Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group and collective formed in the New York City borough of Staten Island in 1992, originally composed of rapper-producer RZA and rappers GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God and Masta Killa. An important act in the East Coast and hardcore hip hop styles, Wu-Tang Clan are regarded as one of the most influential hip hop groups of all time. Their 1993 debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang , is considered one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time.
Gilbert Scott-Heron was an American soul and jazz poet, musician, and author, known primarily for his work as a spoken-word performer in the 1970s and 1980s. His collaborative efforts with musician Brian Jackson featured a musical fusion of jazz, blues, and soul, as well as lyrical content concerning social and political issues of the time, delivered in both rapping and melismatic vocal styles by Scott-Heron. His own term for himself was "bluesologist", which he defined as "a scientist who is concerned with the origin of the blues".
The Roots are an American hip hop band, formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The Roots currently serve as the house band on NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, having served in the same role on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon from 2009–2014.
Digital Underground was an American alternative hip hop group from Oakland, California. Their personnel changed and rotated with each album and tour.
Acid jazz, also known as club jazz, is a music genre that combines elements of jazz, soul, funk, and disco. Acid jazz originated in the London club scene of the mid-1980s in the rare groove movement and spread to the US, Japan, Eastern Europe, and Brazil. Major acts included the Brand New Heavies, Incognito, Us3, and Jamiroquai from the UK and Buckshot LeFonque and Digable Planets from the US. The rise of electronic club music in the mid to late 1990s led to a decline in interest, and in the twenty-first century, the movement became indistinct as a genre. Many acts that might have been defined as acid jazz are now seen as jazz-funk, neo soul, or jazz rap.
DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince was an American hip hop duo from West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Rapper Will Smith met disc jockey Jeff Townes in the 1980s, when they were both trying to make names for themselves in West Philadelphia's local hip hop scene. They had as a support live member Clarence Holmes – who was not officially credited to the duo. Holmes left the group in 1990 and later sued unsuccessfully for earnings, claiming a breach of oral contract.
Head Hunters is the twelfth studio album by the American pianist and composer Herbie Hancock, released October 13, 1973, on Columbia Records. Recording sessions for the album took place in the evening at Wally Heider Studios and Different Fur Trading Co. in San Francisco, California. In 2003, the album was ranked number 498 in the book version of Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Head Hunters is a key release in Hancock's career and a defining moment in the genre of jazz. The Library of Congress added it to the National Recording Registry, which collects "culturally, historically or aesthetically important" sound recordings from the 20th century.
Us3 is a British jazz-rap group founded in London in 1992. Their name was inspired by a Horace Parlan recording produced by Alfred Lion, the founder of Blue Note Records. On their debut album, Hand on the Torch, Us3 exclusively used samples from the Blue Note Records catalogue, all originally produced by Lion.
Manfred Mann's Earth Band is an English rock band formed by South African musician Manfred Mann. Their hits include covers of Bruce Springsteen's "For You", "Blinded by the Light" and "Spirit in the Night". After forming in 1971 and with a short hiatus in the late 1980s/early 1990s, the Earth Band continues to perform and tour.
Sade are an English band, formed in London in 1982 and named after their lead singer, Sade Adu. Three of their members were originally from Hull in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Their music features elements of soul, quiet storm, smooth jazz and sophisti-pop.
Hand on the Torch is the debut album by British jazz-rap group Us3. It received much attention because of its mix of jazz and rap, using live jazz musicians. All samples used on the album are from old Blue Note classics: the most famous being Herbie Hancock's "Cantaloupe Island", used on the track "Cantaloop ", which was recorded with two different music videos.
Aaron Dontez Yates, better known by his stage name Tech N9ne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. In 1999, he and business partner Travis O'Guin founded the record label Strange Music. He has sold over two million albums and has had his music featured in film, television, and video games. In 2009, he won the Left Field Woodie award at the mtvU Woodie Awards.
Broadway & 52nd is the second album by jazz-rap group Us3 and has a more dark, conscious mood to it than their first album.
Amplified is the debut studio album of American hip hop artist Q-Tip, released November 30, 1999, on Arista Records. It became his first solo release after the disbandment of his former group A Tribe Called Quest in 1998. Production was primarily handled by Q-Tip and Jay Dee of The Ummah. The album spawned the Billboard Hot 100 hits "Vivrant Thing" and "Breathe and Stop".
Live and Let Die is the third and final studio album by the American hip hop duo Kool G Rap & DJ Polo, which was released November 24, 1992, on Cold Chillin'. The album features guest appearances from Ice Cube, Big Daddy Kane, Scarface, and Bushwick Bill. The singles "Ill Street Blues" and "On the Run" both received consistent airplay on Yo! MTV Raps, and BET's Rap City upon the album's release.
Eligh Nachowitz, better known mononymously as Eligh, is a rapper and producer from Los Angeles, California. He is a member of the underground hip hop group Living Legends.
All Eyez on Me is the fourth studio album by American rapper 2Pac, released on February 13, 1996, by Death Row and Interscope Records.
"Planet Rock" is a song by the American hip hop artists Afrika Bambaataa and the Soul Sonic Force. The song was produced by Arthur Baker and released by Tommy Boy Records in 1982. The recording came together after DJ and producer Baker met with Bambaataa and the two bonded over the idea of creating a song about their mutual appreciation for the band Kraftwerk. Baker and Bambaataa had worked together previously on the song "Jazzy Sensation," and decided to compose a more electronic based version of the hip hop song, as opposed to the more disco-oriented work popular at the time. Along with musician John Robie, the group recorded the single at Intergalactic Studios in New York. Robie duplicated the sound on the record and had Bambaataa's rappers in the Soul Sonic Force rap over it. To create the raps, the lyricist of the group, Emcee G.L.O.B.E., had to develop a style he called "mc popping", which involved rapping off time, an unusual style at the time.
Colson Baker, known professionally as Machine Gun Kelly, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and actor from Cleveland, Ohio.
Theophilus Musa London is a Trinidadian-born American rapper and singer.
