Jeffrey Bruce Atkins Sr., better known by his stage name Ja Rule, is an American rapper, singer, and actor. Born and raised in New York City, Ja Rule became known for blending gangsta rap with pop and R&B sensibilities. He signed with Irv Gotti's Murder Inc Records, an imprint of Def Jam Recordings to release his debut studio album Venni Vetti Vecci (1999), which spawned his first hit single, "Holla Holla". In 2001, he peaked the Billboard Hot 100 on three occasions with his single "Always on Time" and his guest appearances on Jennifer Lopez's songs "I'm Real " and "Ain't It Funny".
Obie Trice III is an American rapper. He signed with fellow Detroit rapper Eminem's Shady Records, an imprint of Interscope Records in 2000 to release his first two albums, Cheers (2003) and Second Round's on Me (2006). Both peaked within the top ten of the Billboard 200, while the former was supported by the singles "Got Some Teeth" and the Dr. Dre-produced "The Set Up ". Upon leaving the label, Trice formed his own record label, Black Market Entertainment to release his following albums, Bottoms Up (2012), The Hangover (2015) and The Fifth (2019).
D12 was an American hip hop collective from Detroit, Michigan. Formed in 1996, the group achieved mainstream success with its lineup of de facto leader Eminem, Proof, Bizarre, Mr. Porter, Kuniva and Swifty McVay.
D12 World is the final studio album by American hip-hop group D12, released on April 27, 2004. The album sold 544,000 copies in its first week on the U.S. Billboard 200. The album is also the last D12 release to feature Proof before his death in 2006, and the second D12 album to feature Bugz on a track.
Encore is the fifth studio album by American rapper Eminem, released on November 12, 2004, through Aftermath Entertainment, Shady Records, and Interscope Records. As reflected in its title and cover art, the album was originally set to be Eminem's final studio album. Its lyrical themes include Eminem's criticism of the 43rd U.S. president, George W. Bush, parodies of Michael Jackson and Christopher Reeve, and Eminem's feud with Benzino and Ja Rule. Overall, the album features more comedic themes and lyrics than his previous albums.
Raymond Scott, better known by his stage name Benzino or Ray Benzino, is an American urban media proprietor, television personality, rapper and record producer. Benzino produced records and co-owned The Source magazine.
Shady Records is an American record label founded by rapper Eminem and his manager Paul Rosenberg in 1999, following the commercially successful release of The Slim Shady LP that same year. The label's name comes from the last name of Eminem's alter ego, Slim Shady.
Cheers is the debut studio album by American rapper Obie Trice. It was released on September 23, 2003 by Shady Records and Interscope Records. Eminem served as the executive producer for this album. This album serves as his first release from Shady Records since being signed in 2000. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA.
Stanley Bernard Benton, better known by his stage name Stat Quo, is an American rapper and record producer. Benton worked his way to college and attended University of Florida, where he majored in economics and international business in 2000. He was contemplating law school, until veteran Southern rapper Scarface encouraged him to rap professionally. In February 2003, Stat Quo released his first installment of the Underground Atlanta Mixtapes and caught the attention of Aftermath Entertainment associate Mel-Man. When Stat Quo was in L.A. performing at Encore, Mel-Man invited him to Record One Studios where he met Dr. Dre. That night at Record One, Stat Quo recorded the song "The Future" with Dr. Dre and released it on the second volume of his Underground Atlanta mixtape in 2004. The tape made its way by a different route to Eminem and led to Stat Quo's record deal with Shady Records and Aftermath Entertainment. Stat Quo is currently managing Young Aspect, and formerly managed Lil Xan.
"Mockingbird" is a song by American rapper Eminem from his fifth studio album Encore (2004). It was released as the fifth single from the album on April 25, 2005, through Aftermath Entertainment, Shady Records, and Interscope Records. The song was later included on Eminem's greatest hits compilation album Curtain Call: The Hits (2005). It was written and produced by Eminem himself and Luis Resto. The song is dedicated to Eminem’s two daughters, Hailie Jade and Alaina Marie, who were 9 and 11 years old at the time.
