Life After Death is the second and final studio album by American rapper The Notorious B.I.G., released on March 25, 1997, on Bad Boy Records and Arista Records. A double album, it was released sixteen days after his murder. It features collaborations with guest artists such as 112, Jay-Z, Lil' Kim, Mase, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Too $hort, Angela Winbush, D.M.C. of Run-D.M.C., R. Kelly, The Lox, and Puff Daddy. Life After Death exhibits The Notorious B.I.G. further delving into the mafioso rap subgenre. The album is a sequel to his first album, Ready to Die, and picks up where the last song, "Suicidal Thoughts", ends.
Marcel Theo Hall, known professionally as Biz Markie, was an American rapper, DJ, and record producer. Markie was best known for his 1989 single "Just a Friend", which became a Top 40 hit in several countries. In 2008, "Just a Friend" made No. 100 on VH1's list of the 100 greatest hip hop songs of all time. Markie was sometimes referred to as the "Clown Prince of Hip Hop".
Harlem World is the debut album by American hip hop recording artist Mase, released on October 28, 1997, by Bad Boy Records and Arista Records. The album was nominated at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards for Best Rap Album. It went on to sell 4.8 million copies in the United States, going quadruple Platinum in the United States. Harlem World sold nearly 273,000 copies during its first week.
Grand Upright Music, Ltd v. Warner Bros. Records Inc., 780 F. Supp. 182, was a copyright case heard by the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Songwriter Gilbert O'Sullivan sued rapper Biz Markie after Markie sampled O'Sullivan's song "Alone Again (Naturally)". The court ruled that sampling without permission constitutes copyright infringement. The judgment changed the hip hop music industry, requiring that any future music sampling be approved by the original copyright owners.
Tha Doggfather is the second studio album by American rapper Snoop Dogg, known then as Snoop Doggy Dogg. It was released on November 12, 1996, by Death Row Records and Interscope Records. After the success of his debut album Doggystyle (1993), Snoop was charged with murder and in 1995, spent time preparing for the case that went to trial. On February 20, 1996, he was cleared of all charges and began working on his second album without Dr. Dre providing work as a record producer. This was Snoop's final album on Death Row until 2022, when he acquired the rights to the Death Row Records trademarks from MNRK Music Group, releasing BODR the same year. This would be his last album under the moniker Snoop Doggy Dogg. Recording sessions took place from February 1996 to October 1996, with Suge Knight as the executive producer on the album, alongside the additional production from several record producers such as DJ Pooh, Daz Dillinger, Soopafly and L.T. Hutton; as well as guest appearances from Charlie Wilson, Kurupt, Tray Dee and Warren G, among others.
No Way Out is the debut studio album by American rapper Puff Daddy. It was released on July 22, 1997 by Arista Records and Puff Daddy's Bad Boy Records. The album's crediting of "The Family" references the guest appearances from his label-mates and other artists, where Puff Daddy initially gained recognition through his public image and work as the founder of Bad Boy.
"Fuck Wit Dre Day ", or as a single titled "Dre Day", is a rap song by Los Angeles record producer and rapper Dr. Dre, featuring rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg, and released in May 1993 as the second single from Dre's debut solo album, The Chronic. "Dre Day" was a diss track targeting mainly Dre's former groupmate Eazy-E, who led their onetime rap group N.W.A and who, along with N.W.A's manager Jerry Heller, owned N.W.A's record label, Ruthless Records. In "Dre Day" and in its music video, which accuse Eazy of cheating N.W.A's artists, Dre and Snoop degrade and menace him. Also included are disses retorting earlier disses on songs by Miami rapper Luke Campbell, by New York rapper Tim Dog, and by onetime N.W.A. member Ice Cube, although Dre, while still an N.W.A member, had helped diss Cube first. After "Dre Day," a number of further diss records were exchanged.
Cold Chillin' Records was a record label that released music during the golden age of hip hop from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. A producer-and-crew label founded by manager Tyrone Williams and run by Len Fichtelberg, most of the label's releases were by members of the Juice Crew, a loosely knit group of artists centered on producer Marley Marl. In 1998, the label shut down, and the majority of its expansive catalog was bought by Massachusetts-based LandSpeed Records.
