Lonnie Rashid Lynn, known by his stage name Common, is an American rapper and actor from Chicago, Illinois. He is the recipient of three Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Golden Globe Award. He first signed with the independent label Relativity Records to release his debut studio album Can I Borrow a Dollar? (1992), and gained further critical acclaim with its follow-ups, Resurrection (1994) and One Day It'll All Make Sense (1997). He maintained an underground following into the late 1990s, and achieved mainstream success through his work with the Black music collective, Soulquarians.
Anthony Cruz, better known by his stage name AZ, is an American rapper. Best known for his affiliation with hometown native and fellow East Coast rapper Nas, they formed the New York City-based hip hop group the Firm with Foxy Brown, Cormega and Nature in 1996. Cruz first saw recognition for his guest appearance on Nas' 1994 single "Life's a Bitch" from his album Illmatic (1994). Cruz was then signed by EMI to release his debut studio album, Doe or Die (1995), which was met with critical acclaim. Its lead single, "Sugar Hill" peaked at number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 and received gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Moreover, The Firm's sole album (1997) peaked atop the Billboard 200 chart despite unfavorable critical response; the group disbanded two years later.
Ye is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. A subject of widespread controversy and public interest, West is a central figure in contemporary pop culture.
Carl Terrell Mitchell, better known by his stage name Twista, is an American rapper. He is best known for his chopper style of rapping and for once holding the title of fastest English-speaking rapper in the world according to Guinness World Records in 1992, being able to pronounce 598 syllables in 55 seconds, but his fastest peak burst was on DJ Kay Slay's "Rolling 50 Deep", coming in at 14.07 syllables per second.
Roc-A-Fella Records was an American hip hop record label and music management company founded by record executives and entrepreneurs Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Damon Dash, and Kareem "Biggs" Burke in 1994. Carter issued his debut album, Reasonable Doubt (1996) as the label's first release, in a joint venture with Priority Records. The label has signed and released albums for acts including Kanye West, Cam'ron, Beanie Sigel, Memphis Bleek, Juelz Santana, Freeway, Jadakiss, Teairra Marí, State Property, and The Diplomats before its dissolution in 2013.
The College Dropout is the debut studio album by the American rapper and record producer Kanye West. It was released on February 10, 2004, by Def Jam Recordings and Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records. In the years leading up to release, West had received praise for his production work for rappers such as Jay-Z and Talib Kweli, but faced difficulty being accepted as an artist in his own right by figures in the music industry. Intent on pursuing a solo career, he signed a record deal with Roc-A-Fella and recorded the album over a period of four years, beginning in 1999.
GOOD Music is an American independent record label founded by rapper Kanye West in 2004. The label entered an exclusive long-term worldwide distribution contract with the Island Def Jam Music Group in 2011. In 2012, the label released its only compilation album, Cruel Summer. In 2015, Pusha T was appointed president of the label by West, while record executive Steven Victor was appointed chief operating officer (COO). In late 2022, Pusha T stepped down from the position as he was no longer on speaking terms with West.
Leonard Harris, better known by his stage name GLC, is an American rapper from Chicago, Illinois. He was formerly a member of the Go Getters.
Ernest Dion Wilson, professionally known as No I.D., is an American record producer, DJ and songwriter from Chicago, Illinois. He is also a former recording artist, having released his only studio album, Accept Your Own and Be Yourself (1997) through Relativity Records. He is best known for his early work with Chicago-based rapper Common, as well as his career mentorship of rappers Kanye West, J. Cole and Logic. Wilson first gained success for his role as an in-house producer for Jermaine Dupri's So So Def Recordings—leading to largely uncredited work on Dupri's productions "My Boo" by Usher, "Outta My System" and "Let Me Hold You" by Bow Wow—before reaching commercial success with his solo productions. He worked with Jay-Z to produce his singles "Run This Town" and "Holy Grail,". He also worked with Kanye West to produce "Heartless," and Drake to produce "Find Your Love" and "Nonstop"—each have peaked within the top five of the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
"Drive Slow" is a song by American rapper Kanye West. The song features guest appearances from fellow rappers Paul Wall and GLC, and additional vocals by American recording artist Tony "Penafire" Williams. It was produced by West, who wrote the song alongside the featured artists. The song originally appeared on Kanye West's second studio album, Late Registration, and was also included on Paul Wall's second studio album, The Peoples Champ, as well. Drive Slow was released on a 12" vinyl on June 6, 2006 by Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam as the fifth and final single from the album. A hip hop track, it contains elements of jazz. The song features a sample of Hank Crawford's cover version of "Wildflower".
