East Coast hip hop is a regional subgenre of hip hop music that originated in New York City during the 1970s. Hip hop is recognized to have originated and evolved first in The Bronx, New York City.
UGK was an American hip hop duo from Houston, Texas, more specifically a outskirt called Port Arthur, Texas, formed in 1987, by Chad "Pimp C" Butler and Bernard "Bun B" Freeman. They released their first major-label album, Too Hard to Swallow, in 1992, followed by several other albums charting on the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts, including the self-titled Underground Kingz album, which contained their single "International Players Anthem " and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, in August 2007. The duo has also been featured on hit singles by several other artists, such as "Big Pimpin'" by Jay-Z and "Sippin' on Some Syrup" by Three 6 Mafia. Pimp C founded UGK Records in late 2005. On December 4, 2007, Pimp C died in his West Hollywood, California hotel room.
Lamont Coleman, known professionally as Big L, was an American rapper. Emerging from Harlem in New York City in 1992, Big L became known among underground hip-hop fans for his freestyling ability. He was eventually signed to Columbia Records, where, in 1995, he released his debut album, Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous. On February 15, 1999, he was fatally shot nine times in a drive-by shooting in Harlem.
Barry Adrian Reese, better known by his stage name Cassidy, is an American rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He first garnered attention for his freestyles and competitions as a battle rapper in the late 1990s, and formed the Philadelphia-based hip hop collective Larsiny Family by the end of the decade. American record producer Swizz Beatz discovered the group in 2000 and signed Cassidy to his newly-established label Full Surface Records, through a joint venture with J Records. He adopted a commercially-oriented approach for his 2003 debut single "Hotel" and its follow-up, "Get No Better" ; the former peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 while both preceded the release of his debut studio album, Split Personality (2004).
Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous is the debut studio album by American rapper Big L, and the only to be released during his lifetime. It was released on March 28, 1995, by Columbia Records. The recording sessions took place primarily at Powerplay Studios in Queens, New York, in mid-to-late 1994. The album was produced by Buckwild, Lord Finesse, Showbiz, and Craig Boogie. The album title is a play on the television series, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.
The Big Picture is the second and final studio album by American rapper Big L. The album was slated for a 1999 release, but due to Big L's murder, it was posthumously released on August 1, 2000, on Rawkus Records. It was incomplete at the time of Big L's death, and was posthumously completed by his manager and partner in Flamboyant Entertainment, Rich King. Recording sessions for the album took place primarily at D&D Studios in New York City, New York throughout 1998 and early 1999. It was produced by DJ Premier, Ron Browz, Ron G, Lord Finesse, Pete Rock, Shomari, Mike Heron, Ysae, and Showbiz. The Big Picture features appearances from Fat Joe, Remy Ma, Guru, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane, 2Pac, Sadat X, and more. It was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in October 2000.
Robert A. Hall, Jr., known by his stage name Lord Finesse, is an American rapper and hip-hop producer from The Bronx, New York, best known as the leader of the D.I.T.C. crew. About.com ranked him number 29 on its list of the Top-50 Hip-Hop Producers.
I Gotta Make It is the debut studio album by American R&B recording artist Trey Songz. It was released on July 26, 2005, by Atlantic Records. Recording sessions for the album took place from 2004 to 2005, with Songz' then mentor Troy Taylor overseeing most of the production. Additional producers include Warryn Campbell, Scott Storch, J.R. Rotem, Bei Maejor, and Organized Noize. Guest vocalists include American rappers Twista, Juvenile and T.I. as well as R&B singer Aretha Franklin.
Anthony Best professionally known as Buckwild, is an American hip hop producer. Hailing 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 for prominent rappers in the music industry, 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".
"Tonight's da Night" is the third single released by Redman from his debut album, Whut? Thee Album. It features a jazzy beat produced by Erick Sermon and Redman himself, and contains samples from many songs, including "All Night Long" by Mary Jane Girls, "The Payback" by James Brown, "Tonight's the Night" by Raydio, and "A Few More Kisses to Go" by Isaac Hayes. The song starts off with Redman rapping about being "smooth to any groove", and he is then interrupted by Hurricane G who wants him to rap some "rough shit". Redman goes on to talk about guns and other illegal things. A remix can be found on Redman's second album, Dare Iz a Darkside.
