Lana Michele Moorer, better known by her stage name MC Lyte, is a Grammy–nominated American rapper, DJ, actress and entrepreneur. Considered one of the pioneers of female rap, Lyte first gained fame in the late 1980s, becoming the first solo female rapper to release a full album with 1988's critically acclaimed Lyte as a Rock. She released a total of eight solo studio albums and an EP with Almost September.
Christopher Brian Bridges, known professionally as Ludacris, is an American rapper and actor. After forming his own label, Disturbing tha Peace in the late 1990s, Ludacris later signed with Def Jam South and would go on to become one of the first Dirty South rappers to achieve mainstream success with his subsequent releases. For his music, Ludacris has won an MTV Video Music Award and three Grammy Awards.
Reggaeton, also known as reggaetón and reguetón, is a music style that originated in Puerto Rico during the mid-1990s. It has evolved from dancehall and has been influenced by American hip hop, Latin American, and Caribbean music. Vocals include rapping and singing, typically in Spanish.
Tegui Calderón Rosario is a Puerto Rican hip hop recording artist and actor. He began his musical career in 1996 and was supported by the famous Puerto Rican rapper Eddie Dee, who invited him on his second studio album, El Terrorista De La Lírica, released in 2000. Calderón reached international success in 2003 with his first album, El Abayarde, which sold 300,000 copies worldwide and was nominated for a Latin Grammy Award. His importance in reggaeton music led him to participate in Eddie Dee's 12 Discípulos album in 2004. He released three more studio albums between 2006 and 2015, varying in styles, focusing more in hip hop and African music rather than reggaeton in The Underdog (2006) and El Abayarde Contraataca (2007). His fourth studio album, El Que Sabe, Sabe, released in 2015, won a Latin Grammy Award for Best Urban Music Album. In the same year, he announced that he is planning a studio album alongside the Puerto Rican reggaeton and pop singer Yandel titled El Blanco Y El Negro.
Sly and Robbie are a prolific Jamaican rhythm section and production duo, associated primarily with the reggae and dub genres. Drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare teamed up in the mid-1970s after establishing themselves separately in Jamaica as professional musicians.
Robyn Rihanna Fenty is a Barbadian singer, actress, fashion designer, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna was discovered by American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the United States to record demo tapes. After signing with Def Jam in 2005, she soon gained recognition with the release of her first two studio albums, Music of the Sun (2005) and A Girl like Me (2006), both of which were influenced by Caribbean music and peaked within the top ten of the US Billboard 200 chart. In 2017 she founded the fashion house Fenty as its artistic director, and became the first black woman to head a luxury brand for LVMH group.
Marion Hall is a Jamaican singer and songwriter whose career has spanned over two decades. Formerly known as the Queen of Dancehall, she is the first female deejay to be certified as a triple-platinum and Grammy Award-winning artist.
Christopher MacFarlane, better known as Macka B, is a British-born Jamaican reggae artist, performer and activist with a career spanning thirty years in the United Kingdom and Jamaica. According to AllMusic.com "Macka B was one of Britain's most influential dancehall DJs."
Vivienne Tanya Stephenson, known by her stage name Tanya Stephens, is a Jamaican reggae singer and deejay who emerged in the late 1990s. She is most known for her hits "Yuh Nuh Ready Fi Dis Yet" — later featured on the Reggae Gold 1997 compilation album — and "It's a Pity", for which Stephens achieved international recognition. She and business partner Andrew Henton have together co-founded Tarantula Records.
The Best of Ivy Queen is the first greatest hits compilation by the reggaetón recording artist Ivy Queen released on December 20, 2005, on Universal Music Latin and Perfect Image Records. Disc one contains studio tracks from her third and fourth studio albums, Diva (2003) and Real (2004), while disc two consists of music videos from her discography beginning in 1995 up to 2005 with the release of her fifth studio album, Flashback. Diva was released on August 23, 2003, and independently distributed by Real Music Group. The album follows her two previous studio album which were both commercially unsuccessful. With collaborations with Latin hip hop artists including Mexicano 777 and K-7, the album's production was by a variety of music producers, including Luny Tunes, DJ Nelson and Noriega, while DJ Adam produced a majority of the tracks.
