"If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" is a song by American rapper Nas featuring fellow American singer Lauryn Hill,released on June 4,1996 as the first single from his second album,It Was Written (1996). Produced by Trackmasters,with some uncredited input by Rashad Smith,it is based on the 1985 hit of the same name by American rapper Kurtis Blow and samples the beat of "Friends" by Whodini. Lauryn Hill's verse interpolates the song "Walk Right Up To The Sun" by The Delfonics. The single marked Hill's first musical appearance outside of the Fugees.
"Hate Me Now" is the second and final single by rapper Nas featuring Sean Combs,from Nas' third studio album I Am.... The backbeat is inspired by,and contains some samples from,Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana". It was ranked 119 on XXL's 250 Best Songs of the 1990s.
The discography of Nas,an American rapper,consists of sixteen studio albums,one collaborative album,one group album,five compilations,four mixtapes,one extended play,and seventy-nine singles. Nas has sold over 20 million records in the United States alone,and 35 million albums worldwide.
The Album is the only studio album by American hip hop group The Firm. It was released on October 21,1997,by Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. The project was created by rapper Nas,his manager Steve Stoute and producers Dr. Dre and Trackmasters,who came up with the idea of forming a hip hop supergroup. The original line-up included Nas,AZ,Foxy Brown and Cormega who were all featured on the song "Affirmative Action" from Nas' album It Was Written (1996). However,Cormega later left the group due to artistic differences between him and Nas,as well as contract disagreements with Stoute. He was replaced by Nature prior to recording of the album. The Album is a concept album that revolves around the themes of mafia and "gangsta" lifestyle. The songs on the album were mainly produced by Dr. Dre,Chris "The Glove" Taylor and Trackmasters,and feature guest vocals from Pretty Boy,Wizard,Canibus,Dawn Robinson,Noreaga and Half-a-Mill.
Chyna Doll is the second studio album by American rapper Foxy Brown. It was released on January 26,1999,by Ill Na Na Entertainment,Violator Records and Def Jam Recordings. After the commercial success of her debut album,Ill Na Na (1996),Brown began working on her second album. This time,she insisted on being the executive producer to have a creative control over the album. She collaborated with a number of producers,such as Kanye West,D-Dot,Irv Gotti,Lil Rob,Swizz Beatz and Tyrone Fyffe,among others.
American rapper Lil' Kim has released five studio albums,one remix album,four mixtapes,forty-two singles,and thirteen promotional singles. In 1994,Kim was a member of the hip hop group Junior M.A.F.I.A. Their first album,Conspiracy,was released in August 1995,and has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It spawned the gold and platinum-certified top-twenty singles,"Player's Anthem","Get Money",and "I Need You Tonight".
"Step in the Name of Love (Remix)" is a hit song by R&B singer R. Kelly. Taken from the 2003 album Chocolate Factory,the song became the tenth single from Kelly (and the final one to date) to reach #1 on the R&B chart,particularly on the strength of the song's remix. It also peaked at number nine on the pop charts on December 2,2003. The original "Step in the Name of Love",which is on the unreleased 2002 album "Loveland" as well as the Chocolate Factory album,described a dance style initially created in Chicago called "stepping". That dance,and the music associated with it,was heavily featured on disc one of his 2004 double album,"Happy People/U Saved Me". The song became an impromptu "anthem" for steppers and the dance. In the UK,the song was a double A-side with "Thoia Thoing".
"Hot Boyz" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Missy Elliott featuring American rapper and singer-songwriter Lil' Mo. The remix version of the song was an urban hit featuring Nas,Eve and Q-Tip. The remix broke the record for most weeks at number-one on the US R&B chart on the issue dated January 15,2000;as well as spending 18 weeks at number one on the Hot Rap Singles from December 4,1999,to March 25,2000,a record not broken until "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X in 2019. The song also reached number 5 on the US Hot 100 on January 15,2000. In the UK,the song became the biggest hit from the Da Real World album;it peaked at #18,being Missy's sixth top 40 and fourth top 20 solo success. On February 4,2000 the song was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
"Thugz Mansion" is a song by 2Pac,released as a posthumous single with two known popular versions both released on the 2002 album Better Dayz. It was nominated by the Source Awards for Single of the Year.
The discography of American rapper Sean Combs consists of four studio albums,one remix album and seventy-two singles –including thirty-three as a lead artist and thirty-nine as a featured artist.
