"Us Placers" is the debut song by American supergroup Child Rebel Soldier, a musical collaboration consisting of American hip-hop artists Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West, and Pharrell Williams. It was released as the third song on the track-listing of West's 2007 mixtape Can't Tell Me Nothing. The song was produced by Fiasco and samples the 2006 song "The Eraser" by Thom Yorke. In "Us Placers," the trio speaks on the entrapments of fame. Having been released on a free mixtape, the song did not enter the charts but became an online hit and received strong reviews from music critics.
Dwayne Chin-Quee, better known as Supa Dups, is a Jamaican record producer, a drummer, and selector based in Miami, Florida. He is a member of the Black Chiney sound system. His father is a second generation Chinese Jamaican, and his mother is of Hakka Chinese, German, and African descent.
So Far Gone is the third mixtape by Canadian rapper Drake. It was released on February 13, 2009, self-released under his October's Very Own label. The mixtape was met with critical and commercial success, serving as a catalyst for Drake's career as a mainstream musical artist. So Far Gone peaked at number seven on the Canadian Albums Chart and number five on the Billboard 200. It remains Drake's final independent project.
Sean Michael Leonard Anderson, known professionally as Big Sean, is an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan. Anderson began his musical career in 2007 and gained popularity following the release of his third mixtape Finally Famous Vol. 3: Big (2010). He became acquainted with high-profile rapper Kanye West prior to signing with his GOOD Music record label, an imprint of Def Jam Recordings in 2007. His debut studio album, Finally Famous (2011) peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and spawned the successful singles "My Last", "Marvin & Chardonnay", and "Dance (Ass)". His second album, Hall of Fame (2013) was met with similar success, preceded by the single "Beware".
"Devil in a New Dress" is a song by American hip hop recording artist and rapper Kanye West from his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). Originally released through West's GOOD Friday initiative, a weekly free music giveaway started by the rapper to promote My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, it later appeared on the album with an added guitar solo by producer Mike Dean and an additional guest verse featuring rapper Rick Ross. "Devil in a New Dress" was produced by Bink, and is the only song on the album not to be produced by West. The song samples Smokey Robinson's slow jam recording "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?", and is themed lyrically to lust and heartache. Both the topics of love and religion serve as the main inspiration to the song.
Friday Night Lights is the third official mixtape from Fayetteville, North Carolina rapper J. Cole. It was released on November 12, 2010. The mixtape was to originally be called Villematic and contain J. Cole's previous leaks and freestyles, however, Cole later stated it would have original material. The mixtape became the second most searched and trending topics on Google and Twitter respectively following its release. Most songs on the mixtape were slated to be on his debut album at one point or another. The mixtape has been viewed over 4,470,000 times, streamed over 1,280,000 times, and downloaded over 1,700,000 times on mixtape site DatPiff. On June 26, 2013, Cole announced that he would be re-releasing The Warm Up and Friday Night Lights for retail sale, in order to "give them the push they deserved".
A Matter of Time is the debut mixtape by American singer-songwriter Mike Posner. It was released on February 28, 2009.
Finally Famous is the debut studio album by American rapper Big Sean. It was released on June 28, 2011, by GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings. Recording sessions took place from 2010 to 2011, with Kanye West serving as the only executive producer on the album. The record serves as Big Sean's first studio release, under the whole Finally Famous series, following these mixtapes such as Finally Famous Vol. 1: The Mixtape (2007), Finally Famous Vol. 2: UKNOWBIGSEAN (2009) and Finally Famous Vol. 3: Big (2010).
Tyrone William Griffin Jr., known professionally as Ty Dolla Sign, is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer from Los Angeles, California. He first gained recognition for his feature on fellow Los Angeles rapper YG's 2010 single "Toot It and Boot It." He signed to Atlantic Records in 2012, and Wiz Khalifa's Taylor Gang Entertainment the following year. He has released three studio albums: Free TC (2015), Beach House 3 (2017), and Featuring Ty Dolla Sign (2020), the latter of which peaked at number four on the Billboard 200.
Chauncey Alexander Hollis Jr., known professionally as Hit-Boy, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, and songwriter. In May 2011, he signed a two-year deal with Kanye West's GOOD Music production branch. With this stimulus, he produced chart-topping singles such as the Diamond Certified "Niggas in Paris" by Jay-Z and Kanye West, "Trophies" by Drake, "Clique" by GOOD Music, and "Racks in the Middle" by Nipsey Hussle featuring Roddy Ricch. "Racks in the Middle" won Best Rap Performance at the 2020 Grammy Awards.
