Angela Martinez is an American radio personality, rapper, and actress. Nicknamed "The Voice of New York" during her two-decade tenure at New York City station HOT 97 (WQHT), she left that position in 2014 to join crosstown competitor Power 105.1 (WWPR). Martinez won the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Marconi Radio Award for "Major Market Personality of the Year" in 2018, and was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2020.
The Blueprint is the sixth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z, released on September 11, 2001, through Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. Its release was set a week earlier than initially planned in order to combat bootlegging. Recording sessions for the album took place during 2001 at Manhattan Center Studios and Baseline Studios in New York City. Contrasting the radio-friendly sound of Jay-Z's previous work, The Blueprint features soul-based sampling and production handled primarily by Kanye West, Just Blaze, and Bink, as well as Timbaland, Trackmasters, and Eminem, who also contributes the album's sole guest feature.
The Blueprint 2: The Gift and the Curse is the seventh studio album by American rapper Jay-Z. It was released on November 12, 2002, by Roc-A-Fella Records and Island Def Jam Music Group. The album serves as a sequel to his sixth album The Blueprint (2001). Parts of the album were later reissued for his album, titled Blueprint 2.1 (2003). The album debuted at number one, shipping with first-week sales of 545,000 units. The album is certified 3x Multi-Platinum by the RIAA. In 2013, Jay-Z cited this album as his second-worst due to an overabundance of songs on the album.
Kristyles is the sixth solo studio album by American rapper and record producer KRS-One. It was released on June 24, 2003 through Koch Records. Production was handled by DJ Tiné Tim, Da Beatminerz, Choco, DJ Revolution, Gato, Inebriated Beats, Kenny Parker, the Ghetto Professionals, and KRS-One himself. It features guest appearances from Peedo and Tekitha. The album peaked at number 186 on the Billboard 200, number 30 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and number 10 on the Independent Albums in the United States. It spawned two singles: "Underground" and "How Bad Do You Want It". The latter appeared on 2004 album KRS-ONE Presents Peedo & The Luna Empire.
The discography of Nas, an American rapper, consists of fourteen 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.
By All Means Necessary is the second album from American hip hop group Boogie Down Productions, released in April, 1988 on Jive Records. After the 1987 murder of DJ-producer Scott La Rock, MC KRS-One moved away from the violent themes that dominated Boogie Down Productions' debut, Criminal Minded, and began writing socially conscious songs using the moniker the Teacher.
The Fix is the seventh studio album by American rapper Scarface. The album was released on August 6, 2002. The album debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200 chart, with well over 160,000 copies sold in its 1st week. Guest artists on the album include Jay-Z, Beanie Sigel, Nas, Faith Evans, and WC. Producers include Mike Dean, Kanye West, Tony Pizarro, Nottz, and The Neptunes.
The Mix Tape is a mixtape by American rapper and producer KRS-One. It was released on August 27, 2002 via Koch Records in promotion of the musician's 6th studio album Kristyles the following year. Recording sessions took place at Pride Rock Studios in Los Angeles with additional recording at Salaamin Studios also in Los Angeles. Production was handled by Inebriated Beats, Milann Miles, Rick Long, A-Sharp, BJ Wheeler, Da Beatminerz, Pleasure King and KRS-One himself. It features guest appearances from Kim-O, Kool DJ Red Alert, Priest and Steph Lova.
The discography of American record producer, sound engineer, and rapper Dr. Dre consists of three studio albums, forty-two singles,, two compilation album, one soundtrack album, and twenty-one music videos.
Hip Hop Lives is the collaborative studio album by American rapper KRS-One and record producer Marley Marl. It was released on May 22, 2007 via Koch Records. Recording sessions took place at House Of Hits in New York and at Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles. Production was handled by Marley Marl himself, except for one track produced with 88 Fingers. It features guest appearances from Blaq Poet, Busy Bee Starski and Magic Juan. The album's title is a response to Nas's 2006 album Hip Hop Is Dead.
