De La Soul is an American hip hop group formed in 1988 in the village of Amityville on Long Island, New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres. Kelvin "Posdnuos" Mercer, David "Trugoy the Dove" Jolicoeur, and Vincent "Maseo" Mason formed the group in high school and caught the attention of producer Prince Paul with a demo tape of the song "Plug Tunin'".
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below is the fifth studio album by American hip hop duo Outkast, released on September 23, 2003 by Arista Records. Issued as a double album, its length of over two hours is spread across solo albums from both of the group's members. Big Boi's Speakerboxxx is a Southern hip hop album with a P-Funk influence, while André 3000's The Love Below features psychedelic, pop, funk, electro, and jazz styles.
The Score is the second and final studio album by the hip hop trio Fugees, released worldwide on February 13, 1996, on Columbia Records. The album features a wide range of samples and instrumentation, with many aspects of alternative hip hop that would come to dominate the hip-hop music scene in the mid- to late-1990s. Primarily, The Score's production was handled by the Fugees themselves, Jerry Duplessis and Warren Riker, with additional production from Salaam Remi, John Forté, Diamond D, and Shawn King. The album's guest verses are from Outsidaz members Rah Digga, Young Zee, and Pacewon, as well as John Forté, and Diamond D. Most versions of the album feature four bonus tracks, including three remixes of "Fu-Gee-La", and a short acoustic Wyclef Jean solo track entitled "Mista Mista".
Late Registration is the second studio album by American rapper and producer Kanye West. It was released on August 30, 2005, through Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records. West recorded the album over the course of a year during sessions held at studios in Hollywood and New York City, in collaboration with Jon Brion. The album features guest appearances from Adam Levine, Jamie Foxx, Common, Brandy, Jay-Z, and Nas, among others.
"Lose Control" is a song by American rapper Missy Elliott featuring singer Ciara and rapper Fatman Scoop. It was released as the lead single from Elliott's sixth studio album, The Cookbook, on May 23, 2005. It contains samples from Hot Streak's "Body Work" and Cybotron's "Clear". The song peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, number two in New Zealand, and in the top thirty in various countries.
"Slow Jamz" is a song by American rapper Twista featuring fellow American musicians Jamie Foxx and Kanye West. Produced by the latter, it was released in November 2003 through Atlantic and Roc-A-Fella Records, as the lead single from Twista's fourth studio album Kamikaze (2004), and the second single from West's debut studio album The College Dropout (2004). The song was written by Twista and West, with additional writing credits going to Burt Bacharach and Hal David for the sampling of Luther Vandross' cover of Dionne Warwick's 1964 song "A House Is Not A Home". Containing genres of hip hop, pop rap, R&B, and soul, the song's lyrics reference slow jam artists and describes the role of lovermen.
"Fiesta (Remix)" is a song by singer R. Kelly featuring rappers Jay-Z & Boo & Gotti. The hit song spent five weeks at number-one on the US R&B chart and peaked at number six on the US pop chart. R. Kelly and Jay-Z have worked several times together. In 2002, they released the album "The Best of Both Worlds" which sold 285,000 copies in its first week. The single is ranked by Billboard as the best selling and most played R&B/Hip Hop song of 2001.
Stone Love is the third studio album by American singer Angie Stone. It was released by J Records on July 6, 2004, in the United States. Originally conceived as a collaborative but introspective album which Stone planned to call Diary of a Soul Sister and was expected to feature female singers such as Gladys Knight and Chaka Khan, the album features a wide range of collaborators, including Warryn Campbell, Andreao Heard, Jazze Pha, and Missy Elliott. Duo Floetry, singers Betty Wright, Anthony Hamilton, and Snoop Dogg, as well as Stone's daughter Diamond and her former fiancée, rapper T.H.C., appear on Stone Love.
"Good Life" is a song by American rapper Kanye West from his third studio album, Graduation (2007). Featuring singer T-Pain, the song includes background vocals from John Legend and Ne-Yo. West and Toomp handled the production, with additional production from Mike Dean. T-Pain thought of the concept when dining out with West, while he also recorded numerous hooks that the rapper used for his feature. On October 2, 2007, the song was released to US rhythmic contemporary radio stations by Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam as the album's third single. A pop number, it samples Michael Jackson's "P.Y.T. " and features synths. Lyrically, the song sees West celebrating his success and being determined to succeed, and T-Pain also reflecting on his success.
