Lorenzo Dechalus, known professionally as Lord Jamar is an American rapper, DJ, record producer, actor and podcaster. He is a founding member of the hip hop group Brand Nubian, which was formed in 1989. In 1996, he discovered Dead Prez and got them signed to Loud Records.
Terrence LeVarr Thornton, better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American rapper and record executive. He initially gained major recognition as half of hip hop duo Clipse, alongside his brother and fellow rapper No Malice, with whom he founded Re-Up Records. In September 2010, Thornton announced his signing to Kanye West's GOOD Music imprint, under the aegis of Def Jam Recordings. Later that year, he was featured on West's single "Runaway," which peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Marcus Jamal Hopson, known professionally as Hopsin, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer from Los Angeles.
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Since his mainstream debut in 2012 with Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, Lamar has been regarded as one of the most influential rappers of his generation. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time. Aside from his solo career, he is also known as a member of the hip hop supergroup Black Hippy alongside his Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) label-mates Ab-Soul, Jay Rock, and Schoolboy Q.
American rapper Kendrick Lamar has released four studio albums, one compilation album, one extended play (EP), five mixtapes, 65 singles, three promotional singles, and 55 music videos. Lamar initially performed under the stage name K-Dot, releasing three mixtapes under that moniker: Y.H.N.I.C. (2004), Training Day (2005), and C4 (2009). He gained major attention after the release of his fourth mixtape Overly Dedicated, which was released in 2010. It was Lamar's first full-length project to be released under his birth name and fared well enough to enter the United States Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, where it peaked at number 72.
Kiss the Ring is the sixth studio album by American disc jockey and record producer DJ Khaled. It was released under We the Best Music Group, Terror Squad Entertainment, Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records, and Universal Republic Records on August 21, 2012. The album was supported by the singles "Take It to the Head" which peaked at number 58 on the Billboard Hot 100 and "I Wish You Would" which peaked at number 78 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album features guest appearances from Meek Mill, Ace Hood, Plies, Lil Wayne, T.I., Future, Kanye West, Rick Ross, Chris Brown, Nicki Minaj, J. Cole, Big K.R.I.T., Kendrick Lamar, Big Sean, Wiz Khalifa, T-Pain, Scarface, Nas, DJ Premier, French Montana, Jadakiss, Birdman, 2 Chainz, Wale, Tyga, Kirko Bangz, Mavado and Mack Maine.
Knock Madness is the third studio album by American rapper Hopsin. It was released on November 24, 2013, by Funk Volume and distributed by EMPIRE. Hopsin has said that the overall vibe of the album is different from his previous album Raw and that he has said all he needs to about leaving Ruthless Records. The album contains guest appearances from rappers SwizZz, Dizzy Wright, Jarren Benton, and Tech N9ne, among others. Like its predecessors, the album's production was entirely handled by Hopsin himself.
Black Hippy is an American hip hop supergroup from South Los Angeles, California, formed in 2009. The group is composed of West Coast rappers Ab-Soul, Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar and ScHoolboy Q. Black Hippy was constructed after all of its members had signed to Carson-based indie record label, Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE).
Jesus Piece is the fifth studio album by American West Coast hip hop recording artist the Game, released on December 11, 2012, by DGC Records and Interscope Records, his last release on the label. Within a three-year gap between Game's third album, LAX (2008), and his follow-up, The R.E.D. Album (2011), before the latter was finally released in August 2011. The R.E.D. Album was a fall from his previous three released album sales, but became Game's third number one album on the US Billboard 200 chart. Shortly after the release of the long delayed album, Game announced he had begun work on his fifth studio album. The album was originally meant to be titled Soundtrack to Chaos, then was changed to F.I.V.E. and finally Jesus Piece becoming Game's first concept album.
"Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe", is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar, from his major-label debut studio album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012). The song, produced by frequent collaborator Sounwave of Top Dawg Entertainment in-house production team Digi+Phonics, heavily samples "Tiden Flyver", by Danish electronic group Boom Clap Bachelors. It was originally intended to be a collaboration with American singer Lady Gaga, but her contributions were ultimately excluded from the final recording due to timing issues. A remix of "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe" featuring American rapper Jay-Z was sent to radio as the album's fifth single on March 21, 2013, with the original version and another remix featuring British singer Emeli Sandé later being released.
