Lana Michele Moorer, better known by her stage name MC Lyte, is an American rapper. Considered one of the pioneers of female rap, MC Lyte first gained fame in the late 1980s, becoming the first female rapper to release a full solo album with 1988's critically acclaimed Lyte as a Rock. The album spawned the singles "10% Dis" and "Paper Thin". In 1989, she joined the supergroup Stop the Violence Movement, and appeared on the single "Self Destruction", which was the inaugural number-one single on the Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart.
Dana Elaine Owens, better known by the stage name Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, actress and singer. She has received various accolades, including a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and two NAACP Image Awards, in addition to a nomination for an Academy Award. In 2006, she became the first hip hop artist to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott, also known as Misdemeanor, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She embarked on her music career with R&B girl group Sista in the 1990s, and later became a member of the Swing Mob collective alongside her childhood friend and longtime collaborator Timbaland, with whom she wrote and produced music for acts such as 702, Aaliyah, SWV, and Total. Following several collaborations and guest appearances, she began her solo career in 1997 with her debut album Supa Dupa Fly, which spawned the top 20 single "Sock It 2 Me". The album debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, the highest charting debut for a woman rapper at the time.
"What a Man" is a song written by Dave Crawford, and originally recorded for Stax Records' Volt imprint by Linda Lyndell, whose recording reached number 50 on the Billboard R&B chart in 1968. The song was sampled and reinterpreted as "Whatta Man" in 1993 by the trio Salt-N-Pepa with En Vogue, which became a commercial success; reaching the top ten in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In 2011, German singer Lena Meyer-Landrut covered the song while retaining the original title and lyrics.
Kimberly Michelle Pate is an American singer and television personality. She is best known for appearing as a regular cast member on the VH1 reality television series Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta during its first two seasons, later returning to the show during its fifth season. Michelle subsequently signed with Atlantic Records. Her debut studio album, Rebellious Soul, debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200, and number one on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. Her second studio album Anybody Wanna Buy a Heart? was released on December 9, 2014. The album debuted at number six in the US and spawned three singles "Love 'Em All", "Maybe I Should Call" and "Hard to Do". The album sold 87,000 copies in its first week in sales.
Amethyst Amelia Kelly, known professionally as Iggy Azalea, is an Australian rapper and model. Azalea's accolades include two American Music Awards, three Billboard Music Awards, an MTV Video Music Award, a People's Choice Award, four Teen Choice Awards and four Grammy Award nominations. Azalea is popular on video sites, her Youtube channel has accumulated 3.4 billion views, and 15 of her music videos have received over 100 million views on Vevo.
"Love 'Em All" is a song recorded by American singer K. Michelle from the second studio album Anybody Wanna Buy a Heart? (2014). It was released as the lead single from the record on September 16, 2014, through Atlantic. "Love 'Em All" was written by Michelle and Bianca Atterberry and composed by B.A.M., Lil' Ronnie and Shea Taylor. Taylor co-produced the single with Lil' Ronnie and B.A.M. A pop rock and R&B ballad, its lyrics are about sexuality and a woman pursuing multiple relationships. Michelle said that "Love 'Em All" is a response to Chris Brown's 2013 single "Loyal".
"Fakin' It" is a song by American R&B singer K. Michelle, featuring guest vocals by Grammy Award–winning rapper Missy Elliott. It was co-written by Michelle, Elliott and Ester Dean. The song attained slight media attention for Michelle and was intended to serve as the buzz single for her debut studio album, originally titled Pain Medicine.
"V.S.O.P." is the debut commercial single by American R&B singer K. Michelle released on May 20, 2013 as the lead single from Michelle's debut studio album Rebellious Soul (2013). Written by P. Hamilton, W. Felder, A. Wansel, L. Peters, W. Jeffrey, W. Boyd, and E. Powell, the song also features background vocals from R&B/pop singer Kelly Rowland as well as Muni Long who co-wrote the song. The song samples "Very Special" by Debra Laws as well as "That's How Long" by The Chi-Lites.
The discography of K. Michelle, an American R&B recording artist, consists of six studio albums, 24 singles, five mixtapes, six guest appearances, and eighteen music videos.
