Dragon Ash is a Japanese rap rock group founded in 1996 by Kenji "KJ" Furuya and Sakurai Makoto. They were one of the first groups to popularize hip hop in Japan. Dragon Ash is a member of Mob Squad, which is an affiliation with the bands Source and Endive. Dragon Ash uses the French fleur-de-lis as their band logo/symbol.
De La Soul is an American hip hop trio formed in 1988 in the Amityville area of Long Island, New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres. The members are Posdnuos, Trugoy and Maseo. The three formed the group in high school and caught the attention of producer Prince Paul with a demo tape of the song "Plug Tunin'". With its playful wordplay, innovative sampling, and witty skits, the band's debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising, has been called "a hip hop masterpiece."
Digital Underground was an American alternative hip hop group from Oakland, California. Their personnel changed and rotated with each album and tour.
"Today" is a song by American alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins, written by lead vocalist and guitarist Billy Corgan. The song, though seemingly upbeat, contains dark lyrics. Corgan wrote the song about a day in which he was having suicidal thoughts, exemplified by the reference to self-mutilation in the bridge. The contrast between the grim subject matter of the song and the soft instrumental part during the verses, coupled with use of irony in the lyrics, left many listeners unaware of the song's tale of depression and desperation. The song alternates between quiet, dreamy verses and loud choruses with layered, distorted guitar.
Dragon Fli Empire is a Canadian hip hop duo formed in 2002 from Calgary, comprising Tarik Robinson, also known as Teekay (MC/producer), and Adam Hicks, also known as DJ Cosm (DJ/producer).
"Me So Horny" is a song by the rap group 2 Live Crew on their album As Nasty As They Wanna Be. It reached number 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Rap Tracks chart and number 26 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1989, staying on the Hot 100 for thirty weeks, despite lack of airplay due to the controversial nature of the lyrics. The explicit nature of the lyrics of this song and the album led to the initially successful prosecution of the group on obscenity charges and the album being banned from sale in Florida. This ban was overturned on appeal.
Whodini is an American hip hop group that was formed in 1982. The Brooklyn, New York-based trio consisted of vocalist and main lyricist Jalil Hutchins; co-vocalist John Fletcher, a.k.a. Ecstasy ; and turntable artist DJ Drew Carter, a.k.a. Grandmaster Dee.
Rip Slyme was a Japanese hip hop group. It was primarily composed of four MCs and a DJ, Fumiya. Their sound was influenced by old-school hip hop and other western rappers such as The Pharcyde, De La Soul, Public Enemy, Jurassic 5, the Beastie Boys, DJ Premier and Leaders of the New School.
Queen of Hip-Pop is Namie Amuro's seventh original studio album. It was released on July 13, 2005 after four singles and was her most commercially successful effort in five years before Play was released.
Viva la Revolution is the third full-length album by Dragon Ash; released in 1999. It is the first full-length album after Dragon Ash member DJ BOTS formally joined, creating the new hip hop/rock amalgamation sound which they have since become known for. It has been described as "the album where Kenji's polyphagia has been expressed best."
"I Love Hip Hop" is the fifth maxi single by Dragon Ash, released in 1999. It was released on the same day as "Grateful Days" and both singles quickly gained popularity in Japan.
Free Your Mind #33 is the first LP recording by Japanese group Dragon Ash, released in 1998.
"You" is a song by American R&B artist Lloyd featuring rapper Lil Wayne, and was produced by Big Reese and Jasper Cameron for Lloyd's second studio album, Street Love. It was recorded in the producer's basement. It is the first official single off the album. Lloyd himself has reported that he leaked the song to an Atlanta radio station to receive airplay. Originally, the song featured Atlanta rapper Tango Redd, but he was replaced with Lil Wayne for the official release. The song features an interpolation of Spandau Ballet's song "True". On February 8, 2007, "You" became Lloyd's first and Lil Wayne's second top-ten single on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, charting at number nine. The song reached number one on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in February 2007, becoming both Lloyd and Lil Wayne's first number-one single on this chart. On the UK Singles Chart, the single debuted on May 28, 2007, at number sixty-six on download sales alone, and moved up to number forty-five.
"Upgrade U" is a song by American singer and songwriter Beyoncé from her second studio album B'Day (2006). The song features additional vocals from American rapper Jay-Z. It was composed by Swizz Beatz, Cameron Wallace, Beyoncé, MK, Makeba, Sean Garrett, Angela Beyincé, Jay-Z, Willie Clarke, Clarence Reid, and Beyoncé's sister, Solange. Columbia Records released "Upgrade U" as a promotional single on 8 October 2006 in the United States only. "Upgrade U" draws from the genres of hip hop and contemporary R&B. The concept of the song is that of a woman describing herself as the key to upgrading a man's lifestyle.
"Runnin' from tha Police" is a 1995 song by rapper Tupac Shakur, featuring The Notorious B.I.G., Stretch, and Dramacydal. The song is significant, being one of very few compositions 2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G. created together, as later hostility arose between the two rappers, ending all possible collaborations and inciting the East-West Coast Rivalry. The song, originally slated to appear on Thug Life's 1994 debut album, Thug Life: Volume 1, and 2Pac's 1995 album, Me Against The World, was scrapped both times due to varying controversies. It was later finally featured on the 1995 One Million Strong compilation album. The song charted at #81, #57 and #13 on the Billboard Hot 100, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks & Hot Rap Singles charts, respectively, in 1997.
"Trippin'" is a song by American R&B girl group Total, released as the first single from their second studio album Kima, Keisha, and Pam (1998). It was also their second release working with production/writing duo Missy Elliott & Timbaland, after What About Us?, although Timbaland this time provided only co-production and instrumentation, with the pair's longtime collaborator Darryl Pearson instead handling main production with Elliott. Elliott was also often given a "featuring" credit despite only providing background vocals and spoken word to the song. The track was by far the group's biggest hit, peaking at number seven on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and number three on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
"The Choice Is Yours (Revisited)" is a song by the Native Tongues affiliate Black Sheep, from their debut album A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing. It was released in October 1991 as the second single from the album.
"Thank You" is a song from English R&B singer and rapper Estelle, released as the second single of her third studio album All of Me. The R&B ballad was co-written by the American hip-hop singer Akon and was produced by Jerry Wonda. It was released in the United States on 4 October 2011. On the track, she finds herself expressing gratitude to the man who's helped her, because the experience has helped make her both smarter and stronger. It has charted on the Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and it is already her most successful single on the R&B chart. It also debuted at number 100 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Send It Up" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West, from his sixth studio album Yeezus (2013). It was produced by West, Daft Punk, Gesaffelstein, Brodinski, Arca and Mike Dean. Like other songs on the album, it features an industrial hip hop sound, with elements of electronic music. The song features vocals from American rapper King Louie, who improvised his contributions. It contains a sample of "Memories" by Jamaican reggae and dancehall singer Beenie Man. Eight days before its release on the album, West performed the song live at the Governors Ball Music Festival, along with four other tracks from Yeezus.
"A No No" is a song by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey from her fifteenth studio album, Caution (2018). The song was written by Carey, Robert "Shea" Taylor, Priscilla Hamilton, Mason Betha and Camron Giles. Since the track samples "Crush on You" (1997), songwriting credits were added for a total of nine. Digitally released as a promotional single in November 2018, Epic Records serviced it to rhythmic contemporary and urban contemporary radio as the second single from the album on March 4, 2019. "A No No" is a hip hop and R&B song with a blithely dismissive chorus and frisky beat.
