Tsidi Ibrahim, November 26, 1976), known professionally as Jean Grae, is an American hip hop recording artist, emcee, producer, actress, and comedian from Brooklyn, New York City. She rose to prominence in the underground hip hop scene in New York City and has since built an international fanbase. She is known as an important figure in hip hop and popular culture. Grae, unlike many rappers and emcees, seeks to "rupture the normative narratives of black sexuality" and resist the bondage of heteronormativity. Thus she adopts the language of men to "assert her mastery over lyricism and her desire for both men and women". Nonetheless, her unique music style, gritty rhymes, and lyrical mastery have earned her recognition as a favorite emcee by many rap artists such as Talib Kweli, Jay-Z, and Black Thought of the Roots.
Shareese Renée Ballard, better known by her stage name Res, is an American singer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her musical style is a blend of indie pop, soul, and rock.
Right About Now: The Official Sucka Free Mix CD or simply Right About Now was released by Talib Kweli in November 2005 and is generally considered a mixtape. However, some people regard this release as an official album because of its availability through commercial sites and its release of two singles. It also lacks the DJ overlays often accompanied by mixtapes which makes the CD read more like an official album. This CD is notable because, although a low-key release, it features upcoming members of Kweli's record label, Blacksmith Music. The album sold 16,000 copies in its first week of release, debuting at #113 on the Billboard 200.
Blacksmith is a music management company and a record label founded by Harlem born Corey Smyth and Talib Kweli of Black Star. Signees include Jean Grae, Strong Arm Steady and Idle Warship and Kweli has stated he hopes to sign Camp Lo and had expressed interest in Rakim. Talib Kweli announced that there will be a 'BlackSmith TV' where people will get information about the label. The label was originally distributed through Warner Bros. Records but split in December 2008. Talib did confirm to AllHipHop.com that Warner Bros. would still distribute Reflection Eternal & Talib Kweli projects but not any other Blacksmith acts. It's now believed that the label has distribution through Element 9/Fontana with Strong Arm Steady latest project and Idle Warship's upcoming debut album said to have distribution through them. As of 2012 the label is defunct and was disbanded after Kweli's manager decided to focus the Blacksmith brand elsewhere rather than the label. Blacksmith management is currently home to artists such as Chad Hugo, and Vince Staples, among others.
Hi-Teknology²: The Chip is a sequel album to Hip hop producer Hi-Tek's first album, Hi-Teknology. Born as Tony Cottrell, He had spent most of his time in the low key hip-hop scene of Cincinnati, Ohio who eventually ran into Mood in 1992. Working with them kickstarted his career and affiliated himself with many MCs. He is best known for his collaboration with Talib Kweli on the album Reflection Eternal. He rose in popularity with the underground hip-hop scene and has worked alongside many talented even Grammy-nominated artists such as 50 Cent and Busta Rhymes. Although working with many talented artists and having a huge impact working with Rawkus Records Collective, it was time for him to show off his own unique abilities which led to his three solo albums. The release of his sequel album Hi-Teknology gained quick recognition and was soon to be sought after by many up-and-coming artists to produce their own albums.
This is the discography of Talib Kweli, an American rapper.
The discography of Soulja Boy, an American rapper and producer, consists of four major-label studio albums, seven independent albums, three compilation albums, fifty-five mixtapes, fourteen extended plays, fifty singles, and thirty-eight music videos.
Jon Wells is an American record producer, record executive, and rapper. He is a member of the Likwit Crew.
"Get By" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Talib Kweli. It was released on March 11, 2003 as the third single from his debut studio album Quality (2003). The song, produced by Kanye West, samples "Sinnerman" as performed by Nina Simone and features background vocals from Abby Dobson, Chinua Hawk, Kendra Ross, Vernetta Bobien and William "Na2" Taylor. The song peaked at number 77 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and at number 29 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
The DeAndre Way is the third studio album by American rapper Soulja Boy. It was released on November 30, 2010, by his label Stacks on Deck Entertainment, Collipark Music and Interscope Records.
"Speakers Going Hammer" is the third official single from The DeAndre Way by American rapper Soulja Boy. The song features production by Boi-1da. The song was released to iTunes on October 19, 2010. The song peaked at number 48 on the Billboard Hot R&B & Hip-Hop Songs chart. Artists including T-Pain, Pusha T and Royce da 5'9" have remixed the track.
Marcus Jamal Hopson, known professionally as Hopsin, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, music video director and actor from Los Angeles, California.
Prisoner of Conscious is the fifth solo studio album by American rapper Talib Kweli. The album was released on May 7, 2013. The album features guest appearances from Nelly, Miguel, Curren$y, Kendrick Lamar, Marsha Ambrosius, Busta Rhymes and Ryan Leslie along with production by RZA, Boi-1da, Harry Fraud, S1, Terrace Martin, Oh No, and J. Cole among others.
Gravitas is the sixth solo studio album by American rapper Talib Kweli. The album was released on December 15, 2013, by Javotti Media. The album was released exclusively through Talib Kweli's website. The album features guest appearances from Gary Clark Jr., Abby Dobson, Big K.R.I.T., Raekwon, The Underachievers, Black Thought, Rah Digga and Mike Posner among others. With production coming from Oh No, Khrysis, Statik Selektah, Rich Kidd and J Dilla among others.
Cydel Charles Young, better known by his stage name CyHi the Prynce, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter from Stone Mountain, Georgia. In 2009, Young signed his first major-label contract with Konvict Muzik, with the backing of Def Jam Recordings. In 2010, he signed with Kanye West's GOOD Music label imprint. Young went on to appear on West's highly acclaimed album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010) and has released nine mixtapes, with the latest being BHP II: NAACP (2015), a conscious hip hop concept mixtape about the history of black people in America and the sequel to Black Hystori Project, released in February 2014. He was released from his Def Jam contract in August 2015. In November 2017, he released his debut album, No Dope on Sundays, under GOOD Music and Sony Music, following years of label disputes and series of mixtapes spanning his career.
