Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, better known by his stage name Nas, is an American rapper. 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 first guest appeared on his group, Main Source's 1991 song "Live at the Barbeque".
Nathaniel Thomas Wilson, better known by his stage name Kool G Rap, is an American rapper. He began his career in the mid-1980s as one half of the group Kool G Rap & DJ Polo and as a member of the Juice Crew. He is widely considered to be one of the most influential and skilled MCs of all time, and a pioneer of mafioso rap/street/hardcore content and multisyllabic rhyming. On his album The Giancana Story, he stated that the "G" in his name stands for "Giancana", but on other occasions he has stated that it stands for "Genius".
Rufus Johnson, better known by his stage name Bizarre, is an American rapper, best known for his work with the Detroit-based hip hop group D12.
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.
Alan Daniel Maman, professionally known as the Alchemist, is an American hip hop producer, DJ, and rapper. He began his music career in 1991 in the hip hop duo the Whooliganz under the moniker Mudfoot, along with now-actor Scott Caan. He has produced music since the 1990s.
M.O.P. is an American hip hop duo composed of East Coast rappers Billy Danze and Lil' Fame. After years of mostly underground success, they gained more mainstream recognition in 2000 with the song "Ante Up", which would become their biggest hit. The group has frequently collaborated with DJ Premier and is part of the Gang Starr Foundation. Fame sometimes produces under the moniker Fizzy Womack, and has produced tracks on every M.O.P. release since 1996's Firing Squad, as well as work for other artists including Kool G Rap, Teflon and Wu-Tang Clan.
Duval Clear, known better by his stage name Masta Ace, is an American rapper and record producer from New York City. He appeared on the classic 1988 Juice Crew posse cut "The Symphony". He is noted for his distinct voice and rapping proficiency, and has influenced several MCs.
Mobb Deep was an American hip hop duo from Queens, New York formed in 1991. Consisting of rappers/songwriters/record producers Prodigy and Havoc, they are considered to be among the principal progenitors of hardcore East Coast hip hop. Mobb Deep became one of the most successful rap duos of all time, having sold over three million records. Their best-known albums are The Infamous (1995), Hell on Earth (1996) and Murda Muzik (1999), and their most successful singles were "Shook Ones " and "Survival of the Fittest." They were known for their dark and hardcore delivery.
Vincenzo Luviner, better known as Vinnie Paz, is an Italian-born American rapper and producer behind the Philadelphia underground hip hop group Jedi Mind Tricks. He is also the frontman of the hip hop collective Army of the Pharaohs.
The Giancana Story is the third solo album by American rapper Kool G Rap, released by Koch Records on November 26, 2002. Its producers included Bink, Buckwild, Jaz-O, Knobody, Rockwilder and V.I.C., while AZ, Capone-N-Noreaga, Havoc, Joell Ortiz and Prodigy were amongst the guest vocalists.
Half a Klip is an album by American rapper Kool G Rap, released on February 5, 2008 by Chinga Chang, Latchey and Koch Records. It was the first new solo release from Kool G Rap in six years, and its producers included DJ Premier, Marley Marl, Domingo, and Marks. KL of Screwball, D-Roc and Haylie Duff appeared as a guest vocalists.
John R. Austin II, better known by his stage name Ras Kass, is an American rapper. He is a member of the hip hop supergroup The HRSMN, along with Canibus, Killah Priest, and Kurupt in 2014. He is also a member of the group Golden State Warriors with Xzibit and Saafir. About.com ranked him No. 30 on their list of the Top 50 MCs of Our Time (1987–2007), while Pitchfork Media called him "one of the best rappers of all time."
Slaughterhouse was an American hip hop supergroup consisting of rappers Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz, Crooked I 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.
Riches, Royalty, Respect is the fourth solo album by American hip-hop recording artist Kool G Rap, released on May 31, 2011 by Fat Beats.
This article summarizes the events, album releases, and album release dates in hip hop music for the year 2012.
Chinga Chang Records is a Philadelphia-based independent hip hop label. Founded by CEO Dan Herman in 2003, Chinga Chang has released music by artists including Kool G Rap and Lil Scrappy, including the Kool G Rap album Half a Klip in 2007. The label has also released two mixtapes, which include previously unreleased music by artists such as KRS-One, Ras Kass, Big Pun, and Sean Price.
When Music Worlds Collide is the debut studio album from Jonathan Hay and Mike Smith that features notable names in the hip hop music genre. Hay and Smith, the producers behind the indie hip-hop compilation When Music Worlds Collide decided to put their release to a Tidal vs. Spotify challenge and see which one better served their album. The story of their independent streaming music album was featured on Billboard, Fox News and Business Insider. King Tech co-produced the majority of the songs on the album. Deluxe: When Music Worlds Collide was released on July 26, 2016 through SMH Records.
Justin Harrell, better known by his stage name 38 Spesh, is an American rapper and producer.
This article summarizes the events, album releases, and album release dates in hip hop music for the year 2019.
This article summarizes the events, album releases, and album release dates in hip hop music for the year 2020.
