Melissa "Missy" Arnette Elliott is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, and philanthropist. She embarked on her music career with all-female R&B group Sista in the early-mid 1990s and later became a member of the Swing Mob collective along with childhood friend and longtime collaborator Timbaland, with whom she worked on projects for Aaliyah, 702, Total, and SWV. Following several collaborations and guest appearances, she launched her solo career on July 15, 1997 with her debut album Supa Dupa Fly, which spawned the top 20 single "Sock It 2 Me". The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, the highest charting debut for a female rapper at the time.
"Gangsta's Paradise" is a song by American rapper Coolio, featuring singer L.V. The song was released on Coolio's album of the same name, as well as the soundtrack for the 1995 film Dangerous Minds. It samples the chorus and instrumentation of Stevie Wonder's 1976 song "Pastime Paradise".
"California Love" is a hip hop song by 2Pac featuring Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman. The song was released as 2Pac's comeback single after his release from prison in 1995 and was his first single as the newest artist of Death Row Records. This is one of 2Pac's most widely known singles and his most successful, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks and five weeks at number one in New Zealand. The song was nominated for a posthumous Grammy Award as a Best Rap Solo Performance and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group in 1997.
"Gin and Juice" is a song by American rapper Snoop Dogg. It was released on January 15, 1994, as the second single from his debut album, Doggystyle.
"Waterfalls" is a song by American recording group TLC. It was written by band member Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes with Marqueze Etheridge and Organized Noize for TLC's second album, CrazySexyCool (1994), featuring production by the latter. The song was released as the third single from the album on May 29, 1995 in the United States, followed by a United Kingdom release on August 5, 1995.
"Rapture" is a song by the American pop/rock band Blondie from their fifth studio album, Autoamerican (1980).
"Achy Breaky Heart" is a song written in 1990 by Don Von Tress. Originally published in a recording by The Marcy Brothers under the title "Don't Tell My Heart" in 1991, it was later recorded by Billy Ray Cyrus and released on his debut album Some Gave All in 1992. The song is Cyrus' debut single and signature song. It became the first single ever to achieve triple Platinum status in Australia and also 1992's best-selling single in the same country. In the United States, it became a crossover hit on pop and country radio, peaking at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and topping the Hot Country Songs chart, becoming the first country single to be certified Platinum since "Islands in the Stream" by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton in 1983. The single topped in several countries, and after being featured on Top of the Pops in the United Kingdom, peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart. It was Cyrus' biggest hit single in the U.S. until he was featured on "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X, which peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2019.
"Tha Crossroads" is a song written and performed by hip hop group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, taken from their album E. 1999 Eternal and released in 1996. The song is dedicated to the group's mentor, the late gangsta rap icon Eazy-E, and other family members. The song was the highest-debuting rap single when it debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. It is their biggest selling single, reaching number one on the Hot 100, and in 1997, the song won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.
"No Diggity" is a 1996 song released by American R&B group Blackstreet as the first single for their second studio album Another Level featuring Dr. Dre and Queen Pen. The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, in New Zealand, and number nine in the United Kingdom. "No Diggity" ended "Macarena"'s 14-week reign atop the Billboard Hot 100. It ranked at number 91 on Rolling Stone and MTV: 100 Greatest Pop Songs. It sold 1.6 million copies in 1996, and won the 1998 Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and was nominated for Grammy Award for Best R&B Song. It ranked at #32 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the '90s, #407 on Q Magazine's 1001 Best Songs Ever and #43 on NME's 100 Best Songs Of The 1990s. In the United Kingdom, the song climbed back into the top forty of the UK Singles Chart in March 2013, peaking at number thirty-eight 16 years after its original release there. It was the final Cash Box #1 hit.
"Deep Cover", also known as "187", is the debut solo single by American rapper Dr. Dre and his first track released after the breakup of N.W.A. The track was recorded for the soundtrack of the film Deep Cover. The song features fellow American rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg in his first appearance on a record release.
