The Hip Hop Shop was a clothing store opened in 1993 by fashion designer Maurice Malone that was more well known for its open mic contests than its clothing. [1] It quickly evolved into one of the main destinations for rap competitions in the Detroit hip hop scene. The spot, located on 15736 W. Seven Mile Road, had open mic contests that were managed and hosted by rapper Proof on Saturdays from 4:00 - 6:00 P.M. Its rap battles inspired the similar scenes depicted in the movie 8 Mile , starring Eminem. [2] [3] There are videos recorded in 1996 by the shop of Eminem battling other rappers. The Hip Hop Shop closed down in 1997 when Malone and his partner Jerome Mongo decided to move to New York and focus on the clothing line. It has since reopened under new management. [1] Talks about a Hip Hop Shop return had been in the air for spring 2015, at the forefront of the project is Derwynn Matthews (nephew of Maurice Malone) and entrepreneur Khalid (Kah) Cooper, but failed to come into fruition.
Obie Trice III is an American rapper. He was signed to fellow Detroit rapper Eminem's Shady Records in 2002, where he released the albums Cheers (2003) and Second Round's on Me (2006). Trice formed his own record label, Black Market Entertainment, upon leaving Shady. He does not use a rap name like most rappers, instead using his birth name on stage.
Rufus Johnson, better known by his stage name Bizarre, is an American rapper, best known for his work with the Detroit-based hip hop group D12.
Antonio Hardy, better known by his stage name Big Daddy Kane, is an American rapper, producer and actor who began his career in 1986 as a member of the Juice Crew. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential and skilled MCs in hip hop. Rolling Stone ranked his song "Ain't No Half-Steppin'" number 25 on its list of The 50 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time, calling him "a master wordsmith of rap's late-golden age and a huge influence on a generation of MCs".
DeShaun Dupree Holton, known professionally as Proof, was an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan. During his career, he was a member of the groups 5 Elementz, Funky Cowboys, Promatic, Goon Sqwad, and D12. He was a close childhood friend of rapper Eminem, who also lived in Detroit. Proof was often a hype man at Eminem's concerts.
Raymond Leon Scott, better known by his stage name Benzino, is an American urban media proprietor, television personality, rapper, and record producer. He produced records and co-owned the magazine The Source.
Esham Attica Smith, known mononymously as Esham, is an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan. Emerging as one of the first ever hip hop artists from Detroit, Esham released his debut studio album, Boomin' Words from Hell, in 1989 at the age of 16. Since then, he has gone on to release 15 studio albums in total and is best known as a representative of the hip hop subgenre horrorcore. In 1992, he co-founded the horrorcore group Natas. He and his brother James Smith founded and ran the Detroit hip hop label Reel Life Productions.
Kevin Bell, professionally known as DJ Head, is a three-time Grammy Award winning hip-hop producer and DJ from Detroit, Michigan. He's best known for producing and co-producing songs for Eminem, Xzibit, Jay-Z, D12, Valid, Obie Trice, Bizarre, and as Eminem's original touring deejay from 1997 to 2002.
Marshall Bruce Mathers III, known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is widely considered as one of the greatest rappers of all time. Eminem's global success and acclaimed works are widely regarded as having broken racial barriers for the acceptance of white rappers in popular music. While much of his transgressive work during the late 1990s and early 2000s made him widely controversial, he came to be a representation of popular angst of the American underclass and has been cited as an influence for many artists of various genres.
8 Mile is a 2002 American drama film written by Scott Silver and directed by Curtis Hanson. It stars Eminem in his film debut, alongside Mekhi Phifer, Brittany Murphy, Michael Shannon, Anthony Mackie, and Kim Basinger. The film, which contains autobiographical elements from Eminem's life, follows white rapper Jimmy Smith Jr. aka B-Rabbit (Eminem) and his attempt to launch a career in hip hop, a music genre dominated by African Americans. The title is derived from 8 Mile Road, the highway between the predominantly black city of Detroit and the largely white suburban communities to the north that Eminem originally lived in.