"Memories Back Then" is a song by American hip hop recording artist T.I., featuring guest appearances from fellow American rappers B.o.B and Kendrick Lamar, as well as vocals from American singer-songwriter Kris Stephens. The song, produced Maurice "Kenoe" Jordan, was initially released as a single by Hustle Gang on April 22, 2013. The song debuted and peaked at number 88 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Justin Ritter, known professionally as SwizZz, is an American rapper and songwriter. He is best known for significantly collaborating with childhood friend Hopsin, and being signed to their record label Funk Volume, which was founded by Hopsin himself. He has released various singles and released two mixtapes including Haywire with Hopsin, and Good Morning SwizZzle.
"Control" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Big Sean, featuring fellow American rappers Kendrick Lamar and Jay Electronica. The song was originally intended to be included on Big Sean's second studio album Hall of Fame (2013) or Jay Electronica's debut album, but was ultimately removed from the final track-listing due to sample clearance issues. "Control" impacted American mainstream urban radio on August 14, 2013, as a promotional single for Hall of Fame. The track contains samples such as "Where I'm From" (1997) by Jay-Z, "El Pueblo Unido Jamás Será Vencido" (1974) by Quilapayún and Sergio Ortega and an interpolation of "Get Bizy" (2011) by Terrace Martin, which also features fellow rappers Kendrick Lamar and Jay Electronica.
"The Language" is a song by Canadian rapper Drake from his third studio album Nothing Was the Same (2013). "The Language" was produced by frequent collaborator Boi-1da, along with additional production by Allen Ritter and Vinylz. It also features an outro from Cash Money Records founder Birdman. The song was serviced to mainstream urban radio on October 29, 2013 as the fourth single from the album in the US and has peaked at number 51 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
"Nosetalgia" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Pusha T from his debut studio album My Name Is My Name (2013). "Nosetalgia" features vocals from American rapper Kendrick Lamar, with production handled by Nottz, Kanye West and additional production by The Twilite Tone. The hip hop song features both artists rapping about their experiences and effects of cocaine on their childhoods. On February 3, 2014, the song was officially released as a single in the United Kingdom by GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings as the album's fifth official single.
Pound Syndrome is the fourth studio album by American rapper Hopsin. The album was released on July 24, 2015, through Funk Volume and Warner Bros. Records.
HipHopDX is an online magazine of hip hop music criticism and news. The website's current president and publisher is Sharath Cherian and the editor-in-chief is Trent Clark. HipHopDX is the flagship publication of Cheri Media Group.
"Ill Mind of Hopsin 8" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Hopsin. The song was released on March 8, 2016, and is the eighth installment in Hopsin's "Ill Mind of Hopsin" series. The song serves as a diss towards Funk Volume co-founder, Damien Ritter, who Hopsin claims is the reason why he left the label. The song is also the debut single by Hopsin's new independent record label, Undercover Prodigy. The song peaked at number 21 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, which became Hopsin's highest charting single to date.
"Sorry Mrs. Carter" is a song recorded by American rapper Liv. The song was released on August 4, 2014, through her YouTube and SoundCloud accounts. Promoted as an "open letter" to American singer Beyoncé, Liv wrote and recorded the song in response to Nicki Minaj's remix of the single "Flawless" (2013). It is an uptempo, hip hop song with lyrics that revolve around Liv's alleged relationship with rapper Jay Z and Beyoncé's image as a wife and role model. The track's lyrical content portrays Liv as the victim of Jay Z's advances and the object of Beyoncé's jealousy.
Hykeem Jamaal Carter Jr., known professionally as Baby Keem, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer from Las Vegas, Nevada. He initially gained major recognition following the release of his single "Orange Soda", from his second mixtape Die for My Bitch (2019). He would later collaborate with Kanye West on the song "Praise God", which reached the top 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