"Like Toy Soldiers" is a song by American rapper Eminem, from his fifth album Encore (2004). The song received positive reviews from music critics, and peaked at number 34 on the Billboard Hot 100. Outside of the United States, "Like Toy Soldiers" topped the charts in the United Kingdom, and peaked within the top ten of the charts in 12 countries, including Australia, Denmark, Germany, and New Zealand. The song samples the 1989 song "Toy Soldiers" by Martika. It is the fourth single from the album. The song also appears on the Curtain Call: The Hits compilation released in 2005.
Luis Edgardo Resto is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and keyboardist who has worked closely with rapper Eminem since his third major-label album The Eminem Show. He is of Puerto Rican descent and was raised in Garden City, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit.
Marshall Bruce Mathers III, known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip-hop in Middle America and is regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time. His success is considered to have broken racial barriers to the acceptance of white rappers in popular music. While much of his transgressive work during the late 1990s and early 2000s made him a controversial figure, he came to be a representation of popular angst of the American underclass and has been cited as influencing many musical artists. His most successful songs on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 include "The Real Slim Shady", "Without Me", "Lose Yourself", "Not Afraid", "Love the Way You Lie", "The Monster", "Godzilla", and "Houdini".
Beef II is a 2004 American documentary film and the sequel to the 2003 documentary Beef, which continued to document the history of rivalries in hip-hop and rap music. Like its prequel, the film was executive produced by Quincy Jones III (QD3), written by Peter Alton and Peter Spirer, and was this time narrated by actor Keith David.
"Hail Mary" is a song by American rapper Tupac Shakur from his fifth studio album, The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory (1996). It was released after his September 1996 murder under the Makaveli stage name as the album's third single. Hail Mary features rap verses by Kastro, Young Noble and Yaki Kadafi of the Outlawz rap group and vocals from reggae musician Prince Ital Joe. A music video was shot for the song and can be found on the DualDisc of The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory.
Redemption is the second solo studio album by American rapper and record producer Benzino. It was released January 14, 2003 via Elektra Records and ZNO Records. Production was primarily handled by Benzino's production team Hangmen 3, as well as Mario Winans, Gary "Gizzo" Smith, L.E.S., L.T. Hutton, Paul "Little Bo Peezy" Hemphill, Sean "Inferno" Dunnigan, That Nigga Moel, Tone Capone and Trackmasters. It features guest appearances from Mario Winans, Mass Murderer Mike, Black Child, Caddillac Tah, Daz Dillinger, Hussein Fatal, Jadakiss, Jewell, Kid Javi, Lil' Kim, LisaRaye, Petey Pablo, Scarface and Wyclef Jean.
Melatonin Magik is the ninth studio album by American rapper Canibus. The album contains guest appearances by Professor Griff of Public Enemy who provides introductory or hype vocals on numerous songs. The album also features production from a collective of producers such as Sicknature and ENG, as well as performance appearances by fellow rap artists such as DZK and Warbucks of Warlab Records, Blaq Poet, K-Solo, and D12, among others.
Colson Baker, known professionally as Machine Gun Kelly, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor.
Lyrical Law is the eleventh studio album by American rapper Canibus, released on June 24, 2011 over iTunes. Physical copies were shipped independently from his website, CanibusCatalogue.com, starting July 5, 2011. Buyers of the album had a choice of the LP in a sleeve, jewel case CD, or as a Deluxe LP package. The Deluxe Package included an autographed CD in jewel case and two bonus discs. The first bonus disc features artists from Spitboss on completely new material or remixes of Melatonin Magik. The third and final disc is titled Lyrical Warfare and it was recorded in 1993 by The Harolds of Extreme Metaphors (T.H.E.M.) with Webb between Atlanta and Washington, DC. The album songs include feats with Chino XL, K-Solo, K Rino, Killah Priest, Helltah Skeltah, Born Sun and Royce da 5'9"
"Rap Devil" is a diss track performed by American rapper Machine Gun Kelly. The song is aimed at American rapper Eminem. The song was produced by Ronny J and Nils. It was released on September 3, 2018, by Bad Boy Records and Interscope Records, as a single from the rapper's second extended play Binge. The song's title is a play on Eminem's "Rap God", and is his response to Eminem's song "Not Alike". It peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the United States. It also peaked at number 1 on the US iTunes Chart.
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