Clifford Joseph Harris Jr., known professionally as T.I. or Tip, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Harris is credited as one the pioneers of the hip hop subgenre trap music, along with fellow Georgia-based rappers Jeezy and Gucci Mane. He first became acquainted with local music executive Kawan "KP" Prather, and joined his company Ghet-O-Vision Entertainment by the late 1990s. He was led to sign a major-label record deal with its parent company LaFace Records, an imprint of Arista Records in 1999. His debut studio album, I'm Serious (2001), was met with lukewarm critical and commercial reception, becoming his only release with the label. He then signed with Atlantic Records, where he soon reached his mainstream breakthrough and co-founded his own label imprint, Grand Hustle Records by 2003.
Reminisce Kioni Mackie, known professionally as Remy Ma, is an American rapper. Discovered by the late rapper Big Pun, she came to prominence for her work as a member of Fat Joe's group, Terror Squad. In 2006, she released her debut studio album There's Something About Remy: Based on a True Story, which became a modest success, peaking at number 33 on the Billboard 200 chart. Ma's most commercially successful songs include "Whuteva", "Ante Up (Remix)", "Lean Back", "Conceited", and "All the Way Up".
Jermaine Alfred Denny, known professionally as Red Café, is a Guyanese-American rapper. He formed 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 peaked 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); its lead single, "Soul Survivor", peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and remains his highest-charting song.
Shamele Mackie, known professionally as Papoose, is an American rapper. Well known for his freestyles and prolific mixtape output, Papoose has released four studio albums and 29 mixtapes since 1998.
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 for two years in 1995 before embarking on a musical career. After a brief transfer to University of Central Florida, he dropped out and signed with the South Florida-based record label Slip-n-Slide Records in 2004; after four mixtapes, he signed a joint venture with Atlantic Records two years later.
DeAndre Cortez Way, known professionally as Soulja Boy, is an American rapper and record producer from Atlanta, Georgia. He rose to prominence with his self-released 2007 debut single, "Crank That ", which peaked the Billboard Hot 100 for seven non-consecutive weeks. After its commercial re-release by Collipark Music, an imprint of Interscope Records, the song and its follow-up, "Soulja Girl", both preceded the release of his debut studio album, Souljaboytellem.com (2007). Despite unfavorable critical reception, it peaked at number four on the Billboard 200 and spawned the single "Yahhh!."
Rodney Ramone Hill Jr., better known by his stage name Rocko, is an American rapper and record executive from Atlanta, Georgia. He is credited with discovering fellow Atlanta rapper Future, whom he signed to his record label, A1 Recordings upon its launch in 2010. Rocko acted as executive producer for Future's earlier albums until his departure from the label in 2017.
Sean Merrett, better known by his stage name Big Kuntry King, is an American rapper from Atlanta, Georgia. He is perhaps best known as a member of Southern hip hop group Pimp $quad Click, along with longtime friend and fellow Atlanta-based rapper T.I. After signing to T.I.'s Grand Hustle imprint, Big Kuntry King secured a recording contract with Atlantic Records. His debut studio album, My Turn to Eat, was released September 30, 2008.
Bobby Ray Simmons Jr., known professionally as B.o.B, is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. Raised in Decatur, Georgia, Simmons signed with producer Jim Jonsin through his Rebel Rock Entertainment label in 2006. Two years later, he signed a joint venture recording contract with fellow Georgia rapper T.I.'s Grand Hustle Records, an imprint of Atlantic Records. Following his major-label deal, Simmons quickly achieved commercial success when his 2009 debut single, "Nothin' on You", peaked the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and received three nominations—Record of the Year, Best Rap Song, and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration—at the 53rd Grammy Awards.
Charles Eddie-Lee Hamilton Jr. is an American rapper from Cleveland, Ohio. He released his debut mixtape, Crash Landing in June 2008, and signed an undisclosed multi-million dollar recording contract with Interscope Records two months later. He released 11 follow-up mixtapes and his debut studio album, The Pink Lavalamp (2008) that same year, although none of which were released by the label. In December, he was selected for XXL magazine's second Annual Freshmen Class list, which was issued the following year.
