West Coast hip-hop is a regional genre of hip-hop music that encompasses any artists or music that originated in the West Coast of the United States. West Coast hip-hop began to dominate from a radio play and sales standpoint during the early to-mid 1990s with the birth of G-funk and the emergence of record labels such as Suge Knight and Dr. Dre's Death Row Records, Ice Cube's Lench Mob Records, the continued success of Eazy-E's Ruthless Records, Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, and others.
Gang Starr was an American hip hop duo, consisting of Houston-born record producer DJ Premier and Boston, Massachusetts rapper Guru.
Erik Francis Schrody, known by his stage names Everlast and Whitey Ford, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter who was the frontman for hip hop group House of Pain. His breakthrough as a solo artist came in 1998 with his album Whitey Ford Sings the Blues, which blended rock and hip-hop and garnered him his first Grammy Award nomination for the song "What It's Like". The album peaked at number 9 on the Billboard 200 album chart, while the single peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. As of 2023, they remain his highest mainstream chart positions for an album and single respectively.
David Marvin Blake, better known by his stage names DJ Quik or Da Quiksta, is an American rapper and record producer from Compton, California, known for his production in the G-funk style of West Coast hip-hop. Blake has collaborated with Snoop Dogg, Kurupt, Tupac, Chingy, R. Kelly and Shaquille O'Neal, among others. As a recording artist himself, he is perhaps best known for his 1991 single "Tonite", which within the top 50 of the Billboard Hot 100. Blake's stage name refers to his ability of producing songs in a short period of time.
M.O.P. is an American hip-hop duo composed of rappers Billy Danze and Lil' Fame, best known for their song "Ante Up." The group has frequently collaborated with DJ Premier. The group is part of the Gang Starr Foundation. Fame occasionally produces under the moniker Fizzy Womack and has produced tracks on every M.O.P. release since 1996's Firing Squad. He has also worked for other artists, including Kool G Rap and Wu-Tang Clan.
Louis Eric Barrier is an American rapper, record producer, and DJ from New York City. One half of the golden age hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, he formed the group in 1986 and served as its primary producer and DJ. Their debut album, Paid in Full (1987) was named the greatest hip hop album of all time by MTV in 2006, and the duo were nominated in 2011 for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Albert Johnson, better known by his stage name Prodigy, was an American rapper and record producer. He was best known for being in the rap duo Mobb Deep along with Havoc, yet Johnson still had a solo career, regularly collaborating with producer The Alchemist.
Smif-N-Wessun, also known as Cocoa Brovaz and Tek-N-Steele, is an American hip hop duo from Brooklyn, New York City. It is composed of rappers Tekomin "Tek" Williams from Bedford–Stuyvesant and Darrell "Steele" Yates from Brownsville. The duo comprise one quarter of supergroup Boot Camp Clik, together with Buckshot, Heltah Skeltah and Originoo Gunn Clappaz. Both members are known for their Jamaican Patois during their raps, which was more evident during the earlier stages of their career.
OuterSpace is an underground hip hop duo from North Philadelphia. Originally a trio consisting of three Puerto Rican friends that then took the artist names Planetary, Jedeye and Crypt the Warchild. The founding member Mario Collazo (Planetary) was then attending 10th grade, while the other two, Richard Cruz (Jedeye) and Marcus Albaladejo, were in 8th grade.
Mobb Deep was an American hip hop duo from Queens, New York formed in 1991. Consisting of rappers/songwriters/record producers Prodigy and Havoc, they are considered to be among the principal progenitors of hardcore East Coast hip hop. Mobb Deep became one of the most successful rap duos of all time, having sold over three million records. Their best-known albums are The Infamous (1995), Hell on Earth (1996) and Murda Muzik (1999), and their most successful singles were "Shook Ones " and "Survival of the Fittest." They were known for their dark and hardcore delivery.
