Cypress Hill is an American hip hop group from South Gate, California, formed in 1988. They have sold over 20 million albums worldwide, and they have obtained multi-platinum and platinum certifications. The group has been critically acclaimed for their first five albums. They are considered to be among the main progenitors of West Coast hip hop and 1990s hip hop. All of the group members advocate for medical and recreational use of cannabis in the United States. In 2019, Cypress Hill became the first hip hop group to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Antoine Carraby, known professionally as DJ Yella, is an American DJ, rapper, record producer and film director from Los Angeles.
Ye is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. He is known for his contributions to progressive rap and subverting the conventions of gangsta rap as a dominant subgenre of hip hop music. After dropping out of university to pursue a career in music, West started producing for various artists in the Chicago area. As an in-house producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, West co-produced Jay-Z's The Blueprint (2001) before getting signed by the label as a solo artist. West released his debut studio album The College Dropout in 2004 to critical acclaim, yielding the chart-topping single "Slow Jamz". His other singles reaching the top of the Billboard Hot 100 include "Gold Digger" (2005), "Stronger" (2007), and "E.T." (2011) as a featured artist.
It's Dark and Hell Is Hot is the debut album by American rapper DMX. It was released on May 19, 1998, by Def Jam Recordings and Ruff Ryders Entertainment. It was supported by four singles—"Get at Me Dog", "Stop Being Greedy", "Ruff Ryders' Anthem" and "How's It Goin' Down", in order of release—and their accompanying music videos.
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth is an American rapper and songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, he is the only musician outside of the classical and jazz genres to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music. His inclusion of social commentary and political criticism in his songwriting has influenced a rise in social conscience within his generation.
"9 Piece" is a song by American rapper Rick Ross. There are two versions, one featuring T.I. and the other – Lil Wayne. The song was originally placed on Ross' mixtape Ashes to Ashes and later released as a single from his fifth studio album, God Forgives, I Don't (2011). However, despite peaking at number 61 on the Billboard Hot 100, the song did not make the final cut for the album. In 2013, "9 Piece" was featured on the soundtrack of Sofia Coppola's film The Bling Ring.
Kiss the Ring is the sixth studio album by American disc jockey and record producer DJ Khaled. It was released on August 21, 2012, by We the Best Music Group, Cash Money Records and Universal Republic Records. The album was supported by the singles "Take It to the Head" and "I Wish You Would", both of which charted on the Billboard Hot 100 at numbers 58 and 78, respectively. The album features guest appearances from Meek Mill, Ace Hood, Plies, Lil Wayne, T.I., Future, Kanye West, Rick Ross, Chris Brown, Nicki Minaj, J. Cole, Big K.R.I.T., Kendrick Lamar, Big Sean, Wiz Khalifa, T-Pain, Scarface, Nas, DJ Premier, French Montana, Jadakiss, Birdman, 2 Chainz, Wale, Tyga, Kirko Bangz, Mavado and Mack Maine.
Nayvadius DeMun Cash, known professionally as Future, is an American rapper and singer. Known for his mumble-styled vocals and prolific output, Future is considered a pioneer of the use of Auto-Tuned melodies in trap music. Due to the sustained popularity of this musical style, he is commonly regarded as one of the most influential rappers of his generation.
Freebandz is an American record label founded by American rapper Future in 2011. The label's releases are distributed through Epic Records. Freebandz has signed artists including Real Boston Richey, Lil Double O, Doe Boy, Young Scooter, and Future's personal mixtape compiler, DJ Esco.
Gary Grice, better known by his stage names GZA and The Genius, is an American rapper. A founding member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, GZA is the group's "spiritual head", being both the first member in the group to receive a record deal and being the oldest member. He has appeared on his fellow Wu-Tang members' solo projects, and has maintained a successful solo career starting with Liquid Swords (1995).