"Holidae In" is a song by American rapper Chingy with guest appearances from fellow rappers Ludacris and Snoop Dogg. It was released on September 2, 2003 by Capitol and Disturbing tha Peace as the second single off his debut album Jackpot (2003). It was co-written by Chingy, Ludacris and both Alonzo Lee and Shamar Daugherty of The Trak Starz, who also produced the song. It garnered positive reviews from critics, heralding praise to all three artists for their respective performances.
"Hard Knock Life " is a single from American rapper Jay-Z's third album Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life. It features a pitch-modified sample of the song "It's the Hard Knock Life" from the 1977 musical Annie. The song was produced by The 45 King and at the time of its release was the most commercially successful Jay-Z single. The RIAA certified it as a gold single in March 1999, and it reached platinum status on July 15, 2015. In addition, it was nominated for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 41st Grammy Awards in 1999. The song peaked at number fifteen on the Billboard Hot 100. Outside the United States, the song peaked within the top ten of the charts in Canada, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, the Republic of Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, as well as the top twenty of the charts in Austria and Belgium.
"Woo Hah!! Got You All In Check" is a song recorded by American hip hop artist Busta Rhymes. The song was his debut single as a solo artist, from his album The Coming (1996).
"Party Up " is a song by American rapper DMX, released as the second single from his third album ... And Then There Was X (2000) and is his most successful single. There are three versions of the song: an explicit/album version; a censored album version, and a radio/video edit version.
"Twisted" is a single by Keith Sweat released in 1996. It was the first song off his self-titled third album, Keith Sweat. R&B group Kut Klose and remix rapper Pretty Russ are also featured on the song. The radio version of "Twisted" omits Pretty Russ' rap before the final chorus, though some urban stations kept the rap verse. A second mix of the song, referred to as "Twisted ", features a different backbeat sampled from Marvin Gaye's hit song, "Sexual Healing". "Flavahood" also saw significant airplay on radio but was never released on an album.
"No Time" is a song by American rapper Lil' Kim. It was released as her debut single in 1996 which served as the first single from Kim's debut album Hard Core. It peaked at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached the Top 10 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. "No Time" topped the US Rap Songs for nine weeks, becoming Kim's first number 1 hit on that chart. Additionally, the song charted at number 45 on the UK Singles Chart. The single was certified Gold by the RIAA. "No Time" contains a sample of Vicki Anderson's "Message from the Soul Sisters" and Lyn Collins's "Take Me Just As I Am".
"I'll Be" is a song recorded by American rapper Foxy Brown for her debut studio album Ill Na Na (1996), featuring American rapper Jay-Z. It was released as the second single from the album on March 4, 1997 by Violator and Def Jam Recordings. The song was written by Shawn Carter, Jean-Claude Olivier, Samuel Barnes, Angela Winbush, René Moore, Bobby Watson and Bruce Swedien with production by Trackmasters, and samples René & Angela's 1985 song "I'll Be Good". It was recorded at Chung King Studios in New York City, while the mixing of the track was finished at The Hit Factory. "I'll Be" is a hip hop and R&B song with explicit lyrics that revolve around sex and money.
"Let's Ride" is the first single from Richie Rich's album Seasoned Veteran, released in 1996. The song peaked at #8 on the Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart, #67 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and #55 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart.
Cloud 9 is the second album by Nine, released on August 6, 1996 through Profile Records.
Nathan John Feuerstein, known by his initials NF, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. He released a self-titled EP in 2014 with Capitol CMG. NF has released four studio albums. He released Mansion in 2015, Therapy Session in 2016, Perception in 2017, and The Search on July 26, 2019 His albums have earned several accolades, some of which include: the Gospel Music Association Dove Award for Rap/Hip Hop Album of the Year ; two No. 1 debuts on the Billboard 200 charts ; and a triple-platinum certified single in the United States which also charted internationally.