Relapse is the sixth studio album by American rapper Eminem. It was released on May 15, 2009, through Aftermath Entertainment, Shady Records, and Interscope Records. The album serves as Eminem's return to original material since Encore (2004), following a four-year hiatus from recording due to his writer's block and an addiction to prescription sleeping medication. Recording sessions for the album took place between 2007 and 2009 at several recording studios, and Dr. Dre, Mark Batson, and Eminem handled production.
Rod Sepand, better known professionally as King Tech, is an American DJ, B-boy, VJ and audio engineer. He is one half of the duo Sway & King Tech.
Waverly Walter Alford III, known professionally by his stage name King Gordy, is an American horrorcore singer/rapper from Detroit, Michigan. He is one-fourth of underground hip hop group the Fat Killahz, one-third of the horrorcore supergroup How to Gag a Maggot, and one-half of the hardcore rap duos Last American Rock Stars and Even Heathens He is currently signed to his self-owned record label King of Van Dyke Entertainment, which he unofficially launched during late 2018.
Battle rap is a type of rapping performed between two or more performers that incorporates boasts, insults and wordplay. Battle rap is often performed or freestyled spontaneously in live battles known as Rap battles, where participants will compete on the same stage to see who has the better verses.
Michael Wayne Atha, better known by his stage name Yelawolf, is an American rapper. Born in Alabama and raised in Tennessee and Alabama, he embarked on his career independently in 2005, releasing one extended play (EP) and four mixtapes until 2010. It was not until 2010's Trunk Muzik EP that Yelawolf started to gain mainstream attention, culminating with Yelawolf signing a deal with Interscope Records. His first release on a major label was a reworking of Trunk Muzik, titled Trunk Muzik 0-60 (2010).
Detroit, Michigan, is a major center in the United States for the creation and performance of music, and is best known for three developments: Motown, early punk rock, and techno.
Brian Harmon, better known by his stage name Champtown, is an American rapper, disc jockey, film director and teacher from Detroit, Michigan. Founder of the Straight Jacket independent record label, Champtown is known for helping establish the careers of a number of Detroit hip hop artists, including Kid Rock. He has also worked with Ice-T, Rev Run, Public Enemy and Uncle Kracker. He produced a documentary film, The Untold Story of Detroit Hip Hop, which featured interviews with notable Detroit rappers.
The Marshall Mathers LP 2 is the eighth studio album by American rapper Eminem. It was released on November 5, 2013, by Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment, and Interscope Records. The album is Eminem's last to have the involvement of independent label WEB Entertainment. It serves as a sequel to his third album The Marshall Mathers LP (2000). The album was recorded from 2012 to 2013 with several different producers, with Dr. Dre and Rick Rubin serving as executive producers. It features guest appearances from Skylar Grey, Rihanna, Nate Ruess, and rapper Kendrick Lamar, among others.
"Rap God" is a song by American rapper Eminem. The song premiered via YouTube on October 14, 2013, and was released in the United States on October 15, 2013, as the third single from Eminem's eighth studio album, The Marshall Mathers LP 2 (2013). It contains references to previous conflicts in Eminem's career, as well as to other rappers' conduct.
Marvin Eugene O'Neal, professionally known by his stage name Marv Won, is an American rapper and record producer from east side Detroit, Michigan. He is a member of underground hip hop group the Fat Killahz and rap duo Twin Towers. In 2021, he received a Detroit Music Award nomination for Outstanding Rap MC at the 30th Detroit Music Awards.
Mumble rap is a loosely defined microgenre of hip hop that largely spread on the online audio distribution platform SoundCloud in the 2010s. The term implies a mumbling or unclear vocal delivery by artists, and has been used to describe rappers who do not share the genre's traditional emphasis on meaningful lyricism.