John David Jackson, better known by his stage name Fabolous, is an American rapper. Jackson's career began when he was a senior in high school and ended up performing live on American record producer and music executive DJ Clue's radio show, then on Hot 97. Jackson was subsequently signed by DJ Clue to his label Desert Storm, and later secured a distribution deal with Elektra Records. Fabolous' first release, Ghetto Fabolous (2001), spawned the hit singles "Can't Deny It" and "Young'n ", which led Jackson to prominence. His second release was 2003's Street Dreams, which was supported by two Top 10 singles "Can't Let You Go" and "Into You".
Leslie Edward Pridgen, better known by his stage name Freeway, is an American rapper from North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is best known as a member of the rap group State Property and its 2000s run at Roc-A-Fella Records alongside Jay-Z. In 2009, Freeway was briefly signed to Cash Money Records, but returned to work again with Jay-Z at the mogul's entertainment organization and record label, Roc Nation, with his 2018 album Think Free.
Reginald Noble, better known by his stage name Redman, is an American rapper, DJ, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame in the early 1990s as an artist on the Def Jam label.
Roc-A-Fella Records was an American hip hop record label founded by rapper/entrepreneur Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Damon "Dame" Dash, and Kareem "Biggs" Burke in 1995.
Joseph Guillermo Jones II, better known by his stage name Jim Jones, is an American rapper, and record executive. Jones, an original member of hip hop collective the Diplomats, is also the co-CEO of Diplomat Records, alongside longtime friend and fellow Harlem native, Cam'ron.
Joseph Anthony Budden II is an American media personality and former rapper. He first gained recognition as a rapper with his 2003 top 40 single "Pump It Up" and as a member of the hip hop supergroup Slaughterhouse. In 2018, he retired from rap, and found success as a broadcaster, having a much publicized run as a co-host on Everyday Struggle for Complex. He currently hosts The Joe Budden Podcast, released twice a week on Patreon and YouTube, and State of the Culture on Revolt. He has been described as "Howard Stern of Hip-Hop".
The Diplomats is an American hip hop collective formed in 1997 by childhood friends Cam'ron and Jim Jones in Harlem, New York. The group was originally composed of Cam'ron, Jim Jones and Freekey Zekey, all of whom grew up together in Harlem. In 1999, fellow Harlem-based rapper Juelz Santana joined the group.
Kejuan Waliek Muchita, better known by his stage name Havoc, is an American rapper and record producer. He was one half of the hip-hop duo Mobb Deep with Prodigy.
Ramon Ibanga, Jr., professionally known as Illmind, is a Filipino American record producer, songwriter, and educator. As of 2012, he lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Kisean Paul Anderson, better known by his stage name Sean Kingston, is a Jamaican-American singer, rapper, and songwriter. He is known for his hit songs "Beautiful Girls", "Fire Burning", and "Eenie Meenie".
John R. Austin IV, better known by his stage name Ras Kass, is an American rapper. He is a member of the hip hop supergroup The HRSMN, along with Canibus, Killah Priest, and Kurupt in 2014. He is also a member of the group Golden State Warriors with Xzibit and Saafir. About.com ranked him No. 30 on their list of the Top 50 MCs of Our Time (1987–2007), while Pitchfork Media called him "one of the best rappers of all time."
Asher Paul Roth is an American rapper. He is best known for his debut single "I Love College". Roth released his debut studio album Asleep in the Bread Aisle, on April 20, 2009, under Universal Motown, SRC and Schoolboy Records; the latter of which was launched by Roth's former manager Scooter Braun. Roth later left Schoolboy Records in late 2012, due to creative differences with Braun. In 2013, Roth signed with indie record label Federal Prism, under which he released his second studio album, RetroHash.
This article summarizes the events, album releases, and album release dates in hip hop music for the year 2009.
David Mazzeo also known as Wizdom is a hip hop artist based in Seattle, Washington. The emcee has released three studio albums, one mixtape and one EP release. Guests on his music include Brainstorm of Dyme Def, Stef Lang and New Balance / Nate Burleson and has collaborated with Seattle-based musicians Grynch and Macklemore.
Justin Lewis Scott, better known by his stage name Big K.R.I.T., is an American rapper and record producer. Born in Meridian, Mississippi, he started his musical career in 2005. After signing with Def Jam Recordings, K.R.I.T. gained notable recognition following the release of his single, "Country Shit", which featured Ludacris and Bun B on the remix. In June 2012, he released his debut studio album, Live from the Underground, which debuted at number five on the Billboard 200 chart.
Shante Scott Franklin, better known by his stage name Currensy, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record executive. In 2011, he founded the label Jet Life Recordings.
Michael Len Williams II, known professionally as Mike Will Made It or simply Mike Will, is an American record producer, DJ, rapper, and songwriter. He is best known for producing trap beats for several Southern hip hop artists as well as for producing several singles, such as "Black Beatles" and "Powerglide" by Rae Sremmurd, "Mercy" by Kanye West, "No Lie" by 2 Chainz, "Bandz a Make Her Dance" by Juicy J, "Pour It Up" by Rihanna, "Love Me" by Lil Wayne, "Body Party" by Ciara, "We Can't Stop" by Miley Cyrus, "Formation" by Beyoncé, and "Humble" by Kendrick Lamar. He has released six mixtapes and one studio album, Ransom 2.
Nicholaus Joseph Williams, better known by his stage name Trinidad James, is a Trinidadian-American rapper. In 2012, he signed a recording contract with Def Jam Recordings. The label dropped him in 2014, when he failed to release an album, although he continues to release music as an independent artist and is signed to Artist Publishing Group for songwriting.
Dijon Isaiah McFarlane, known professionally as Mustard, is an American record producer, DJ, record executive, beatmaker, 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".
Talib Kweli Greene is an American rapper, entrepreneur, broadcaster and activist. Kweli earned recognition early on through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def, when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's musical career continued with solo success including collaborations with producers and rappers Kanye West, Just Blaze, and Pharrell Williams. His most recent album is titled Gotham, released in 2020. In 2011, Kweli founded his own record label, Javotti Media.
