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. He is known for his trademark Gangsta Grillz series, a branding used on projects of which were compiled by Drama, utilized by collaborators including Lil Wayne, Tyler the Creator, Snoop Dogg, Yo Gotti, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Fabolous, Jeezy, Meek Mill, and Gucci Mane, among others. 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.
Frazier Othel Thompson III, better known by his stage name Trae tha Truth, is an American rapper from Houston, Texas. Embarking on a musical career in 1998, he soon established himself as a prominent member of the Texas hip hop scene with his solo debut, Losing Composure (2003). Same Thing Different Day (2004) and Restless (2006) followed up, the latter of which was his debut on Rap-a-Lot Records.
Keith Grayson, professionally known as DJ Kay Slay, was an American disc jockey (DJ) from New York City. He is referred to by The New York Times as "Hip Hop's One-Man Ministry of Insults". He released four studio albums: The Streetsweeper, Vol. 1 (2003), The Streetsweeper, Vol. 2 (2004), The Champions: North Meets South, and More Than Just a DJ (2010). Known for extensive curation of prominent figures in East Coast hip hop, his albums were met with success in the regional market; his first two were released by Columbia Records. Grayson died from COVID-19 in 2022.
Kevin Christopher Belnavis, better known by his stage name Torch, is a Haitian-American rapper signed to Maybach Music Group as part of the group Triple C's. Born and with a childhood in the Castle Hill area of the Bronx, he was sent by his mother to live with his older sister in Miami, Florida, as a teen.
Louis King Johnson, Jr., better known by his stage name King Louie, is an American rapper. Spin Magazine attributed King Louie as being one of the Chicago rappers who made Chicago the "hottest hip-hop" scene in 2012.
Tavares Lamont Taylor, known professionally as Lil Reese, is an American rapper. Hailing from Chicago's drill scene in the early 2010s, he is known for his collaborations with fellow rappers Chief Keef, Fredo Santana, and Lil Durk. In 2012, Taylor was featured on Chief Keef's single "I Don't Like", which peaked at number 73 on the Billboard Hot 100, peaked at number 20 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and peaked at number 15 on the Hot Rap Songs chart. His debut mixtape, ‘Don't Like’ was released later that year. Since the first mixtape release, Taylor has gone on to release six mixtapes in total, including the 2013 ‘Supa Savage’ mixtape, as well as three EPs, including the 2017 collaborative project ‘Supa Vultures’ EP with Lil Durk.
Joshua Howard Luellen, professionally known as Southside, is an American record producer, rapper and songwriter. He gained recognition in the hip hop industry for producing songs for prominent artists across the American hip hop sphere. In 2010, Southside and fellow 1017 label-mate Lex Luger, established their production and songwriting team 808 Mafia, where Southside currently is at the helm of the group. The basis of his stage name is the place where Luellen grew up, Southside, in Atlanta, Georgia.
Adolph Robert Thornton Jr., better known by his stage name Young Dolph, was an American rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. He first garnered mainstream attention for his guest appearance on O.T. Genasis' 2015 single "Cut It", which peaked at number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100. The following year, he released his debut studio album King of Memphis (2016), which peaked at number 49 on the Billboard 200. His fifth album, Rich Slave (2020) peaked at number four on the chart. Young Dolph founded the independent label Paper Route Empire, through which he signed fellow Memphis rapper Key Glock. On November 17, 2021, he was shot and killed in his hometown.
Marquis Amonte King, better known by the stage name Shy Glizzy, is an American rapper from Southeast, Washington, D.C. He is best known for his guest feature alongside Brent Faiyaz on GoldLink's 2016 single "Crew", which peaked at number 45 on the Billboard Hot 100 and received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rap/Sung Performance.
Durk Derrick Banks, known professionally as Lil Durk, is an American rapper and singer from Chicago, Illinois. He first garnered a regional following with the release of his Signed to the Streets mixtape series (2013–2014), which led to his signing of a recording contract from Def Jam Recordings. The label released his debut studio album, Remember My Name (2015) and its follow up, Lil Durk 2X (2016) to moderate commercial success before parting ways with the artist in 2018.
