Esthero is a Canadian singer-songwriter who lives in Los Angeles, California. The name Esthero refers both to the singer and formerly to the two-person team of herself and producer Doc McKinney. Esthero is a portmanteau of "Esther the hero"; she claims to have gotten the name by combining the name of the heroine (Esther) and last line of the film from Sylvia Plath's novel The Bell Jar.
"Victory" is a song by American rapper and producer Sean Combs, under his then stage name Puff Daddy. The song features vocals from rappers such as the late Notorious B.I.G. and Busta Rhymes. It features heavy use of mafioso-style lyrics, as was popular at the time. The song also heavily sampled the Bill Conti song "Going the Distance", which featured on the soundtrack to the movie Rocky making it a darker start to a rap album that featured many club-standard singles. It also featured the last verses recorded by The Notorious B.I.G. before his 1997 death, as these verses were recorded a day before his shooting. Released as the fifth and final single from No Way Out in March 1998, it peaked at number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and was certified gold by the RIAA later that year.
Bobby Ray Simmons Jr., known professionally as B.o.B, is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. Raised in Decatur, Georgia, Simmons signed with record producer Jim Jonsin's Rebel Rock Entertainment in 2006. Two years later, he signed a joint venture recording contract with fellow Georgia rapper T.I.'s Grand Hustle Records, an imprint of Atlantic Records. Following his major-label deal, Simmons quickly achieved commercial success when his 2009 debut single, "Nothin' on You", peaked the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and received three nominations—Record of the Year, Best Rap Song, and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration—at the 53rd Grammy Awards.
A Kid Named Cudi is the debut mixtape by American rapper Kid Cudi, released on July 17, 2008, by New York City streetwear brand 10.Deep, in conjunction with independent record label Fool's Gold Records. The mixtape features guest appearances from Chip tha Ripper and Wale. Considered his breakout project, the mixtape marked Cudi's first official release, issued prior to his debut album Man on the Moon: The End of Day (2009).
Martin "Doc" McKinney is a Canadian-American record producer and songwriter. He was formerly one half of the duo Esthero. With fellow Toronto native the Weeknd, McKinney co-produced the mixtapes House of Balloons and Thursday; and co-produced his third album Starboy (2016), which earned McKinney the 2016 Grammy Award for Best Urban Contemporary Album.
Black Friday is the second mixtape by American rapper Lil' Kim, released on February 14, 2011 through PayPal. The title track is a response to Nicki Minaj's song "Roman's Revenge". The mixtape also contains the track "Grindin' Makin' Money", a collaboration which features rappers Birdman and Nicki Minaj, which Kim claims ignited the feud between her and Minaj, as well as another diss song towards Minaj titled "Pissin' on 'Em".
Brian Todd Collins, known professionally as Kid Ink, is an American rapper and singer from Los Angeles, California. His debut studio album, Up & Away (2012), was released independently and peaked at number 20 on the Billboard 200. He then signed with RCA Records to release his debut extended play (EP) Almost Home (2013), followed by his second album and major label debut, My Own Lane, the following year. The latter peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and was led by the single "Show Me", which peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and received triple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album spawned two additional singles: "Iz U Down" and "Main Chick". His third album, Full Speed (2015), peaked at number 14 on the Billboard 200 and spawned the singles "Body Language" and "Be Real", both of which received platinum certifications by the RIAA.
Dequantes Devontay Lamar, known professionally as Rich Homie Quan, was an American rapper. Beginning his career in 2010, Lamar first saw mainstream success with his 2013 single "Type of Way", which peaked at number 50 on the Billboard Hot 100. His 2015 single, "Flex " saw further success at number 26 on the chart. Alongside fellow Atlanta rapper Young Thug, Lamar was a member of Cash Money Records' spin-off project Rich Gang, who found success with their 2014 single "Lifestyle".
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.
Migos were an American hip hop group founded in Lawrenceville, Georgia, in 2008. The group was composed of rapper Quavo, his nephew Takeoff, and their cousin friend Offset. Quavo is from Athens, Georgia, while Offset and Takeoff were born and raised in nearby Lawrenceville. As a group, they were managed by Coach K, the former manager of Gucci Mane and Jeezy, and frequently collaborated with producers DJ Durel, Murda Beatz, Zaytoven, and Buddah Bless. Recognized for their contribution to trap music in the 2010s, Billboard stated that the group "influenced pop culture and the entire English language by bringing their North Atlanta roots to the mainstream".
