Swollen Members is a 4-time JUNO Award-winning Canadian hip hop group from Vancouver, British Columbia, consisting mainly of Madchild and Prevail. Frequent collaborators include vocalist Moka Only along with the other former members Easy Roc & Zodak who were only in the group for a few years and producer Rob the Viking, an official group member since 2002. Swollen Members has released nine studio albums, one greatest hits album and 2 compilations, as well as numerous other singles. From 1996 to 2016, Swollen Members were the second best-selling Canadian hip hop artist in Canada and were the best-selling Canadian hip hop group in Canada.
Dragon Fli Empire is a Canadian hip hop duo formed in 2002 from Calgary, comprising Tarik Robinson, also known as Teekay (MC/producer), and Adam Hicks, also known as DJ Cosm (DJ/producer).
The Canadian hip hop scene was established in the 1980s. Through a variety of factors, it developed much slower than Canada's popular rock music scene, and apart from a short-lived burst of mainstream popularity from 1989 to 1991, it remained largely an underground phenomenon until the early 2000s.
Daniel Denton, better known by his stage name Moka Only, is a Canadian rapper and singer. He has won three JUNO Awards, five MuchMusic Video Awards, and has been nominated for 11 Western Canadian Music Awards. Originally from Langford, British Columbia, near Victoria, he began his musical career in Vancouver. He was previously part of the hip hop group Swollen Members, and was briefly part of the band Len. Moka has released albums through Feelin' Music, Legendary Entertainment, Battleaxe Records, Domination Recordings, Camobear Records, Wandering Worx and URBNET Records.
Snoop Dogg Presents: Tha Eastsidaz is the eponymous debut studio album by American gangsta rap group Tha Eastsidaz. It was released on February 1, 2000, on Dogghouse Records and TVT Records. The album was recorded at Dogghouse Studio, Music Grinder & Skip Saylor Recording, Hollywood, California.
Roland "Rollie" Pemberton, better known by his stage name Cadence Weapon, is a Canadian-American rapper based in Toronto, Ontario. Born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Pemberton released his first album, Breaking Kayfabe, in 2005 with positive reviews. He subsequently signed with the American record label ANTI-, releasing the albums Afterparty Babies in 2008 and Hope in Dirt City in 2012. In 2009, Cadence Weapon was named Edmonton's Poet Laureate. His first book Magnetic Days was published by Metatron in 2014. Cadence Weapon released a self-titled album in 2018.
Trilla is the second studio album by American rapper Rick Ross. It was released on March 11, 2008, by Slip-n-Slide Records, Def Jam South Recordings and Poe Boy Entertainment. Production was handled by The Runners, J. R. Rotem, Drumma Boy, DJ Toomp, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, DJ Nasty & LVM, Blac Elvis, J Rock, Mannie Fresh, Los Vegaz and Bink!. It features guest appearances from R. Kelly, T-Pain, Trey Songz, Young Jeezy, Trick Daddy, Nelly, Brisco, Triple C's, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne and Avery Storm. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling 198,000 copies in the first week. The album was a certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). To date, the album has sold over 700,000 copies in the United States.
Girlicious is the self-titled debut studio album by American girl group Girlicious, released on August 12, 2008 in Canada, through Geffen Records. It infuses hip hop and R&B with pop music. Its production began in 2007, after the filming of Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious. Although it did not chart in the United States, Girlicious debuted at number two on the Canadian Albums Chart and was later certified platinum in the country. A deluxe edition for the album was released on December 9, 2008, including two new songs and three remixes of the singles.
Touch and Nato are a Canadian hip hop duo from Edmonton, Alberta. The members are Touch (MC), and Nato (DJ/producer).
Kiley Hendriks, better known by his stage name Prevail, is a 4-time Juno Award winning Canadian hip hop artist raised in Victoria, British Columbia and based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Prevail started rapping in 1990 with the guidance of his mentor Moka Only, and was a founding member of platinum-selling Swollen Members which consisted primarily of himself and Mad Child on vocals. They have been called "two of the most innovative people in hip-hop", and released an extensive catalog with hundreds of thousands of albums sold.
