Kimberly Denise Jones, better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper and singer. She was born and raised in New York City and lived much of her adolescent life on the streets after being expelled from home. In her teens, she would freestyle rap, influenced by fellow female hip-hop artists like MC Lyte and the Lady of Rage. In 1994, she was discovered by fellow rapper The Notorious B.I.G., who invited her to join his group Junior M.A.F.I.A.; their debut album, Conspiracy, generated two top 20 singles in the United States and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
John David Jackson, better known by his stage name Fabolous, is an American rapper. Raised in Brooklyn, he first gained recognition for his ability upon performing live on DJ Clue's Hot 97 radio show. Jackson then signed to Clue's record label, Desert Storm Records in a joint venture with Elektra Records. He first gained mainstream prominence for his debut studio album Ghetto Fabolous (2001), which spawned the hit singles "Can't Deny It" and "Young'n ." His second album, Street Dreams (2003) was further commercially oriented and supported by the singles "Can't Let You Go" and "Into You" —both of which peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100.
Lumidee Cedeño, known mononymously as Lumidee, is an American singer. She is best known for her 2003 single "Never Leave You ", which peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and led her to sign with Universal Records. The song preceded the release of her debut studio album Almost Famous (2003), which saw mixed to negative critical reception and moderate commercial performance. Her second album, Unexpected (2007) saw a critical improvement despite a commercial decline, and was supported by the cover single "She's Like the Wind".
Katrina Laverne Taylor, known professionally as Trina, is an American rapper. She rose to prominence in the late 1990s for her collaborations with Trick Daddy on the singles "Nann Nigga", "Shut Up", and "Take It to da House". In 2000, she released her debut album Da Baddest Bitch. Afterwards, she made an appearance on the remix of "One Minute Man" by Missy Elliott and Ludacris. In 2002, she released the Kanye West-produced single "B R Right" featuring Ludacris, from her sophomore album Diamond Princess (2002).
Christopher Noel Dorsey, better known by his stage name B.G., is an American rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana. He began his musical career in 1993 upon signing with Birdman's Cash Money Records at the age of 12. Dorsey and label-mates Lil Wayne, Juvenile and Turk collectively formed the group Hot Boys in 1997, with whom he has released three commercially successful albums. As a solo act, Dorsey has released five solo albums for Cash Money—Chopper City (1996), It's All on U, Vol. 1 (1997), It's All on U, Vol. 2 (1997), the platinum-certified Chopper City in the Ghetto (1999) and Checkmate (2000). He parted ways with the label in 2001 and to form Chopper City Records that same year.
Jermaine Alfred Denny, better known by his stage name Red Café, is a Guyanese-American rapper. He was first part of the short-lived hip hop group Da Franchise in the late 1990s, who signed with the company Violator and saw local success before his departure in 2001. As a solo act, he signed three ineffective recording contracts with Trackmasters Entertainment, an imprint of Arista Records, Mack 10's Hoo-Bangin' Records, an imprint of Capitol Records, and Motown due to label disputes, company fallouts, and creative differences throughout the 2000s.
Jay Wayne Jenkins, known by his stage name Jeezy, is an American rapper. He is credited, alongside fellow Georgia-based rappers T.I. and Gucci Mane, with pioneering the hip hop subgenre trap music for mainstream audiences. Jenkins began his career in 2001, releasing two independent albums until signing with Def Jam Recordings to release his major label debut, Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101 (2005). The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, sold 172,000 copies in its first week, and received double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album also spawned his highest-charting single as a lead artist to date: "Soul Survivor", which peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100.
Richard Preston Butler Jr., better known by his stage name Rico Love, is an American record producer, songwriter, singer, and rapper. He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, but split his childhood between Milwaukee, Wisconsin and New York City's Harlem neighborhood. He attended Florida A&M and, while visiting Atlanta, Georgia, worked his way into the music industry through connections with singer Usher, who would become one of Butler's frequent collaborators.
Tyree Cinque Simmons, known professionally as DJ Drama, is an American disc jockey (DJ), record executive and music promoter. He initially gained recognition as the DJ for Atlanta-based rapper T.I., and continued to gain prominence hosting mixtapes for other hip hop artists. He is known for his trademark Gangsta Grillz series, a branding used on projects of which were compiled by Drama, utilized by collaborators including Lil Wayne, Tyler the Creator, Snoop Dogg, Yo Gotti, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Fabolous, Jeezy, Meek Mill, and Gucci Mane, among others. He co-founded the record label Generation Now in 2015, an imprint of Atlantic Records which has signed artists including Lil Uzi Vert and Jack Harlow.