The Album is the only studio album by American hip hop group The Firm. It was released on October 21, 1997 by Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. The project was created by rapper Nas, his manager Steve Stoute and producers Dr. Dre and Trackmasters, who came up with the idea of forming a hip hop supergroup. The original line-up included Nas, AZ, Foxy Brown and Cormega who were all featured on the song "Affirmative Action" from Nas' album It Was Written (1996). However, Cormega later left the group due to artistic differences between him and Nas, as well as contract disagreements with Stoute. He was replaced by Nature prior to recording of the album. The Album is a concept album that revolves around the themes of mafia and "gangsta" lifestyle. The songs on the album were mainly produced by Dr. Dre, Chris "The Glove" Taylor and Trackmasters, and feature guest vocals from Pretty Boy, Wizard, Canibus, Dawn Robinson, Noreaga and Half-a-Mill.
Goin' Off is the debut studio album by American hip hop musician Biz Markie. The album was released by Cold Chillin' Records, and produced by Marley Marl. Big Daddy Kane wrote the lyrics of the album's first five songs. The album also showcased Biz's talent as a human beatbox on the song "Make the Music with Your Mouth, Biz", and his skill in the game of dozens on the track "Nobody Beats the Biz". One of his most widely known songs, "Vapors", was on the album.
"Vapors" is a song co-written and performed by American hip hop musician Biz Markie issued as the fifth single from his debut studio album Goin' Off. The song peaked at #80 on the Billboard R&B chart in 1988. The song features an unauthorized sample/interpolation from James Brown's 1974 smash "Papa Don't Take No Mess".
"No Vaseline" is a diss track by American rapper Ice Cube from his 1991 album Death Certificate. The song was written and produced by Ice Cube and Sir Jinx.
15 Years on Death Row is a double album compilation released in 2006 by CEO of Death Row Recordings, Suge Knight. The release features several notable Death Row artists such as Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, 2Pac, Nate Dogg, Daz Dillinger, and The Lady Of Rage. A music video DVD is included. The album includes "G'z Up, Hoes Down", a Track from Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle album that was removed for sample clearance issues.
I Need a Haircut is the third studio album by Biz Markie. It was released on August 27, 1991, on Cold Chillin'/Warner Bros. Records, and was produced by Biz Markie. The album was a minor success, making it to #113 on the Billboard 200 and #44 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.
"My Life" is the third single from The Game's third studio album, LAX which was released on July 22, 2008. The song, produced by Cool & Dre, features Lil Wayne.
"Ghetto Fabulous" is the lead single released from Ras Kass second album, Rasassination. Produced by Stu-B-Doo, the song featured a verse from Dr. Dre and a chorus by Mack 10. Though "Ghetto Fabulous" had a more commercial sound to it than his previous singles, it was not a commercial success, only making it to 56 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks. The video also features Ice-T.
Turn Off the Radio Vol. 4: Revolutionary but Gangsta Grillz is a 2010 mixtape by political hip-hop duo Dead Prez. It was released on June 22, 2010. It celebrates the 10th anniversary of "Let's Get Free", is the fourth of the "Turn Off the Radio" mixtape series and the first as a "Gangsta Grillz" which are released by DJ Drama.
"Imagine" is a song by American rapper Snoop Dogg, featuring guest vocals from rapper Dr. Dre and singer D'Angelo, taken from Snoop Dogg's eighth studio album Tha Blue Carpet Treatment (2006). The song was written by Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and Mark Batson, with production handled by Dr. Dre and Mark Batson.
Ready to Die is the debut studio album by American rapper The Notorious B.I.G., released on September 13, 1994, by Bad Boy Records and Arista Records. The album features productions by Bad Boy founder Sean "Puffy" Combs, Easy Mo Bee, Chucky Thompson, DJ Premier, and Lord Finesse, among others. It was recorded from 1993 to 1994 at The Hit Factory and D&D Studios in New York City. The partly autobiographical album tells the story of the rapper's experiences as a young criminal, and was the only studio album released during his lifetime, as he was murdered sixteen days before the release of his second album Life After Death in 1997.
Neva Left is the fifteenth studio album by American rapper Snoop Dogg. It was released on May 19, 2017, for digital download and July 7, 2017, for purchase on CD, by Doggystyle Records and Empire Distribution. Snoop Dogg also enlisted a variety of guest vocalists including Redman, Method Man, B-Real, KRS-One, and frequent collaborators Charlie Wilson and Wiz Khalifa, among others. Meanwhile, production was handled by Dr. Evo, DJ Battlecat, Musik MajorX, League Of Starz, and Rick Rock, among others.
