Keith Edward Elam, better known by his stage name Guru (a backronym for Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal), was an American rapper, producer and actor. He was a member of the hip hop duo Gang Starr, along with DJ Premier. He was born in Roxbury, Boston.
Nathaniel Thomas Wilson, better known by his stage name Kool G Rap, is an American rapper from Queens. He began his career in the mid-1980s as one half of the group Kool G Rap & DJ Polo and as a member of the Juice Crew. He is often cited as one of the most influential and skilled MCs of all time, and a pioneer of mafioso rap/street/hardcore content and multisyllabic rhyming. On his album The Giancana Story, he stated that the "G" in his name stands for "Giancana", but on other occasions he has stated that it stands for "Genius".
Jordan Michael Houston, known professionally as Juicy J, is an American rapper, record producer, singer, songwriter and record executive from Memphis, Tennessee. He is a founding member of the Southern hip hop group Three 6 Mafia, established in 1991. In 2002, he released his solo debut album Chronicles of the Juice Man, in between Three 6 Mafia projects. In 2011, Juicy J announced that he was a part-owner and A&R rep for Wiz Khalifa's Taylor Gang Records, and the following year, he signed a solo deal with Columbia Records and Dr. Luke's Kemosabe Records. Juicy J released Stay Trippy, his third studio album under the aforementioned labels on August 27, 2013. He is the younger brother of frequent collaborator and fellow rapper Project Pat.
Rufus Arthur Johnson, better known by his stage name Bizarre, is an American rapper, best known for his work with the Detroit-based hip hop group D12.
David Marvin Blake, better known by his stage name DJ Quik, is an American rapper, songwriter, DJ and record producer. According to Quik himself, his stage name reflects his ability to produce records in a short period of time. Some of his top songs include "Tonite", "Born and Raised in Compton" and "Jus Lyke Compton".
Ryan Daniel Montgomery, known professionally as Royce da 5'9", is an American rapper and songwriter. He is best known for his longtime association with Eminem as well as his solo career, recording primarily with producers Carlos "6 July" Broady and DJ Premier, as well as ghostwriting for the likes of Diddy and Dr. Dre. Royce is currently one half of the rap duo Bad Meets Evil with Eminem and one half of the hip hop duo PRhyme with DJ Premier. He was also one quarter of the hip hop group Slaughterhouse with Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz and Kxng Crooked. The editors of About.com ranked him No. 31 on their list of the "Top 50 MCs of Our Time (1987–2007)".
R.A. Thorburn better known by his stage name R.A. the Rugged Man, is an American rapper, screenwriter, film director and film producer. He began his music career at age 12, building a reputation locally for his lyrical skills. R.A. signed to major label Jive Records at age 18, but his debut album, Night of the Bloody Apes, was never released.
Duval Clear, known better by his stage name Masta Ace, is an American rapper and record producer from Brownsville, Brooklyn. He appeared on the classic 1988 Juice Crew posse cut "The Symphony". He is noted for his distinct voice and rapping proficiency, and has influenced several MCs. In 2000, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, but he did not reveal it to the public until 2013, after first revealing his condition to his touring peers when his medicine syringes and vials were exposed after a police stop in the Czech Republic, as the group's belongings were searched and exposed.
Matt Ford, better known as DJ Format, is a hip hop DJ born in Southampton, England who lives in Brighton. He collaborates frequently with Abdominal on the album Music For the Mature B-Boy and with Abdominal and fellow Canadian rapper D-Sisive on the second full album If You Can't Join 'Em… Beat 'Em, as well as with Akil and Chali 2na from Jurassic 5.
Mario Sentell Giden Mims, known professionally as Yo Gotti, is an American rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. In 1996, Gotti 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) and Untrapped (2020).
Let the Rhythm Hit ’Em is the third studio album by hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, released on May 22, 1990. The group's sound develops further, with Rakim adopting a deeper, more aggressive tone of voice, and more mature and serious subject matter. Musically, the production ranges from smoother soulful tracks such as "In the Ghetto" to the hard-edged assault of the title track "Let the Rhythm Hit ’Em."
