Jeffrey Bruce Atkins Sr., better known by his stage name Ja Rule, is an American rapper. Born and raised in New York City, he signed with Murder Inc Records to release his debut album Venni Vetti Vecci (1999), which spawned his first single "Holla Holla." Until 2005, Ja Rule released numerous hit songs which peaked within the top 20 of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, including his number one hit "Always on Time", his guest appearances on Jennifer Lopez's "I'm Real " and "Ain't It Funny"—both of which topped the Hot 100—as well as "Between Me and You", "Mesmerize", and "Wonderful".
Ashanti is the debut studio album by American singer Ashanti, released on April 2, 2002, by Murder Inc. and Def Jam Recordings. It was recorded in New York City and Los Angeles between 2001 and 2002, during the period of time where Ashanti was writing for other artists. The album features guest vocals from Gotti, Ja Rule, and the late the Notorious B.I.G. Contributions to the album's production came from a wide range of producers, including Irv Gotti, 7 Aurelius, Chink Santana, Jared Thomas and Reggie Wright.
"One More Chance / Stay with Me (Remix)" is a song written and recorded by American rapper The Notorious B.I.G., featuring additional vocals sung by his wife Faith Evans and an uncredited appearance by Mary J. Blige. It was certified platinum by the RIAA on July 31, 1995 and sold 1.1 million copies.
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.
"Ain't It Funny (Murder Remix)" is a song by American singer Jennifer Lopez for her remix album J to tha L–O! The Remixes (2002). The song was marketed as a remix of "Ain't It Funny", but is actually an entirely different song with the same title. It features guest vocals from Ja Rule (Jeffrey Atkins) and Caddillac Tah (Tiheem Crocker). It was written by Lopez, Atkins, Tah, Cory Rooney, Irving Lorenzo, and Ashanti. Over a reworking of the beat to Craig Mack's "Flava in Ya Ear" (produced by Easy Mo Bee), Lopez sings about "dropping a boyfriend who keeps messing up".
William Paul Mitchell, better known by the stage name of Large Professor, is an American rapper and music producer. Based in New York City, he is known as a founding member of the underground hip hop group Main Source and as a mentor and frequent collaborator of Nas. About.com ranked Large Professor at No. 13 on its Top 25 Hip-Hop Producers list.
Collectables by Ashanti is a remix compilation album by American singer Ashanti. It was released by Murder Inc. and Def Jam on December 6, 2005. The album, which consists of six remixes of past singles and four new tracks, was the last Murder Inc. release to be distributed by Def Jam. Collectables by Ashanti had a parental advisory, but a "clean" version was also released.
"Rain on Me" is a song by R&B singer Ashanti, released in August 2003 as a single from her second album Chapter II. It contains a sample of "The Look of Love" by Isaac Hayes that was used on Snoop Dogg's song "G'z Up Hoes Down", a track that was removed from his debut album Doggystyle for sample clearance issues.
"Why You Wanna" is a song by American rapper T.I., released as the second official single from his fourth album King (2006). It samples a slowed down keyboard chord from Crystal Waters' "Gypsy Woman ". The chorus also interpolates rapper Q-Tip's vocals from "Got 'Til It's Gone" with Janet Jackson and "Find a Way" with his group A Tribe Called Quest.
"I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By" is a duet song by American rapper Method Man, featuring American singer-songwriter Mary J. Blige. The song is a remix of Method Man's "All I Need" which appears on his debut studio album, Tical (1994). The song, a hip hop soul record, was released as a single by Def Jam Recordings and PolyGram Records on April 25, 1995.
"Time 4 Sum Aksion" is the second single from Redman's highly acclaimed debut album, Whut? Thee Album. It features production from Erick Sermon and Redman that contains a sample from Lowell Fulson's "Tramp".
"Pac's Life" is a single written and performed by American rappers Tupac Shakur and T.I and R&B singer Ashanti, produced by L. T. Hutton for Shakur's posthumously released album of the same name. It is a hip hop and R&B song; the second Tupac verse was recycled from a song titled "This Life I Lead". T.I. said in an interview that working on the song was an honor, as he idolized him while growing up.
"Passin' Me By" is a song by American hip-hop group The Pharcyde, released in March 1993 through Delicious Vinyl Records. The song was the second single released from the group's 1992 debut album Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde. The song, produced by J-Swift, samples "Summer in the City" by Quincy Jones, "125th Street Congress" by Weather Report, and "Are You Experienced?" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience.
"Still Tippin" is a song by American rapper Mike Jones, released on November 12, 2004 as his debut and lead single from his album Who Is Mike Jones? (2005). Prior to this, it was also used as a single to promote Swisha House's compilation album, The Day Hell Broke Loose 2 (2003). The song features vocals from rappers Slim Thug and Paul Wall, the latter in his first single appearance.
"How High" is a song by American hip hop duo Method Man & Redman, released on August 15, 1995, as the duo's first single. It was originally featured on the soundtrack to the 1995 hip hop documentary film, The Show, and has since appeared on several compilation albums such as The Hip Hop Box and Def Jam's Greatest Hits, among several others. The song, produced by Erick Sermon, is the first official collaboration from longtime friends and East Coast rappers Method Man of Wu-Tang Clan and Redman of Def Squad, marking their debut as a duo. The song performed exceptionally well commercially, reaching number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. The single has since been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Delicious Vinyl is an American independent record label founded by Matt Dike and Michael Ross in 1987 and based in Los Angeles, California.
"Big Shit Poppin' (Do It)" (edited for radio as "Big Things Poppin' (Do It)") is a song by American hip hop recording artist T.I., released on May 29, 2007, as the lead single from his fifth album T.I. vs. T.I.P. (2007). The song was produced by Mannie Fresh. The song was listed as No. 66 on Rolling Stone's "The 100 Best Songs of 2007" list.
"Good Times" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Styles, of East Coast hip hop group the LOX. It was released as his solo debut single and served as the lead single from his debut album, A Gangster and a Gentleman (2002). The song, produced by Swizz Beatz and Saint Denson, samples "I Get High ", as performed by Freda Payne.
Back Like That is the second single by American rapper Ghostface Killah from his critically acclaimed fifth solo album Fishscale (2006). The song features R&B singer Ne-Yo and has become Ghostface's highest charting solo single on the Billboard Hot 100 and his generally second highest charting song after Kendrick Lamar's Purple Hearts where Ghostface is featured on. It contains a sample of "Baby Come Home" as performed by Willie Hutch as well an interpolation of "Song Cry" as performed by Jay-Z. A remix featuring Kanye West & Ne-Yo was produced and later included on Ghostface's sixth album More Fish. In 2009, Ghostface performed the song with Chrisette Michele at VH1's 6th Annual Hip Hop Honors ceremony.
"The I.N.C. Ride" is a song by American hip hop group Masta Ace Incorporated. It is the second single from Masta Ace's third overall second and with the group, their second studio album Sittin' on Chrome (1995). The song was produced by Luis Vega.