Total Eclipse is the third studio album by American hip hop group Black Moon. It was released on October 7, 2003 through Duck Down Music. Recording sessions took place at the Dewgarde Crib of Hits in New York, at Tha Entaprize, at CDR Studios, and at D.I.R.T. Factory in Norfolk. Production was primarily handled by Da Beatminerz, as well as Dan The Man, Coptic, DJ Static, Kleph Dollaz, MoSS, Nottz, Oshta Hunter and Tone Capone. It features guest appearances from Smif-N-Wessun, Sean Price and Starang Wondah.
Monkey Barz is the debut solo studio album by American Brooklyn-based rapper Sean Price of Heltah Skeltah. It was released on May 31, 2005 through Duck Down Records as a part of the label's "Triple Threat Campaign", followed by Buckshot's Chemistry and Tek & Steele's Smif 'n' Wessun: Reloaded. The cover art is based on the Planet of the Apes series. Production was handled by Khrysis, TY Deals, Agallah, 9th Wonder, Ayatollah, Dub Z, Edward Maximillion III, Justice, Kleph Dollaz, MoSS, P.F. Cuttin', Phat Babyz, Star.com and Tone Mason, with Buckshot and Drew "Dru-Ha" Friedman serving as executive producers. It features guest appearances from fellow Boot Camp Clik members Buckshot, Louieville Sluggah, Rock, Starang Wondah, Steele, Tek, and affiliate Ruste Juxx.
Ricardo Emmanuel Brown, better known by his stage name Kurupt, is an American rapper and record producer. Born and raised in Philadelphia, he formed Tha Dogg Pound in 1992 along with Daz Dillinger; the rap duo has released eight albums. He also formed the hip hop group The Hrsmn in 1996, with whom he has released two albums. His debut solo album, Kuruption! (1998) was released by A&M Records and peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200.
Vincenzo Luviner, better known as Vinnie Paz, is an Italian-born American rapper and producer behind the Philadelphia underground hip hop group Jedi Mind Tricks. He is also the frontman of the hip hop collective Army of the Pharaohs.
Mario Collazo, better known by his stage name Planetary, is an American underground rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is one half of the rap duo OuterSpace and a member of Army of the Pharaohs.
Experience & Education is the second full-length solo studio album by American rapper Sadat X. It was released on October 25, 2005, through Female Fun Music. Recording sessions took place at the Thingamajig Lab in Brooklyn. Production was handled by the P Brothers, Kleph Dollaz, A Kid Called Roots, Ben Gebhardt, Diamond D, DJ Spinna, Ge-ology, Madsol-Desar, Minnesota, Sha Boogie and Vin The Chin. It features guest appearances from Agallah, Gina Vegas, Money Boss Players, Ed O.G. and Heltah Skeltah. The album's lead single was "What Did I Do?" b/w "The Great Diamond D".
Cella Dwellas are an underground hip hop duo from Flatbush, Brooklyn, consisting of emcees UG and Phantasm. The group is largely known for their dark beats and lyricism. In 1997, the duo shortened their name simply to The Dwellas.
Antoine Franklin McColister, known professionally Ace Hood, is an American rapper. Born in Port St. Lucie and raised in Deerfield Beach, Florida, he was discovered by DJ Khaled and became the first act to sign with his record label, We the Best Music Group in 2008. Released in a joint venture with Def Jam Recordings, his debut studio album, Gutta (2008) was met with mild critical and commercial reception, but yielded his first Billboard Hot 100 entry, "Ride".
Brandon Christopher McCartney, known professionally as Lil B and as his alter ego the BasedGod, is an American rapper. He has recorded both solo and as a member of the Berkeley, California-based hip hop group the Pack. His solo work spans several genres, including hip hop, new age, jazz, indie rock and choral music. He describes his work as "based" — a term which denotes a lifestyle of positivity and boldness — and is noted for his extensive use of social media to build an online cult following.
Tauheed K. Epps, known professionally as 2 Chainz, is an American rapper and actor. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, he gained recognition as one-half of the Southern hip-hop duo Playaz Circle, alongside hometown rapper Earl "Dolla Boy" Conyers. The duo signed with fellow Georgia-based rapper Ludacris' Disturbing tha Peace label and became best known for their 2007 debut single "Duffle Bag Boy".
