Mary Jane Blige is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the "Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and "Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Awards, twelve NAACP Image Awards, and twelve Billboard Music Awards, including the Billboard Icon Award. She has been nominated for three Golden Globe Awards and two Academy Awards, including one for her supporting role in the film Mudbound (2017) and another for its original song "Mighty River", becoming the first person nominated for acting and songwriting in the same year.
Joseph Lewis Thomas, known mononymously as Joe, is an American R&B singer-songwriter and record producer. Born and raised in Ashburn, Georgia, he later relocated to Atlanta and signed a record deal with Polygram Records in 1992. He rose to prominence after releasing his debut album Everything the following year. He followed it with a series of successful albums under Jive Records, including All That I Am (1997), the international bestseller My Name Is Joe (2000) as well as the multi-certified albums Better Days (2001) and And Then... (2003). Several songs from these albums became hit singles on the pop and R&B record charts, including the number-one hit "Stutter", the top ten entries "All the Things ", "Don't Wanna Be a Player", and "I Wanna Know" as well as his collaborations "Faded Pictures", "Thank God I Found You" and "Still Not a Player".
Jonathan Howard Smith, better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, producer and former frontman of the rap group Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz. He was instrumental in the emergence of the hip hop subgenre crunk, and is credited with bringing the genre into mainstream success. Lil Jon frequently collaborates with Miami-based rapper Pitbull, Bay Area-based rappers Too Short and E-40. He participates as one-third of an unofficial trio consisting of Atlanta-based artists Ludacris and Usher who frequently create songs together.
Big Tymers was an American musical duo active from 1997 to 2005 and again in 2018-2018 from New Orleans, Louisiana consisting of Cash Money Records co-founder Baby and former Cash Money in-house producer Mannie Fresh. Baby later changed his stage name to Birdman after the duo dissolved in 2005. Big Tymers released their debut album in 1997 titled How You Luv That.
Jason's Lyric is the soundtrack to Doug McHenry's 1994 film Jason's Lyric. It was released on September 27, 1994, via Mercury Records. It spawned three singles: "If You Think You're Lonely Now", a cover of the Bobby Womack hit by Jodeci lead singer K-Ci, "Crazy Love" by Brian McKnight, and "U Will Know", a major collaboration from male R&B singers comprising Black Men United (BMU), written by future neo soul artist D'Angelo.
The discography of Nas, an American rapper, consists of fifteen studio albums, one collaborative album, one group album, five compilations, four mixtapes, one extended play, and seventy-nine singles. The son of jazz musician Olu Dara, Nas dropped out of school during ninth grade and began his music career in 1991 with a guest performance on the song "Live at the Barbeque" by Main Source. In 1992, Nas featured on the MC Serch posse cut, “Back to the Grill”, alongside Chubb Rock and Red Hot Lover Tone, and later contributed the track, "Halftime" to the soundtrack to the film, Zebrahead. Soon Nas ignited enough hype and signed to Columbia Records, where he released his debut album Illmatic in 1994. Including Nas's solo debut track "Halftime", Illmatic was certified double platinum in the US, spawned several singles including "It Ain't Hard to Tell" and "The World Is Yours", and earned much critical acclaim. With a more mainstream-oriented sound, Nas's second album It Was Written was released in 1996 and included the Lauryn Hill collaboration "If I Ruled the World " and "Street Dreams", the latter of which reached number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 1 on the Hot Rap Singles chart. It Was Written was certified triple platinum. In 1999, Nas released two albums: I Am... and Nastradamus. While I Am reached double platinum status like its preceding album It Was Written and spawned two singles that reached the top ten spots of the Hot Rap Singles chart, "Hate Me Now" and "Nas Is Like", Nastradamus signaled a decrease in quality and critical reception and sold only half as many units. Still, Nastradamus featured two charting singles, "You Owe Me", "Nastradamus" and was certified platinum.
American rapper Lil' Kim has released five studio albums, one remix album, four mixtapes, forty-two singles, and thirteen promotional singles. In 1994, Kim was a member of the hip hop group Junior M.A.F.I.A. Their first album, Conspiracy, was released in August 1995, and has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It spawned the gold and platinum-certified top-twenty singles, "Player's Anthem", "Get Money", and "I Need You Tonight".
Ringmaster is a 1998 American comedy film starring Jerry Springer as a fictional version of himself named Jerry Farrelly, host of a show similar to his own called Jerry.
Joe Budden is the debut studio album by American rapper Joe Budden. It was released on June 10, 2003, by On Top, distributed by Def Jam. Recording sessions took place from 2002 to 2003, with production by Dub B aka White Boy, along with the other high-profile producers such as Just Blaze and Lofey. The album features guest appearances from Lil' Mo, Busta Rhymes and 112. Upon the record's release, it was met with favorable reviews from music critics. Joe Budden debuted at number 8 on the US Billboard 200, selling 95,000 units in its first week, later the record sold 420,000+ copies in the United States. It also entered at number 55 on the UK Albums Chart.
2 Fast 2 Furious is the soundtrack for John Singleton's 2003 action film 2 Fast 2 Furious. It was released on May 27, 2003 via Def Jam South. Production was handled by several record producers, including Keith McMasters, Cool & Dre, the Diaz Brothers, Elite, Just Blaze and The Trak Starz. It features contributions from the film stars Ludacris and MC Jin, as well as 2 Chainz, 8Ball, Chingy, Dead Prez, Dirtbag, Fat Joe, I-20, Joe Budden, Kardinal Offishall, K'Jon, Lil' Flip, Pitbull, R. Kelly, Shawnna, Trick Daddy and Tyrese Gibson.