Algernod Lanier Washington, better known by his stage name Plies, is an American rapper. Born in Fort Myers, Florida, Plies was a wide receiver on the Miami Redskins football team of Miami University in Ohio in 1996 and 1997 before beginning his musical career. After dropping out of college, he was signed to Slip-n-Slide Records, he released four studio albums from 2007 until 2010. Plies debuted in 2007 with The Real Testament with successful singles "Shawty" and "Hypnotized". Plies also released two albums in 2008, Definition of Real and Da REAList, and later released Goon Affiliated in 2010.
RaaShaun Casey, known professionally as DJ Envy, is an American disc jockey (DJ), record producer, and radio personality. He is one of the two hosts of the syndicated radio show The Breakfast Club, alongside Charlamagne tha God, on Power 105.1.
Antoine Franklin McColister, better known by his stage name Ace Hood, is an American rapper. He was born in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and raised in Deerfield Beach, Florida. He was signed by record producer DJ Khaled to his label We the Best Music Group in a joint venture with Def Jam Recordings in 2008.
Nayvadius DeMun Cash, known professionally as Future, is an American rapper and singer. Known for his mumble-styled vocals and prolific output, Future is considered a pioneer of the use of auto-tuned melodies in modern trap music. Due to the sustained popularity of this musical style, he is commonly regarded as one of the most influential rappers of his generation.
R. City is a hip hop duo formed by Virgin Islander brothers Theron "Uptown AP" Thomas and Timothy "A.I." Thomas in 2003. Primarily known as a songwriting and record production team, the duo amassed numerous credits for prominent music industry artists prior to signing with Kemosabe Records, an imprint of RCA Records in 2014. The following year, their single "Locked Away" peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 and preceded the release of their debut studio album, What Dreams Are Made Of (2015).
Sonny Corey Uwaezuoke, better known by his stage name Sonny Digital, is an American record producer, rapper, and DJ. He rose to prominence after producing YC's hit single "Racks" in 2011. He is best known for his production on ILoveMakonnen's "I Dont Sell Molly No More" and "Tuesday" featuring Drake, Future's single "Same Damn Time", 50 Cent's "I'm the Man" and 2 Chainz's "Birthday Song", as well as the XXL Freshman Cyphers for 2017 and 2018. He has worked with multiple hip-hop artists, such as Future, Gucci Mane, 2 Chainz, Drake, Chief Keef, 50 Cent, and more.
Freebandz is an American record label founded by American rapper Future in 2011. The label's releases are distributed through Epic Records. Freebandz has signed artists including Real Boston Richey, Lil Double O, Doe Boy, Young Scooter, and Future's personal mixtape compiler, DJ Esco.
Sudan Ameer Williams, better known by his stage name Iamsu!, is an American rapper and record producer from Richmond, California. He is the lead member of the hip hop group the HBK Gang, which he formed with fellow Bay Area artists including Kehlani and Sage the Gemini in 2008. He is best known for his guest appearances on Sage the Gemini's 2013 single "Gas Pedal" and LoveRance's 2011 single "Up!," both of which peaked within the top 50 of the Billboard Hot 100. He signed with Alternative Distribution Alliance to release his debut studio album Sincerely Yours (2014), which moderately entered the Billboard 200 and received mixed reviews.
Dimitri Leslie Roger, known professionally as Rich the Kid, is an American rapper from College Park, Georgia. After a number of independent mixtapes, he signed with Interscope Records in 2017 to release his debut studio album, The World Is Yours (2018). The album, supported by the singles "New Freezer" and "Plug Walk", peaked at number two on the Billboard 200. His second and third studio albums, The World Is Yours 2 (2019) and Boss Man (2020) peaked at numbers four and 24 respectively on the chart. He has also released the collaborative mixtapes Nobody Safe (2020) with YoungBoy Never Broke Again, and Trust Fund Babies (2021) with Lil Wayne. Furthermore, he founded the record label Rich Forever Music in 2016, and has signed rappers Famous Dex and Jay Critch.
Maurice Samuel Young, better known by his stage name Trick Daddy, is an American rapper from the Liberty City neighborhood of Miami, Florida. He is best known for his 2003 single "Let's Go", which peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100. The album of which it preceded, Thug Matrimony: Married to the Streets (2004) peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 albums chart; both of which remain his most successful releases to date.
Brian Honeycutt, best known by his stage name Kobe or Kobe Honeycutt, is an American R&B singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, he is perhaps best known for his collaborations with American rapper Eminem, including 2010's "Talkin' 2 Myself" and "Cinderella Man", as well as 2014's "Die Alone".
