Lauryn Noelle Hill is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Hill is regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, as well as one of the most influential musicians of her generation. She is often credited for breaking barriers for female rappers, popularizing melodic rap, and pioneering neo soul for mainstream audiences. In addition to being named one of the 50 Great Voices by NPR, Hill was listed as one of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time by Rolling Stone. In 2015, she was ranked as the greatest female rapper by Billboard. Her other accolades include eight Grammy Awards—the most for any female rapper.
The Isley Brothers are an American musical group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that began as a vocal trio consisting of the brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley in the 1950s. With a career spanning over seven decades, the group has enjoyed one of the "longest, most influential, and most diverse careers in the pantheon of popular music".
Earl Simmons, known professionally as DMX, was an American rapper and actor. Regarded as an influential figure in late 1990s and early 2000s hip hop, his music is characterized by his "aggressive" rapping style, with lyrical content varying from hardcore themes to prayers.
Inga DeCarlo Fung Marchand, better known by her stage name Foxy Brown, is an American rapper. Upon signing to Def Jam Recordings in 1996, she released her debut studio album Ill Na Na in November of that year. The album was met with critical and commercial success, receiving platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and selling over 7 million units worldwide.
Ronald Isley is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Isley is the lead singer and founding member of the family music group The Isley Brothers.
Dwight Equan Grant, better known by his stage name Beanie Sigel, is an American rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He first became known for his association with Jay-Z, as a flagship artist for his now-defunct label imprint, Roc-A-Fella Records. Grant's debut studio album, The Truth (2000) was released through the label and met with critical and commercial success, peaking at number five on the Billboard 200. Along with his solo career, Grant was the de facto leader of the Philadelphia-based collective State Property, whom were also signed to Roc-A-Fella and debuted in 2002 with a namesake film in which Grant starred. The group released two well-received studio albums.
Def Soul Records was an R&B-based division of American multinational record label Def Jam Recordings. It was formed in 1996 by Russell Simmons and Kevin Liles to expand R&B and soul music through Def Jam's said genre-related roster following the successes of Montell Jordan and Case.
Def Jam Recordings is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop.
MTV Unplugged No. 2.0 is a live album by American singer Lauryn Hill. The performance comes from her 2002 MTV Unplugged special recorded on July 21, 2001, at MTV Studios in Times Square, New York City. Hill abandoned the hip hop sounds of her debut album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998) in favor of folk and soul songs she performed with an acoustic guitar. The songs were interspersed with spoken interludes about her personal and artistic struggles.
Exodus is a 2005 greatest hits album by rapper Ja Rule. He had released an album every year since 1999, but in 2005, with no new album planned The Inc. released this greatest hits album featuring songs such as "Mesmerize" and "Wonderful".
The Heat Is On is the thirteenth studio album by American soul and funk group the Isley Brothers, released June 7, 1975, on T-Neck Records and Epic Records. Written and produced entirely by the group, the album was recorded in 1975 at Kendum Recorders in Burbank, California. The Heat Is On features musical elements of rock, and is divided between uptempo funk songs and soul ballads.
Go for Your Guns is the fifteenth album by the Isley Brothers. Released on April 16, 1977, on their T-Neck label, it was also the band's fifth album to be distributed by their deal with Epic. Released in mid-April 1977, the album peaked a month later at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Soul chart, and at No. 6 on the Billboard 200.
Baby Makin' Music is the thirtieth studio album by the American Ohio musical soul group, the Isley Brothers. It was released under the short-lived Def Soul Classics imprint on May 9, 2006.
"Down Low (Nobody Has to Know)" is an R&B song about infidelity by American singer and songwriter R. Kelly featuring The Isley Brothers, released in 1995 from Kelly's second and self-titled album (1995). The song peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart for seven weeks, making it Kelly's fifth single to do so on the latter. It also gave the Isley Brothers their first Top 40 pop record since 1980's "Don't Say Goodnight (It's Time For Love)", and was Kelly's third top 5 pop record. The lyrics are from the perspective of a man who has an affair with another man's woman and tells her to keep their relationship a closely guarded secret.
This page lists a discography of albums and extended plays released under or distributed by Def Jam Recordings, a division of Universal Music Group, which had been created in 1984. Records distributed by another label, but released under Def Jam, are also included or otherwise reviewed. Also included are albums or EPs that were released under Rush Associated Labels and subsidiaries like Original Black Recordings, DJ West, Def Soul, Disturbing tha Peace, Def Jam South, Roc-A-Fella Records, Murder Inc. Records, and GOOD Music.
This article summarizes the events, album releases, and album release dates in hip hop music for the year 2009.
Ronald Leon Rakow or Ron Rakow was the head of Grateful Dead Records and Round Records, and was manager of The Grateful Dead.
JS was an American female R&B duo. The duo consisted of members and sisters Kim Johnson and Kandy Johnson-Isley. After releasing their debut album, Ice Cream, in 2003 to subpar commercial performance, they disbanded a year later.
Sail Out is the debut extended play (EP) by American recording artist Jhené Aiko, released on November 12, 2013 through Def Jam Recordings. It was Aiko's first release under the label after leaving her contract with Sony Music in 2003. After leaving Sony Music, Aiko released her first mixtape Sailing Soul(s) (2011), independently; the mixtape featured appearances from well-known artists and was met with generally positive reviews and was nominated for Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards. . In 2012, Aiko met with American record producer and vice president of A&R at Def Jam No I.D., who ended up signing Aiko to his Artium Records imprint, through Def Jam.
"Thug Cry" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Rick Ross, released on March 13, 2014 by Maybach, Slip-n-Slide, and Def Jam, as the 2nd and final official single from his sixth studio album Mastermind (2014). The song was produced by J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, written by Betty Idol and features a guest appearance by American rapper Lil Wayne, along with a hook performed by Betty Idol. The song has since peaked at number 37 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The sample comes from "Heather" by Billy Cobham (1974), which was previously used in songs such as "93 'til Infinity" by Souls Of Mischief (1993) and in "No Wheaties" by Big K.R.I.T., Smoke DZA & Curren$y (2010).
