Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, is a subgenre of rap music that conveys the culture and values typical of urban gangs, reality of the world and street hustlers. Emerging in the late 1980s, gangsta rap's pioneers include Schoolly D of Philadelphia and Ice-T of Los Angeles, later expanding in California with artists such as N.W.A and Tupac Shakur. In 1992, via record producer and rapper Dr. Dre, rapper Snoop Dogg, and their G-funk sound, gangster rap broadened to mainstream popularity.
Three 6 Mafia is an American hip hop group from Memphis, Tennessee, formed in 1991. Emerging as a horror-themed underground hip hop group, they went on to enjoy mainstream success. The group's 1995 debut album Mystic Stylez became an influential cult classic. They have released music on independent labels such as Prophet Entertainment and their own Hypnotize Minds label, as well as Relativity, Loud, and Columbia Records.
Crunk Juice is the fifth and final studio album by American Southern hip hop group Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz. It was released on November 16, 2004, under BME Recordings and TVT Records. The production was primarily handled by Lil Jon himself, who also collaborated in the executive production, alongside Bryan Leach, Rob McDowell, Emperor Searcy, Vince Phillips, the Neptunes and Rick Rubin. The album includes guest appearances from rappers and singers, like R. Kelly, Ludacris, Ice Cube, Usher, Bun B from UGK, Jadakiss, Nas, T.I., the Ying Yang Twins and Pharrell.
Westside Connection was an American hip-hop supergroup formed by Ice Cube, Mack 10 and WC. The group's debut album, Bow Down, reached the number 2 position on the Billboard 200 in 1996, going platinum that year.
Relativity Records was an American record label founded by Barry Kobrin at the site of his vinyl record shop, Important Record Distributors (IRD) in metropolitan New York City. The IRD distribution name was later known as RED Distribution and again as RED Music.
When the Smoke Clears: Sixty 6, Sixty 1 is the fourth studio album by American hip hop group Three 6 Mafia. The album was released on June 13, 2000, by Hypnotize Minds Records and Loud Records. The album was certified Platinum by the RIAA for selling 1,000,000 copies on December 1, 2000. The album bolstered the group's popularity immensely, and contains some of Three 6 Mafia's most well known tracks, such as "Sippin' on Some Syrup" “Who Run It” and "I’m So Hi". The album was one of the last projects featuring all of the original group's members, as Gangsta Boo left after the Choices: The Album soundtrack, and Koopsta Knicca left after the album's release.
Da Unbreakables is the sixth studio album by American hip hop group Three 6 Mafia. The album was released on June 24, 2003, by Hypnotize Minds and Columbia Records. The album features Lord Infamous, DJ Paul, Juicy J and Crunchy Black. Gangsta Boo and Koopsta Knicca both left to pursue solo careers.
American singer Usher has released nine studio albums, ten compilation albums, eight extended plays, and 81 singles. His music has been released on the LaFace, Arista, Jive and RCA record labels. Usher has sold more than 33 million albums in the United States alone and over 65 million albums worldwide. With over 150 million total records sold worldwide, he is one of the best selling music artists of all time. He has nine Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles and 18 Hot 100 top-ten singles. In 1994, Usher released his self-titled debut album in North America, producing three singles that had moderate chart success, and the album sold more than 500,000 copies. His follow-up 1997 album My Way sold over 8 million copies worldwide, becoming his breakthrough album. It is certified seven-times platinum in the US, and spawned three successful singles, including his first UK number-one "You Make Me Wanna..." and first US Hot 100 number-one song "Nice & Slow". Usher's success continued in 2001 with his third studio album 8701. It debuted at number four on the Billboard 200. The album produced two number-one singles—"U Remind Me" and "U Got It Bad". In 2002, the album was certified five-times platinum in the US for sales of 5 million copies. As of 2010, its worldwide sales stand at over 8 million.
Tyree Cinque Simmons, known professionally as DJ Drama, is an American disc jockey (DJ), record executive and music promoter. He initially gained recognition as the DJ for Atlanta-based rapper T.I., and continued to gain prominence hosting mixtapes for other hip hop artists. His trademark Gangsta Grillz series is present on releases of which he has compiled; it has been popularized by artists including Lil Wayne, Tyler the Creator, Snoop Dogg, Yo Gotti, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Fabolous, Jeezy, Meek Mill, and Gucci Mane, among others. Alongside record producer and fellow Philadelphia native Don Cannon, he co-founded the record label Generation Now in 2015, an imprint of Atlantic Records which has signed artists including Lil Uzi Vert and Jack Harlow.
