Robert Matthew Van Winkle, better known by his stage name Vanilla Ice, is an American rapper, actor, and television host. Born in South Dallas, and raised in Texas and South Florida, Ice released his debut album, Hooked, in 1989 on Ichiban Records, before signing a contract with SBK Records, a record label of the EMI Group, which released a reformatted version of the album in 1990 under the title To the Extreme, which contained Ice's best-known hits: "Ice Ice Baby" and a cover of "Play That Funky Music". "Ice Ice Baby" was the first hip hop single to top the Billboard charts.
"Rapper's Delight" is a 1979 hip hop track by the Sugarhill Gang and produced by Sylvia Robinson. While it was not the first single to include rapping, "Rapper's Delight" is credited for introducing hip hop music to a wide audience, reaching the top 40 in the United States, as well as the top three in the United Kingdom and number-one in Canada. It was a prototype for various types of rap music, incorporating themes such as boasting, dance, honesty and sex, with the charisma and enthusiasm of James Brown. The track interpolates Chic's "Good Times", resulting in Chic's Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards suing Sugar Hill Records for copyright infringement; a settlement was reached that gave the two songwriting credits. The track was recorded in a single take. There are five mixes of the song.
Go-go is a popular music subgenre associated with funk originating in the Washington, D.C., area during the mid-60s to late-70s which remains popular in the Washington metropolitan area as a uniquely regional music style. It became the official music of the city in 2020. Some early bands credited with having developed the style are the Young Senators, funk band Black Heat, and singer-guitarist Chuck Brown. Go-go is primarily a dance hall music with an emphasis on live audience call and response.
Marcel Theo Hall, better known by his stage name Biz Markie, is an American rapper, singer, DJ, record producer, actor, comedian, writer, television personality and spokesperson. He is best known for his 1989 single "Just a Friend", which became a top 40 hit in several countries. In 2008, "Just a Friend" made #100 on VH1's list of the 100 greatest hip hop songs of all time.
"Walk This Way" is a song by the American hard rock band Aerosmith. Written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, the song was originally released as the second single from the album Toys in the Attic (1975). It peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1977, part of a string of successful hit singles for the band in the 1970s. In addition to being one of the songs that helped break Aerosmith into the mainstream in the 1970s, it also helped revitalize their career in the 1980s when it was covered by hip hop group Run–D.M.C. on their 1986 album Raising Hell. This cover was a touchstone for the new musical subgenre of rap rock, or the melding of rock and hip hop. It became an international hit and won both groups a Soul Train Music Award for Best Rap Single in 1987 Soul Train Music Awards.
Rap rock is a fusion genre that fuses vocal and instrumental elements of hip hop with various forms of rock. Rap rock's most popular subgenres include rap metal and rapcore, which include heavy metal- and hardcore punk-oriented influences, respectively.
The Canadian hip hop scene was first established in the 1980s. Through a variety of factors, it developed much more slowly than Canada's popular rock music scene, and apart from a short-lived burst of mainstream popularity from 1989 to 1991, it remained largely an underground phenomenon until the early 2000s.
The Fat Boys are an American hip hop trio from Brooklyn, New York City, that emerged in the early 1980s. The group was briefly known originally as the Disco 3, originally composed of Mark "Prince Markie Dee" Morales, Damon "Kool Rock-Ski" Wimbley and Darren "Buff Love" Robinson, who died of a heart attack during a bout with respiratory flu in 1995.
"Ice Ice Baby" is a hip hop song written by American rapper Vanilla Ice, K. Kennedy, and DJ Earthquake. It was based on the bassline of "Under Pressure" by Queen and David Bowie, who did not receive songwriting credit or royalties until after it had become a hit. Released on his debut album, To the Extreme, it is his best known song. It has appeared in remixed form on Platinum Underground and Vanilla Ice Is Back! A live version appears on the album Extremely Live, while a nu metal version appears on the album Hard to Swallow, under the title "Too Cold".
The Demon Boyz were an English hip hop group formed in London by Demon D, Mike J and DJ Devastate. They began rapping whilst in their early teens, performing at the Rebel MC’s Beat Freak gigs. Their big break came when they won a competition on Dave Pearce’s rap show, their prize being to perform live on stage with Derek B, Faze One and T La Rock at a gig at Camden Palace. Derek B – aka Derek Boland, quasi-A&R man for Music of Life records – was so impressed with the group that he put them in touch with the company’s founder, Simon Harris.
Kareem Blake, better known by his stage name Choclair, is a Canadian rapper. He was one of the most successful Canadian rappers in Canada in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Choclair has been nominated for six Juno Awards, winning four.
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five was an American hip hop group formed in the South Bronx of New York City in 1978. The group's members were Grandmaster Flash, Melle Mel, The Kidd Creole, Keef Cowboy, Mr. Ness/Scorpio and Rahiem. The group's use of turntablism, breakbeat DJing, and conscious lyricism were significant in the early development of hip hop music.
Streetwise is a 1998 hood-action-crime thriller film written and directed by Bruce Brown in his directorial debut, and stars Tim Taylor, Kurt Matthews, Jerry Cummings, D.C. Scorpio and Sidney Burston. Streetwise also stars Taraji P. Henson making her acting debut in a featured film.
"Bust a Move" is a song by British-American rapper Young MC. It won the 1990 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance. It appeared on his album Stone Cold Rhymin' and was his biggest hit, reaching number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topping the charts in Australia. The song stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 for 39 weeks and 20 weeks in the top 40 alone.
Run-DMC was an American hip hop group from Hollis, Queens, New York, founded in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as one of the most influential acts in the history of hip hop culture and one of the most famous hip hop acts of the 1980s. Along with Beastie Boys, LL Cool J and Public Enemy, the group pioneered new school hip hop music. The group was among the first to highlight the importance of the MC and DJ relationship.
Go-Go Crankin' is a compilation album originally released in 1985. The compilation consist of ten original songs by prominent Washington, D.C.-based go-go bands of that time period. The music is heavily influenced by the popularity of go-go in the mid-80s in Washington, D.C. and throughout the Northeast. The album has been considered to be influential to the growing popularity of hip hop and go-go music in the 1980s.
Go Go Live at the Capital Centre was a concert performance by various prominent go-go bands and hip-hop artists based in the Washington metropolitan area. It was recorded live in October 1987 at the Capital Centre. The double–cassette was released by "I Hear Ya Records" on December 18, 1987, and the video recording was released on VHS-tape by "G Street Express" on the same day.
Lanard "D.C. Scorpio" Thompson is a Washington, D.C.-based hip-hop recording artist. He is best known for the singles "Stone Cold Hustler", "Beam Me Up, Scotty", and "Stone Cold Hustler II". D.C. Scorpio is considered to be a pioneer in the D.C. hip-hop scene, and is known for infusing go-go music and culture into his songs. He also starred in the 1998 independent film Streetwise.
"Beam Me Up, Scotty" is the second single released in 1988 by the Washington, D.C.-based hip-hop artist D.C. Scorpio. This single following his debut single Stone Cold Hustler. The song also appears on the 1988 compilation album The Go Go Posse.
