Ramon Ibanga, Jr., known professionally as Illmind, is a Filipino American record producer, songwriter, and educator. As of 2012, he lives in Brooklyn, New York.
"Playa Cardz Right" is a song by American R&B recording artist Keyshia Cole. The song features late rapper 2Pac and was originally included on his sixth posthumously released album Pac's Life (2006), with most of his vocals initially recorded for his fourth studio album All Eyez on Me (1996). Cole's reworked version, produced by Ron Fair and Carvin & Ivan for Karma Productions, was released as the lead single from her third album A Different Me (2008).
Beam Me Up Scotty is the third mixtape by rapper Nicki Minaj. It was released on April 18, 2009 by Young Money and Aphilliates. The mixtape features guest appearances from rappers Brinx, Busta Rhymes, Drake, Gucci Mane, Mack Maine, Gudda Gudda, Jae Millz, Lil Wayne, Red Café, Rocko and Ron Browz, as well as vocals from singers Ricky Blaze, Bobby V, Shanell. Its production was overseen by DJ Holiday and the Trap-a-Holics.
Jermaine Lamarr Cole is an American rapper and record producer. Born on a military base in Germany and raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Cole initially gained attention as a rapper following the release of his debut mixtape, The Come Up, in early 2007. Intent on further pursuing a musical career, he signed to Jay-Z's Roc Nation in 2009 and released two additional mixtapes: The Warm Up (2009) and Friday Night Lights (2010), both to critical acclaim as he garnered a wider following.
Donavan LaMond Johnson better known by his stage name XV is an American rapper, singer and songwriter from Wichita, Kansas. He first gained major attention after the release of his twelfth mixtape Everybody's Nobody, for which he received two awards from DJBooth.net. His name, XV, refers to the age (15) at which he began his musical career. On Monday July 26, 2010, XV announced that he had signed a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records via his Twitter page.
The Warm Up is the second official mixtape from Fayetteville, North Carolina rapper J. Cole. It was released on June 15, 2009. J. Cole produced the majority of the mixtape with help from Elite, and Syience. The mixtape has been viewed over 3,100,000 times, streamed over 451,000 times, and downloaded over 700,000 times on DatPiff. The mixtape went Double Platinum on DatPiff.
Cole World: The Sideline Story is the debut studio album by American rapper J. Cole. It was released on September 27, 2011, by Roc Nation and Columbia Records, with distribution from Sony Music. The album is his first studio release, following three successful mixtapes. In 2007, the album was first recorded and ended, and then began to take place from 2009 to early 2011, featuring the production that was handled mainly by Cole himself, with some production from high-profile producer No I.D. It includes four guest appearances from Trey Songz, Drake, Jay-Z and Missy Elliott.
"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.
Culdesac is the fifth mixtape by American rapper Childish Gambino better known as Donald Glover, released July 3, 2010. The entire mixtape was self-produced with assistance from Community composer, Ludwig Göransson. It was originally meant to be released on July 2, but was delayed for one day due to last minute material. Like his other mixtapes, Culdesac was released for free download.
"So Appalled" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West from his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). The song was produced by West, along with No I.D. and Mike Dean, and features verses by Jay-Z, Cyhi the Prynce, Pusha T, Swizz Beatz, and RZA respectively, who all receive writing credits. Lyrically, the song explores topics such as the troubles produced from being famous, social concerns and features numerous pop culture references.
"All of the Lights" is a song by American rapper Kanye West, released as the fourth single from his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). It was produced by West and features additional vocals from several other recording artists, including Drake, John Legend, The-Dream, Alicia Keys, Fergie, Elton John, Ryan Leslie, Charlie Wilson, Tony Williams, La Roux, Alvin Fields, Ken Lewis, Kid Cudi, and Rihanna, with the latter two being credited on the official music video and the official single, but not on the album version of the song. The song is often played along with its accompanying interlude “All of the Lights (Interlude)”
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.
Fear of God II: Let Us Pray is the major record label debut and extended play by American rapper Pusha T, released on November 8, 2011, under G.O.O.D. Music. The EP was his first project with Kanye West's GOOD Music label, since the announcement of his signing in September 2010. Pusha T claims his inspiration for Fear of God is that a vast majority of the people who he came in the music business with are in prison: "I came in the game with super producers. We made hit records. I never thought that it gets deeper. But not for nothing, 2009 I lost eight of my friends to incarceration. Everybody that I came in to the rap game with, and when I realized that those components weren't there anymore, the 'Fear of God' really came over me. It's full of the dichotomy of 'right and wrong' and 'good and evil'. A lot of it deals with greed. A lot of it deals with instant gratification. Personally... life without instant gratification... I don't know what it is."
"Work Out" is a song by American hip hop recording artist and record producer J. Cole, and released as the lead single from his debut studio album Cole World: The Sideline Story (2011). The song was officially released on June 27, 2011, through Roc Nation and Columbia. Nas voiced his displeasure with the song, which inspired Cole to create the song "Let Nas Down" for his album Born Sinner. It interpolates the chorus from "Straight Up" by Paula Abdul, and samples the ending production of "The New Workout Plan" by Kanye West.
"In the Morning" is a song by American rapper J. Cole, originally released on his third mixtape Friday Night Lights (2010) and included on his debut studio album Cole World: The Sideline Story (2011). The song, produced by L&X Music, features Canadian recording artist Drake.
HipHopDX is an online magazine of hip hop music criticism and news. The website's current president and publisher is Sharath Cherian and the Head of Content is Jerry L. Barrow. HipHopDX is the flagship publication of Cheri Media Group.
"No More Parties in LA" is a song by American rapper Kanye West from his seventh studio album, The Life of Pablo (2016), featuring vocals from fellow rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was produced by West and Madlib, who began the recording in 2010. The beat was originally offered to Freddie Gibbs before being given to West and Lamar by Madlib. The song was released as the third promotional single from the album as part of West's GOOD Fridays series on January 18, 2016.
"30 Hours" is a song by American rap musician Kanye West, featuring backing vocals from Andre 3000, that lies on West's seventh studio album The Life of Pablo (2016). The track was released as a promotional single from the album as part of West's GOOD Fridays program.
"I Wonder" is a song by American hip-hop recording artist and record producer Kanye West. It was released as the fourth song on his third studio album Graduation (2007). The track was produced by West and retains influences from stadium rock, alternative music, and a variety of electronic-music subgenres. It contains a sample from "My Song" by British singer-songwriter, musician, and poet Labi Siffre. A major development in the song's creation was West touring the world the year prior with Irish rock band U2 on their Vertigo Tour. Afterwards, he sought out to compose a hip hop-oriented variation of "City of Blinding Lights," the band's 2005 single. The layered arrangement contains experimental orchestrations, with a distorted electronic synthesizer that acts as the lead instrument. The maximalist synths are further supplemented with a sweeping string section as well as winding keyboards. Its experimental musical composition is also notable for West's rapping technique. His lyrical delivery features a fragmented, forceful flow where he raps minimalist verses in an intense staccato vocal style. Lyrically, "I Wonder" is an introspective number, containing a blend of melancholic lines that discuss finding one's dreams.
Truly Yours 2 is the second extended play by American hip hop artist J. Cole. It was released digitally for free download and stream on April 30, 2013. The EP features guest appearances from Young Jeezy, 2 Chainz and Bas. Production came from J. Cole, Canei Finch, Jake One, and Ron Gilmore. The EP has been downloaded over 500,000 times on mixtape site DatPiff.
