Jeffrey Bruce Atkins Sr.,better known by his stage name Ja Rule,is an American rapper,singer,and actor. Born and raised in New York City,Ja Rule became known as a leading figure in 2000s hip hop for his blending of gangsta rap with commercially oriented pop sensibilities. He signed with Irv Gotti's Murder Inc Records,an imprint of Def Jam Recordings to release his debut studio album Venni Vetti Vecci (1999),which spawned his first hit single,"Holla Holla". Ja Rule peaked the Billboard Hot 100 thrice in 2001 with his single "Always on Time" and his guest appearances on Jennifer Lopez's "I'm Real " and "Ain't It Funny". His encompassing singles,"Put It on Me","Mesmerize","Livin' It Up" and "Wonderful" have each peaked within the top ten of the chart and spawned from commercially successful album releases.
Cynthia Karen Loving,known professionally as Lil' Mo,is an American singer and songwriter. She is best known for her 2001 single "Superwoman Pt. II",featuring then-unknown rapper Fabolous,which has been credited as launching his career. She first gained recognition as Missy Elliott's protégé,of whom featured on Lil Mo's 1998 debut single "5 Minutes" for the Why Do Fools Fall in Love film soundtrack. The following year,Lil' Mo featured alongside Nas,Eve,and Q-Tip on Missy Elliott's 1999 single "Hot Boyz". In 2000,she guest performed on Ja Rule's singles "Put It on Me" and "I Cry",the former of which earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.
Katrina Laverne Taylor,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).
Jonathan H. Smith,better known by his stage name Lil Jon,is an American rapper,DJ,and record producer. He was instrumental in the commercial breakthrough of the hip hop subgenre crunk in the early 2000s and is often credited as a progenitor of the genre. He was the frontman of the crunk group Lil Jon &the East Side Boyz,with whom he has released five albums. In addition,Lil Jon served as a producer for most recordings by artists who popularized the genre;these include Pitbull,Too Short,E-40,Ludacris,Ciara,and Usher.
Rule 3:36 is the second studio album by American rapper Ja Rule. It was released on October 3,2000,by The Island Def Jam Music Group,Def Jam Recordings and Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. Records. The album features guest appearances from Christina Milian,Lil' Mo,Shade Sheist and Jayo Felony,with producers Irv Gotti,Ty Fyffe,Tru Stylze,Lil' Rob and Damizza contributing to the album. The album marked a significant change in Ja Rule's musical style,shifting from hardcore hip hop to a more radio-friendly pop rap oriented sound to greater success.
"Bed" is a song by American singer J. Holiday serving as the second single for his debut studio album,Back of My Lac'. It was released by Capitol Records as the album's second single on June 19,2007. It was written by Carlos "Los Da Mystro" McKinney and fellow singer Terius "The-Dream" Nash.
"Between Me and You" is the first single from Ja Rule's second album,Rule 3:36. The single features Christina Milian and was released on June 16,2000 to radio. The song was his first major crossover hit,peaking at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and became Ja Rule's first top 15 hit. It also reached number 26 on the UK Singles Chart. The song was produced by Irv Gotti and Lil' Rob. A version also exists with Ja Rule singing the chorus instead of Christina Milian. The song was released through The Island Def Jam Music Group,Def Jam Recordings and Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. Records.
"Lollipop" is a song by American rapper and singer Lil Wayne posthumously featuring fellow American singer Static Major,issued on March 13,2008,as the lead single from the former's sixth studio album,Tha Carter III (2008). The track,which heavily utilizes the Auto-Tune vocal effect,was produced by American record producers Deezle and Jim Jonsin. A remixed version with a guest appearance from American rapper Kanye West,as well as featuring new verses from Lil Wayne,was released as a bonus track for the album on iTunes.
"Damn!" is a song by the Atlanta rap duo YoungBloodZ. It was released as the second single from their second studio album Drankin' Patnaz,and was produced and guest performed by Lil Jon. A club mix appears on the duo's third studio album Ev'rybody Know Me. It is their biggest hit song to date,peaking at number four on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and remaining YoungBloodZ's sole top ten single.
"Can't Let You Go" is a song by American hip-hop artist Fabolous. It was released on February 23,2003 as the second single from his second studio album Street Dreams. It is a hip hop and R&B song that features Mike Shorey and Lil' Mo and was produced by Just Blaze.
