Kamaal Ibn John Fareed, better known by his stage name Q-Tip, is an American rapper, record producer, singer, and DJ. Nicknamed the Abstract, he is noted for his innovative jazz-influenced style of hip hop production and his philosophical, esoteric and introspective lyrical themes. He embarked on his music career in the late 1980s, as an MC and main producer of the influential alternative hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest. In the mid-1990s, he co-founded the production team The Ummah, followed by the release of his gold-certified solo debut Amplified in 1999. In the following decade, he released the Grammy Award-nominated album The Renaissance (2008) and the experimental album Kamaal the Abstract (2009).
Peter O. Phillips, better known by his stage name Pete Rock, is an American music producer, DJ and rapper. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time, and is often mentioned alongside DJ Premier, RZA, and Q-Tip as one of the mainstays of 1990s East Coast hip hop production. He rose to prominence in the early 1990s as one half of the critically acclaimed group Pete Rock & CL Smooth. Early on in his career, he was also famed for his remix work.
David Axelrod was an American composer, arranger, and producer. After starting out as a staff producer for record companies specializing in jazz, Axelrod became known by the mid-1960s in soul and jazz circles for his recording skills. In 1968, Axelrod embarked on a solo career and released several albums during the 1970s that showcased his characteristic sound, which combined heavily microphoned drums and baroque orchestration, and avant garde themes ranging from the environment to heightened mental awareness.
Fishscale is the fifth studio album by American rapper and Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah, released March 28, 2006, on Def Jam in the United States. The album features guest appearances from every member of the Wu-Tang Clan, as well as Ghostface Killah's Theodore Unit. It also features production from several acclaimed producers, such as MF DOOM, Pete Rock, J Dilla, and Just Blaze, among others. The album follows an organized crime theme, and is named after a term for uncut cocaine.
"Happy Talk" is a show tune from the 1949 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific. It is sung by Bloody Mary to the American lieutenant Joe Cable, about having a happy life, after he begins romancing her daughter Liat. Liat performs the song with hand gestures as Mary sings.
"I Ain't Mad at Cha" is a song by American rapper 2Pac from Shakur's fourth studio album, All Eyez on Me (1996). It was released on September 15, 1996 two days after Shakur's death as the album's fourth and final single. The song features contemporary soul singer Danny Boy providing vocals for its hook and was written by Shakur, Danny Boy and Daz Dillinger, who produced the song using a sample from DeBarge's "A Dream". The lyrics focus on Shakur reminiscing about past friends, love interests and associates he has lost touch with. The song is widely considered one of Shakur's best with Cheo Hodari Coker calling it "possibly the best song 2Pac has ever recorded". In 1998, The Source ranked the song's three verses second in its category of "dopest verses" in the history of hip-hop.
Daniel Keith Swain, known mononymously as Danny!, is an American rapper, record producer, singer, and composer.
Charm is the critically acclaimed third studio album from American rapper/record producer Danny!, and the first of his records to be released commercially. As evidenced in the title, Charm was a huge milestone in Danny!'s career; after two unsuccessful attempts to make a name for himself in the music world, the record unanimously won rave reviews, culminating in the inclusion of the album on the 49th Annual Grammy Awards short list and, eventually, a record deal with Definitive Jux Records.
Danny!, also known as D. Swain, is an American rapper, producer and composer. In a five-year period, he has self-released twelve albums, which include five full-length albums, an EP, three instrumental albums and even a greatest hits compilation.
Dream, Fulfilled is the second instrumental hip hop album by American rapper Danny!, released on April 23, 2007 under the 1911 Music/Badenov Records imprint. It is a sequel to his 2006 instrumental album Dream, Interrupted and, like its predecessor, was initially released under Danny's birth name solely in the United Kingdom for reasons still undetermined.
