Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, is a subgenre of hip-hop that conveys the culture and values typical of urban gangs and street hustlers. Emerging in the late 1980s, gangsta rap's pioneers include Schoolly D of Philadelphia and Ice-T of Los Angeles, later expanding in California with artists such as N.W.A and Tupac Shakur. In 1992, via record producer and rapper Dr. Dre, rapper Snoop Dogg, and their G-funk sound, gangster rap broadened to mainstream popularity.
Geto Boys was an American hip-hop group originally formed in Houston, Texas. The Geto Boys enjoyed success in the 1990s with the group's classic lineup consisting of Bushwick Bill, Scarface and Willie D, earning several certified albums and hit singles, including "Mind Playing Tricks on Me" which reached No. 1 on the Hot Rap Songs and #23 on the Billboard Hot 100. The group was formed in 1986, and was active until the 2019 death of Bushwick Bill.
Southern hip hop, also known as Southern rap, South Coast hip hop, or dirty south, is a blanket term for a regional genre of American hip hop music that emerged in the Southern United States, especially in Atlanta, New Orleans, Houston, Memphis, and Miami—five cities which constitute the "Southern Network" in rap music.
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.
Eric Tyrone Breed, better known as MC Breed, was an American rapper best known for his singles "Ain't No Future in Yo' Frontin'", which peaked at #66 on the Billboard Hot 100 and "Gotta Get Mine", that made it to number 6 on the Hot Rap Singles.
Dem Franchize Boyz was an American hip hop group from Atlanta, signed to E1 Music. The group had four members: Parlae, Pimpin', Jizzal Man, and Buddie. They were best known for their hit singles "I Think They Like Me" and "Lean wit It, Rock wit It".
Joseph Thompson, better known by his stage name JT the Bigga Figga, is an American rapper, record producer, and record executive from the Fillmore, San Francisco, California. He has produced music on over one hundred albums, for artists including Daz Dillinger, Master P, The Game, San Quinn, and Messy Marv.
Rap-A-Lot is a hip hop record label co-founded by James Prince and Cliff Blodget in 1986. Smoke-a-Lot Records is a subsidiary.
TRU was an American hip hop group from New Orleans, active from 1989 to 2005. The group originally consisted of rappers on the New Orleans-founded record label, No Limit Records. The members are brothers Master P, C-Murder, and Silkk the Shocker.
The Screwed Up Click is an American hip hop collective based in Houston, Texas, that was led by DJ Screw. Its most notable members include DJ Screw, Big Hawk, Big Mello, Big Moe, Big Pokey, the Botany Boyz, E.S.G., Fat Pat, Lil' Flip, Lil' Keke, Lil' O, and Z-Ro. In addition, Devin the Dude, K-Rino, Lil' Troy, South Park Mexican and UGK are considered to be "Screwed Up Affiliated". Many of the current and former SUC members come from the neighborhoods of South Park, 3rd Ward, Sunnyside, Cloverland, Hiram Clarke and South Acres.
Corduroy are an English four-piece acid jazz outfit based in London, formed around twins Ben Addison (drums/vocals) and Scott Addison (keyboards/vocals), who were previously in Sire Records act Boys Wonder. Joining the twins in the band are Richard Searle and guitarist Simon Nelson-Smith. Searle had been bass player with Doctor and the Medics, who topped the UK Singles Chart in 1986 with a cover version of "Spirit in the Sky". Searle had joined the Addison twins in the final incarnation of Boys Wonder, before the band gradually evolved into Corduroy in 1991, initially forming for a one-off New Year's Eve party.
Michael George Dean is an American record producer, audio engineer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known for his synthesizer-heavy instrumentation and audio mixing for high-profile music industry artists. He began his career in 1992, producing albums for rappers such as Scarface, Willie D, and Geto Boys, but has since worked on records for artists including the Weeknd, Beyoncé, Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Travis Scott, Jay-Z, Drake, Madonna, Selena Gomez, and Lana Del Rey, among others. As a non-vocal lead artist, Dean has released four solo studio albums: 4:20 (2020), 4:22 (2021), Smoke State 42222 (2022), and 4:23 (2023).
Mark Anthony Morales, better known by the stage name Prince Markie Dee, was an American rapper. He was a member of the Fat Boys, a pioneering hip hop group that gained fame during the 1980s. Morales was the vice-president of Uncle Louie Music Group.
Michael Wilson, known professionally as Krazy, is an American rapper. He formally started his music career in a rap group called, Murder Inc. Krazy later signed to No Limit Records and joined 504 Boyz in 2000.
Roll Out the Red Carpet is the debut solo album by Hard Boyz frontman, Royal C. Royal C, whose group the Hard Boyz had recently joined Atlantic Records, had also signed a deal with a major label, Epic Records, who placed Royal C on their subsidiary Epic Street, which specialized in the hip hop genre. Epic released the album on August 13, 1996 with popular hip-hop/R&B producer Colin Wolfe producing the entire album. With the exception of a music video for the album's lead single "They Don't Want None", Epic failed to promote the album and it did not do well sales-wise, which eventually led to Epic dropping Royal C from the label.
Potential Murder Suspects (P.M.S.) is the third and final album released by the Hard Boyz. It was released on March 24, 1998 through Roadrunner Records and was least successful of the group's three albums as it did not reach the Billboard charts.
Trap is a subgenre of hip hop music that originated in the Southern United States, with lyrical references to trap starting in 1991 but the modern sound of trap appearing in 1999. The genre gets its name from the Atlanta slang term "trap house", a house used exclusively to sell drugs. Trap music uses synthesized drums and is characterized by complex hi-hat patterns, tuned kick drums with a long decay, and lyrical content that often focuses on drug use and urban violence. It utilizes very few instruments and focuses almost exclusively on snare drums and double- or triple-timed hi-hats.
Run-DMC was an American hip hop group from Hollis, Queens, New York City, formed in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as one of the most influential acts in the history of hip hop culture and especially one of the most famous hip hop acts of the 1980s. Along with Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, and Public Enemy, the group pioneered new-school hip hop music and helped usher in the golden age of hip hop. The group was among the first to highlight the importance of the MC and DJ relationship.
No Limit Records was an American record company founded by Master P. The label's albums were distributed by Priority Records, Universal and Koch Records. The label included artists such as Snoop Dogg, Mercedes, Silkk the Shocker, Mystikal, Mia X, Mac, C-Murder, Magic, Romeo Miller, Fiend, Kane & Abel, and Soulja Slim. Anthony Boswell, head of Bout It Bout It Management, served as the vice president of operations as well as head of management for the label.
Vyshonn King Miller, better known by his stage name Silkk the Shocker, is an American rapper and actor from New Orleans, Louisiana. He released his debut studio album, The Shocker (1996) under his original stage name Silkk through Master P's No Limit Records, which was met with generally unfavorable reception. His second and third albums—Charge It 2 da Game (1998) and Made Man (1999)—both received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and commercial success; the latter debuted atop the Billboard 200. He is the brother of No Limit label founder Master P.