Michael Ray Nguyen-Stevenson, known professionally by his stage name Tyga, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and television personality. After a number of independent releases, Tyga signed a recording contract with Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records and Republic Records in 2008. His major label debut Careless World: Rise of the Last King was released in 2011 and included the successful singles "Rack City", "Faded", "Far Away", "Still Got It", and "Make It Nasty". The album's success was followed up with Hotel California (2013) and Fan of a Fan: The Album (2015), in collaboration with singer Chris Brown.
Brittany Nicole Carpentero, better known by her stage name Diamond, is an American rapper and member of the group Crime Mob.
Sister Nancy, aka Muma Nancy, real name Ophlin Russell, is a Jamaican dancehall DJ and singer. She is known to the world as the first female dancehall DJ and was described as being a "dominating female voice for over two decades" on the dancehall scene.
Orville Richard Burrell CD OJ, better known by his stage name Shaggy, is a Jamaican-American reggae musician, singer, DJ, and actor who scored hits with the songs "It Wasn't Me", "Boombastic", "In The Summertime", "Oh Carolina", and "Angel". He has been nominated for seven Grammy Awards, winning twice for Best Reggae Album with Boombastic in 1996 and 44/876 with Sting in 2019, and has won the Brit Award for International Male Solo Artist in 2002.
Charmaine Munroe, known professionally as Macka Diamond, is a Jamaican recording artist, singer and songwriter. She was born in Kingston and raised in Portmore. Early in her career during the 1980s, she was known by the stage names Lady Charm, Lady Worries and Lady Mackerel. She was influenced by female artists such as Sister Nancy, Lady Ann, Lady Junie and Lady G, who were big at that time. With Junie's help, she got the chance to record "Don Girl". After a string of singles, including collaborations with Captain Barkey and Wickerman, she changed her name to Macka Diamond with her 2003 single "Tek Con", a protest record to Vybz Kartel's chauvinistic track "Tek Buddy". On 7 February 2012, she released the album Don't Disturb Mi, under Money Ooh Productions/VPAL.
The music of Port Harcourt, a city of Rivers State located to the south of Nigeria is a thriving one encompassing both native African and foreign-influenced genres. Port Harcourt plays host to numerous radio stations, prominent recording studios, such as the Street Rhymes Studios and other music institutions. As a state capital, Port Harcourt boasts of one of the liveliest club scenes in the country as well as music venues, bars and restaurants. At present time, hip hop, pop, highlife and reggae are most popular music styles among young people in the city.
Charles Nii Armah Mensah Jr., is a Ghanaian reggae-dancehall artist. He is known by his stage name Shatta Wale, formerly Bandana. He claims he is the African dancehall King. His best-known song "Dancehall King", led him to win the Artiste of the Year at the 2014 edition of the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards. He owns seven mansion houses. Shatta Wale is also an actor, having appeared in the films Never Say Never, The trial of Shatta Wale and Shattered Lives.
Livingstone Etse Satekla, better known by his stage name Stonebwoy, is a Ghanaian Afropop, dance hall and reggae singer. He is the CEO of Burniton Music Group. He won the Best International Act: Africa category at the 2015 BET Awards and Artist of the Year at the 2015 Ghana Music Awards. He is also a recipient of two Billboard plaques. He has been described as the king of reggae and dance hall artists in Africa. Stonebwoy is also an actor, having appeared in the movies Happy Death Day and My name is Ramadan. He is a global ambassador for sanitation. In September 2019, he was made the brand ambassador for Voltic Natural Mineral Water, in a deal that could be renewed after two years.
Khaled Mohamed Khaled, known professionally as DJ Khaled, is an American DJ, record executive, record producer, and media personality.
Grace Latoya Hamilton, known professionally as Spice, is a Jamaican dancehall recording artist, singer and songwriter. Beginning her career in the early 2000s, she had her first major success with the controversial single "Romping Shop" with Vybz Kartel in 2009. After signing with VP Records, she released her debut EP So Mi Like It (2014), which was preceded by the single of the same name.
