Jazz rap is a fusion of jazz and hip hop music, as well as an alternative hip hop subgenre, that developed in the late 1980s and early 1990s. AllMusic writes that the genre "was an attempt to fuse African-American music of the past with a newly dominant form of the present, paying tribute to and reinvigorating the former while expanding the horizons of the latter." The rhythm was rooted in hip hop over which were placed repetitive phrases of jazz instrumentation: trumpet, double bass, etc. Groups involved in the formation of jazz rap included A Tribe Called Quest, Digable Planets, De La Soul, Gang Starr, The Roots, Jungle Brothers, and Dream Warriors.
Souls of Mischief is a hip hop group from Oakland, California, that is also part of the hip hop collective Hieroglyphics. The Souls of Mischief formed in 1991 and is composed of rappers A-Plus, Opio, Phesto, and Tajai.
DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince were an American hip hop duo from West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, consisting of rapper Will Smith and disc jockey Jeff Townes. Active full time from 1986 to 1994 and occasionally thereafter, the duo became just the third rap group in recorded history to receive platinum certification, after Run-DMC and the Beastie Boys. The group received the first Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance in 1989 for "Parents Just Don't Understand" (1988), though their most successful single was "Summertime" (1991), which earned the group their second Grammy and peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Will Smith and Jeff Townes have remained close friends and claim they never split up, having made songs together under Smith's solo performer credit. DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince have sold over 5.5 million albums in the US. They also performed together as recently as September 2019.
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).
Clipse, also known as The Clipse, is an American hip hop duo, chiefly active from 1994 to 2010. It consists of brothers Gene "No Malice" and Terrence "Pusha T" Thornton. Pusha T was known as Terrar during the group's early years, while No Malice was originally known as Malicious, then changed his stage name to Malice soon after the group's formation, before changing it again to No Malice in 2012 following a conversion to Christianity. The duo were based in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and were heavily affiliated with producer and fellow Virginia Beach native, Pharrell Williams, who convinced the two in 1992 to be a rap duo instead of solo artists. Williams would go on to serve as their label head, main producer and frequent guest artist through most of their career. The duo frequently rapped about the drug dealing they had done in their youth. Clipse was integral in establishing Virginia as one of the East Coast's strongholds in hip hop.
Bravehearts are an East Coast hip hop group from New York City. The group's roster originally included Jungle, Wiz, and Horse. Horse left the group in 2002, and Jungle and Wiz carried on as a duo. Wiz was in turn replaced by Nashawn, Nas's cousin.
Mobb Deep was an American hip hop duo from New York City, formed in 1991. Consisting of rappers Prodigy and Havoc, they are considered to be among the principal progenitors of hardcore East Coast hip hop. Mobb Deep became one of the most successful rap duos of all time, having sold over three million records. Their best-known albums are The Infamous (1995), Hell on Earth (1996) and Murda Muzik (1999), and their most successful singles were "Shook Ones " and "Survival of the Fittest." They were known for their dark and hardcore delivery.
Ricardo Emmanuel Brown, better known by his stage name Kurupt, is an American rapper and record producer who aided gangsta rap's rise via 1990s verses helping set lasting trends. He is one half of the rap duo Tha Dogg Pound, along with Daz Dillinger. His first solo album was released in 1998. After feuding, the duo reunited in 2005.
Damian Siguenza, known by his stage name, Domino, is an American record producer, manager, DJ, and one of the members of the Oakland, California-based underground hip hop collective, Hieroglyphics.
Damani Thompson, known by the stage names, Phesto and Phesto Dee, is an American rapper and producer. He is one of the founding four members of the Oakland, California-based underground hip hop group Souls of Mischief, and, with the Souls of Mischief, a part of the eight-person, alternative hip hop collective, the Hieroglyphics.
Adam Carter, known by the stage name, A-Plus, is an American rapper and producer. He is one of the founding four members of the Oakland, California-based underground hip hop group Souls of Mischief and, with Souls of Mischief, a part of the eight-person, alternative hip hop collective, the Hieroglyphics.
Tajai Massey, known by the stage name Tajai, is an American rapper and producer. He is one of the four founding members of the Oakland, California-based underground hip hop group Souls of Mischief and, with Souls of Mischief, a part of the eight-person, alternative hip hop collective Hieroglyphics. He is also one half of the hip hop duo Rap Noir. He is a vegetarian.
Polo Grounds Music is a hip hop and R&B record label, distributed by Sony Music's RCA Records. Founded in 2006 by Bryan Leach, Polo Grounds Music is a full-service entertainment company with a focus in publishing, management, marketing and promotions.
Fear Itself is the debut solo studio album by American rapper and record producer Casual. It was released on February 1, 1994 via Jive Records. Recording sessions took place between July 1992 and February 1993 at Hyde Street Studios in San Francisco, California. Production was handled by fellow Hieroglyphics Crew members Domino, Del the Funky Homosapien, Jay-Biz, and Casual himself. It features guest appearances from Del the Funky Homosapien, Pep Love and Saafir. The album debuted at number 108 on the Billboard 200 and number 22 on the Top R&B Albums chart in the United States.
Like It Should Be is the only album released by Hieroglyphics subgroup, Extra Prolific. The album was released on October 25, 1994 through Jive Records and was mainly produced by group member Duane "Snupe" Lee and Souls of Mischief member A-Plus, with additional production handled by the likes of Domino and Mike G among others.
Jon Owens, known by his stage name Casual, is an American rapper, producer, and one of the founding members of the alternative hip hop collective Hieroglyphics. After his debut album Fear Itself garnered both critical and commercial success, Casual went on to become one of the most prominent and recognizable faces on the Hieroglyphics roster, releasing five full-length LPs over the span of his twenty-year career. Despite the lackluster sales of the LPs following his debut, which were preceded by an absence of both critical and popular acclaim, Owens has garnered a following amongst devoted hip hop fans, particularly in the Bay Area hip hop scene, largely due to his specialization in hardcore battle rhymes.
Gene Elliott Thornton Jr., better known by his stage name No Malice, is an American rapper from Virginia Beach, Virginia. He is best known for being one half of hip hop duo Clipse, alongside his brother and fellow rapper Pusha T. No Malice released his solo debut album Hear Ye Him, in 2013, and his second studio album, Let the Dead Bury the Dead, in 2017.
Rae Sremmurd is an American hip hop duo originating from Tupelo, Mississippi, formed by brothers Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmi. In 2013, they signed a record deal with Mike WiLL Made-It's EarDrummers imprint. In January 2015, the duo released their debut album, SremmLife, which was certified platinum by the RIAA. In August 2016, the duo released their second album, SremmLife 2. During that same year, the duo also created their own record label, called SremmLife Crew Records. The duo is best known for their single "Black Beatles" from SremmLife 2, which topped the US Billboard Hot 100, while also charting internationally in the top ten in many countries. The duo also released other platinum-certified singles such as "No Type", "No Flex Zone", and "Swang". Their third studio album, SR3MM, was released on May 4, 2018, and served as a triple album. Their fourth studio album, Sremm 4 Life, was released on April 7, 2023.
Addarren Ross, known professionally as Lil Snupe, was an American rapper and songwriter from Jonesboro, Louisiana signed to American rapper Meek Mill's record label Dream Chasers Records. His death at a young age was honored by several hip-hop musicians and made him the subject of numerous musical tributes and documentaries.
