Brand Nubian is an American hip hop group from New Rochelle, New York, composed of three emcees, and formerly three DJs. Their debut studio album, One for All (1990), is one of the most popular and acclaimed alternative hip hop albums of the 1990s, known for socially conscious and political lyrics inspired by the teachings of The Nation of Gods and Earths. In 2008, About.com placed the group on its list of the 25 Greatest Rap Groups of All Time.
Anthony Cruz, better known by his stage name AZ, is an American rapper from Brooklyn, New York. He is known for being a longtime and frequent music partner of East Coast rapper Nas and also a member of hip hop group The Firm alongside Nas, Foxy Brown, Cormega and Nature. Online magazine About.com listed AZ as the "Most Underrated [Rapper] of All Time", and made it onto the sites' "Top 50 MCs of Our Time (1987–2007)", where he was reiterated as "arguably the most underrated lyricist ever."
Army of the Pharaohs is an American underground hip hop collective originating from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formed by Jedi Mind Tricks founder Vinnie Paz in 1998. The collective has strong links to other underground east coast groups such as Outerspace, Snowgoons, La Coka Nostra, Demigodz, 7L & Esoteric, and JuJu Mob. AOTP's affiliations and member roster has changed several times since its formation.
R.U.L.E. is the sixth studio album by American rapper Ja Rule; it was released on November 9, 2004, by The Inc. and Def Jam. The album debuted at number 7 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling 165,000 units in its opening week. The album was certified Gold for shipments more than 500,000 copies in the United States. Singles from the album include "Wonderful" featuring R. Kelly and Ashanti; the top 20 song "New York" featuring Jadakiss and Fat Joe, and the song "Caught Up" featuring Lloyd.
4th Dimensional Rocketships Going Up is the first solo studio album by American rapper The Gift of Gab. It was released on Quannum Projects and Epitaph Records on May 11, 2004.
Kiss tha Game Goodbye is the debut studio album by American rapper Jadakiss. The album was released on August 7, 2001, by Ruff Ryders Entertainment and Interscope Records. The album debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200 and number two on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
Chad Bromley, better known by his stage name Apathy, is a rapper and producer from Willimantic, Connecticut.
Anthony Best is an American hip hop producer from The Bronx borough of New York City. He is a member of Diggin' in the Crates Crew along with Lord Finesse, Showbiz and A.G., Diamond D, Fat Joe, Big L, and O.C. He has produced a number of tracks, including The Notorious B.I.G.'s "I Got a Story to Tell" and Black Rob's "Whoa!". In 2013, he was described by HipHopDX as "one of Hip Hop's most prolific and acclaimed producers".
The Last of a Dying Breed is the sixth studio album by American rapper Scarface. The album was released on October 3, 2000, by Rap-A-Lot Records and Virgin Records. The album was less successful commercially than his last few efforts, but more successful critically. It debuted at number 7 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 133,972 copies in its first week being certified Gold by the RIAA.
Cella Dwellas are an underground hip hop duo from Flatbush, Brooklyn, consisting of emcees UG and Phantasm. The group is largely known for their dark beats and lyricism. In 1997, the duo shortened their name simply to The Dwellas.
Before I Self Destruct is the fourth studio album by American rapper 50 Cent, released November 9, 2009 on Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment, G-Unit Records, Interscope Records and Universal Music Group. The album is his final solo release with Shady, Aftermath and Interscope excluding his 2017 Greatest Hits album Best Of. A feature film, also titled Before I Self Destruct was also made, and is available within the album packaging.
All of the Above is the second studio album by American hip hop artist J-Live. It was released on Coup d'État in 2002. The album cover pays homage to John Coltrane's Blue Train. The album peaked at number 28 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart, as well as number 16 on the Independent Albums chart.
Battle of the Sexes is the seventh studio album by American rapper Ludacris, released March 9, 2010 on Disturbing tha Peace and Def Jam South. The album was recorded during 2008 to 2010 and its production was handled by several producers, including T-Minus, Bangladesh, Swizz Beatz, The Neptunes, and The Runners.
Seepage is the second EP by rapper Tech N9ne, and was released on October 25, 2010. The EP consists of five tracks that were written recently after Tech witnessed Krizz Kaliko's breakdown after receiving bad news, and soon after, receiving news that his mother was back in the psych ward. The beats that appear on the EP were purchased by the artist intended for his studio album K.O.D. but went unused during the sessions. The EP, just like K.O.D. and the Lost Scripts, is broken up into 3 sections: "Anger", "Madness" and "The Hole". When the instrumentals used in Seepage were slated for the K.O.D album, Tech N9ne intended for the track titled 'Alucard' to feature Immortal Technique on a track called 'Every Man For Himself.' Necro revealed on Twitter that Tech reached out to him for the track 'Asshole' but wasn't able to send out his verse on time. The EP sold 7,361 copies first week, of which 68% were digital. Seepage debuted at number 57 on the Billboard 200 and number 5 on the Independent Albums charts in the US. The songs' title track featuring Tonesha Sanders peaked at #49 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Songs chart and #35 on the Rao Digital Songs chart.
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.
Victor Mercer, better known by his stage name Celph Titled, is an American rapper and record producer who is a member of the hip hop supergroup Army of the Pharaohs, as well as the Demigodz along with Connecticut rapper Apathy, Ryu from Get Busy Committee, and rapper Blacastan and Esoteric.
Killmatic is an album by the American hip hop collective Demigodz, released in 2013 by Version Records. It was produced by rapper Apathy, DJ Premier, Teddy Roxpin, Chumzilla, Snowgoons, Skammadix, Will C, and Marco Polo.
The Gatalog: A Collection of Chaos is a compilation album by underground rapper and Army of the Pharaohs/Demigodz member Celph Titled. The album was released with a four disc special. Mercer released a compilation titled The Gatalog, a four-disc set of his guest appearances and freestyles, going back to his early releases from 1998, as his official first offering to a thriving fanbase that already viewed him as a seasoned veteran. After the release of The Gatalog and a move back to Tampa, Mercer spent three years working with the Diggin' In The Crates (D.I.T.C.) multi-platinum producer, Buckwild, on his first album, Nineteen Ninety Now, released on October 26, 2010, on No Sleep Recordings.
American recording artist Teyana Taylor has released three studio albums, one compilation album, three mixtapes, and fifteen singles. In 2009, Taylor released her first mixtape, From a Planet Called Harlem, which included her debut single "Google Me". It debuted at its peak of number ninety on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Around this time, Taylor featured on songs with the likes of Trey Songz, Missy Elliott, and Kanye West. Taylor has spoken about her inspiration from fellow female musician Lauryn Hill, which was noted with the release of her second mixtape in 2012. The mixtape, entitled The Misunderstanding of Teyana Taylor, takes its name from Hill's album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.
HipHopDX is an online magazine of hip hop music criticism and news. The website's current president and publisher is Sharath Cherian and the editor-in-chief is Trent Clark. HipHopDX is the flagship publication of Cheri Media Group.
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