Terrence LeVarr Thornton, better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as one-half of the Virginia-based hip hop duo Clipse, which he formed with his older brother No Malice. Mainly active from 1994 to 2010, the duo were discovered by fellow Virginia-based act Pharrell Williams and signed with his record label Star Trak Entertainment, an imprint of Arista Records to release three studio albums—Lord Willin' (2002), Hell Hath No Fury (2006) and Til the Casket Drops (2009)—to mild commercial success. The former spawned the Billboard Hot 100-top 40 singles "Grindin'" and "When the Last Time", for which they became best known.
"Two Words" is a song by American hip-hop artist Kanye West, that features Mos Def, Freeway and The Boys Choir of Harlem, from West's debut studio album The College Dropout (2004). A cinematic version of the song was released as part of The College Dropout Video Anthology. It has been performed by Freeway regularly at his live shows over the years. An orchestral sound is used in the song. The music video was released in March 2005.
Keezo Kane is an American hip-hop producer. In 2004, he signed to Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music label.
"Big Brother" is a song by American rapper Kanye West, released as the closing track on his third studio album, Graduation (2007). West co-wrote the song with Toomp, who was the sole producer. It originally utilized Prince's "It's Gonna Be Lonely" for the beat, until he refused to approve and a re-recording was done. The song was written by West as a tribute to his close friend and mentor Jay-Z, who has shown his appreciation for it. West first teased the song in August 2007 for the BBC Radio 1Xtra event "Audience with Kanye West". A hip hop song with synths, it features a varied pace of rapping from West. In the lyrics, West introspectively examines the complexities of his friendship with Jay-Z.
Love, Life & Loyalty is the first and only album by American hip hop musician GLC, released on October 12, 2010, on Ylimit Records. The album was mostly produced by Kanye West, but he received other production collaborations, like the producer and singer T-Pain, among The Legendary Traxster and the rest of Kanye's GOOD Music producers.
"Gorgeous" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West from his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). The track features a hook provided by Kid Cudi, a recording artist formerly signed to West's label GOOD Music, and a rap verse provided by the Wu-Tang Clan member Raekwon. The song was written by West, Cudi, Raekwon, No I.D., Mike Dean and Rhymefest, and was produced by West, No I.D. and Dean. It contains elements of Enoch Light and the Glittering Guitars' cover version of The Turtles' song "You Showed Me". "Gorgeous" received mostly positive reviews from music critics, who generally praised the intricacy of the production, the quality of the guest features and the rock music-inspired aesthetic of the song. Several critics cited West's verses as a highlight of the track, complimenting his lyricism and delivery.
Kanye West Presents: GOOD Music – Cruel Summer, commonly referred to simply as Cruel Summer, is a compilation album by recording artists of American record label GOOD Music, released on September 14, 2012, by the label and Def Jam Recordings. The American rapper Kanye West, head of the label, first revealed plans for a label collaborative album in October 2011. The album produced four singles—"Mercy", "Cold", "New God Flow", and "Clique"—that charted on the US Billboard Hot 100. The album features West himself, alongside the label's then-signees Pusha T, Big Sean, Teyana Taylor, Cyhi the Prynce, Kid Cudi, John Legend, Common, D'banj and Malik Yusef, as well as affiliates Jay-Z, 2 Chainz, Travis Scott, and Cyhi the Prynce, among others. Production on the album was primarily handled by members of GOOD Music's production wing, Very GOOD Beats, which included West, Hit-Boy, Hudson Mohawke, Travis Scott and Lifted, among others.
Cydel Charles Young, known professionally as CyHi the Prynce, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter from Stone Mountain, Georgia. He signed his first major-label recording contract with Akon's Konvict Muzik, in a joint venture with Def Jam Recordings in 2009. The following year, he gained mainstream attention for his guest appearance on Kanye West's 2010 song "So Appalled" from his fifth album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). Young was thereafter credited with extensive songwriting work for West's following releases, resulting in five Grammy Award nominations for Best Rap Song, as well as one further nomination for his work on Travis Scott's 2018 single "Sicko Mode."
"Spaceship" is a song by American musician Kanye West, featuring fellow American rappers GLC and Consequence, taken from West's debut studio album The College Dropout (2004). It was scheduled to be released as the album's sixth and final single, but this plan ended up being cancelled. The music video was released in June 2009. "Spaceship II" and "Spaceship III" were released by Alex Wiley in 2013 and Consequence in 2017.
