Negotiations | ||||
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Studio album by Free Agents | ||||
Released | September 10, 2002 | |||
Genre | West Coast hip hop, rap | |||
Length | 48:45 | |||
Label | 40 Ounce | |||
Producer | Johnny Z, Big Ice, Stevie Dee, DJ Mark 7, Oral Bee | |||
Jay Tee chronology | ||||
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Free Agents is a loosely knit group of "rap comrades" who came together to make a statement about independence and ownership in a turbulent time in the music industry. The group consists of Jay Tee, B-12 & Young Dru and their first album Negotiations was released in 2002. The album was advertised as having "No Features, No Fillers." [1] This can be seen as a departure of the norm by avoiding an album cluttered with guest appearances and over-priced producers. [2]
Cypress Hill is an American hip hop group from South Gate, California, formed in 1988. They have sold over 20 million albums worldwide, and they have obtained multi-platinum and platinum certifications. The group has been critically acclaimed for their first five albums. They are considered to be among the main progenitors of West Coast hip hop and 1990s hip hop. All of the group members advocate for medical and recreational use of cannabis in the United States. In 2019, Cypress Hill became the first hip hop group to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Mark Althavan Andrews, known professionally as Sisqó, is an American R&B singer. Following his tenure as lead performer of the R&B group Dru Hill, he quickly reached success as a solo act with the release of his debut studio album Unleash the Dragon (1999), which peaked at number two on the Billboard 200. It spawned the singles "Incomplete" and "Thong Song", which peaked at numbers one and three on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively. His second album, Return of Dragon (2001) trailed commercially, as did his subsequent releases. He received 12th place on the eleventh season of The Masked Singer as Lizard.
Katrina Laverne Kearse, known professionally as Trina, is an American rapper. She rose to prominence in the late 1990s for her collaborations with Trick Daddy on the singles "Nann Nigga", "Shut Up", and "Take It to da House". In 2000, she released her debut album Da Baddest Bitch. Afterwards, she made an appearance on the remix of "One Minute Man" by Missy Elliott and Ludacris. In 2002, she released the Kanye West-produced single "B R Right" featuring Ludacris, from her sophomore album Diamond Princess (2002).
Dru Hill is an American R&B group, whose repertoire included soul, hip hop soul and gospel music. The group was founded in Baltimore in 1992 by Tamir "Nokio the N-Tity" Ruffin, and as of 2023, is still active. Dru Hill recorded seven top 40 hits, and is best known for the R&B number-one hits "In My Bed", "Never Make a Promise" and "How Deep Is Your Love". Its original members were lead singer Mark "Sisqó" Andrews, Tamir "Nokio" Ruffin, Larry "Jazz" Anthony and James "Woody" Green. The group achieved popularity in the mid 1990s.
Unleash the Dragon is the debut solo studio album by American R&B singer Sisqó of Dru Hill, released on November 30, 1999, on Def Soul. Sisqó recorded the album during Dru Hill's hiatus. It includes the hit songs "Got to Get It", "Incomplete", and "Thong Song". Previously, Sisqo had been the lead singer of the group Dru Hill. Recorded under Island Records, the group released two multi-platinum albums to date: Dru Hill (1996) and Enter the Dru (1998). In 2003, the album was certified quintuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipment of five million copies in the United States.
Dejuan Walker, better known by his stage name Suga Free, is an American rapper.
Roberto Alejandro Avellanet Negrón, known professionally as Robert Avellanet or Roba, is a Puerto Rican singer who was a member of Menudo. His uncle is the famous Puerto Rican singer Chucho Avellanet.
Brandon C. Rodegeb, better known as B-12 is a music executive, film maker, and rap artist. Brandon was born in San Francisco, CA at San Francisco General Hospital and raised in Benicia, California. Living in an area rich in cultural and hip-hop history gave Brandon access to hip-hop music at an early age. The youngest son of a single mother with two brothers and a sister, Brandon was interested in music when very young.