Ricardo Emmanuel Brown, of the stage name Kurupt, is an American rapper who entered the public eye with Death Row Records in the early 1990s, especially once teaming with labelmate Daz to form a rap duo, Tha Dogg Pound. Kurupt left the label in 1996, and his debut solo album arrived in 1998. Since then Kurupt has been a member of other rap supergroups, such as the DPGC, which includes Snoop Dogg, and the Diirty OGz. Kurupt's rap talent has influenced standout rappers Eminem and Kendrick Lamar.
Slaughterhouse is a hip hop supergroup consisting of rappers Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz, Kxng Crooked and Royce da 5'9". They have released two studio albums as a group, the independent Slaughterhouse and the Shady Records/Interscope-backed Welcome to: Our House.
Lawrence "Kris" Parker, better known by his stage names KRS-One, and Teacha, is an American rapper and occasional producer from The Bronx, New York. He rose to prominence as part of the hip hop music group Boogie Down Productions, which he formed with DJ Scott La Rock in the mid-1980s. KRS-One is best known for his top hits, "Sound of da Police", "Love's Gonna Get'cha ", and "My Philosophy", among others. Boogie Down Productions received numerous awards and critical acclaim in their early years. Unfortunately, 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 Scott's death. He's also a vegan activist, expressed in songs such as "Beef". He is widely considered as an influence to many well known hip hop artists, such as 2Pac and Eminem just to name few.
Daniel Carrillo, better known by his stage name Termanology, is an American rapper and record producer. He first gained major attention with the 2006 single "Watch How It Go Down". A solo album, Politics as Usual, was released in 2008. He has made a number of collaborative albums, such as 1982 and is known also for his prolific mixtape output. He is of Puerto Rican and French descent.
Michael Wayne Atha, better known by his stage name Yelawolf, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, fashion designer, and business owner. Born and raised in Gadsden, Alabama, Atha embarked on his career in 2005—releasing independent solo material from then until 2010—he released one extended play (EP) and four mixtapes. It was not until 2010's Trunk Muzik EP that Yelawolf started to gain mainstream attention. The same year would see Yelawolf sign a record deal with Interscope Records. His first release on a major label would be a somewhat reworked Trunk Muzik, titled Trunk Muzik 0-60 which shared six tracks from Trunk Muzik.
Keenon Daequan Ray Jackson, better known by his stage name YG, is an American rapper and actor from Compton, California. In 2009, he released his debut single, "Toot It and Boot It" featuring Ty Dolla Sign, which peaked at number 67 on the Billboard Hot 100. The single's success resulted in him signing to Def Jam Recordings. In the following years, YG released mixtapes such as The Real 4Fingaz, Just Re'd Up,Just Re'd Up 2, 4 Hunnid Degreez, and many others.
Dijon Isaiah McFarlane, known professionally as Mustard, is an American record producer, DJ, record executive, rapper, and songwriter. He is a frequent collaborator of fellow California-bred artists YG and Ty Dolla Sign; among various other records for the hip hop and R&B genres since his entrance into mainstream music with Tyga's 2011 single, "Rack City".
David Lawrence Brewster Jr., better known by his stage name Dave East, is an American rapper and actor from Harlem, New York. East started rapping in 2010 and sold drugs throughout Harlem to support himself and his music, releasing over six mixtapes. He gained attention in 2014 from his eighth mixtape, Black Rose. Its release garnered the attention of Nas, who later signed East to his record label, Mass Appeal Records, and later in conjunction with Def Jam Recordings.
Symere Woods, known professionally as Lil Uzi Vert, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Lil Uzi gained initial recognition following the release of the commercial mixtape Luv Is Rage (2015), which led to a recording contract with Atlantic Records, to whom he signed to under DJ Drama's Generation Now imprint. He then attracted mainstream attention following the release of his debut single "Money Longer" in 2016, which peaked at number 54 on the Billboard Hot 100, and later became certified double platinum. In March 2020, The New York Times called him "perhaps the defining rap star of the past few years."