K. Michelle: My Life is a reality television series featuring K. Michelle. It premiered on November 3, 2014, on VH1 and is the first spin-off of Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta. In January 2015, VH1 renewed the show for a second season, which premiered on January 25, 2016.
Willie Junior Maxwell II, better known by his stage name Fetty Wap, is an American rapper and singer. He quickly rose to mainstream prominence in late 2014, after his song "Trap Queen" was re-released as his debut single for 300 Entertainment, an imprint of Atlantic Records. The song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, and was followed up with the singles "679" and "My Way", each saw similar chart success throughout 2015. The trio of hits—along with his single "Again"—preceded the release of Fetty Wap's eponymous debut studio album (2015), which peaked atop the Billboard 200 chart. During this time, he became distinctive for his melodic blending of singing and rapping, lighthearted lyricism, "bouncy" production, and exclamation of various catchphrases such as "1738!"
Slay-Z is the second mixtape by American rapper Azealia Banks. It was independently released as a free download on March 24, 2016. The eight-song project features collaborations with Rick Ross and Nina Sky; its production was handled by various musicians, including Benga, Coki, An Expresso, and Kaytranada. On July 12, 2017, it was re-released under Banks' record label, Chaos & Glory Recordings, to the iTunes Store and other online music stores.
More Issues Than Vogue is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter K. Michelle. It was released on March 25, 2016, by Atlantic Records. The album was preceded by the release of the singles "Not a Little Bit" and "Ain't You".
"Not a Little Bit" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter K. Michelle for her third studio album More Issues Than Vogue (2016). It was written by Michelle, Elvis Williams, and Kelly Price, and produced by Blac Elvis. The track was released on January 21, 2016, as the lead single from the album through Atlantic Records. It was later serviced to rhythmic contemporary radio. Backed by a piano, the soul and R&B song draws some influences from 1990s rhythm and blues, with lyrics about moving on from a difficult relationship.
"Hard to Do" is a song by American singer K. Michelle from her second studio album Anybody Wanna Buy a Heart? (2014). The song was released in 2015 as the fourth single from the album. It was written by K. Michelle, Bianca Atterberry, Maurice Simmonds, Julian Jackson, Brian James, Janice Johnson, and Raphael Saadiq, and was produced by American record producer Soundz. "Hard to Do" is a soul ballad with lyrics revolving around missing a partner following a break-up and the desire to have sex with them. One commentator noted that the single's melody was reminiscent of American girl group Total's single "Kissin' You" from their 1996 self-entitled album.
"Ain't You" is a song by American R&B singer K. Michelle. It was released on February 12, 2016, as the second single from her third studio album, More Issues Than Vogue (2016).
"Time" is a song by American singer K. Michelle from her third studio album More Issues Than Vogue (2016). It was released on February 25, 2016, as a promotional single from the album. Eric Hudson produced "Time" and wrote it alongside Kimberly Pate and Priscilla Renea. It is a R&B and soul ballad, with lyrics revolving around the end of a relationship. Music critics identified the single's focus on leaving a bad relationship as a common theme in her music. Critical response to "Time" was positive; critics praised the song's lyrics and the singer's vocals, and identified it as a highlight from the album. Michelle promoted the single through a performance on the reality television series K. Michelle: My Life.
Safaree Lloyd Samuels is a Jamaican-American rapper. He began his musical career as part of the hip hop group Hoodstars in the early 2000s alongside rapper Nicki Minaj, with whom he would begin a heavily publicized relationship around the same time. In 2016, he joined the cast of the VH1 reality show Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood. In 2017, he moved back to his hometown of New York City and joined the cast of Love & Hip Hop: New York. He subsequently joined the casts of Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta and Love & Hip Hop: Miami, making him the only Love & Hip Hop cast member to have worked on all four shows.
Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar Cephus, known professionally as Cardi B, is an American rapper. She is regarded as one of the most commercially successful female rappers of her generation. Born and raised in New York City, she first gained popularity through videos shared on Vine and Instagram. From 2015 to early 2017, she appeared as a regular cast member on the VH1 reality television series Love & Hip Hop: New York, which depicted her pursuit of her music aspirations, and earned further recognition with the release of her two mixtapes: Gangsta Bitch Music, Vol. 1 (2016) and Vol. 2 (2017).