Peter Cory Pankey, Jr., better known by his stage name Cory Gunz, is an American rapper from the Bronx, New York City. He is best known for his guest appearance on Lil Wayne's 2010 single "6 Foot 7 Foot," which peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 and received septuple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). He signed with Wayne's Young Money Entertainment, a then-imprint of Cash Money and Universal Republic Records in August of that year, although he has released no major albums with the label as a solo act. He starred and was the subject of the 2011 documentary series Son of a Gun, which was presented by his mentor, American comedian Nick Cannon.
Ms. G.O.A.T. : Greatest Of All Time is the debut mixtape by American rapper Lil' Kim. Released June 3, 2008, Kim produced the recording alongside New York City DJs Mister Cee and DJ Whoo Kid. The title refers to the LL Cool J album G.O.A.T. (2000).
Trap Back is a mixtape by American rapper Gucci Mane. The mixtape was released online on February 5, 2012, coinciding with Super Bowl Sunday, at 10:17 a.m.—a reference to Gucci Mane's label, 1017 Bricksquad. It was Gucci Mane's first major recording project following his release from jail at the end of 2011, after spending a total of six months incarcerated that year. Trap Back was conceived as a "comeback mixtape" to revive the rapper's reputation and career, which had stalled for years due to ongoing legal troubles and other personal setbacks.
Glory is the debut extended play (EP) by Australian rapper Iggy Azalea, released as a free digital download on 30 July 2012, by Grand Hustle Records. The EP serves as her first project with T.I.'s label since the announcement of her signing back in March 2012. The EP features guest appearances from T.I., who also serves as the project's executive producer, along with fellow rappers B.o.B and Pusha T, as well as singer-songwriter Mike Posner. The EP's production was handled by Bei Maejor, Lil' C, Mike Posner and more.
Kenneth Edward Bailey, better known by his stage name Young Scooter, is an American rapper from Atlanta, Georgia. He was among the first artists to sign with fellow Atlanta rapper Future's record label, Freebandz in 2012, having known its founder since childhood. The following year, he jointly signed with Waka Flocka Flame's Brick Squad Monopoly, an imprint of Gucci Mane's 1017 Records. He first gained regional recognition for his collaborations with the rappers, as well as his mixtape Street Lottery (2012) and its lead single, "Colombia". His guest appearance on Future and Juice Wrld's 2018 song, "Jet Lag" marked his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100.
TrapGold is the second mixtape by Australian rapper Iggy Azalea, who released it as a free digital download on 11 October 2012. American DJ and music producer Diplo and 1st Down of FKi executive produced the project, along with Azalea and Stix serving as co-executive producers. It also features a guest appearance from Juicy J and samples interviews from Salvador Dalí, Andy Warhol, David LaChapelle and Reiner Opoku.
Orlando Jahlil Tucker, better known by his stage name Jahlil Beats, is an American hip hop record producer. He has produced for artists such as Puff Daddy, Lil Wayne, Fabolous, Meek Mill, Chris Brown, Tyga, Rick Ross, Ace Hood, Bobby Shmurda, T.I., Jay Park and 50 Cent among others.
Christian Walcott Webster, better known by his stage name Chris Webby, is an American rapper from Norwalk, Connecticut. Webster has released many mixtapes such as the DJ Drama-hosted Bars On Me (2012) and his EP There Goes the Neighborhood (2011), which peaked at number 101 on the Billboard 200. He has worked with various artists such as Freeway, Mac Miller, Joell Ortiz, Big K.R.I.T., Method Man, Apathy, Prodigy, Bun B, Tech N9ne, Jarren Benton and Kid Ink. In 2013 he and his label, Homegrown Music, signed a deal with E1 Music. He then released Homegrown, another EP, in November 2012. Webster released his debut studio album Chemically Imbalanced on October 27, 2014.
Abdul Ibrahim West, better known by his stage name AR-Ab, is an American rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is a member of OBH, a rap group he co-founded with frequent collaborator Dark Lo.
