Lana Michele Moorer, better known by her stage name MC Lyte, is an American rapper, disc jockey, and entrepreneur. Considered one of the pioneers of female rap, MC Lyte first gained fame in the late 1980s, becoming the first female rapper to release a full solo album with 1988's critically acclaimed Lyte as a Rock. The album spawned the singles "10% Dis" and "Paper Thin". In 1989, she joined the supergroup Stop the Violence Movement, and appeared on the single "Self Destruction", which was the inaugural number-one single on the Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart.
Marcel Theo Hall, known professionally as Biz Markie, was an American rapper and singer. Markie's 1989 single "Just a Friend", became a Top 40 hit in several countries and was named No. 100 on VH1's list of the 100 greatest hip-hop songs of all time in 2008. Markie was sometimes referred to as the "Clown Prince of Hip Hop".
Black Entertainment Television is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by Paramount Global through CBS Entertainment Group.
Bruce L. Cohen is a film, television, and theater producer.
The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual music awards show which previously aired in national broadcast syndication, and honors the best in African-American culture, music and entertainment. It is produced by the makers of Soul Train, the program from which it takes its name, and features musical performances by various contemporary R&B and soul music recording artists interspersed throughout the ceremonies. The special traditionally used to air in either February, March or April, but now airs the last weekend of November.
Suheir Hammad is an American poet, author, and political activist.
John Theodore Rossi is an American actor and producer. He portrayed Juan Carlos "Juice" Ortiz on the FX series Sons of Anarchy (2008–2014) and Hernan "Shades" Alvarez in Luke Cage (2016–2018). His film roles include Tino Hull in Red Sands (2009), Todd in Bad Hurt (2015), Francisco "Ghost" Alvarez in Lowriders (2017), Deuce in Vault (2019), and Youcef in Emily the Criminal (2022), the latter of which earned him an Independent Spirit Award nomination.
Johnny Reed McKinzie Jr., better known by his stage name Jay Rock, is an American rapper and songwriter. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, he signed to indie label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), in 2005. Under TDE, Rock secured a record deal in 2007 with Warner Bros. Records and later Asylum Records, but mergers fell through and Rock departed from the label shortly after. He then signed with fellow American rapper Tech N9ne's Strange Music, in a joint-venture deal with TDE.
Black Entertainment Television LLC, doing business as BET Networks, is an American entertainment company that oversees the company's premium cable television channels, including its flagship service BET. It is a subsidiary of media conglomerate Paramount Global under its CBS Entertainment Group unit.
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Known as "King Kendrick", he is widely regarded as one of the most influential rappers of his generation. His works, which regularly infuses social, political, religious, and philosophical influences, became a catalyst in the rise of social consciousness amongst Millennials. Lamar has been named the second-greatest rapper of all time by Billboard and Vibe, and has garnered critical acclaim for his signature cadences, artistic reinventions, and introspective songwriting.
Desi hip hop is a term for music and culture which combines the influences of hip hop and the Indian subcontinent; the term desi referring to the South Asian diaspora. The term has also come to be used as an alternative for rap music and even pop music which involves rappers of South Asian origins.
Tariq Amar Devega, known professionally as ASAP Nast, is an American rapper, songwriter and model from Harlem, New York. Nast is best known as a member of the hip hop collective A$AP Mob. As part of A$AP Mob, they released their first project as a group, a mixtape titled Lord$ Never Worry in 2012. His breakout song, "Trillmatic" featuring Wu-Tang Clan's Method Man was released on December 4, 2013.
Isaiah Rashad Joel McClain, is an American rapper. His first big break was performing on the 2012 Smoker's Club Tour with rappers Juicy J, Joey Badass and Smoke DZA among others. He is a founding member of the Chattanooga hip hop collective The House along with fellow Chattanooga rappers YGTUT, Michael Da Vinci (MikeyD), Chris P, and Brian Brown.
Julio Francisco Ramos, better known as Ceschi Ramos, or simply as Ceschi, is an American hip hop musician based in New Haven, Connecticut. He is a co-founder of Fake Four Inc. He won the Connecticut Music Awards for Best Hip Hop in 2014.
David Lawrence Brewster Jr., better known by his stage name Dave East, is an American rapper. East began his career in 2010, and gained attention in 2014 from his eighth mixtape, Black Rose. Its release garnered the attention of fellow New York rapper Nas, who later signed East to his record label, Mass Appeal Records, and later in conjunction with Def Jam Recordings.
The BET Hip Hop Award for Album of the Year is an award presented to recording artists for quality album at the BET Hip Hop Awards. It was originally titled CD of the Year, but it was changed during the 2013 ceremony.
Daniel R. Day, known as Dapper Dan, is an African American fashion designer and haberdasher from Harlem, New York. His influential store, Dapper Dan's Boutique, operated from 1982 to 1992 and is most associated with introducing high fashion to the hip hop world and black culture in general with his clients over the years including Mike Tyson, Eric B. & Rakim, Salt-N-Pepa, LL Cool J, and Jay-Z. In 2017, he launched a fashion line with Gucci, with which he opened a second store and atelier, Dapper Dan's of Harlem, in 2018.
Michael Ford, known as the "Hip-Hop Architect", is an architect, designer, educator, and keynote speaker whose years of research, publications and lectures seek to fuse his two passions, hip-hop culture and architecture. In hip-hop architecture, Ford provides an alternative to the western canon in architecture and urban theory. This model is not only celebrates diversity, but it is also appealing to young people of color, encouraging them to join the profession and think critically about the built environment they live in. Ford is a professor in the architecture program at Madison College and founder of BrandNu Design.
Misa Hylton is an American stylist and fashion designer. Known as a pioneer in the fashion industry, she has styled many hip-hop and R&B artists since the 1990s, most notably Lil' Kim and Mary J. Blige. Hylton's style, referred to as "hip-hop glamorous," has been credited with influencing fashion trends in popular culture. Hylton is a global creative partner for MCM and was the centerpiece of the 2019 documentary The Remix: Hip Hop x Fashion.
Coi Leray Collins is an American rapper and singer. She began posting music to SoundCloud and released her single "Huddy", along with her debut mixtape Everythingcoz in 2018. After signing a record deal with 1801 Records and Republic Records, Leray released her second mixtape, EC2 (2019), and her debut extended play, Now or Never (2020). In 2021, the Lil Durk-assisted remix of her single, "No More Parties", reached the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100, and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