Menace II Society is the soundtrack for Albert and Allen Hughes' 1993 teen hood drama film Menace II Society. It was released on May 26, 1993 via Jive Records, and consists primarily of hip hop music. The album is composed of sixteen songs and features performances by Boogie Down Productions, Brand Nubian, Da Lench Mob, DJ Quik, Hi-Five, Juanita Stokes, Kenya Gruv, MC Eiht of Compton's Most Wanted, Mz Kilo, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, The Cutthroats, The Dangerous Crew, UGK and YG'z.
The Players Club: Music From and Inspired by the New Line Cinema Motion Picture is the soundtrack to Ice Cube's 1998 film The Players Club. It was released on March 17, 1998 through Heavyweight Records, A&M Records and consists of hip hop and contemporary R&B music. The album features songs from the film's star, Ice Cube, as well as Mr. Short Khop, Brownstone, Changing Faces, Dalvin DeGrate, DJ Spinderella, DMX, Jay-Z, Kurupt, Lil' Mo, Mack 10, Master P, Memphis Bleek, Mia X, Pressha, Public Announcement, Sauce Money, Scarface and more.
High School High: The Soundtrack is the soundtrack to Hart Bochner's 1996 film High School High. It was released on August 19, 1996 through Big Beat Records, and consists of hip hop and R&B music. The album features performances by the likes of A Tribe Called Quest, Artifacts, Changing Faces, D'Angelo, De La Soul, Erykah Badu, Facemob, Faith Evans, Grand Puba, Jodeci, KRS-One, Large Professor, Lil' Kim, Pete Rock, Real Live, Sadat X, Scarface, Spice 1, The Braxtons, The Braids, The Click, The Roots, Quad City DJ's, and Wu-Tang Clan members.
Wild Wild West is an album of music inspired by the 1999 film Wild Wild West. It was released June 15, 1999, through Interscope Records and consisted mostly of hip hop and R&B songs which were not in the film, with the exception of one by Will Smith and another by Enrique Iglesias played over the end credits. Other artists featured on the album include BLACKstreet, Faith Evans, Dr. Dre, Common, MC Lyte, Tatyana Ali, Slick Rick, Jermaine Dupri and Eminem. The soundtrack was very successful, peaking at number four on the US Billboard 200 and on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and features the hit single "Wild Wild West" which went to number one on the US Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified double platinum a week after its release, June 21, 1999. The album is also the debut of famous artists Lil' Bow Wow, Jill Scott and Kel Spencer.
"Forever" is a song by rappers Drake, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, and Eminem. Written alongside producer Boi-1da, the song was originally released as the third single from the soundtrack to LeBron James's More than a Game documentary and was placed on the Refill re-release of Eminem's album Relapse. Eminem performed his verse of the song at the American Music Awards of 2009. Drake performed the song with Lil Wayne, Eminem, and Travis Barker at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards. A demo version of the song was leaked in mid-2008. It is often referred to as the greatest posse cut in rap history.
Mac & Devin Go to High School is the collaborative soundtrack to the film of the same name, by American rappers and film stars Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa. It was released on December 13, 2011, by Atlantic Records. The album features guest appearances from Bruno Mars, Juicy J, Curren$y and Mike Posner. The album is supported by the lone hit single, "Young, Wild & Free". The album received positive reviews from music critics, who praised Snoop's and Khalifa's technical rapping abilities and production choices. The soundtrack debuted at number 29 on the US Billboard 200, and has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
American rapper Lil Wayne has released 285 singles including 19 promotional singles. Lil Wayne attained his first singles chart entry in 1999 as a featured artist on Hot Boys member Juvenile's single "Back That Azz Up", which peaked at number 19 on the United States Billboard Hot 100 and became a top ten hit on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts. Wayne later released his debut solo studio album Tha Block Is Hot in November 1999. Its title track and lead single, which features B.G. and Juvenile, reached number 65 on the Billboard Hot 100. Lights Out followed in December 2000 and produced the singles "Get Off the Corner", "Everything" and "Shine". "Way of Life", the lead single from Wayne's third studio album 500 Degreez, peaked at number 71 on the Hot 100 and became a top 20 hit on the Hot Rap Songs chart. In 2004, Wayne was featured on the single "Soldier" by American girl group Destiny's Child, which became his first top ten hit on the Hot 100 and enjoyed commercial success internationally.
XXXTentacion was an American rapper and singer who released four studio albums, one compilation album, two mixtapes, four collaborative mixtapes, seven extended plays and 29 singles. As of June 2018, he sold more than 25 million album-equivalent units in the United States. XXXTentacion was awarded for sales of over 20 million records by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). As of October 2020, he has sold more than 60 million records in the United States.
Drip Harder is a collaborative mixtape by American rappers Lil Baby and Gunna. It was released on October 5, 2018, by YSL Records, Quality Control Music, Motown and Capitol Records. The mixtape features guest appearances from Lil Durk, Nav, Young Thug, and Drake. It includes production from Turbo, Wheezy, and Tay Keith, among others. The name Drip Harder is taken from Gunna's Drip Season series of mixtapes and from Lil Baby's Harder series of mixtapes.
The soundtrack for the 2018 American animated superhero film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, based on the Miles Morales incarnation of the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man and produced by Sony Pictures Animation, consists of both an original score composed by Daniel Pemberton and a soundtrack featuring original songs written for and inspired by the film. A soundtrack featuring songs made for the film, titled Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was released by Republic Records on December 14, 2018, the same day as the film's theatrical release, while a separate album featuring Pemberton's score, titled Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse , was released three days later by Sony Classical Records.