"Turnin Me On" is a song by American singer-songwriter Keri Hilson,from her debut album,In a Perfect World... The song features American rapper Lil Wayne who co-wrote the song alongside Hilson and Zachary Anson Wallace. Production credits are shared between Danja and Polow da Don,who also co-wrote the song. Following the minimal chart success of Hilson's worldwide lead single "Energy" in the United States,international markets received "Return the Favor",while "Turnin Me On" was released as the third single in the US.
"Kiss Me thru the Phone" is a song by American rapper Soulja Boy featuring American singer Sammie. Written by the former alongside David Siegel and producer Jim Jonsin,it was released on November 26,2008,as the second single from his 2008 album,iSouljaBoyTellem. It was the best-selling single from the album,reaching number three on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100,number one on the U.S. Rap Charts,the top 10 in the United Kingdom,in Canada,on the U.S. Billboard Pop 100,and in New Zealand.
"Turn My Swag On" is a song written and recorded by American rapper Soulja Boy Tellem. It was released in October 2008 as the third single from his 2008 album iSouljaBoyTellem. It was performed at the 2009 BET Awards. The song topped the US Rap Charts and peaked at number 19 on the Hot 100. It has so far sold over 1,000,000 digital downloads in the US. It became Soulja Boy's third song to sell more than 1 million downloads,after "Kiss Me thru the Phone" and "Crank Dat ".
"Ain't I" is a song by American rapper Yung L.A.,released as his debut single on November 25,2008 via Grand Hustle and Interscope Records. The song was intended to be the lead single from his then-debut album Futuristic Leland,which was later shelved. The song,produced by B Franks,features guest appearances from his then-mentor Young Dro and Grand Hustle label-boss T.I.,after the two remixed the song to release it commercially. Upon its release,the song reached number 47 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart,on March 28,2009. The single is a remix of the original version,which features Grand Hustle label-mate Big Kuntry King. "Ain't I" was nominated for "Best Collaboration" at the BET Awards.
"Pop That" is a song by Moroccan-American rapper French Montana featuring Canadian rapper Drake and fellow American rappers Rick Ross and Lil Wayne. Released as the lead single from the former's debut studio album Excuse My French (2013),it was produced by Lee on the Beats.
"Bodak Yellow" (alternatively titled "Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)") is the major-label debut single by American rapper Cardi B. It was written alongside Pardison Fontaine,Klenord Raphael,and producers J. White Did It and Laquan Green,with an additional writing credit going to Kodak Black for the interpolation of his song "No Flockin". It was released on June 16,2017,by Atlantic Records as the lead single from her debut studio album Invasion of Privacy (2018).
Dominique Armani Jones,known professionally as Lil Baby,is an American rapper. He rose to prominence following the release of his 2017 mixtapes Harder than Hard and Too Hard,the former of which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100 entry with its lead single,"My Dawg." He signed with Quality Control Music,an imprint of Motown and Capitol Records to release his debut studio album Harder Than Ever (2018),which peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and was supported by the Billboard Hot 100-top ten single "Yes Indeed". Later that same year,he released the collaborative mixtape Drip Harder with fellow Georgia-based rapper Gunna,and his solo mixtape Street Gossip;the former spawned his second top ten single "Drip Too Hard",while the latter peaked at number two on the Billboard 200.
"Don't Cry" is a song by American rapper Lil Wayne featuring fellow American rapper XXXTentacion. "Don't Cry" was released as the second single from Lil Wayne's twelfth album Tha Carter V. The song uses vocals recorded by XXXTentacion prior to his death on June 18,2018. It debuted and peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart,where it became the second-highest charting song from the album and in XXXTentacion's discography.
"Money" is a song by American rapper Cardi B. It was released on October 23,2018,through Atlantic Records. The song was written by Cardi B with its producer J. White Did It. Its music video features Cardi playing characters in different locations,including in an art museum,a bank and a brothel. Cardi performed the song at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards,alongside the "Money Bag" instrumental. The song and its music video received acclaim and accolades including Best Hip Hop Video at both the 2019 BET Hip Hop Awards and the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards and a Rhythm &Bars Award at the 2019 Soul Train Music Awards. "Money" was certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
