Cypress Hill is an American hip hop group from South Gate, California, formed in 1988. They have sold over 20 million albums worldwide, and they have obtained multi-platinum and platinum certifications. The group has been critically acclaimed for their first five albums. They are considered to be among the main progenitors of West Coast hip hop and 1990s hip hop. All of the group members advocate for medical and recreational use of cannabis in the United States. In 2019, Cypress Hill became the first hip hop group to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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, eccentric 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'".
Erik Francis Schrody, known by his stage names Everlast and Whitey Ford, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter who was the frontman for hip hop group House of Pain. His breakthrough as a solo artist came in 1998 with his album Whitey Ford Sings the Blues, which blended rock and hip-hop and garnered him his first Grammy Award nomination for the song "What It's Like". The album peaked at number 9 on the Billboard 200 album chart, while the single peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. As of 2023, they remain his highest mainstream chart positions for an album and single respectively.
Joseph Anthony Hernandez, professionally known as Tony Touch, is an American hip hop break dancer, rapper, record producer and DJ of Puerto Rican descent.
Lawrence Muggerud professionally known by his stage name DJ Muggs, is an American DJ, audio engineer and record producer. He has been a member of Cypress Hill, a member of the trip hop band Cross My Heart Hope To Die and the leader of hip hop and art collective Soul Assassins.
Scott Andrew Caan is an American actor, director, photographer, writer, and former rapper. He received his breakthrough role in Ocean's Eleven as Turk Malloy, whom he played in the Ocean's trilogy, and starred as Detective Danny "Danno" Williams in the CBS television series Hawaii Five-0 (2010–2020), for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Caan had a recurring role as manager Scott Lavin in the HBO television series Entourage (2009–2011). In the 1990s, he was a rapper and was a part of hip hop group The Whooliganz with The Alchemist, under the pseudonym Mad Skillz.
Alan Daniel Maman, known professionally as The Alchemist, is an American record producer and DJ. Critically acclaimed for his sample-heavy production style, he is regarded as one of the most influential producers in modern hip hop and underground rap. His frequent collaborators include Eminem, Action Bronson, Freddie Gibbs, Conway the Machine, Westside Gunn, Boldy James, and Earl Sweatshirt.
Soul Assassins is a hardcore hip hop project of Cypress Hill member and producer DJ Muggs. Each album features a plethora of guest rappers and is primarily produced by Muggs; the second and third studio albums see contributions from other producers such as The Alchemist and DJ Khalil.
Showbiz and A.G. is an American hip hop duo from The Bronx borough of New York City, composed of record producer Rodney "Showbiz" Lemay and rapper Andre "A.G." Barnes. The duo formed soon after their debut on the song "Back to Back Rhyming" from Lord Finesse's Funky Technician album and joined the hip hop collective D.I.T.C. along with Lord Finesse, Diamond D, Fat Joe, O.C., Buckwild and Big L.
Michael Taylor Perretta, known professionally as Evidence, is an American rapper and record producer from Venice, Los Angeles, California. He is also a member of the group Dilated Peoples, as well as being one-half of Step Brothers with The Alchemist. Before creating music, Perretta was a graffiti artist.
"Hold You Down" is a song by American hip hop musician The Alchemist featuring fellow rappers Prodigy and Illa Ghee and musical duo Nina Sky. It was released on October 19, 2004 via Koch Records as the lead single from the Alchemist's debut studio album 1st Infantry. Recording sessions took place at The Lab in New York City. Production was handled by the Alchemist himself, who utilised a sample from Al Kooper's "Love Theme". The music video was directed by Estevan Oriol.
Screwball is an American underground hip hop quartet from New York City, composed of rappers Hostyle, KL, Blaq Poet and Solo. The group has released two studio albums, Y2K: The Album in 1999 and Loyalty in 2001, and a compilation album Screwed Up in 2004.
Johnson Barnes III, better known by his stage name Blu, is an American rapper and record producer from Los Angeles, California. He performs as one half of the duo Blu & Exile, which was formed in 2007 and whom released their debut studio album, Below the Heavens in July of that year. He is also the forefront member of the California-based collective, Dirty Science. He is recognized for his collaborative albums with record producers Mainframe, Ta'Raach, Bombay, Damu the Fudgemunk, Madlib, Nottz, and Union Analogtronics.
Lord Steppington is the debut studio album by California-based hip hop duo Step Brothers. The album was released on January 21, 2014 by Rhymesayers Entertainment. The record was produced entirely by Alchemist with one track produced by Evidence, and includes guest appearances from Action Bronson, Roc Marciano, Blu, Fashawn, Rakaa, Oh No, Styles P, Domo Genesis and The Whooliganz – Alchemist's old group which included actor Scott Caan.
Ariyan Arslani, professionally known as Action Bronson, is an American rapper, professional wrestler, chef, songwriter and television presenter. Born and raised in Queens, New York, he released his debut mixtape Bon Appetit ..... Bitch!!!!! in January 2011 and independently released his debut album, Dr. Lecter, in March 2011. In August 2012, Arslani signed his first major-label deal with Warner Bros. Records, but was later moved to the Atlantic Records-distributed label Vice Records.
Russian Roulette is the third solo studio album by American hip hop producer and recording artist The Alchemist. It was released on July 17, 2012, through Decon. Produced entirely by the Alchemist, it features guest appearances from Action Bronson, AG Da Coroner, Big Twins, Boldy James, Chuuwee, Danny Brown, Durag Dynasty, Evidence, Fashawn, Guilty Simpson, MidaZ, Meyhem Lauren, Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire, Roc Marciano, Schoolboy Q and Willie the Kid.
Mr. Wonderful is the second studio album by American hip-hop recording artist Action Bronson, released on March 23, 2015, by Vice Records and Atlantic Records. The album is Bronson's first for a major label, after signing to Atlantic and Vice, in August 2012. It was preceded by several mixtapes and EPs, including the Blue Chips series and Saaab Stories (2013).
Step Brothers are an American hip hop supergroup and record production team, formed in 2008, from Los Angeles. Named after the 2008 film of the same name, the duo is composed of The Alchemist and Evidence, who produce and rap, respectively. Although the two have had multiple collaborations prior to their official formation as a duo, the group's first credited song was "So Fresh" on Evidence's 2008 EP The Layover, with their official debut album, Lord Steppington, being released in 2014.
You Disgust Me is the third full-length studio album by American hip hop duo Gangrene. It was released on August 7, 2015, through Mass Appeal Records. Production was handled by members Oh No and Alchemist, as well as Party Supplies and Tommy Mas. It features guest appearances from Action Bronson, Chuck Strangers, Evidence, Fashawn, Havoc, Sean Price and Your Old Droog.
Unlearning Vol. 1 is the fourth solo studio album by American rapper and record producer Evidence. It was released on June 25, 2021, through Rhymesayers Entertainment. Recording sessions took place at ALC Laboratories in Los Angeles, Enzo's Garage Studios, Cores' Dreamroom, and Lucky's Lab. Production was handled by Evidence himself, as well as Sebb Bash, QThree a.k.a. EarDrum, Animoss, Daringer, Khrysis, Mr. Green, Nottz, V Don, and the Alchemist, who also served as one of the executive producers together with Slug and Brent Sayers. It features guest appearances from Boldy James, Conway the Machine, Fly Anakin, Murkage Dave and Navy Blue. The album debuted at number 77 on the Top Album Sales and number 46 on the Current Album Sales in the United States, and at number 12 on the Top 100 Album-Charts and number-one on the Top 20 HipHop-Charts in Germany.
