Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, is a subgenre of rap music that conveys the culture and values typical of urban gangs, reality of the world and street hustlers. Emerging in the late 1980s, gangsta rap's pioneers include Schoolly D of Philadelphia and Ice-T of Los Angeles, later expanding in California with artists such as N.W.A and Tupac Shakur. In 1992, via record producer and rapper Dr. Dre, rapper Snoop Dogg, and their G-funk sound, gangster rap broadened to mainstream popularity.
Tracy Lauren Marrow, better known by his stage name Ice-T, is an American rapper and actor. He is active in both hip hop and heavy metal. Ice-T began his career as an underground rapper in the 1980s and was signed to Sire Records in 1987, when he released his debut album Rhyme Pays. The following year, he founded the record label Rhyme $yndicate Records and released another album, Power (1988), which would go platinum. He also released several other albums that went gold, including The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech... Just Watch What You Say! (1989), O.G. Original Gangster (1991) and Home Invasion (1993).
N.W.A was an American hip hop group formed in Compton, California. Among the earliest and most significant figures of the gangsta rap subgenre, the group is widely considered one of the greatest and most influential acts in hip hop music.
O'Shea Jackson Sr., known as Ice Cube, is an American rapper, songwriter, actor, and film producer. His lyrics on N.W.A's 1988 album Straight Outta Compton contributed to gangsta rap's widespread popularity, and his political rap solo albums AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted (1990), Death Certificate (1991), and The Predator (1992) were all critically and commercially successful. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of N.W.A in 2016.
Percy Robert Miller, better known by his stage name Master P, is an American rapper, record producer, record executive, dancer, actor and entrepreneur. He founded the record label No Limit Records in 1991, which was relaunched into the spin-off labels New No Limit Records and No Limit Forever Records. Miller gained fame in the mid-1990s as the lead and founding of the label's hip hop group TRU, as well as his fifth solo album, Ice Cream Man (1996), and its namesake lead single. His 1997 single, "Make 'Em Say Uhh!" received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Robert Matthew Van Winkle, known professionally as Vanilla Ice, is an American rapper, actor, and television host. Born in Dallas and raised there and in Miami, he was the first solo white rapper to achieve commercial success following the 1990 release of his best-known hit "Ice Ice Baby".
G-funk, short for gangsta funk, is a sub-genre of gangsta rap that emerged from the West Coast scene in the early 1990s. The genre is heavily influenced by the synthesizer-heavy 1970s funk sound of Parliament-Funkadelic, often incorporated through samples or re-recordings. It is represented by commercially successful albums such as Dr. Dre's The Chronic (1992), Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle (1993), and 2Pac's All Eyez on Me (1996).
Rap metal is a fusion genre that combines hip hop with heavy metal. It usually consists of heavy metal guitar riffs, funk metal elements, rapped vocals and sometimes turntables.
To the Extreme is the major-label debut studio album by American rapper Vanilla Ice, released on September 10, 1990, by SBK Records and EMI Records. Recorded between 1989–90, it contains Vanilla Ice's most successful single, "Ice Ice Baby". It primarily contains hip hop and pop rap tracks produced by Earthquake, Kim Sharp, Khayree, and Darryl Williams.
Lethal Injection is the fourth studio album by American rapper Ice Cube. It was released on December 7, 1993, through Lench Mob Records and Priority Records. The production on the album was handled by QDIII, Madness 4 Real, Sir Jinx, Laylaw, D'Mag, and Ice Cube himself.
The Amazing Jeckel Brothers is the fifth studio album by American hip hop group Insane Clown Posse, released on May 25, 1999, by Island Records, in association with Psychopathic Records. Recording sessions for the album took place from 1998 to 1999. The album is the fifth Joker's Card in the group's Dark Carnival mythology. The album's lyrics focus on the nine circles of hell and the morality of man as he is torn between righteousness and evil. The album's titular Jeckel Brothers are spirits who juggle balls of fire, representing the sins committed during the mortal life of the dead.
