Carlton Douglas Ridenhour, known professionally as Chuck D or Da Sneed, is an American rapper, author, and producer. As the leader of the rap group Public Enemy, which he co-founded in 1985 with Flavor Flav, Chuck D helped create politically and socially conscious hip hop music in the mid-1980s. The Source ranked him at No. 12 on their list of the Top 50 Hip-Hop Lyricists of All Time.
Daniel Alan Maman, professionally known as The Alchemist, is an American musician, record producer, DJ, rapper and songwriter. He began his music career in 1991 in the hip hop duo The Whooliganz under the moniker Mudfoot, along with now-actor Scott Caan. After rising to prominence in the late 1990s, as a close associate of Dilated Peoples and Mobb Deep, he went on to produce for many of hip hop's leading artists in the 2000s, and has been hailed as one of the genre's leading producers. He produces for many artists, most of his recent production is for a close group of frequent collaborative rappers. He focuses on producing entire albums for rappers and instrumental projects of his own. He is currently Eminem's official DJ.
The Hrsmn is an American hip hop supergroup consisting of the artists Canibus, Ras Kass, Killah Priest, and Kurupt. They have released one album entitled The Horsemen Project (2003). The name of the group is in reference to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, who appear in the Book of Revelation from the Bible. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are traditionally named Pestilence, War, Famine, and Death. Throughout the Hrsmn songs, there are many references to each of the members representing one of these entities. They have each frequently appeared on each of the members solo albums, such as Canibus's 2000 B.C. and Killah Priest's Priesthood. Other affiliated members include Chino XL, and Pharoahe Monch (who acted as the hype man on the leaked "Im A Horseman " and rapped on "Horsemen" from Canibus's 2000 B.C. .
Slum Village is an American hip hop group from Detroit, Michigan.
Jason Powers, better known by his stage name eLZhi, is an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan. He is a former member of Slum Village and now records as a solo artist. In his youth, he made numerous visits to the Hip-Hop shop in Detroit, taking advantage of open-mic nights hosted by fellow Detroit rapper Proof. These sessions gave him the opportunity to be surrounded by Detroit's most talented MCs such as Obie Trice, Magestik Legend, Finale, Invincible, Phat Kat, Guilty Simpson, Royce da 5'9", One Be Lo, J Dilla and Baatin.
John Austin IV, better known by his stage name Ras Kass, is an American rapper. He returned as a member of the hip hop supergroup The HRSMN along with Canibus, Killah Priest, and Kurupt in 2014. Ras is a member of the group Golden State Warriors with Xzibit and Saafir. Editors of About.com ranked him No. 30 on their list of the Top 50 MCs of Our Time (1987–2007). Pitchfork Media called him "one of the best rappers of all time."
The Preface is the debut album of rapper eLZhi, released 12 August 2008 on Fat Beats Records. It features many other Detroit's MCs including Royce Da 5'9", Guilty Simpson, Black Milk, Fatt Father, Danny Brown and Phat Kat among others. The album has been critically acclaimed and considered by many professional reviewers as one of the best hip hop albums of 2008.
Santiago Leyva, known by his stage name Fashawn, is an American hip hop recording artist from Fresno, California. He first gained major attention after releasing his debut album Boy Meets World in 2009, which was produced entirely by Exile. The album received critical acclaim and landed him on the cover of XXL Magazine's Top 10 Freshmen issue in 2010. Since then, Fashawn has collaborated with other artists and producers such as Nas, J. Cole, Wiz Khalifa, Evidence, Murs, Aloe Blacc, Blu, The Alchemist, and 9th Wonder. In 2014, Fashawn performed the entrance theme to WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley's rematch against Manny Pacquiao.
Boy Meets World is the debut solo album by American rapper Fashawn, with all songs produced by Exile. It was released by the independent record label One Records on October 20, 2009.
