Italian hip hop is a style of hip hop music that originated in Italy or made by Italian artists. One of the first hip hop crews to catch the attention of the Italian mainstream was Bologna's Isola Posse All Star, then and still today produced by Sandro Orru, who had written the soundtrack to the animated Signor Rossi TV series Signor Rossi in the 1970s. The European Music Office's report on Music in Europe claimed that in general, hip hop from the south of Italy tends to be harder than that from the north.
Onyx is an American hardcore hip hop group from South Jamaica, Queens, New York City, formed in 1988 by Fredro Starr, Suavé and the late Big DS. Sticky Fingaz joined the group in 1991.
Peter O. Phillips, better known by his stage name Pete Rock, is an American music producer, DJ and rapper. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time, and is often mentioned alongside DJ Premier, RZA, and Q-Tip as one of the mainstays of 1990s East Coast hip hop production. He rose to prominence in the early 1990s as one half of the critically acclaimed group Pete Rock & CL Smooth. Early on in his career, he was also famed for his remix work.
Jean-Jacques Cadet, better known by his stage name J-Live, is an American rapper, DJ, and record producer.
Tommy Boy Records is an American independent record label and multimedia brand founded in 1981 by Tom Silverman. The label is credited with helping and launching the music careers of Queen Latifah, Amber, Afrika Bambaataa, Stetsasonic, Digital Underground, Coolio, De La Soul, House of Pain, Naughty By Nature, and Force MDs. Tommy Boy is also credited with introducing genres such as EDM, Latin freestyle, and Latin hip hop to mainstream audiences in America.
CunninLynguists is an American hip hop group from Lexington, Kentucky. The group consists of Deacon the Villain, Kno, and Natti.
Pete Rock & CL Smooth were an American hip hop duo from Mount Vernon, New York. They made their debut with their 1991 EP, All Souled Out and followed that with their 1992 LP Mecca and the Soul Brother.
James Campbell, better known by his stage names Freddie Foxxx and Bumpy Knuckles, is an American rapper and record producer from Long Island, New York.
InI was an American hip hop group that formed in 1990 and broke up in 1997. The group was composed of members Rob-O, Grap Luva, Ras G a.k.a. I Love H.I.M., Marco Polo, and DJ Boodakhan.
Mecca and the Soul Brother is the 1992 debut album from hip-hop duo Pete Rock & CL Smooth. The album contains their best known song, "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)". Mecca and the Soul Brother has been widely acclaimed as one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time. The album was mostly produced by Pete Rock and executive produced by DJ Eddie F of Heavy D & the Boyz.
America Is Dying Slowly is a compilation album about HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention. It is the first hip-hop benefit album about this subject, and the second Red Hot Organization project focused on HIV/AIDS awareness in communities of color in the United States. It is the eighth album in the Red Hot AIDS Benefit Series. It featured collaborations from several hip hop acts, including Mobb Deep, De La Soul, Coolio, Biz Markie, Chubb Rock, The Lost Boyz, Pete Rock, Common and Wu-Tang Clan.
Barely Breaking Even (BBE) is a British record label started by two DJs, Peter Adarkwah and Ben Jolly. The name BBE comes from The Universal Robot Band's 1982 track "Barely Breaking Even". It has two sublabels: Deep Funk, and Urban Theory. BBE is also notable for its Beat Generation series of LPs.
Supastition is an American underground hip hop artist from Greenville, North Carolina. He has also recorded under the name of Kam Moye and Blackmel. He has appeared on songs with the likes of KRS-One, The RZA, Ras Kass, Tech N9ne, Little Brother, Croup, The Soulution, S1 (producer), M-Phazes, Tajai of Souls of Mischief, B-Real of Cypress Hill, Royce da 5'9", Elzhi, and countless others.
PeteStrumentals is the second studio album from hip hop producer/rapper Pete Rock. The album is an Instrumental hip hop album and the second installment of BBE Records Beat Generation series, following Jay Dee's Welcome to Detroit album. The instrumental songs were originally recorded between 1990 and 1995, but were remixed and continued when putting together the album. All songs featuring vocals were recorded exclusively for this project between 2000 and 2001.
Soul Survivor II is the third studio album by hip hop producer Pete Rock, released in 2004. The album features guest appearances from a large number of hip hop artists, including Pharoahe Monch, Little Brother, RZA, GZA, Talib Kweli, Dead Prez, and former partner CL Smooth.
Underground Classics is a compilation album by American hip hop musician, Pete Rock. The album gathers hard-to-find recordings from 12-inch singles and unreleased albums. All tracks are produced by Pete Rock, while vocals are handled by various guests. In a 2006 interview, Pete Rock stated that BBE Records released the compilation without his permission.
Big Apple Rappin' is a 2006 compilation album released on Soul Jazz Records. The album is a compilation of the early days of New York hip hop by Johan Kugelberg, who had collected early hip hop material, specifically records flyers and fanzines and other memorabilia with the idea to donate them to an academic institution. The music Kugelberg gathered for the compilation surrounded hip hop music released around the period "Rapper's Delight" became a hit song. The music is predominantly hip hop with a disco backing tracks which Kugelberg described as "the first great records." Along with the music, photography and flyers were compiled from the era, as well as interviews with DJs and rappers such as Grandmaster Caz and Glen Adams.
Alternative hip hop is a subgenre of hip hop music that encompasses a wide range of styles that are not typically identified as mainstream. AllMusic defines it as comprising "hip hop groups that refuse to conform to any of the traditional stereotypes of rap, such as gangsta, bass, hardcore, and party rap. Instead, they blur genres drawing equally from funk and pop/rock, as well as jazz, soul, reggae, and even folk."
My Own Worst Enemy is an album by Ed O.G. and Pete Rock, released in 2004. The album's single, "Wishing", included a guest appearance from Masta Ace.
Musical Meltdown is the debut album of American rapper Young Zee. Originally released as a promotional cassette by Perspective Records in 1996, the album was not commercially released until April 28, 2015, when it was re-issued by independent label Gentleman's Relief Records. The CD format features full liner notes about the making and re-discovery of the album, while the cassette format is limited to 100 copies. It has been compared to other previously-shelved hip hop albums, such as Kamaal the Abstract by Q-Tip, Center of Attention by INI, and The Original Baby Pa by Deda.
