Life After Death is the second and final studio album by American rapper The Notorious B.I.G., released on March 25, 1997, on Bad Boy Records and Arista Records. A double album, it was released sixteen days after his murder. It features collaborations with guest artists such as 112, Jay-Z, Lil' Kim, Mase, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Too $hort, Angela Winbush, D.M.C. of Run-D.M.C., R. Kelly, The Lox, and Puff Daddy. Life After Death exhibits The Notorious B.I.G. further delving into the mafioso rap subgenre. The album is a sequel to his first album, Ready to Die, and picks up where the last song, "Suicidal Thoughts", ends.
Cameron Ezike Giles, better known by his stage name Cam'ron, is an American rapper. Beginning his career in the mid-1990s as Killa Cam, Giles signed to Lance "Un" Rivera's Untertainment under the aegis of Epic and released his first two studio albums Confessions of Fire and S.D.E. in 1998 and 2000 respectively; the former achieved gold status by the RIAA. After leaving Epic, Giles signed to Roc-A-Fella Records in 2001 and released his third studio album Come Home with Me the following year; it achieved platinum status by the RIAA, and also contained Cam'ron's highest-charting singles to date; "Oh Boy" and "Hey Ma", which peaked at No. 4 and No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 respectively. His fourth studio album and final release on Roc-A-Fella, Purple Haze was released in 2004 to critical acclaim and commercial success, being certified gold by the RIAA.
Harlem World is the debut album by American hip hop recording artist Mase, released on October 28, 1997, by Bad Boy Records and Arista Records. The album was nominated at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards for Best Rap Album. It went on to sell 4.9 million copies in the United States, going quadruple Platinum in the United States. Harlem World sold nearly 273,000 copies during its first week.
The Black Album is the eighth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z. It was released on November 14, 2003, through Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. It was advertised as his final album before retiring, which is also a recurring theme throughout the songs, although Jay-Z resumed his recording career in 2006. For the album, Jay-Z wanted to enlist a different producer for each song, working with Just Blaze, Kanye West, The Neptunes, Eminem, DJ Quik, Timbaland, 9th Wonder and Rick Rubin, among others. The album also features a guest appearance by Pharrell Williams.
Crunk Juice is the fifth and final studio album by American hip hop group Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz. It was released on November 16, 2004, under BME Recordings and TVT Records. The production was primarily handled by Lil Jon himself, who also collaborated in the executive production, alongside Bryan Leach, Rob McDowell, Emperor Searcy, Vince Phillips, the Neptunes and Rick Rubin. The album includes guest appearances from rappers and singers, like R. Kelly, Ludacris, Ice Cube, Usher, Bun B from UGK, Jadakiss, Nas, T.I., the Ying Yang Twins and Pharrell.
The Documentary is the second studio album by American rapper The Game. It was released on January 18, 2005, by Aftermath Entertainment, G-Unit Records, and Interscope Records. In 2001, while the Game was in a hospital recovering from a shooting, he decided to pursue a career in music. He released the mixtape, "Q.B. 2 Compton" under his then record label "Get Low Recordz" in 2002, which was later discovered by Dr. Dre and led to him signing the Game to his label, Aftermath Entertainment. The album includes production from high-profile producers such as Dr. Dre, Kanye West, Scott Storch and Timbaland, among others, and guest appearances from 50 Cent, Eminem, Nate Dogg and Faith Evans, among others. This would be the Game's only album on Aftermath and G-Unit Records, as he left the label later in 2006 after a feud began between him and fellow G-Unit label-mate 50 Cent.
Joseph Guillermo Jones II, better known by his stage name Jim Jones, is an American rapper and record executive. He is an original member of the hip hop collective the Diplomats alongside longtime friend and fellow Harlem native Cam'ron.
Confessions of Fire is the debut studio album by the Harlem rapper Cam'ron, released in 1998. Its singles were "Horse & Carriage," featuring Mase, "357" and "Feels Good" featuring Usher. Originally titled "Who Is Cam'ron?"—the album was certified gold by the RIAA with over 500,000 copies sold. The album debuted and peaked at no. 6 on The Billboard 200, selling over 107,000 copies in its first week of release.
Samuel Lindley, better known by his stage name The Legendary Traxster, is an American songwriter, rapper and record producer. A native of Chicago, he is best known as a producer for Twista, Do or Die and Ludacris. He is the owner of Traxster Inc. and Co-CEO of CWAL Records. In 2017 he launched Nothing But Dope LLC imprint distributed through Priority Records. He is also one half of the Hip Hop duo House Lindley which is composed of him and his wife Tia London.
Destiny's Child is the debut studio album by American R&B group Destiny's Child, released by Columbia Records and Music World Entertainment on February 17, 1998. It features the singles "No, No, No" and "With Me", both of which preceded the album. The album spent twenty six weeks on the US Billboard 200 chart and peaked at number sixty-seven. To date the album has sold a total of 831,000 copies in America. In the United Kingdom, it reached the top fifty, peaking at number forty-five. It was re-packaged and re-released in several countries after the success of the follow-up album, The Writing's on the Wall (1999). The album was met with generally favorable reviews from music critics, including AllMusic and Rolling Stone, and won a Soul Train Lady of Soul Award for Best R&B/Soul Album of the Year.
