Eric B. & Rakim are an American hip hop duo formed on Long Island, New York, in 1986, composed of DJ Eric B. and MC Rakim. AllMusic wrote that "during rap's so-called golden age in the late '80s, Eric B. & Rakim were almost universally recognized as the premier DJ/MC team in all of hip-hop." Tom Terrell of NPR called them "the most influential DJ/MC combo in contemporary pop music period." The editors of About.com ranked them as No. 5 on their list of the 10 Greatest Hip-Hop Duos of All-Time, and Rolling Stone ranked them No. 5 on its list of the 20 Greatest Duos of All Time.
Mary Jane Blige is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and actress. Often referred to as the "Queen of Hip-Hop Soul", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, four American Music Awards, and ten Billboard Music Awards. She has been nominated for three Golden Globe Awards and two Academy Awards, including one for her supporting role in the film Mudbound (2017) and another for its original song "Mighty River", becoming the first person nominated for acting and songwriting in the same year.
Katrina Laverne Taylor, known professionally as Trina, is an American rapper. She rose to prominence in 1998 with her appearance on the Trick Daddy single "Nann Nigga".
Joseph Anthony Budden II is an American media personality and former rapper. He first gained recognition as a rapper with his 2003 top 40 single "Pump It Up" and as a member of the hip hop supergroup Slaughterhouse. In 2018, he retired from rap, and found success as a broadcaster, having a much publicized run as a co-host on Everyday Struggle for Complex. He currently hosts The Joe Budden Podcast, released twice a week on Patreon and YouTube, and State of the Culture on Revolt. He has been described as "the Howard Stern of hip-hop".
Kristyles is the sixth solo studio album by American rapper and record producer KRS-One. It was released on June 24, 2003 through Koch Records. Production was handled by DJ Tiné Tim, Da Beatminerz, Choco, DJ Revolution, Gato, Inebriated Beats, Kenny Parker, the Ghetto Professionals, and KRS-One himself. It features guest appearances from Peedo and Tekitha. The album peaked at number 186 on the Billboard 200, number 30 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and number 10 on the Independent Albums in the United States. It spawned two singles: "Underground" and "How Bad Do You Want It". The latter appeared on 2004 album KRS-ONE Presents Peedo & The Luna Empire.
Keep Right is the seventh solo studio album by American rapper and record producer KRS-One. It was released on July 13, 2004 via Grit Records bundled with a free DVD. Production was handled by Domingo, B. Creative, Daneja, Fatin "10" Horton, Soul Supreme, Gato, Commissioner Gordon, DJ Qbert, John Doe, Rich Nice, Statik Selektah and KRS-One himself. It features guest appearances from Minister Server, Afrika Bambaataa, L da Headtoucha, Akbar, An Ion, Illin' P, Joe, Mad Lion, Mix Master Mike and Supastition.
The discography of Nas, an American rapper, consists of fourteen studio albums, one collaborative album, one group album, five compilations, four mixtapes, one extended play, and seventy-nine singles. The son of jazz musician Olu Dara, Nas dropped out of school during ninth grade and began his music career in 1991 with a guest performance on the song "Live at the Barbeque" by Main Source. In 1992, Nas featured on the MC Serch posse cut, “Back to the Grill”, alongside Chubb Rock and Red Hot Lover Tone, and later contributed the track, "Halftime" to the soundtrack to the film, Zebrahead. Soon Nas ignited enough hype and signed to Columbia Records, where he released his debut album Illmatic in 1994. Including Nas's solo debut track "Halftime", Illmatic was certified double platinum in the US, spawned several singles including "It Ain't Hard to Tell" and "The World Is Yours", and earned much critical acclaim. With a more mainstream-oriented sound, Nas's second album It Was Written was released in 1996 and included the Lauryn Hill collaboration "If I Ruled the World " and "Street Dreams", the latter of which reached number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 1 on the Hot Rap Singles chart. It Was Written was certified triple platinum. In 1999, Nas released two albums: I Am... and Nastradamus. While I Am reached double platinum status like its preceding album It Was Written and spawned two singles that reached the top ten spots of the Hot Rap Singles chart, "Hate Me Now" and "Nas Is Like", Nastradamus signaled a decrease in quality and critical reception and sold only half as many units. Still, Nastradamus featured two charting singles, "You Owe Me", "Nastradamus" and was certified platinum.
American singer Usher has released eight studio albums, ten compilation albums, eight extended plays, and 79 singles. His music has been released on the LaFace, Arista, Jive and RCA record labels. Usher has sold more than 23 million albums in the United States alone and over 65 million albums worldwide. With over 100 million total records sold worldwide, he is one of the best selling music artists of all time. He has nine Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles and 18 Hot 100 top-ten singles. In 1994, Usher released his self-titled debut album in North America, producing three singles that had moderate chart success, and the album sold more than 500,000 copies. His follow-up 1997 album My Way sold over 8 million copies worldwide, becoming his breakthrough album. It was certified six-times platinum in the US, and spawned three successful singles, including his first UK number-one "You Make Me Wanna..." and first US Hot 100 number-one song "Nice & Slow". Usher's success continued in 2001 with his third studio album 8701. It debuted at number four on the Billboard 200. The album produced two number-one singles—"U Remind Me" and "U Got It Bad". In 2002, the album was certified four-times platinum in the US for sales of 4 million copies. Its worldwide sales stand at over 8 million.
