New York City, formed in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as one of the most influential acts in the history of hip hop culture and especially one of the most famous hip hop acts of the 1980s. Along with Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, and Public Enemy, the group pioneered new-school hip hop music and helped usher in the golden age of hip hop. The group was among the first to highlight the importance of the MC and DJ relationship.
Artist Julius Dubose, known professionally as A Boogie wit da Hoodie or simply A Boogie, is an American rapper and singer-songwriter. Dubose released his debut studio album, The Bigger Artist, via Atlantic Records in 2017. Led by the Billboard Hot 100-top 20 single "Drowning", the album was met with critical praise and peaked at number four on the Billboard 200.
"Slide" is a song by American singer H.E.R. featuring American rapper YG. It was released on September 27, 2019, through RCA Records as the lead single from H.E.R.'s debut studio album, Back of My Mind (2021). An official remix featuring American rappers and singers Pop Smoke, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, and Chris Brown was released in January 2020.
