Percy Robert Miller Sr., better known by his stage name Master P, is an American rapper, record producer, record executive, actor and entrepreneur. He founded the record label No Limit Records in 1991, which was relaunched into the spin-off labels New No Limit Records and No Limit Forever Records. Miller gained fame in the mid-1990s as the lead member and founder of the label's hip hop group TRU, as well as his fifth solo album Ice Cream Man (1996) and its namesake lead single. His 1997 single, "Make 'Em Say Uhh!" received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Christopher Charles Lloyd, better known by his stage name Lloyd Banks, is an American rapper. He began his career as a member of East Coast hip hop group G-Unit, which he formed with childhood friends 50 Cent and Tony Yayo in 1999. After the release of their debut album Beg for Mercy (2003), Banks released his debut solo album, The Hunger for More (2004) the following year. Met with critical and commercial success, it peaked atop the Billboard 200 and spawned the Billboard Hot 100-top ten single, "On Fire", as well as the top 20 single "Karma". His second album, Rotten Apple (2006) peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and saw mixed reviews. Banks then left Interscope Records and signed with EMI in 2010—along with his G-Unit cohorts—to release his third album, H.F.M. 2 in November that year, which saw a critical rebound and peaked at number 26 on the chart.
No Mercy, No Fear is the second mixtape by hip hop group G-Unit, released on August 1, 2002. Originally released independently as a free mixtape, it was re-released in 2006 by BCD Music Group. No Mercy, No Fear was recorded after the group's de facto leader 50 Cent had signed a $1 million deal with Aftermath Entertainment and Shady Records following the release of his 2002 compilation album Guess Who's Back?. It featured the hit single "Wanksta", which was added onto the 8 Mile soundtrack album and later as a bonus track on his 2003 commercial debut album Get Rich or Die Tryin'. It also contained the freestyle to Puff Daddy's song "Victory", from the album No Way Out, which was later used on Bad Boy Records's compilation album Bad Boy's 10th Anniversary... The Hits.
Pretty Ricky is an American R&B/hip hop group originating from Miami, Florida. The group originally consisted of brothers Diamond Smith and Spectacular Smith, plus Corey Mathis and Marcus Cooper. Pleasure P was the group's main singer, while the other three members performed as rappers. After he departed in 2007 to embark on a solo career, the group shuffled through several replacement vocalists.
Sammie Lee Bush, Jr., known by the mononym Sammie, is an American singer and songwriter. He is best known for his 1999 hit single, "I Like It", from his debut album, From the Bottom to the Top (2000). He returned with his second studio and self-titled album, Sammie in 2006. Since then, he has released several EPs, mixtapes, and albums including Indigo, Coming of Age, and Everlasting. Sammie announced via Instagram that he would be releasing a new album in 2020 after the completion of the Millennium Tour 2020.
Kingslee James McLean Daley, known professionally as Akala, is a British rapper, journalist, author, activist and poet from Kentish Town, London. In 2006, he was voted the Best Hip Hop Act at the MOBO Awards and has been included on the annual Powerlist of the 100 most influential Black British people in the UK, most recently making the 2021 edition.
Cameron Jibril Thomaz, better known by his stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He signed with the local independent label Rostrum Records to release his debut studio album, Show and Prove (2006). His contract entered a short-lived joint venture with Warner Bros. Records the following year. His Eurodance-influenced 2008 single, "Say Yeah" received urban radio airplay and entered both the Rhythmic Top 40 and Hot Rap Songs charts, becoming his first minor hit.
Olubowale Victor Akintimehin, better known by his stage name Wale, is an American rapper. He first became known for his 2006 song "Dig Dug ", which became popular in his hometown of Washington D.C. and led Wale to gain further local recognition as he amassed a number of follow-up releases. Wale signed with English DJ-producer Mark Ronson's Allido Records in 2007, and after a three-label bidding war, he entered a joint venture with Interscope Records for US$1.3 million the following year. During this time, Wale's mixtapes and singles saw national attention as he appeared on MTV and various Black America-focused magazines.
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".
