Daniel Alan Maman, professionally known as the Alchemist, is an American record producer, DJ, rapper and songwriter. He began his music career in 1991 in the hip hop duo The Whooliganz under the moniker Mudfoot, along with now-actor Scott Caan. After rising to prominence in the late 1990s, as a close associate of Dilated Peoples and Mobb Deep, he went on to produce for many of hip hop's leading artists in the 2000s, and has been hailed as one of the genre's leading producers. While he produces for many artists, most of his recent production has been for a close group of frequent collaborative rappers. He focuses on producing entire albums for rappers and instrumental projects of his own. He is currently Eminem's official DJ.
Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo is an American singer who embarked on her music career contributing vocals and appearing in several music videos for R&B group B2K. At the time, she was known as B2K member Lil' Fizz's "cousin", though she is not actually related to him. It was used as a marketing tool, suggested by Sony and Epic Records to promote Aiko through the group and cultivate her own following. In 2003, Aiko was set to release her debut album, My Name Is Jhené, through her labels Sony, The Ultimate Group and Epic; however, the album was never released, with Aiko eventually asking to be released from the label in order to continue her education.
Tinashe Jorgensen Kachingwe, known mononymously as Tinashe, is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, record producer, and actress. Born in Lexington, Kentucky, Tinashe moved to Los Angeles as a child to pursue a career in entertainment. Her notable roles included as a motion-capture model in the animated film The Polar Express (2004), Robin Wheeler in the Cartoon Network television series Out of Jimmy's Head (2007–2008), and a recurring role in the CBS series Two and a Half Men (2008–2009).
Steven Adam Markowitz, better known by his stage name Hoodie Allen, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter from Plainview, New York. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, he began working at Google before ultimately quitting to pursue a music career full-time. In 2012, he released his first official EP titled All American which debuted at No. 10 on the Billboard 200. In October 2014, Hoodie officially released his debut studio album, People Keep Talking which was successful with first week sales of over 30,000 along with a debut position of No. 8 on the Billboard 200. Hoodie followed up on his success in January 2016 and released his second studio album, Happy Camper.
Travis Tatum Mills, previously known by his stage name T. Mills, is an American rapper, singer, and actor from Riverside, California. Following his name change from T. Mills to Travis Mills, he began hosting an eponymous show on Apple Music 1.
Amethyst Amelia Kelly, known professionally as Iggy Azalea, is an Australian rapper, singer, songwriter, and model. At the age of 16, Azalea moved from Australia to the United States in order to pursue a career in music. Azalea earned public recognition after releasing the music videos for her songs "Pussy" and "Two Times" on YouTube, both of which gained rapid popularity. Azalea signed a recording contract with American rapper T.I.'s label Grand Hustle shortly afterward and released her debut mixtape, Ignorant Art (2011).
Azealia Amanda Banks is an American rapper. Raised in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, she began releasing music through Myspace in 2008 before being signed to XL Recordings at age 18. In 2011, her debut single "212" went viral and entered several international charts. Banks subsequently signed with Interscope and Polydor Records before later separating in July 2013. Banks ultimately became an independent artist and started her own independent record label, Chaos & Glory Recordings, after multiple negative experiences with previous labels.
Lakisha Kimberly Robinson, known professionally as Kilo Kish, is an American singer-songwriter and visual artist.
Jamila Akiko Aba Chilombo, known as Mila J, is an American singer, songwriter, rapper and dancer. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she is the older sister of R&B singer Jhéne Aiko and is known for being in Prince's video for "Diamonds and Pearls" and appearing on tracks by RaRa, IMx, Trey Songz and Omarion. She released several singles in 2006–2009 under the name "Mila J" and then went on a hiatus for a number of years after the shelving of her original debut studio album, Split Personality, before returning as "Japallonia" in 2012 and then reverting to Mila J a year later.
Brooke Dyan Candy is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, tattoo artist, director, model, and fashion stylist. Raised in the suburbs of Los Angeles, daughter of Tom Candy, former CFO of Hustler Magazine, Brooke rose to prominence after starring in Grimes' music video for "Genesis" (2012), which went viral. Following its success, Candy's status in the underground scene rose as she began to release her own material: "Das Me" (2012), "Everybody Does" (2013), and "I Wanna Fuck Right Now" (2013). In 2014, she signed with RCA and released her debut major label single, "Opulence", with an accompanying EP of the same name on May 6, 2014. Later, she joined Columbia's UK roster. Both are divisions of Sony Music.