"My Boo" is a duet between American R&B singers Usher and Alicia Keys, written by the artists alongside Adonis Shropshire, Manuel Seal, and Jermaine Dupri, the latter of whom produced it with No I.D.—who is uncredited. It was included on the re-release of Usher's fourth studio album, Confessions (2004). The song was released as the album's fourth single on August 29, 2004.
Mista Don't Play: Everythangs Workin is the second studio album by American rapper Project Pat. It was released on February 27, 2001 via Loud and Hypnotize Minds with distribution via RED. Recording sessions took place at Hypnotize Minds Studio in Memphis, Tennessee. Production was handled by DJ Paul and Juicy J. Original official music videos were done for "Chickenhead" and "Don't Save Her". Over 10 years later, Project Pat released official music videos for "We Can Get Gangsta" and "Gorilla Pimp".
DRS was an American contemporary R&B group from Sacramento, California.
Angel Dust is the debut solo studio album by American rapper Indo G from Memphis, Tennessee. It was released on August 25, 1998 via Relativity Records and Hypnotize Minds. Recording sessions took place at Cotton Row Recording Studio, House of Blues Studios, and Sheldon's Crib, with producers DJ Paul and Juicy J. It features guest appearances from Gangsta Boo, Koopsta Knicca, K-Rock, Lord Infamous, Project Pat and T-Rock among others. The album peaked at number 105 on the Billboard 200 albums chart in the United States, spawning a single "Remember Me Ballin'", which made it to number 17 on the Hot Rap Songs chart.
Enquiring Minds is the debut solo studio album by American rapper Gangsta Boo. It was released on September 29, 1998, by Hypnotize Minds and Relativity Records. The recording sessions took place at Cotton Row Recording Studio in Memphis. The production was handled by DJ Paul and Juicy J.
Both Worlds *69 is the second solo studio album by American rapper Gangsta Boo. It was released in July 31, 2001 via Hypnotize Minds/Loud Records. Recording sessions took place at Hypnotized Minds Studio in Memphis. Production was handled by DJ Paul and Juicy J. The album peaked at number 29 on the Billboard 200 and at number 8 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart in the United States.
American rapper Yo Gotti has released 11 studio albums, 25 mixtapes and 57 singles, and 5 promotional singles. After several guest appearances, mixtapes and independent releases, he released his major-label debut album Life, in 2003.
Chastity Darnestine Daniels, known professionally as La Chat, is an American rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. She is best known for her association with the Hypnotize Minds record label. She was one of the two female members of Memphis-based hip hop group Three 6 Mafia alongside Gangsta Boo.
Gangsta's Paradise is the second studio album by American rapper Coolio, released on November 7, 1995. It is Coolio's best-selling album, with over two million copies sold in the United States. The album produced three singles, which became hits: the title track, "1, 2, 3, 4 ", and "Too Hot".
Lola Chantrelle Mitchell, known professionally as Gangsta Boo, was an American rapper. She rose to prominence as a member of Three 6 Mafia, which she joined at the age of 14. After releasing six albums, she left the group and its record label after the release of her second solo album, Both Worlds *69 (2001), due to financial disputes and issues regarding promotion of the album. She subsequently released several solo albums and became known for collaborating with artists such as Eminem, Run the Jewels, La Chat, Latto, GloRilla, Outkast, Foxy Brown, Tinashe, Lil Jon and Yelawolf.
Gloria Hallelujah Woods, known professionally as GloRilla, is an American rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. She first became known for her 2022 single "F.N.F. ", which peaked within the top 50 of the Billboard Hot 100 and led her to sign with fellow Memphis rapper, Yo Gotti's record label, Collective Music Group, an imprint of Interscope Records in July of that year. Released that same month, her follow-up single, "Tomorrow" spawned a remixed sequel that peaked within the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 and received double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Both songs, along with the gold-certified single "Blessed", preceded the release of her debut extended play (EP), Anyways, Life's Great in November, which entered the Billboard 200 at number 11.