"New God Flow" is a song by American rappers Kanye West and Pusha T. It was released as the third single from the compilation album Cruel Summer (2012), a collaboration between members of their record label GOOD Music. Produced by West, Anthony Kilhoffer and Boogz & Tapez, "New God Flow", which is a hip hop song, incorporates numerous samples into its arrangement. It features lines by Pusha T directed at American rapper and record producer Birdman. American rapper Ghostface Killah, whose song "Mighty Healthy" is prominently sampled in the song, is featured on an alternate version entitled "New God Flow.1" that appears on Cruel Summer. West and Pusha T performed "New God Flow" on several occasions, including the 2012 BET Awards and Jay-Z's Made in America Festival. The song was awarded Best Beat at the XXL Awards.
Detroit is the fourth mixtape by American rapper Big Sean. It was released for free download on September 5, 2012, by G.O.O.D. Music. Detroit features guest appearances from these fellow rappers such as J. Cole, Juicy J, King Chip, French Montana, Royce da 5'9", Kendrick Lamar and Tyga - along with track narrations by Common, Young Jeezy and Snoop Lion. Wale and Wiz Khalifa are also featured in the bonus tracks. American singers including Chris Brown, Jhené Aiko, James Fauntleroy and Mike Posner also make guest appearances on the mixtape. Production is by Hit-Boy, Da Internz, 808 Mafia's own producers Lex Luger and Southside and KeY Wane, among others. The mixtape primarily consisted of these completed original songs.
Hall of Fame is the second studio album by American rapper Big Sean. It was released on August 27, 2013, by GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings. The album features guest appearances from Nas, Jhené Aiko, Nicki Minaj, Kid Cudi, Lil Wayne, Jeezy, Meek Mill, 2 Chainz and Juicy J, while the production on the album was primarily handled by Key Wane, Hey DJ, No I.D., Da Internz, Mano and Young Chop, among others. It was supported by five singles: "Guap", "Switch Up", "Beware", "Fire" and "Ashley".
Young Sinatra: Welcome to Forever is the fourth mixtape by American rapper Logic. It was released as a free online download by Visionary on May 7, 2013 and is the third installment in the Young Sinatra series, following Young Sinatra and Young Sinatra: Undeniable. The mixtape was downloaded over 100,000 times on DatPiff in less than a day and has garnered over 1,000,000 downloads on DatPiff since its release. This project was followed by Logic's fourth studio album YSIV , with the latter not being credited as a mixtape.
James Edward Fauntleroy II is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Inglewood, California. He is best known for numerous songwriting credits and guest performances on songs by high-profile artists including Travis Scott, Frank Ocean, Kendrick Lamar, SZA, Drake, J. Cole, Vince Staples, Big Sean, Jay-Z, John Mayer, Bruno Mars, Chris Brown, Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Justin Timberlake. In 2014 and 2018, Fauntleroy won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song.
Nobody's Smiling is the tenth studio album by American hip hop recording artist Common. It was released on July 22, 2014, by Def Jam Recordings and No I.D.'s label ARTium Records. Following the release of his 2011's album The Dreamer/The Believer, Common took a hiatus from musical endeavors. In 2013, he returned to the studio and began working his tenth album and later revealed that the production, much like his previous effort, would be handled entirely by his longtime collaborator and record producer No I.D. In 2014, Common signed a recording contract with No I.D.'s ARTium Records, through Def Jam Recordings, for the distribution of the album.
Leland Tyler Wayne, known professionally as Metro Boomin, is an American record producer. Noted for his dark production style, he is regarded as among the most influential producers in modern hip hop and trap music. His frequent collaborators include Kanye West, the Weeknd, Travis Scott, Drake, 21 Savage, Nav, and Gucci Mane.
Days Before Rodeo is the second mixtape by American rapper and singer Travis Scott. It was released for free on August 18, 2014, by Grand Hustle Records. The mixtape features guest appearances from Young Thug, Big Sean, The 1975, Rich Homie Quan, Migos, T.I. and Peewee Longway.
"Energy" is the second single by Canadian rapper Drake from his commercial mixtape If You're Reading This It's Too Late on February 13, 2015.
Bitch I'm the Shit 2 is the fifth studio album by American rapper Tyga. It was released on July 21, 2017 by Last Kings Records and Empire Distribution. It is the sequel to his 2011 mixtape, #BitchImTheShit. The album features guest appearances from Kanye West, Pusha T, Young Thug, Quavo, Chief Keef, Vince Staples, Ty Dolla Sign, A.E., and Honey Cocaine. The album narrowly entered the Billboard 200 and received mixed reviews.