Melvin Lewis Calhoun Jr., better known by his stage name Kutt Calhoun, is an American rapper and business executive from Kansas City, Missouri. After getting his start in the late 1990s underground rap scene of Kansas City, he subsequently signed to Strange Music when the label was founded in 1999. Calhoun released his debut album B.L.E.V.E. in 2004, and his 2007 sophomore album Feature Presentation debuted at number 60 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Calhoun's third album, Raw and Un-Kutt, made its debut at number 162 on the Billboard 200 chart in its first week of release, as well as charting at No. 19 on the Top Heatseekers chart.
Intermission EP is a "between albums" disc by Canadian hip hop duo Dragon Fli Empire, released in 2008 on Makebelieve Records. As the first offering of new music from the group since 2005, the EP was designed to renew interest in the group before the release of their third full-length album Redefine. It proved to very popular on Canadian campus radio, reaching number three on the Earshot and Chart Attack hip hop charts. Two tracks from Intermission were nominated for Radio 3's 2008 Bucky Awards—"CGY" for Most Canadian Song and "Outside Inn" for Best Collaboration. DFE used outside production from Moka Only, Nohow and Metawon on the EP.
Leslie Seaforth, better known by his stage name More Or Les, is a Canadian rapper, DJ and producer. He is a member of the Canadian hip hop crew Backburner. He currently resides in his hometown of Toronto, Ontario.
"Crack a Bottle" is a song by American rappers Eminem, Dr. Dre and 50 Cent. The song was released as the lead single from the former's sixth studio album Relapse (2009). On February 12, 2009, the song broke the first week digital sales record with 418,000 downloads, topping the previous record held by "Live Your Life" by T.I. featuring Rihanna. This record was broken again the following week by "Right Round" by Flo Rida. The song won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group in 2010.
Blackout! 2 is the second studio album by American hip hop duo Method Man & Redman. It was their first collaborative album in eight years. The album was released on May 19, 2009 under Def Jam. It debuted at #7 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and at #64 on the French Album Charts. The album has sold 178,608 copies in the United States by December 12, 2010, according to SoundScan.
"Best I Ever Had" is a song recorded by Canadian rapper and singer Drake for his debut EP So Far Gone. It first became prominent from the release of mixtape of the same name. The song is also included on Drake's debut studio album Thank Me Later, as a bonus track on the Japanese version of the album, and on iTunes in several countries.
Armed to the Teeth is Swollen Members' fifth full-length release, released on October 27, 2009. It is their first release in three years, as the group had taken a break over the past few years while member Madchild dealt with drug addiction and legal issues. The album features guest appearances by Talib Kweli and Tech N9ne. In the United States the album debuted at #146 on the Billboard 200 with 3,400 copies sold in its first week, making it their first appearance on that chart.
Trials & Tribulations is the fourth studio album by American rapper Ace Hood. It was released on July 16, 2013, by We the Best Music Group, Dollaz N Dealz Entertainment, Cash Money Records and distributed by Republic Records. The production on the album was handled by multiple producers including Boi-1da, Young Chop, Southside, Metro Boomin, Mike Will Made It, TM88, Cardiak, Sonny Digital and many others. The album also features guest appearances from Meek Mill, Future, Chris Brown, Rick Ross, Wiz Khalifa, T.I., 2 Chainz, Birdman and Anthony Hamilton among others.
"Hot Girl" is a song by Canadian rapper Belly featuring vocals from American rapper Snoop Dogg. It was a song from DJ Smallz's 2009 mixtape Back For the First Time Vol.1 and was released on September 8, 2009 as the first single off Belly's second album Sleepless Nights 1.5 (2012). The song, which samples "Bubble Like Soup" by Timberlee featuring Ward 21, peaked at number 58 on the Canadian Hot 100.
Young Money: Rise of an Empire is the second studio album by American supergroup Young Money Entertainment. The album was released on March 11, 2014, by Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records and Republic Records. Rise of an Empire's recording process took place from 2013 to 2014. It contains contributions from several Young Money recording artists including, Lil Wayne, Drake, Nicki Minaj, Tyga, Christina Milian, Shanell, Mack Maine, Jae Millz, Cory Gunz, Gudda Gudda, Lil Twist, Chanel West Coast and PJ Morton, among others.