Timothy Cornell Patterson, known professionally as Mozzy, is an American rapper from Sacramento, California. He signed with Yo Gotti's record label Collective Music Group (CMG), an imprint of Interscope Records in 2022, having previously signed with local independent label, Blackmarket Records. He is best known for his 2021 single "Last One Standing" from the film Venom: Let There Be Carnage, which peaked at number 78 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Alvin Lamar Worthy, known professionally as Westside Gunn, is an American rapper. He is a co-founder of independent hip-hop label Griselda Records. He is the paternal half-brother of rapper Conway the Machine and cousin of rapper Benny the Butcher, both of whom he frequently collaborates with. Westside Gunn has released five studio albums in addition to an extensive catalog of mixtapes. Gunn was affiliated with Shady Records from 2017 to 2020, but has since returned to independent status.
Jeremie Damon Pennick, known professionally as Benny the Butcher, or simply Benny, is an American rapper and songwriter. He came to prominence in 2018 following the release of his debut album, Tana Talk 3. Along with his cousins and fellow rappers Westside Gunn and Conway The Machine, with which he forms the collective Griselda, he is known for his '90s inspired rap songs and is often credited with leading a revival of the so called 'grimy' and 'gritty' hip hop music, influenced by mafioso and drug dealing themes.
Griselda Records is an American hip hop independent record label based in Buffalo, New York. It was founded by rapper Westside Gunn, his brother Conway the Machine, and Mach-Hommy in 2012. In addition to the founding members, Benny the Butcher and in-house producer Daringer make up the flagship artists of the Griselda Records roster.
Utopia is the fourth studio album by American rapper Travis Scott. It was released through Cactus Jack and Epic Records on July 28, 2023. The album features guest appearances from Teezo Touchdown, Drake, Playboi Carti, Beyoncé, Rob49, 21 Savage, the Weeknd, Swae Lee, Yung Lean, Dave Chappelle, Young Thug, Westside Gunn, Kid Cudi, Bad Bunny, SZA, Future, and James Blake. Physical releases of the album feature additional guest appearances from Lil Uzi Vert and Sheck Wes. Production was handled by a variety of record producers, including Scott and Blake themselves, WondaGurl, Ye, Allen Ritter, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, Wheezy, Buddy Ross, Vegyn, 30 Roc, Jahaan Sweet, Boi-1da, Vinylz, Tay Keith, Bnyx, Oz, Justin Vernon, the Alchemist, Dom Maker, Illangelo, DVLP, and Metro Boomin, among others. The album serves as the follow-up to Scott's third studio album, Astroworld (2018), as well as JackBoys (2019), his compilation album that was released in collaboration with Cactus Jack. It is a concept record that was accompanied by a film titled Circus Maximus which was released the day before the album.
Mach-Hommy is an American rapper and record producer of Haitian descent. He is well-known for his reclusive nature, concealing his real name and face in all public appearances. This behavior has led him to be described as "one of hip-hop's most elusive artists".
Pray for Haiti is the twenty-second studio album by Haitian-American rapper Mach-Hommy. It was released on May 21, 2021, through Griselda Records and Daupe!. Production was handled by Camoflauge Monk, Conductor Williams, Denny LaFlare, Cee Gee, DJ Green Lantern, Messiah Muzik, Nicholas Craven and Sadhu Gold, with Westside Gunn and Mach-Hommy serving as executive producers. It features guest appearances from Westside Gunn, Keisha Plum, Melanie Charles and Tha God Fahim.
Marcellus Rayvon Register, known professionally as Babyface Ray, is an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan. He is a prominent figure in 2020s Detroit hip hop.
Mike "Heron" Herard is New York based songwriter, producer and talent manager, primarily in the hip hop music genre. He is a vice president of Artists and Repertoire (A&R) for Shady Records. Additionally, Herard is a producer and co-owner at Hydra Entertainment, and the founder of BeatHustle, a music platform and management company.
Sonnyjim is a rapper and hip-hop producer from Birmingham, England.