"Sound of da Police" is a song by American rapper KRS-One. Recorded at D&D Studios in New York City with production handled by Showbiz, it was released in December 1993 as the second and final single from KRS-One's debut solo studio album Return of the Boom Bap. It peaked at number 89 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Jason Lee Epperson, known professionally as Jay E, is an American record producer, entrepreneur and DJ. He is a co-founder of the production team Basement Beats. Jay E rose to fame as the producer of rapper Nelly's multi-platinum 2000 album Country Grammar which has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. He has produced songs for Murphy Lee, St. Lunatics, Justin Timberlake, E-40, Cedric the Entertainer, Lil Wayne, Ron Isley, Three 6 Mafia, and Hilary Duff. He is credited as one of the producers of St. Louis hip hop, a style characterized by hip hop mixed with soul, rhythm and blues and pop music. Billboard magazine, in the December 2000 issue, listed Jay E at No. 16 of the Top 100 Producers and No. 19 of the Top 100 R&B/Hip Hop Producers of 2000.
Survival Skills is a collaborative studio album by American rappers KRS-One and Buckshot. It was released on September 15, 2009 through Duck Down Music. Production was handled by Illmind, Black Milk, Khrysis, 9th Wonder, Coptic, DJ Mentplus, Havoc, Marco Polo, MoSS and Nottz. It features guest appearances from Bounty Killer, Heltah Skeltah, Immortal Technique, K'naan, Mary J. Blige, Melanie Fiona, Naledge, Pharoahe Monch, Slug, Smif-N-Wessun, Talib Kweli, the Loudmouf Choir and DJ Revolution.
Lawrence "Kris" Parker, better known by his stage names KRS-One and Teacha, is an American rapper, lyricist and occasional producer from New York. He rose to prominence as part of the hip hop group Boogie Down Productions, which he formed with DJ Scott La Rock in the mid-1980s. KRS-One is known for his songs, "Sound of da Police", "Love's Gonna Get'cha ", and "My Philosophy". Boogie Down Productions received numerous awards and critical acclaim in their early years. Following the release of the group's debut album, Criminal Minded, fellow artist Scott La Rock was shot and killed, but KRS-One continued the group, effectively as a solo project. He began releasing records under his own name in 1993. He is politically active, having started the Stop the Violence Movement after Scott's death. He is also a vegan activist, expressed in songs such as "Beef". He is widely considered an influence on many hip-hop artists.
American rapper Jay Rock has released three studio albums, 10 mixtapes, 12 singles and 30 music videos.
"Hot Tottie" is a song by recording artist Usher. It was written by Usher, Ester Dean, Jay-Z and Polow da Don, with the latter producing it. The song features guest vocals from rapper Jay-Z and background vocals by Ester Dean. It is the second single in the United States and Canada from his EP, Versus EP, which is an extension of his sixth studio album, Raymond v. Raymond. The song was sent to rhythmic and urban airplay on August 9, 2010. "Hot Tottie" samples Big Tymers's "Big Ballin'" off their 1998 album How You Luv That Vol. 2.
Meta-Historical is a collaborative studio album by American rapper KRS-One and fellow record producer True Master. It was released on August 31, 2010 through Fat Beats Records. Production was handled by True Master, who also served as executive producer alongside Hakim Green. It features guest appearances from Cappadonna, Dr. Oyibo and RZA. The album peaked at number 57 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and number 24 on the Top Rap Albums chart in the United States.
"Talk That Talk" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna for her 2011 studio album of the same name. It features a rap verse by American rapper Jay-Z, who had previously collaborated with Rihanna on her song "Umbrella" in 2007 and "Run This Town" in 2009. The song was written by Jay-Z, Ester Dean, together with the Norwegian production duo Stargate. Def Jam Recordings serviced the track to urban contemporary radio in the United States on January 17, 2012, as the third single from Talk That Talk. It was released in France as a CD single on March 26. "Talk That Talk" is a hip hop song with R&B beats, rough drums and unrefined synths, and has a similar style to Rihanna's 2010 single "Rude Boy". It contains a brief sample of "I Got a Story to Tell" by the Notorious B.I.G. Therefore, the Buckwild, Sean Combs, Chucky Thompson, and the Notorious B.I.G are credited as songwriters despite the Notorious B.I.G's death in 1997.
"Step into a World " is a song performed by American rapper KRS-One. It was released on March 3, 1997 via Jive Records as a single from his third solo studio album I Got Next. Recording sessions took place at The Hit Factory in New York City. Produced by Jesse West, the song contains a portion of the composition "Rapture" written by Debbie Harry and Chris Stein, and a sample of the Mohawks' "The Champ" written by Harry Palmer.
"Call Me Every Day" is a duet by American singer Chris Brown and Nigerian singer Wizkid, released by RCA Records as the third official single from Brown's tenth studio album, Breezy, on June 17, 2022.