Tha Carter II is the fifth studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne. It was released on December 6, 2005, by Cash Money Records, Young Money Entertainment and Universal Records. Recording sessions took place from 2004 to 2005, with Birdman and his brother Ronald "Slim" Williams serving as the record's executive producers. Additional producers on the album included The Runners and The Heatmakerz, among others. The album serves as a sequel to his fourth album Tha Carter (2004), and was supported by three singles.
Killa Season is the fifth studio album by Harlem rapper Cam'ron. The album was released on May 16, 2006, by Diplomat Records, Asylum Records and Atlantic Records. Cam'ron was also the executive producer of the album. The album received positive reviews but critics found the production and content lesser compared to Purple Haze. Killa Season sold 114,000 copies in its first week, debuting at number two on the Billboard 200.
From Me to U is the debut studio album by American rapper Juelz Santana. The album was released on August 19, 2003 as planned, under Diplomat, Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam. The album was seen as the introspective introduction of the rapper to mainstream entertainment. Following appearances on various street mixtapes and the success of The Diplomats, Santana was the second member of the group to release a solo album, after de facto leader Cam'ron.
D.O.D. is the sixth studio album by American hip hop group Do Or Die. It was released on February 1, 2005 via The Legion Records. Recording sessions took place at Pressure Point Studios, The Chocolate Factory, Chicago Recording Company and United Technique Recording in Chicago, at the Record Plant and Ocean Way Recording in Los Angeles, at The Legendary Traxster, Inc., and at The Sound Villa. Production was handled by The Legendary Traxster, Kanye West, DJ Quik, J. R. Rotem, No I.D., N.O. Joe, R. Kelly, Scott Storch, Toxic, Vudu and Wax Master Maurice, with Rudolph J. Acosta serving as executive producer. It features guest appearances from Kanye West, Johnny P, Bounty Killer, DJ Quik, Grind, Malik Yusef, Remy Ma, Ric Jilla, R. Kelly, Sasha, Shawnna, Syleena Johnson, the Legendary Traxster and Twista.
The Corruptor: The Soundtrack is a soundtrack to James Foley's 1999 action film The Corruptor. It was released on February 23, 1999, via Jive Records, composed of 17 original songs. Production was handled by Dame Grease, Erick Sermon, Pimp C, Dave Mezee, Daven "Prestige" Vanderpool, DJ Battlecat, Havoc, Marley Marl, Mike "Mr. Fortune" Fortunato, Night & Day, Omar "Amarreto" Glover, Swizz Beatz, The Legendary Traxster, Tony "T-Lo" Aviles, William "Ill Will" Broady and Yogi "Sugar Bear" Graham, with Dana Sano, Lori Silfen and Toby Emmerich serving as executive producers.
Tough Luv is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo Young Gunz. It was released on February 24, 2004 via Roc-A-Fella Records. Recording sessions took place at Sony Music Studios, Baseline Studios and Quad Recording in New York, and at The Studio and Homebase Studios in Philadelphia. Production was handled by Chad Hamilton, Just Blaze, Bink!, Boola, Darrell "Digga" Branch, Ez Elpee, Ruggedness and Scott Storch, with Jay-Z, Damon Dash and Kareem "Biggs" Burke serving as executive producers. It features guest appearances from Denim, Beanie Sigel, Cam'ron, Chingy, Freeway, Jay-Z, Juelz Santana, Omillio Sparks and Rell.
Crime Pays is the sixth studio album by Harlem rapper Cam'ron. The album was released on May 12, 2009, by Diplomat Records, Asylum Records, and Warner Bros. Records.
"Gone" is a song by American rapper Kanye West from his second studio album, Late Registration (2005). The song features guest appearances from fellow rappers Cam'ron and Consequence. It was solely produced by West, who served as a songwriter alongside the rappers and Chuck Willis, the latter of which received credit due to having written the sampled work. A hip hop track, it contains samples of Otis Redding's version of "It's Too Late". The song's production is largely orchestral, featuring string arrangements set in two chords. Lyrically, it sees West speaking of potentially abandoning fame and moving elsewhere for seeking a simpler life.
Purple Haze 2 is the seventh studio album by American rapper Cam'ron. This is his first album in 10 years. It was released on December 20, 2019 via Killa Entertainment and Cinematic Music Group. It serves as a sequel to his 2004 album Purple Haze and features guest appearances from Max B, Mimi Faust, Disco Black, Jim Jones, Shoota93 and Wale. The album peaked at number 180 on the Billboard 200 in the United States. The album received positive reviews from the music publications that did review it, though it was mostly overlooked by music critics.
A Gangsta's Pain is the fourth studio album by American rapper Moneybagg Yo. It was released on April 23, 2021, through Roc Nation, Collective Music Group, Bread Gang Entertainment, N-Less Entertainment, and Interscope Records. The album features guest appearances from Kaash Paige, Big30, Future, Tripstar, Polo G, Lil Durk, Jhené Aiko, and Pharrell Williams. The album debuted atop the US Billboard 200, earning 110,000 album-equivalent units, becoming Moneybagg Yo's first US number-one album. The deluxe edition with 6 new songs was released on October 22, 2021, with additional guest appearances from EST Gee, Pooh Shiesty, Big Homiie G, Yung Bleu, Janiyah, Lil Wayne, Ashanti, and DJ Khaled.