Anerae Veshaughn Brown, better known by his stage name X-Raided, is an American rapper from Sacramento, California. In 1992, Brown was sentenced to 31 years in prison on murder charges, which Brown denied, maintaining his innocence. The lyrics of his debut album, Psycho Active, was submitted as evidence by the prosecutors. Subsequently, Brown continued to record rap songs in prison, until being released on parole 26 years into his sentence. He was later signed with Strange Music.
Deadly Venoms is an American Wu-Tang Clan-affiliated all-female hip hop group formed in 1997 consisting of N-Tyce, J-Boo, Champ MC, and Finesse. X Clan-affiliated rapper Lin Que was initially intended to be part of the group but departed soon after its inception due to business decisions. Each member of the group were experienced rappers prior to joining the collective. Finesse recorded an album with rapper Synquis named Soul Sisters in 1988, Champ released her debut album Ghetto Flava on East West America/Atlantic Records, and N-Tyce was signed to Wild Pitch/EMI in the mid 1990s and released a few singles including the RZA-produced "Hush Hush Tip" featuring Method Man. The Deadly Venoms was J-Boo's professional introduction.
Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z... is the second solo studio album by American rapper 2Pac. It was released on February 16, 1993, via TNT Recordings and Interscope Records and distributed by Atlantic Records and Restless Records (LP). The recording sessions took place at Starlight Sound Studio in Richmond, Echo Sound Studio in Los Angeles and Unique Recording Studios in New York. The album was produced by the Underground Railroad and D-Flow Production Squad, as well as Live Squad, DJ Bobcat, DJ Daryl, Akshun, Laylaw, Special Ed, and Truman Jefferson. It features contributions from Live Squad, Apache, Dave Hollister, Deadly Threat, Digital Underground, Ice Cube, Ice-T, Poppi, Treach, and 2Pac's stepbrother Wycked among others.
Kareem Blake, better known by his stage name Choclair, is a Canadian rapper. He was one of the most successful rappers in Canada in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Choclair has been nominated for six Juno Awards, winning four.
Laugh Now, Cry Later is the seventh studio album by rapper Ice Cube, released on June 6, 2006. It is Ice Cube's first album to be released on his independently owned record label Lench Mob Records and Universal Records. This album is his first studio album in six years since his previous album, War & Peace Vol. 2 . After spending the previous six years mainly doing movie projects, it could be considered a comeback album.
Cartel de Santa is a Mexican hip hop group from Santa Catarina, Nuevo León, Mexico, founded by Hector Montaño and Ronaldo Sifuentes. The band started playing in 1996 as part of the Avanzada Regia musical movement and Artilleria Pesada. Currently composed by Eduardo Davalos de Luna, also known as MC Babo or Babo, Rowan Rabia (beatmaker) and DJ Agustín. They have been referred to as one of the most notable Mexican hip-hop groups.
Raw Footage is the eighth studio album by American rapper Ice Cube. It was released on August 19, 2008, by his record label Lench Mob Records and Universal Motown Records. The album features guest appearances from The Game, Butch Cassidy, Musiq Soulchild, Young Jeezy and WC. The album is his most political effort, since over a decade earlier with the release of his album The Predator (1992).
Brandi Younger, professionally known by her stage name Gripsta, is an Oakland-born female rapper. Discovered by Ice-T at the age of 13, she was featured on song titled "Funky Gripsta" off of his 1993 album Home Invasion and later signed to Tuff Break/A&M Records in the 1990s. Her debut single "Pop Goz the 9" was partially leaked in January 1994, its music video was directed by Ice-T. However Gripsta's debut single was never officially released. The Tuff Break label on A&M Records was dropped before her scheduled release date. She was later featured on Ice-T's seventh solo studio album The Seventh Deadly Sin, as well as numerous features on record label Def Jam's The Murder Squad album. She worked with many artists under that association. She was featured on song “Knock on Wood” alongside Grammy award winning L.V of South Central Cartel South Central Cartel, Spice 1, B.G. Knocc Out, Dresta, Jayo Felony, Young Murder Squad and Sh’killa.
New Empire, Vol. 2 is the seventh studio album by American rap rock band Hollywood Undead. It was released on December 4, 2020 through Dove & Grenade Media and BMG and was produced by Matt Good. The album is the follow-up to the group's sixth album, New Empire, Vol. 1 (2020).