The discography of Jeezy, an American rapper, consists of thirteen studio albums, 18 mixtapes, 70 singles and 28 music videos. Aside from his solo career, he has also released albums as a member of Boyz N Da Hood and U.S.D.A., respectively.
The complete discography of Big L, an American hip hop artist, consists of two studio albums, four posthumous albums, six compilation albums, two extended plays, three collaborative albums one live album, four music videos, and seven singles. His first album, Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous, was released in 1995. In the US, it peaked at number 149 on the Billboard 200 and number 22 on R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.
The discography of Rick Ross, an American rapper, consists of 11 studio albums, one compilation album, 145 singles, one soundtrack, and 40 music videos. Ross's debut studio album, Port of Miami (2006), features two singles with "Hustlin'" and "Push It". Ross's second studio album, Trilla (2008), produced hit singles such as "The Boss" and "Here I Am". Ross's third studio album, Deeper Than Rap (2009), includes the singles such as "Magnificent" and "Maybach Music 2". Ross's fourth studio album, Teflon Don (2010), includes the hit single, "Aston Martin Music".
Still Da Baddest is the fourth studio album by American rapper Trina. It was released on April 1, 2008, by Slip-n-Slide, EMI and DP Entertainment. The album was preceded by the lead single, "Single Again" on November 6, 2007. Following the poor chart performance, "I Got a Thang for You" featuring Keyshia Cole, was released as the album's second single. The album's third and final single "Look Back at Me" featuring Killer Mike, which was produced by Hard Hat Productions, became a regional hit club record and accompanied by a music video.
Ayub Bey, known as Grand Daddy I.U., was an American rapper who was a member of the hip-hop group Juice Crew in the 1980s.
Slaughterhouse is the self-titled debut studio album by hip hop supergroup, Slaughterhouse, consisting of members Crooked I, Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz and Royce da 5'9". The album was released on August 11, 2009 on E1 Music and sold 18,600 copies in its first week.
"Rock City" is a song by American rapper Royce da 5'9", released as the third single from his debut album, Rock City , which was released in 2002 through MNRK Music Group and Game Recordings, after Columbia Records turned down the first version of the album. The song also features vocals from rapper Eminem, becoming Eminem's debut appearance on one of Royce's solo albums. The single was released on January 5, 2002, the same date as its same titled album was released. "Rock City" charted at #99 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart in 2002. Not counting Bad Meets Evil or Slaughterhouse songs, "Rock City" is Royce's most successful single chart-wise.
I Am the West is the ninth studio album by American rapper Ice Cube. It was released on September 28, 2010 by Lench Mob Records and EMI.
Return of the Devil's Son, is the fourth studio album and third posthumous album by American rapper Big L. It was released on November 23, 2010, through SMC Recordings. Officially put together by L's brother Donald Phinazee, Return of the Devil's Son is a collection of previously unreleased material, including early demo tracks, outtakes from Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous and The Big Picture together with a few freestyles and new remixes. It features guest appearances from Royal Flush and Kool G Rap, as well as production by Showbiz, Lord Finesse, DJ Premier, Large Professor, Domingo, amongst others.
"M.V.P." is a song recorded by American rapper Big L. The song was written by Big L and produced by Lord Finesse for Big L's debut studio album Lifestylez ov da Poor and Dangerous. It was released in 1995 through Columbia Records as the second single from the album along with a "Summer Smooth Mix" featuring singer/songwriter Indoe. The original version samples "Stay With Me" by DeBarge. The acronym M.V.P. usually stands for 'most valuable player' in sports and e-sports settings. In the song, however, Big L takes it to stand for "most valuable poet". 4 remixes for the song exist: the Summer Smooth mix featuring Miss Jones and produced by Giovanni Salah, two remixes produced by Buckwild, both appearing on his 2007 album Buckwild: Diggin' in the Crates, and a remix by DJ Premier.
