The Chemical Brothers is an English electronic music duo formed by Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons in Manchester in 1989. They were pioneers in bringing the big beat genre to the forefront of pop culture. After attracting Virgin Records, the duo achieved further success with the second album Dig Your Own Hole (1997), which topped the UK charts. In the UK, they have had six No. 1 albums and 13 top-20 singles, including two chart-toppers.
A Tribe Called Quest was an American hip hop group formed in Queens, New York City, 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.
Black on Both Sides is the debut solo studio album by American rapper Mos Def, released on October 12, 1999, by Rawkus and Priority Records. Prior to its recording, Mos Def had collaborated with Talib Kweli for the album Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star in 1998, which raised high expectations for a solo effort by the former. Black on Both Sides features an emphasis on live instrumentation and socially conscious lyrics.
The Low End Theory is the second studio album by American hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest, released on September 24, 1991, by Jive Records. Recording sessions for the album were held mostly at Battery Studios in New York City, from 1990 to 1991. The album was primarily produced by group member Q-Tip, with a minimalist sound that combines bass, drum breaks, and jazz samples, in a departure from the group's debut album, People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (1990). Lyrically, the album features social commentary, word play, humor, and interplay between Q-Tip and fellow member Phife Dawg.
Covenant is a Swedish electronic band formed in Helsingborg in 1988. The band is currently composed of Eskil Simonsson and Joakim Montelius in the studio, while live shows consist of Simonsson along with touring members Daniel Jonasson of Dupont, Andreas Catjar and Daniel Myer of Haujobb.
The Beat are a British band formed in Birmingham, England, in 1978. Their music fuses Latin, ska, pop, soul, reggae and punk rock.
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).
"Sliver" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic.
"The Power of Love" is a song originally recorded and released by British band Frankie Goes to Hollywood. It was written by Holly Johnson, Peter Gill, Mark O'Toole and Brian Nash, four of the five members of the band. It was released by the group as their third single.
Malik Izaak Taylor, known professionally as Phife Dawg, was an American rapper and a member of the group A Tribe Called Quest with Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad. He was also known as the "Five-Foot Assassin" and "the Five-Footer", because he stood at 5 feet 3 inches (1.60 m).
The Love Movement is the fifth studio album by American hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest, and their last album released during group member Phife Dawg's lifetime. Released on September 29, 1998, by Jive Records, it is a concept album, exploring the lyrical theme of love. Musically, it is a continuation of the group's previous album, Beats, Rhymes and Life, featuring minimalist R&B and jazz-oriented production by The Ummah. The lead single, "Find a Way", charted on the Billboard Hot 100 and was followed by a second single, "Like It Like That". The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on November 1, 1998. The group announced its disbandment a month before the album's release.
"One Love" is a song by American rapper Nas, released October 25, 1994 on Columbia Records. It was issued as the fifth and final radio single in promotion of his debut studio album Illmatic (1994). The song was produced by Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest, who also contributed vocals for the chorus line. According to Nas, the title of the song originates from Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician Bob Marley's song of the same name.
"Stressed Out" is the second single from A Tribe Called Quest's fourth album Beats, Rhymes and Life. The song was produced by The Ummah and features Faith Evans on the chorus.
"Bonita Applebum" is the second single from A Tribe Called Quest's debut album People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm. The song contains samples of "Daylight" by RAMP, "Memory Band" by Rotary Connection, “Jagger the Dagger” by Eugene McDaniels and "Fool Yourself" by Little Feat. Rolling Stone featured "Bonita Applebum" on their list of 20 essential songs from the group.
"Soul by the Pound" is the third single from rapper Common Sense's 1992 debut album, Can I Borrow a Dollar?. Its beat, produced by Immenslope and The Twilite Tone, is similar to much production from Common's second album, Resurrection. Its beat contains samples from "I Like It" by DeBarge, "Feelin' It" by Ultramagnetic MC's, "Sneakin' in the Back" by Tom Scott, and "A Chorus Line" by Ultramagnetic MC's. It is considered to be a "black solidarity" track, but has been attacked for its misogyny. A music video was made for the "Thump Mix" version of this song, but not for the album version. "Soul by the Pound " contains samples from "Pot Belly" by Lou Donaldson, "I Know You Got Soul" by Eric B. & Rakim, "Jazz " by A Tribe Called Quest (Q-Tip), "Tonight's Da Night" by Redman, and "Check It Out" by Grand Puba with Mary J. Blige. The "Thump Mix" can be found on the Guidance Recordings compilation album 2001: A Rhyme Odyssey.
"By Your Side" is a song from Scottish singer-songwriter Jimmy Somerville, released as the third and final single from his 1995 album, Dare to Love. The song was written and produced by Matt Rowe, Somerville and Richard Stannard.
"24 Hrs. to Live" is a song performed by American rapper Mase featuring colleagues The Lox, Black Rob and DMX, taken from his debut album, Harlem World (1997). It was released to radio airwaves on February 20, 1998, as an album cut and managed to chart solely on urban radio airplay. The same year, an all-female version of the song featuring Queen Pen, Lil' Kim, Foxy Brown and Missy Elliott was discussed; however, plans for the project fell through, resulting in a cancellation. Mase later clarified in an interview that the female version was shelved due to his frustration with Foxy Brown not getting along with Lil' Kim or Queen Pen, also adding that he had "to move on with [his] life."
"Crawl" is a song by American rapper Childish Gambino and features additional vocals from Kai and background vocals from Mystikal from his second studio album Because the Internet. The song was released on February 7, 2014 as the second official single from the album. It was produced by production duo Christian Rich and Gambino himself. The song has since peaked at number 86 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Shock-No-Par is the debut studio album by American musical group Octant, a project led by Seattle-based musician Matt Steinke. Recorded at the group's own studios, the album was then released by Up Records in August 1999. Shock-No-Par exemplifies the group's unusual lineup and set-up, with much of the music being played with Steinke's homemade inventions and the distinctive Octant robot—also created by Steinke—which provides the album's percussion and was credited as a band member, alongside Steinke, who added vocals and keyboards, and Tassany Zimmerman, who added backing vocals and operated the Macintosh used to control the homemade creations.
Alien Fashion Show is an American swing revival band, formed in Los Angeles in 1996. After being invited to perform as Brian Setzer's opening act during his Fall 1998 tour, the group signed to Surfdog, then Hollywood Records, and released their eponymous debut album in 1998. Also in 1998, the group drew attention when "Detroit Swing City" became the first-ever song to be released by a major record label as a free MP3 download. Reaction to this new method was generally mixed, but both the group and the label defended the approach, and other labels began adopting the release medium as well.