Raykeea Raeen-Roes Wilson known professionally as Angel Haze, is an American rapper and singer. In 2012, Wilson released the EP Reservation and later signed a record deal with Universal Republic Records before moving to Republic Records. On December 31, 2013, Wilson released their debut album Dirty Gold, which featured the singles "Echelon " and "Battle Cry.” Wilson has released a number of mixtapes, including Reservation, which was ranked the sixth-best mixtape of 2012 by Mike Diver of the BBC, the most recent one Back to the Woods appeared in 2015.
Jacob Harris Miller is an American singer, songwriter and rapper born in Washington, D.C. but raised in Weston, FL. On November 5, 2013, Miller released his debut album Us Against Them, and subsequently embarked on a nationwide concert tour in support of the album. On August 19, 2016, the same day as he began as the support act for Fifth Harmony's The 7/27 Tour, Miller's 7-song EP titled Overnight was released. He later released his second album, 2:00am in LA, as an independent artist in 2017. He released his third album called Silver Lining on March 9, 2018. He released his EP Based on a True Story, on March 29, 2019, which he largely produced in his own bedroom.
Cloud rap is a subgenre of Southern rap and trap music that has several sonic characteristics of lo-fi in its hazy, dreamlike and relaxed sound. Many music experts credit rapper Lil B and producer Clams Casino as the early pioneers of this style. The term "cloud rap" is related to its internet birth and its ethereal style.
Jonatan Aron Leandoer Håstad, known professionally as Yung Lean, is a Swedish rapper, singer and songwriter. Widely cited as one of the most influential figures in the early cloud rap era, Yung Lean rose to prominence in 2013 with his song "Ginseng Strip 2002", which went viral on YouTube. Later that same year, he released his debut mixtape, Unknown Death 2002, and the following year, he released his debut studio album, Unknown Memory. In 2016, Yung Lean released his second mixtape, Frost God, and his second studio album, Warlord. In 2017, he released his third studio album, Stranger, followed by his third mixtape, Poison Ivy, in 2018. Yung Lean's fourth studio album, Starz, was released in 2020. He then released his fourth mixtape, Stardust, in 2022.
Elmo Kennedy O'Connor, known professionally as Bones, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter from Howell, Michigan. He is also the founder of the music collective TeamSESH.
Jordan Mary Capozzi, better known by her stage name Lil Debbie, is an American rapper, model and fashion designer. Debbie started her career in 2011 as part of the now-defunct group The White Girl Mob, with rappers Kreayshawn and V-Nasty. In 2012, Debbie started a solo career, releasing a series of singles with rappers Riff Raff and former White Girl Mob group member V-Nasty, some of which ended up on her first solo project, a mixtape titled Keep It Lit. In October 2013, Debbie released her first EP, titled Queen D. In March 2014, Debbie released her second EP, California Sweetheart, followed by California Sweetheart Pt. 2 later in the same year. In November 2014, Debbie released her second mixtape, Young B!tch. Debbie also DJs under the moniker 'CAPOZZI'.
No Limit Forever Records is an American independent record label founded by Romeo Miller. No Limit's Vice President is Romeo's brother Valentino. No Limit's COO is Romeo's uncle Silkk The Shocker.
Ché Wolton Grant, known professionally as AJ Tracey, is a British rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is from Ladbroke Grove, West London. Tracey rose to popularity in 2016 and was listed by The Guardian in a list of "best new acts to catch at festivals in 2016".
Marylou Mayniel, better known by her stage name Oklou, is a French musician, singer, music producer, DJ, composer, and actress.
Ashton Nicole Casey, known professionally as Ashnikko, is an American singer-songwriter and rapper. She rose to prominence with her 2019 single "Stupid" with Baby Tate, which gained viral popularity on the video-sharing platform TikTok and was certified gold in the United States and Canada. Ashnikko's debut mixtape, Demidevil, was released in January 2021, and spawned the singles "Daisy" and "Slumber Party" featuring Princess Nokia.
