Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, known professionally as Nas, is an American rapper and entrepreneur. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he is regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time. The son of jazz musician Olu Dara, Nas began his musical career in 1989 under the moniker "Nasty Nas", and recorded demos under the wing of fellow East Coast rapper Large Professor. Nas made his recording debut on Professor's group, Main Source's 1991 song "Live at the Barbeque".
Stillmatic is the fifth studio album by American rapper Nas, released on December 18, 2001, by Ill Will and Columbia Records. In contrast to his previous work's gangsta rap themes, the album contains socially conscious and philosophical themes similar to that of his 1994 debut Illmatic. Nas' lyrics address topics such as ghetto life, American politics, and his feud with rapper Jay-Z.
Rufus Johnson, better known by his stage name Bizarre, formerly Bizarre Kid, is an American rapper and producer, best known for his work with the Detroit-based hip hop group D12.
The Blueprint is the sixth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z, released on September 11, 2001, through Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. Its release was set a week earlier than initially planned in order to combat bootlegging. Recording sessions for the album took place during 2001 at Manhattan Center Studios and Baseline Studios in New York City. Contrasting the radio-friendly sound of Jay-Z's previous work, The Blueprint features soul-based sampling and production handled primarily by Kanye West, Just Blaze, and Bink, as well as Timbaland, Trackmasters, and Eminem, who also contributes the album's sole guest feature.
God's Son is the sixth studio album by American rapper Nas. It was released on December 13, 2002, by Ill Will and Columbia Records. Production took place during 2001 to 2002, and was handled by several producers, including Salaam Remi, Chucky Thompson, Ron Browz, Eminem, and The Alchemist. The album also includes guest appearances from artists such as Alicia Keys, Kelis, and a posthumous feature from 2Pac. Musically, God's Son blends hardcore hip hop with elements of soul and jazz. Partly inspired by the death of his mother in early 2002, God's Son covers lyrical themes such as religion, violence, grief, redemption and his own emotional experiences. It has been recognized by critics as some of Nas' most personal work.
Ryan Daniel Montgomery, known professionally as Royce da 5'9", is an American rapper. Best known for his association with fellow Detroit rapper Eminem, they became acquainted in 1997 and formed the hip hop duo, Bad Meets Evil the following year. Their 2011 single, "Lighters" peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and preceded the release of their debut extended play (EP), Hell: The Sequel (2011). The song and its parent EP, which debuted atop the Billboard 200, have yielded Montgomery's furthest commercial success.
"Ether" is a diss track by American rapper Nas, from his 2001 album Stillmatic. The song was a response to Jay-Z's "Takeover", released earlier that year. "Ether" has been called a "classic" diss track and the "wildest" in hip hop history by music publications.
"Takeover" is a track recorded by Jay-Z for his 2001 album The Blueprint. The song is a diss track aimed at rappers Nas and Prodigy of Mobb Deep.
Bad Meets Evil is an American hip hop super duo composed of Detroit-based rappers Royce da 5′9″ ("bad") and Eminem ("evil"). Formed in 1997, the duo's name comes from the namesake song from Eminem's The Slim Shady LP (1999), which featured Royce da 5'9". They debuted the same year with the release of the double single, "Nuttin' to Do" and "Scary Movies", the latter of which for the soundtrack to the 2000 horror comedy parody film Scary Movie. A decade later, the duo reunited to release an extended play (EP) to critical and commercial success.
Luis Edgardo Resto is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and keyboardist who has worked closely with rapper Eminem since his third major-label album The Eminem Show. He is of Puerto Rican descent and was raised in Garden City, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit.
Bravehearted is the debut studio album by the American duo the Bravehearts. A group consisting of Nas' brother Jungle and fellow friend Wiz.
Slaughterhouse were an American hip hop supergroup consisting of rappers Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz, Kxng Crooked, and Royce da 5'9". They released their eponymous debut studio album independently in 2009, and signed to Shady Records, an imprint of Interscope Records to release it's follow up, Welcome to: Our House in 2012. The group disbanded in 2018.
"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.
"Fast Lane" is the lead single by hip hop duo Bad Meets Evil, a group composed of Royce da 5'9" and Eminem, from their first EP Hell: The Sequel. The single was produced by Eminem, Supa Dups, and Jason "JG" Gilbert, and released on May 3, 2011 by Shady Records. It features uncredited vocals by Sly Jordan on the chorus. A music video was created by director James Larese of music video direction group Syndrome. The music video features animated visuals and kinetic typography, with cameo appearances by Mr. Porter and Slaughterhouse. Fans and critics considered it a return to Eminem's Slim Shady alter ego. Texas rapper Chamillionaire released a remix.
"Writer's Block" is the first single by Royce da 5'9" that was released on March 29, 2011. The song appears on his fifth studio album, Success Is Certain that was released on the record label Gracie Productions. The song features rapper Eminem, though he only sings the hook and speaks in the intro. It is produced by StreetRunner, and co-produced by Sarom Soundz. "Writer's Block" charted at #199 in the UK and #4 in the US on the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles charts. "Writer's Block" is available as a digital download from iTunes, there is no CD single for the song however.
"Lighters" is a song by American hip hop duo Bad Meets Evil, a group composed of Royce da 5'9 and Eminem, from their first EP, Hell: The Sequel (2011). The track features American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars. It was written by Bad Meets Evil, along with Mars, Philip Lawrence and Ari Levine of the Smeezingtons, and Roy Battle. The production was handled by all aforementioned names, except Royce. It was released on June 14, 2011, by Shady and Interscope Records, being later serviced to mainstream radio in the United States by the two latter labels along with Aftermath Entertainment as the second single from the EP. After writing and recording their own verses for the song, Eminem and Royce da 5'9" met Mars in Los Angeles, and the singer's vocals were added after minor adjustments were done by him and Eminem to the original cut.
On the House is the debut mixtape by hip hop supergroup Slaughterhouse. It was released on August 19, 2012, as a warm up to their second studio album Welcome to: Our House with a release of August 28, 2012. The mixtape is hosted by DJ Drama.
"Detroit vs. Everybody" is a song by American rappers Eminem, Royce da 5'9", Big Sean, Danny Brown, Dej Loaf, and Trick Trick, featured on the 2014 Shady Records compilation album Shady XV. Produced by Statik Selektah and Eminem, it was recorded in Ferndale, Michigan, Oak Park, Michigan and Brooklyn, New York. The song was released as the fourth and final single from the album on November 11, 2014.
"Not Alike" is a song by American rapper Eminem featuring fellow American rapper Royce da 5'9" from the former's tenth studio album Kamikaze (2018). It has reached the top 40 in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Sweden, and the United States. It was written by the artists alongside producers Tay Keith and Ronny J with more production credits going to Eminem and Cubeatz. It was a diss track on several artists including Machine Gun Kelly.
The Allegory is the eighth studio album by American rapper Royce da 5'9". It was released through eOne Music on February 21, 2020. It features guest appearances from Benny the Butcher, Conway the Machine, KXNG Crooked, Cyhi the Prynce, DJ Premier, Eminem, Grafh, Sy Ari da Kid, T.I., Vince Staples, Westside Gunn, and Cedric the Entertainer among others. Production was handled by Royce da 5'9" himself on all of the album's tracks, making it his first album to be entirely self-produced.