Jeremy Lemont Saunders, better known by his stage name 2 Pistols, is an American rapper from Tarpon Springs, Florida. After the local success of his independent single "Dirty Foot", he signed a record deal with Universal Republic Records in 2007. His debut single, "She Got It", was released in January 2008 and peaked at number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song preceded his debut studio album, Death Before Dishonor (2008), which saw moderate critical and commercial reception and no further mainstream recognition with its follow ups.
Trentavious Zamon White, better known by his stage name Bankroll Fresh, was an American rapper from Atlanta, Georgia. He is best known for posthumous guest appearance on fellow Atlanta rapper Jeezy's 2016 single "All There," which received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Prior, he garnered local attention for his 2015 single "Walked In". Also posthumously, he starred in the independent short film Take Over Your Trap in 2016.
Miles Parks McCollum, known professionally as Lil Yachty, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He first gained recognition in August 2015 for his viral hit "One Night" from his debut EP Summer Songs. He then released his debut mixtape Lil Boat in March 2016, and signed a joint venture record deal with Motown, Capitol Records, and Quality Control Music in June of that year.
Dominique Armani Jones, known professionally as Lil Baby, is an American rapper and singer-songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia. He rose to prominence following the release of his 2017 mixtapes Harder than Hard and Too Hard, the former of which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100 entry with its lead single, "My Dawg." He signed with Motown and Capitol Records to release his debut studio album Harder Than Ever (2018), which peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and was supported by the Billboard Hot 100-top ten single "Yes Indeed". He released two additional retail projects that same year: The collaborative mixtape Drip Harder with fellow Georgia-based rapper Gunna—which saw continued success with its singles "Drip Too Hard" and "Close Friends"—and his commercial mixtape Street Gossip, which peaked at number two on the Billboard 200.
Irving Ampofo Adjei, known professionally as Headie One, is a British rapper and singer. In 2018 he released his second solo mixtape, titled ‘The One’, which included the single "Know Better" featuring rapper RV, it became an "underground hit". Headie One is a member of the UK drill group OFB and is considered to be a pioneer innovator of the UK drill scene.
Calvin Lashon Woods, professionally known as Calboy, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. In 2017, Calvin had a break through locally with his mixtapes released through Paper Gang Inc., Anxiety and Calboy, the Wild Boy.
Devonte Perkins, better known by his stage name K-Trap, is a British rapper and songwriter from South London. He is known for his prominence in the UK drill scene, releasing notable mixtapes such as The Last Whip (2017), The Re-Up (2018) and No Magic (2019). Previously, K-Trap was widely known for wearing a balaclava to conceal his identity until June 2019 when he revealed his face for the first time in the music video for his single ‘Big Mood’, promoting his mixtape No Magic.
Eric Darnell Wright, better known by his stage names Lil Eazy-E and Lil Eazy, is an American rapper. He is best known for being the son of Eazy-E. He is the president of Rich & Ruthless Records, an entertainment and business firm for musicians and entertainers. He and his brother E3, formally known as Baby Eazy-E, also founded Rich & Ruthless Cannabis, a cannabis grower and supplier.
Oakley Caesar-Su, known professionally as Central Cee, is a British rapper from Shepherd's Bush, London. He rose to prominence in 2020 with the release of the singles "Day in the Life" and "Loading". His first mixtape Wild West was released on 12 March 2021, which debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart. His second mixtape 23 was released on 25 February 2022 and debuted atop the UK Albums Chart.
Rhys Angelo Emile Herbert, known professionally as Digga D, is a British rapper. He rose to fame in 2017 along with his UK drill collective CGM. His mixtapes Double Tap Diaries and Made In The Pyrex reached No. 11 and 3 on the UK Albums Chart, respectively. His third mixtape Noughty By Nature was released on 15 April 2022, debuting at number one on the UK Albums Chart. His fourth mixtape Back To Square One was released in August 2023.