American rapper/producer Danny! released Behind The Beats, Vol. 2 on October 23, 2007 under his Badenov Records/1911 Music imprint. It is the second promotional album in his Behind The Beats series, which is made up of snippets from twenty songs from Danny's catalogue followed by a snippet from its sample playing directly afterwards. Like Vol. 1 before it, the album cover for Behind The Beats, Vol. 2 depicts beets being prepared for consumption, presumably a play on the homonymous title. Both installments of Behind The Beats were mixed and compiled by Danny himself, and are both extremely hard to find due to a limited number of copies being pressed.
"All This Love" is a single by DeBarge, released on October 17, 1982. The song was released as the third and final single from their second studio album of the same title on the Gordy label. The single would help DeBarge rise to R&B stardom. A cover version of the song was recorded by Patti LaBelle on her 1994 gold album Gems. A video for her version was also filmed.
"Just Friends" is a song written, produced and performed by American rapper/producer Danny!. Originally a hidden track on the Japanese version of his 2007 Danny Is Dead EP, Definitive Jux Records released the live version of "Just Friends" as a single domestically on March 10, 2009 in anticipation for Where Is Danny?, his debut album for the label. A studio version was originally going to appear on the upcoming album, but was later scrapped in lieu of Where Is Danny? 's new artistic direction. To date, "Just Friends" is Danny!'s sole Def Jux release.
Dream, Extinguished is an instrumental hip hop album by American producer/rapper Danny! It is the third and allegedly final installment in Danny's famed Dream... instrumental series and, like its predecessors, bears Danny's anthroponym on its cover—an ominous all-black sleeve—rather than his stage name in an effort to distinguish himself from Daniel Swain the record producer and Danny!, his rapper alter ego. Originally intended for an April release, Dream, Extinguished's date was moved forward to January 29 to compensate for the unforeseen delay of And I Love H.E.R., his fifth studio album.
The Salvation is the debut solo studio album by American rapper Skyzoo. It was released on September 29, 2009, via Jamla Records and Duck Down Music. Production was handled by 9th Wonder, Cyrus Tha Great, Eric G., Nottz, Best Kept Secret, Black Milk, Illmind, Just Blaze and Needlz. It features guest appearance from Carlitta Durand.
Where Is Danny? is the sixth studio album by American rapper and producer Danny!. It follow the rapper's 2008 album And I Love H.E.R.: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. Where Is Danny? was originally titled Project X, but the name was changed shortly before its release. The record—marketed primarily as a lo-fi "anti-album"—is a milestone in Danny!'s career, as it is his twelfth release yet only his first for Interscope Records after being signed to the label for a little more than half a year.
Payback is the seventh studio album of American rapper/producer Danny Swain, released under the name Danny!. The album was recorded primarily during the summer of 2011 shortly after Where Is Danny?'s re-release via Interscope Records. After leaving Interscope, Swain subsequently signed to Okayplayer Records, and the album was released in late September 2012.
The Book of Daniel, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Be the Bomb, more commonly known as The Book of Daniel, is the fourth studio album by American recording artist and producer Danny Swain under the name Danny!.
Chixtape 5 is the fourth studio album by Canadian rapper Tory Lanez. It was released on November 15, 2019, through Mad Love and Interscope Records. This is the fifth instalment of the Chixtape series, which is inspired by and contains samples of "2000s-era R&B hits". The production on the album was mostly handled by Tory Lanez and Play Picasso. The album also includes guest appearances by Jagged Edge, T-Pain, Chris Brown, The-Dream, Mýa, Ashanti, Trey Songz, Lil Wayne, Fabolous and more.
The Forever Story is the third studio album by American rapper JID. It was released on August 26, 2022, through Dreamville and Interscope Records. The album features guest appearances from Kenny Mason, EarthGang, 21 Savage, Baby Tate, Lil Durk, Ari Lennox, Yasiin Bey, Lil Wayne, Johntá Austin, Ravyn Lenae, and Eryn Allen Kane. The Forever Story was met with critical acclaim upon its release, in which critics praised the album for its ambition, lyrical content and introspective writing.
