World music is an English phrase for styles of music from non-Western countries, including quasi-traditional, intercultural, and traditional music. World music's inclusive nature and elasticity as a musical category pose obstacles to a universal definition, but its ethic of interest in the culturally exotic is encapsulated in Roots magazine's description of the genre as "local music from out there".
A Tribe Called Quest was an American hip hop group formed in St. Albans, Queens, New York, in 1985, originally composed of rapper and main producer Q-Tip, rapper Phife Dawg, DJ and co-producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and rapper Jarobi White. Members of the Native Tongues collective, the group is regarded as a pioneer of alternative hip hop, influencing numerous hip hop and R&B musicians.
Kamaal Ibn John Fareed, better known by his stage name Q-Tip, is an American rapper, record producer, singer, and DJ. Nicknamed The Abstract, he is noted for his innovative jazz-influenced style of hip hop production and his philosophical, esoteric and introspective lyrical themes. He embarked on his music career in the late 1980s, as an MC and main producer of the influential alternative hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest. In the mid-1990s, he co-founded the production team The Ummah, followed by the release of his gold-certified solo debut Amplified in 1999. In the following decade, he released the Grammy Award-nominated album The Renaissance (2008) and the experimental album Kamaal the Abstract (2009).
"Gangsta's Paradise" is a song by American rapper Coolio, featuring American singer L.V. The song was released on Coolio's second album of the same name (1995), as well as the soundtrack for the 1995 film Dangerous Minds. It interpolates Stevie Wonder's 1976 song "Pastime Paradise".
Culture Beat is a German Eurodance project formed in 1989 by Torsten Fenslau. The act has gone through a number of lineup changes over the years; they achieved the most success whilst fronted by singer Tania Evans and rapper Jay Supreme. Their 1993 single "Mr. Vain" was a number-one hit in eleven European countries, and the act is thought to have sold more than 10 million records worldwide.
8 Mile: Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture is the official soundtrack to the 2002 film of the same name. The album, performed by various artists, was released on Shady Records. It spawned the hit single "Lose Yourself" by Eminem, who also stars in the semi-autobiographical movie.
Tarik Luqmaan Trotter, better known as Black Thought, is an American rapper, actor and the lead MC of the Philadelphia-based hip hop group the Roots, which he co-founded with drummer Questlove. Regarded as "one of the most skilled, incisive, and prolific rappers of his time", he is widely lauded for his live performance skills, continuous multisyllabic rhyme schemes, complex lyricism, double entendres, and politically aware lyrics. With the Roots, he is a singer and rapper on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, frequently playing games with Fallon and his guests.
No Mercy is a trio of American singers who were originally brought together in Germany by producer Frank Farian. The group consists of Bronx-born Marty Cintron and twin brothers Ariel and Gabriel Hernández, who hailed from Miami.
"Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop)" is a song by American musician Scatman John. It was released in November 1994 as a single, and was later re-released in July 1995 for his second album, Scatman's World (1995). The song is described as "a blend of jazz scatting, rap, and house beats". It reached number-one on the charts in at least nine countries and also won the March 1996 Echo Award in Germany for the best Rock/Pop single.
Echo Music Prize was an accolade by the Deutsche Phono-Akademie, an association of recording companies of Germany to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry. The first ECHO Awards ceremony was held in 1992, and it was set up to honor musical accomplishments by performers for the year 1991, succeeding the Deutscher Schallplattenpreis, which was awarded since 1963. Each year's winner was determined by the previous year's sales. In April 2018, following controversy regarding that year's ceremony, the Bundesverband Musikindustrie announced the end of the award.
Nana Kwame Abrokwa is a Ghanaian born German rapper and DJ, performing under the pseudonyms Nana or Darkman. Nana is not an actual first name, but is rather a Ghanaian title of nobility. His 1996 self-titled debut album was certified Platinum in Poland and Gold in Germany and Switzerland. The album spawned the 1997 hit single, "Lonely", which reached number-one in Germany and Switzerland, and was certified Platinum in Germany.
Glashaus is a German band consisting of lead singer Cassandra Steen, songwriter and rapper Moses Pelham, and producer Martin Haas. The trio is best known for their mixture of R&B, soul and pop music with lyrics in German language.
Get Rich or Die Tryin' is the debut studio album by American rapper 50 Cent. It was released on February 6, 2003, by Interscope Records, Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, Eminem's Shady Records, and 50 Cent's G-Unit Records. After signing with Eminem, 50 Cent also worked heavily with Dr. Dre, with the duo acting as the album's executive producers, who worked to combine the gangsta rap and R&B combo prevalent in New York hip hop. Additional production is provided by Mike Elizondo, Sha Money XL, Mr. Porter, Rockwilder, Dirty Swift, Megahertz, and more.
Rosenstolz was a German pop duo from Berlin that was active between 1991 and 2012 and had chart hits in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The duo consisted of singer AnNa R. and musician Peter Plate, who occasionally provided vocals. Rosenstolz achieved major chart success after the nineties, with five studio albums going to No. 1 in the German albums chart. Although the duo split up to pursue separate music careers, they left open the possibility of a future reunion.
Peter Plate is a German musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. Between 1991 and 2012, he was the keyboardist and occasional vocalist of Rosenstolz, a German pop duo that had chart hits in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Felix Martin Andreas Matthias Blume, known professionally as Kollegah, is a German rapper. He releases his music via his own label, Alpha Music Empire.
Caroline Esmeralda van der Leeuw, known by her stage name Caro Emerald, is a Dutch pop and jazz singer who mainly performs in English. Active since 2007, she rose to prominence in 2009 with her debut single, "Back It Up". Her follow-up single, "A Night Like This", topped charts in the Netherlands. Emerald is often praised for her live performances.
Such A Surge was a German alternative/rap rock band. The band was formed in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony in 1992 and broke up in 2006.
Die Suche geht weiter is the eleventh studio album by German pop duo Rosenstolz. Released in 2008 by Island Records, the album reached No. 1 in the German and Austrian albums charts and No. 2 in the Swiss albums chart.
Jung Brutal Gutaussehend 3 is the third collaborative studio album by German rappers Kollegah and Farid Bang. It was released on 1 December 2017 through Alpha Music Empire, Banger Musik, and BMG. Before the release of the album, Kollegah and Bang collaborated on Jung, brutal, gutaussehend in 2009 and Jung, brutal, gutaussehend 2 in 2013.
Germany 