Sol Alexander Rosenberg, better known as Sol or Solzilla, is an American hip hop artist. In 2012, he released his second studio album Yours Truly, which received critical acclaim and rose to number one on the iTunes U.S. Hip-Hop Albums Chart while also charting on Billboard's Heatseekers Chart. Sol has collaborated with other artists such as the Macklemore, Blue Scholars, Grynch, and The Physics.
Christopher Lee Schamber, better known by his stage name Savage Sun, is an American rapper and hip hop recording artist from Stockton, California.
Hip hop music in Washington, D.C. has been an important part of the culture of the area. The city's traditional style has been described as not quite the same as New York City hip hop nor Southern hip hop. Rather, it has been influenced by both regions to form its own unique style of music. The population of D.C. is not large enough to support as many distinct subgenres of rap as other metropolitan areas, and as a result, the sound and style of D.C. hip hop is very mixed.
Mass Appeal Records is an American independent record label founded in 2014. The label is the music division of the Mass Appeal Media Group. In May 2014, it was announced that American rapper Nas was launching an indie label with Mass Appeal with Peter Bittenbender of company Decon. The label's current roster includes artists such as: Nas, DJ Shadow, Mannie Fresh, Dave East, Fashawn, Black Milk, and Keyon Harrold.
The Ecology is the second studio album by American hip hop recording artist Fashawn. The album was released on February 24, 2015 by Nas' Mass Appeal Records. Nas serves as executive producer for the album, and guest features include Nas himself, Aloe Blacc, BJ the Chicago Kid, and Dom Kennedy. The album's production, similar to Fashawn's debut album Boy Meets World, is handled primarily by Exile, with additional contributions by DJ Khalil, The Alchemist, and more.
Journalist 103 is an American rapper. After starting his career as part of the hip hop crew Mountain Climbaz in 1997, he later joined the hip hop group The Left. He served as primary lyricist on the group's 2010 album Gas Mask, which Sputnik Music named as one of the Best Underground Hip-Hop Albums of 2010.
Mello Music Group (MMG) is an American independent record label based in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 2007, Mello Music has released hip hop compilations and albums by producers and emcees such as Oddisee, Apollo Brown, Mr. Lif, Ghostface Killah, Open Mike Eagle, L'Orange, Quelle Chris, Jean Grae, Kool Keith, Chris Orrick, Nottz, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Pete Rock, and Rapper Big Pooh. In 2012 MTV Hive described MMG as having a "dedication to intelligent, street-wise boom bap," although the label has released a number of purely instrumental albums as well. Forbes magazine called Mello Music Group the most successful indie-rap label of the decade in 2016.
The Diam Piece is the fifth studio album by American rapper Diamond D. The album was released on September 30, 2014, by Dymond Mine Records. The album features guest appearances from Pharoahe Monch, Talib Kweli, Elzhi, Skyzoo, Fat Joe, Chi Ali, Freddie Foxxx, Pete Rock, The Pharcyde, Scram Jones, Rapsody, Boog Brown, Stacy Epps, Black Rob, Kurupt, Tha Alkaholiks, Hi-Tek, A.G., Chino XL, The Alchemist, Evidence, Grand Daddy I.U., Kev Brown, Masta Ace, Guilty Simpson and Ras Kass.
You Disgust Me is the third studio album by the hip hop duo Gangrene, consists of rappers/producers The Alchemist and Oh No. This is the second project they released in 2015, the first being Welcome to Los Santos, a compilation album in the spirit of GTA V, a game that they have composed the music of alongside Woody Jackson and Tangerine Dream.
"Something to Believe In" is a song by American rapper Fashawn, with guest appearances by Nas and Aloe Blacc. It was released on February 19, 2015 as a single from Fashawn's second studio album The Ecology. The song is produced by DJ Khalil. It has received positive critical reception and is also featured on the soundtrack for the video games Madden NFL 16 and WWE 2K16.
Michael Sean Martinez, better known by his stage name Onry Ozzborn, is a rapper and producer from Farmington, New Mexico, who is currently based in Seattle, Washington. He is a founding member of alternative hip hop groups such as Grayskul, Dark Time Sunshine, and Oldominion, among others.