By All Means Necessary is the second album from American hip hop group Boogie Down Productions, released in April, 1988 on Jive Records. After the 1987 murder of DJ-producer Scott La Rock, MC KRS-One moved away from the violent themes that dominated his debut, Criminal Minded, and began writing socially conscious songs using the moniker the Teacher.
Spiritual Minded is the fifth solo studio album by American rapper and record producer KRS-One. It was released on January 22, 2002 through Koch Records. Recording sessions took place at Slammin' Studios. Production was handled by BB Jay, Bervin Harris, Calvin Tibbs, Chase, Cookies & Cream, Darren Quinlan, DJ Tiné Tim, Domingo, Douglas Jones, G. Simone, Terry A., and KRS-One himself. It features guest appearances from B.B. Jay, Fat Joe, Rampage, Rha Goddess, Smooth B. and T-Bone.
Return of the Boom Bap is the first solo studio album by American hip hop musician KRS-One. It was released in 1993 through Jive Records. Recording sessions took place at D&D Studios and at Battery Studios in New York. Production was handled by DJ Premier, Kid Capri, Norty Cotto, Showbiz and KRS-One himself. It features guest appearances from Ill Will and Kid Capri. The album peaked at number 37 on the Billboard 200 and number 5 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums in the United States.
The discography of American rapper the Game consists of 9 studio albums, two compilation albums, 5 independent albums, two soundtrack albums, 14 mixtapes, 31 singles and 39 music videos. His music has been released on record labels Interscope Records, Geffen Records and DGC Records, along with subsidiaries Aftermath Entertainment and G-Unit Records, including independent record labels Get Low Recordz and Fast Life Music, Inc. Records which has released some of his independent material.
Kool & Deadly (Justicizms) is the second album by old school/hardcore rapper Just-Ice, it was released in 1987, and was produced by KRS-One and Just-Ice. In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source magazine's 100 Best Rap Albums. The song "Moshitup" was the origin of the hip hop meme "Suicide, it's a suicide".
The Elephant in the Room is the eighth studio album by American rapper Fat Joe. The album was released on March 11, 2008, by Terror Squad, Virgin Records, and Imperial Records. Production for the album was done by Scott Storch, Cool and Dre, Danja, DJ Khaled, DJ Premier, Swizz Beatz, The Alchemist, Streetrunner, and The Hitmen, and guest contributions came from artists like Beatz, Plies, Lil Wayne, J. Holiday, and KRS-One.
Hip Hop Lives is the collaborative studio album by American rapper KRS-One and record producer Marley Marl. It was released on May 22, 2007 via Koch Records. Recording sessions took place at House Of Hits in New York and at Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles. Production was handled by Marley Marl himself, except for one track produced with 88 Fingers. It features guest appearances from Blaq Poet, Busy Bee Starski and Magic Juan. The album's title is a response to Nas's 2006 album Hip Hop Is Dead.
Survival Skills is a collaborative studio album by American rappers KRS-One and Buckshot. It was released on September 15, 2009 through Duck Down Music. Production was handled by Illmind, Black Milk, Khrysis, 9th Wonder, Coptic, DJ Mentplus, Havoc, Marco Polo, MoSS and Nottz. It features guest appearances from Bounty Killer, Heltah Skeltah, Immortal Technique, K'naan, Mary J. Blige, Melanie Fiona, Naledge, Pharoahe Monch, Slug, Smif-N-Wessun, Talib Kweli, the Loudmouf Choir and DJ Revolution.
Lawrence "Kris" Parker, better known by his stage names KRS-One and Teacha, is an American rapper, lyricist and occasional producer from New York. He rose to prominence as part of the hip hop group Boogie Down Productions, which he formed with DJ Scott La Rock in the mid-1980s. KRS-One is best known for his top hits, "Sound of da Police", "Love's Gonna Get'cha ", and "My Philosophy", among others. Boogie Down Productions received numerous awards and critical acclaim in their early years. Following the release of the group's debut album, Criminal Minded, fellow artist Scott La Rock was shot and killed, but KRS-One continued the group, effectively as a solo project. He began releasing records under his own name in 1993. He is politically active, having started the Stop the Violence Movement after Scott's death. He is also a vegan activist, expressed in songs such as "Beef". He is widely considered an influence on many hip-hop artists, including Tupac Shakur and Eminem.
Meta-Historical is a collaborative studio album by American rapper KRS-One and fellow record producer True Master. It was released on August 31, 2010 through Fat Beats Records. Production was handled by True Master, who also served as executive producer alongside Hakim Green. It features guest appearances from Cappadonna, Dr. Oyibo and RZA. The album peaked at number 57 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and number 24 on the Top Rap Albums chart in the United States.
We the Best Forever is the fifth studio album by American disc jockey and record producer DJ Khaled. It was released under We the Best Music Group, Terror Squad Entertainment, Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records, and Universal Motown Records on July 19, 2011 instead of June 28, 2011. It is his first album to be released on a major label, his first four albums being released on the independent label Koch Records, which later changed its name to E1 Music.
Strange Music is an American independent record label founded by Tech N9ne and Travis O'Guin in 1999, specializing in hip hop music. It is currently distributed through Fontana Distribution.
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