"Firm Biz" is the first and only single by the hip hop supergroup The Firm from their singular collaborative LP The Album. The song was produced by L.E.S,who based the song's track on a sample of Teena Marie's 1981 hit "Square Biz". "Firm Biz" also features a chorus performed by former En Vogue singer Dawn Robinson,reworked from the "Square Biz" chorus. AZ raps the first verse of the song,Nas the second,and Foxy Brown the third and final verse. The song did not reach any US chart positions,but was a UK top 20 hit in 1997. A remix of the song was released,featuring a verse from Half-A-Mill and a chorus by Mary J. Blige,replacing Dawn Robinson. The word "feds" is censored in the explicit version,in verse 2,performed by Nas,when he raps "Never that though Black .4-4's for feds".
"Love Is All We Need" is a song by American singer Mary J. Blige,with a guest rap from Nas. It was written by Blige,James Harris III,Terry Lewis,and Nasir Jones for Blige's third studio album,Share My World (1997),while production was helmed by Jimmy Jam &Terry Lewis. The song contains a sample of the song "Moonchild" (1985) by American singer Rick James. With its more buoyant tone,"Love Is All We Need" stood in conspicuous contrast to much of the more dark-rooted material featured on Blige's earlier albums.
"I'll Be" is a song recorded by American rapper Foxy Brown for her debut studio album,Ill Na Na (1996),featuring Brooklyn-based rapper Jay-Z. It was released as the second single from the album on March 4,1997,by Violator and Def Jam Recordings. The song was written by Shawn Carter,Jean-Claude Olivier,Samuel Barnes,Angela Winbush,RenéMoore,Bobby Watson and Bruce Swedien with production by Trackmasters,and samples René&Angela's 1985 song "I'll Be Good". It was recorded at Chung King Studios in New York City,while the mixing of the track was finished at The Hit Factory. "I'll Be" is a hip hop and R&B song with explicit lyrics that revolve around sex and money.
"Big Bad Mama" is a single by American rapper Foxy Brown and American R&B group Dru Hill from the soundtrack to the 1997 film,How to Be a Player. The song also appeared on the European re-issue of Foxy Brown's debut album,Ill Na Na.
The discography of American disc jockey DJ Khaled consists of twelve studio albums and 54 singles.
The Trackmasters are an American hip hop production duo composed of music producers Poke and Tone,best known for their commercial hit records in the mid-late 1990s and early 2000s. Frank "Nitty" Pimentel joined forces with the duo to complete the success of "Trackmasters". Throughout their career,they have worked with various hip-hop and R&B artists including Destiny's Child,Nas,R. Kelly,LL Cool J,Mary J. Blige,Will Smith,Jay-Z,Cam'ron,Jennifer Lopez,Mariah Carey,The Notorious B.I.G. and 50 Cent.
"Street Dreams" is a 1996 single by American rapper Nas. The song was It Was Written's second single,following "If I Ruled the World ". "Street Dreams" contains an interpolation from the Eurythmics song "Sweet Dreams " and a sample from Linda Clifford's "Never Gonna Stop". A remix,including an appearance by R. Kelly,was released shortly after the original. It featured samples from the Isley Brothers' "Choosey Lover" along with some elements from Marvin Gaye's "Mercy Mercy Me." The remix version was performed live on an episode of the Nickelodeon series All That in February 1997.
The singles discography of American rapper Jay-Z consists of 68 singles as a lead artist,and 51 singles as a featured artist,as well as 14 promotional singles.
American rapper Megan Thee Stallion has released two studio albums,one compilation album,three mixtapes,three extended plays,thirty-eight singles,and two promotional singles. In her early career,Megan Thee Stallion released the non-commercial,SoundCloud-exclusive mixtapes Rich Ratchet (2016) and Megan Mix (2017). She made her official solo debut by commercially releasing her first professional EP,Make It Hot,on September 18,2017,which was followed by her second EP Tina Snow on December 21,2018.
The discography of American rapper Jack Harlow consists of three studio albums,six mixtapes,two extended plays,and 33 singles. On March 13,2020,his 22nd birthday,he released his second extended play,Sweet Action. The EP reached number 20 on the Billboard 200. It produced the top-10 single,"Whats Poppin",which reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100. On December 11,2020,Harlow released his debut studio album,Thats What They All Say. The album debuted and peaked at number five on the Billboard 200. It produced the top-40 single,"Tyler Herro",which debuted and peaked at number 34 on the Hot 100. "Whats Poppin" is also included on the album,as well as the remix,which features DaBaby,Tory Lanez,and Lil Wayne. In 2021,Harlow released a collaboration with Lil Nas X,"Industry Baby",which became his first number-one single on the Hot 100. On May 6,2022,Harlow released his second studio album,Come Home the Kids Miss You. The album debuted and peaked at number three on the Billboard 200. It produced his second number-one single,"First Class",which is also his first song to debut atop the Hot 100. It also produced the top-20 single,"Nail Tech",which debuted and peaked at number 18 on the Hot 100.