Mya is the debut studio album by American singer Mya. It was released by University Music Entertainment and Interscope Records on April 21, 1998, in the United States. The recording of the contemporary R&B album was overseen by University Records CEO A. Haqq Islam after he signed the singer when she was at the age of 15. The production on Mya was primarily handled by Swing Mob member Darryl Pearson with additional contributions from Daryl Simmons, Alex "Cat" Cantrall, Joey Priolo, and Nokio the N-Tity. Guest appearances include Dru Hill frontman Sisqó, and rappers Silkk the Shocker and Missy Elliott.
Enter the Dru is the second studio album from American R&B group Dru Hill. Released on October 27, 1998, it was the group's second and final album for Island Black Music, the urban music division of Island Records; Island was merged with Def Jam Recordings following a company merger in December the same year, as Dru Hill would later be transferred to Def Jam's Def Soul subsidiary.
"How Deep Is Your Love" is an R&B single by group Dru Hill. It is the first single from the group's second album, Enter the Dru. The song was released on September 22, 1998. It spent three weeks at number-one on the US R&B chart, and peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song, in its single version with rapper Redman, was also used in the end credits and is featured on the soundtrack to the 1998 film Rush Hour. To date, this is Dru Hill's highest-charting hit.
¡Mayday! is an American hip hop group from Miami, Florida. The group comprises rappers Bernardo "Bernz" Garcia and Ben "Wrekonize" Miller, along with producer and percussionist Andrews "NonMS" Mujica. Until 2015, the group also included keyboard player and guitarist Aaron Eckhart, drummer Terrel, and bassist Gianni Perocapi. The band was formerly signed to Tech N9ne and Travis O'Guin's Strange Music label. As of May 1, 2022, all future releases will be on their own label Mayday Music distributed by It Goes Up.
Dru World Order is the third studio album by American R&B group Dru Hill, released on November 26, 2002.
James Trujillo, better known by his stage name Jay Tee, is an American rapper from Vallejo, California. He has been a part of the city's scene since the early 1990s as the lead member of N2Deep and Latino Velvet along with Baby Beesh. Even though N2Deep's 2000 album Slightly Pimpish/Mostly Doggish was a solo album, it was not until 2001 that Jay Tee released a solo album under his own name, So Cold.
Hollywood Undead is an American rap rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2005. All of the band members use pseudonyms and previously wore their own unique mask, most of which were based on the common hockey goaltender design. The band currently consists of five members: J-Dog, Funny Man, Johnny 3 Tears, Charlie Scene, and Danny. They released their debut album, Swan Songs, on September 2, 2008, and their live CD/DVD Desperate Measures, on November 10, 2009. Their second studio album, American Tragedy, was released April 5, 2011. Their third studio album, titled Notes from the Underground, was released on January 8, 2013.
Fun is an American indie pop band based in New York City. The band consists of Jack Antonoff, Andrew Dost, and Nate Ruess.
The Midnight Beast, sometimes abbreviated as TMB, is a British comedy/parody music group from London. They are most famous for their YouTube cover-parody of the 2009 single "TiK ToK" by American pop artist Ke$ha. The group currently has three members: Stefan Abingdon, Dru Wakely and Ashley Horne.
Drew "Dru Ha" Friedman is an American music and marketing executive based in New York City. Friedman is Co-Founder and CEO of Duck Down Music Inc., 3D Consulting & Distribution, General Manager for Cinematic Music Group, and former Director of Urban Music at Cornerstone Promotion. Born and raised in White Plains, New York, he is a graduate of Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications where he studied advertising.
Richard Welton Morales Jr., better known by his stage name Gunplay, is an American rapper from Carol City, Florida. He is best known for his association with fellow Florida-based rapper Rick Ross, with whom he formed the hip hop group Triple C's in 2005, along with rappers Torch and Young Breed. Following their debut album, Custom Cars & Cycles (2009), Morales signed a solo recording contract with Ross' Maybach Music Group, which entered a joint venture with Def Jam Recordings in July 2012. His debut studio album, Living Legend (2015), narrowly entered the Billboard 200 and served as his only release on a major label.
Christmas in Baltimore is the first EP by American R&B group Dru Hill, released on November 24, 2017 under Dru Hill, LLC and EMPIRE. The members of Dru Hill were only in the studio for a week to produce this album in time the holidays. The album featured the same members as their previous album, InDRUpendence Day. The album released one single: "Favorite Time of Year". Music videos for "Favorite Time of Year" and "T'is the Season" were produced.