James Clay Jones III, better known by his stage name Boldy James, is an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan, and member of the hip hop collective Griselda. Recognized for his deep voice and laid-back delivery of vivid stories, he often explores themes of drug trade and street life. After his debut album My 1st Chemistry Set (2013), James has since released 14 studio albums along with several mixtapes and EPs.
Quincy Williams, known by his stage name Peewee Longway, is an American rapper from Atlanta, Georgia. He is best known for his mixtape The Blue M&M (2014) and his 2013 single, "Loaded". He was also a member of the rap group "Felix Brothers", alongside Gucci Mane and Young Dolph.
Dimitri Leslie Roger, known professionally as Rich the Kid, is an American rapper and songwriter. After a number of independent mixtapes, he signed with Interscope Records in 2017 to release his debut studio album, The World Is Yours (2018). Supported by the singles "New Freezer" and "Plug Walk", the album peaked at number two on the Billboard 200. His second and third studio albums, The World Is Yours 2 (2019) and Boss Man (2020) peaked at numbers four and 24 on the chart, respectively. He has also released the collaborative mixtapes Nobody Safe (2020) with YoungBoy Never Broke Again, and Trust Fund Babies (2021) with Lil Wayne. Furthermore, he founded the record label Rich Forever Music in 2016, through which he has signed rappers Famous Dex and Jay Critch.
Kendrick Lamar is the eponymous debut extended play (EP) by American rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was released on December 31, 2009, through Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), as a free digital download. It is Lamar's first project to be released under his birth name; he previously released music under the stage name K.Dot from 2003 to late 2009.
Dexter Tiewon Gore Jr., better known by his stage name Famous Dex, is an American rapper. His debut studio album, Dex Meets Dexter (2018) peaked at number 12 on the Billboard 200 while its singles, "Pick It Up" and "Japan" peaked at numbers 54 and 28 respectively on the Billboard Hot 100.
Rich Than Famous is a mixtape by American rapper Rich the Kid. It was released on December 25, 2014. The mixtape features guest appearances from YG, Migos, Bobby Shmurda, Rowdy Rebel, Gucci Mane, Peewee Longway and Johny Cinco. The mixtape features production by Darkside Productions, Harry Fraud, K.E. on the Track, Deko, OG Parker, Jahlil Beats, Metro Boomin, Murda Beatz, Ralph Beats, Zaytoven and Spiffy.
Dabbin Fever is a mixtape by American rapper Rich The Kid. It was released on December 24, 2015. The mixtape features guest appearances from Wiz Khalifa, Migos, Skippa Da Flippa, HoodRich Pablo Juan, 21 Savage, Jose Guapo and more. The mixtape features production by Sledgren, Zaytoven, Murda Beatz, OG Parker, Drumma Boy, DJMoBeatz and MexikoDro.
Jason Cole Critchlow, known professionally as Jay Critch, is an American rapper and singer-songwriter from Brooklyn, New York City. He signed with Rich the Kid's record label, Rich Forever Music, in 2016, and first gained recognition from his collaborations with the rapper. Released in a joint venture with Interscope Records, his debut solo mixtape, Hood Favorite (2018), entered the Billboard 200, along with two of his compilation albums with the former label: Rich Forever 3 (2017) and Rich Forever 4 (2019).
"New Freezer" is a song by American rapper Rich the Kid featuring fellow American rapper Kendrick Lamar, released on September 26. 2017. Written alongside producer Ben Jayne, it was released as the lead single from Rich the Kid's debut album The World Is Yours (2018). The original version featured A$AP Ferg and MadeinTYO. A$AP Ferg revealed in 2019 that Lamar agreed to feature on the track on the condition that he would be the only feature.
D-Day: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape is the fourth compilation album by American record label Dreamville. It was released on March 31, 2022, by Dreamville and Interscope as a Gangsta Grillz mixtape hosted by DJ Drama.