Falling & Flying is the second studio album by Australian hip hop artist 360. The album was released on 30 September 2011 on Soulmate Records.
Aquarius is the debut studio album by American singer Tinashe, released on October 3, 2014, by RCA Records. In 2011, after the disbandment of the girl group The Stunners, Tinashe announced that she would begin pursuing a solo career. The following year she released her debut mixtape In Case We Die. After raising her profile with the mixtape, Tinashe met with RCA Records where she subsequently signed a recording contract. Following her signing a record deal, Tinashe immediately began working on the album. During the recording process for the debut album, she released two other mixtapes, Reverie (2012) and Black Water (2013).
To Pimp a Butterfly is the third studio album by American rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was released on March 15, 2015, by Top Dawg Entertainment, Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. The album was recorded in studios throughout the United States, with production from Sounwave, Terrace Martin, Taz "Tisa" Arnold, Thundercat, Rahki, LoveDragon, Flying Lotus, Pharrell Williams, Boi-1da, Knxwledge, and several other high-profile hip hop producers, as well as executive production from Dr. Dre and Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith. Guest appearances include Thundercat, George Clinton, Bilal, Anna Wise, Snoop Dogg, James Fauntleroy, Ronald Isley, and Rapsody.
"Father Stretch My Hands" are songs by American rapper Kanye West from his seventh studio album, The Life of Pablo (2016). They are split into two parts on the album: "Father Stretch My Hands, Pt. 1" and "Pt. 2". "Pt. 1" contains vocals by American rapper Kid Cudi and American R&B singer Kelly Price, while "Pt. 2" includes vocals from American rapper Desiigner and American musician Caroline Shaw. Prior to release, the latter was played by West for Desiigner when the two met.
Remi was an Australian hip hop duo consisting of rapper Remi Kolawole and producer Justin "Sensible J" Smith. Originally a trio, which included producer-engineer Daniel "Dutch" Siwes, the group released four full-length albums as well as two mix-tapes and four extended plays (EPs). Remi's 2014 release Raw x Infinity garnered critical acclaim, winning the Australian Music Prize, while its third album Divas & Demons (2016)—Remi's first as a duo—was nominated for the 2017 ARIA Award for Best Urban Album. The act's final album, Fried, coincided with the dissolution of Remi.
Sampa Tembo, known professionally as Sampa the Great, is a Zambian singer, rapper and songwriter. Between 2014 and 2020, she was based in Australia. Her debut solo album, The Return, peaked at No. 12 on the ARIA Albums Chart. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2019 she won Best Hip Hop Release for her second single, "Final Form". In the following year she won the same category for The Return, as well as Best Female Artist and Best Independent Release. In March 2020 Sampa became the first artist to win the Australian Music Prize twice: for Birds and the Bee9 and The Return. The artist was based back in Zambia from late 2020, where she issued her second studio album, As Above, So Below.
When I Get Home is the fourth studio album by American singer and songwriter Solange, released on March 1, 2019. It is the follow-up to her 2016 album A Seat at the Table and explores Solange's hometown of Houston, Texas.
"Final Form" is a song by Zambian singer/songwriter Sampa the Great. The song was released on 5 June 2019 as the second single from Sampa the Great's debut studio album, The Return. The song samples The Sylvers' 1973 funk track "Stay Away from Me" and Blood, Sweat & Tears’ “Spinning Wheel”.
"Better Days" is a song by Indigenous Australian musicians Baker Boy, Dallas Woods, and Zambian-born Australian rapper Sampa the Great. It was released on 23 September 2020.
As Above, So Below is the second studio album by Zambian singer-songwriter and rapper Sampa the Great, released on 9 September 2022 through Loma Vista Recordings. The album was recorded in Zambia after Sampa the Great relocated there from Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic, and was announced in June 2022 alongside the release of the second single. As Above, So Below peaked at number 12 on the ARIA Charts.
"Energy" is a song by American singer Beyoncé featuring Jamaican rapper Beam. It is the fifth track on the former's seventh studio album Renaissance (2022), which was released on July 29, 2022, through Parkwood and Columbia. The song serves as an interlude between "Cuff It" and "Break My Soul".