Marcus Ramone Cooper Sr, better known by his stage name Pleasure P, is an American R&B singer who experienced success as a member of the group Pretty Ricky before embarking on a solo career in 2007. His debut album The Introduction of Marcus Cooper was released in 2009, and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards.
Amir Mohamed el Khalifa, better known by his stage name Oddisee, is a rapper and record producer from Washington, D.C. He is one third of the rap trio Diamond District. He was also part of the Low Budget Crew. He is based in Brooklyn, New York.
Longterm Mentality is the debut studio album by American hip hop recording artist Ab-Soul. It was released on April 5, 2011, by Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), exclusively to digital retailers, serving as Ab-Soul's debut retail release. The album features guest appearances from Jhené Aiko, Schoolboy Q, Kendrick Lamar, Punch, Alori Joh, JaVonté, MURS, BJ the Chicago Kid and Pat Brown, with the production from American hip hop record producers such as Tae Beast, Ayiro, Sounwave, AAyhasis, Context, Alexis Carrington and Tommy Black. Upon its release, the album was highly acclaimed by music critics.
Sir Robert Bryson Hall II, known professionally as Logic, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer from Gaithersburg, Maryland. He released his debut mixtape, Psychological: The Mixtape in December 2009 under the name Psychological, thereafter shortening his name to Logic. He gained popularity following his Young Sinatra (2011) mixtape series; its third installment, Young Sinatra: Welcome to Forever (2013) received critical acclaim and led him to secure a recording contract with Def Jam Recordings. Logic's first two studio albums—Under Pressure (2014) and The Incredible True Story (2015)—both peaked within the top five of the U.S. Billboard 200, while the former received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Hip hop music in Washington, D.C., has been an important part of the culture of the area.
Tauheed K. Epps, known professionally as 2 Chainz, is an American rapper. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, he initially 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".
Cody Rashad Osagie, better known by his stage name Cozz, is an American rapper. He is signed to J. Cole's label Dreamville Records and Interscope Records. His debut studio album Cozz & Effect, was released in October 2014. He has since released other projects, such as his 2016 project Nothin' Personal and in 2018 he released Effected his second Studio Album. He also released his Fortunate EP in 2021.
Instruments of Mercy is the second studio album by Portland, Oregon-based experimental hip hop trio Beautiful Eulogy, released through Humble Beast Records on October 29, 2013, in both free and commercial format. Like its predecessor, the album features a highly eclectic folk-hip hop fusion melded with numerous other styles such as electronic, indie, hymn tunes, and contemporary worship music. Courtland Urbano, the main producer of the trio, eschewed the use of digitally-generated effects and instrumentation in composing the music for Instruments of Mercy, instead relying solely on analog and natural sounds. A single from the album, "Vital Lens", was released as a digital download on September 10, 2013. The album fared well commercially, charting at No. 6 on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart, and was lauded by critics for its diverse and creative sound and deeply theological lyrics. PQ Monthly called the group "one [of] the most innovative hip-hop acts in Portland."
Nathan John Feuerstein, known by his initials NF, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has released two EPs, I'm Free (2012), and a self-titled EP in 2014 with Capitol CMG. His second and first major-label studio album, Mansion, was released on March 31, 2015. His third studio album, Therapy Session, was released on April 22, 2016, and peaked at number 12 on the US Billboard 200. His albums have earned several accolades, some of which include: the Gospel Music Association Dove Award for Rap/Hip Hop Album of the Year.
Cyntoia Brown Long is an American author and speaker who was convicted of robbing and murdering the person who bought her from sex trafficking. Brown, who was a victim of child sex trafficking at the time of the incident in 2004, claimed that Johnny Allen had paid her $150 to have sex with him, and that she feared for her life during their encounter, leading her to shoot him. Prosecutors argued that Brown killed Allen while he was sleeping. Brown was found guilty of robbing and murdering Allen and was sentenced to life imprisonment at 16.
Spectacular Blue Smith, known by his stage name Spectacular, is an American rapper, entertainer, keynote speaker, entrepreneur, television personality, author, and philanthropist. He is the Chairman and CEO of Adwizar Inc. and founder of the record label Mula Music Group.
