Eric Lynn Wright, known professionally as Eazy-E, was an American rapper who propelled West Coast rap and gangsta rap by leading the group N.W.A and its label, Ruthless Records. He is often referred to as the "Godfather of Gangsta Rap".
West Coast hip hop is a regional genre of hip hop music that encompasses any artists or music that originated in the West Coast region of the United States. West Coast hip hop began to dominate from a radio play and sales standpoint during the early to-mid 1990s with the birth of G-funk and the emergence of record labels such as Suge Knight and Dr. Dre's Death Row Records, Ice Cube's Lench Mob Records and the continued success of Eazy-E's Ruthless Records, and others.
Dead Prez, often stylized as dead prez, is an American hip hop duo composed of stic.man and M-1, formed in 1996 in New York City. They are known for their confrontational style, combined with lyrics focused on both militant social justice, self-determination, and Pan-Africanism. The duo maintains an ethical stance against corporate control over the media, especially hip hop record labels.
Christian hip hop is a subgenre of contemporary Christian music and hip hop music. It emerged from urban contemporary music and Christian media in the United States during the 1980s.
Michael Woodrow Jackson, known professionally as Oh No, is an American rapper and record producer who has released several albums on Stones Throw Records. He is half of the hip hop duo Gangrene along with The Alchemist. He is also half of the hip-hop duo The Professionals with his brother Madlib.
Ricardo Emmanuel Brown, better known by his stage name Kurupt, is an American rapper and record producer who aided gangsta rap's rise via 1990s verses helping set lasting trends. He is one half of the rap duo tha Dogg Pound, along with Daz. His first solo album arrived in 1998. After feuding, the duo reunited in 2005. Kurupt has been in rap supergroups such as the DPGC.
Khnum Muata Ibomu, better known by his stage name stic.man and more recently as stic, is an American rapper, activist and author known for his work as one half of the political hip hop duo dead prez with M-1.
Lorenzo Dechalus, known professionally as Lord Jamar is an American rapper, DJ, record producer, actor and podcaster. He is a founding member of the hip hop group Brand Nubian, which was formed in 1989. In 1996, he discovered Dead Prez and got them signed to Loud Records.
Political hip hop is a subgenre of hip hop music that was developed in the 1980s as a way of turning hip hop into a call for political and/or social action and a form of social activism. Inspired by 1970s political preachers such as The Last Poets and musician Gil Scott-Heron, Public Enemy was the first predominantly political hip-hop group. The genre has helped to create a new form of social expression for subordinate groups to speak about their exclusions, injustices and lack of power. Political hip-hop is the use of hip hop music to send political messages to inspire action or social change or to convince the listener of a particular worldview. There is no all-encompassing political hip-hop ideology; rather, there are multiple perspectives that range anywhere from anarchism to Marxism to the values of the Five-Percent Nation.
This article lists examples of the ongoing influence on popular culture of the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
U-N-I are a hip hop duo from Inglewood, Los Angeles, consisting of Y-O and Thurzday.
Johnny Reed McKinzie Jr., better known by his stage name Jay Rock, is an American rapper from Watts, California. Rock signed to indie label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), in 2005. Under TDE, Rock secured a record deal in 2007 with Warner Bros. Records and later Asylum Records, but mergers fell through and Rock departed from the label shortly after. He then signed with fellow American rapper Tech N9ne's Strange Music, in a joint-venture deal with TDE. Apart from his solo career, Rock is also known for being a member of the hip hop supergroup Black Hippy, alongside fellow West Coast rappers and TDE label-mates Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q and Ab-Soul.
Outkast was an American hip hop duo formed in 1992 in East Point, Georgia, consisting of Atlanta-based rappers André "3000" Benjamin and Antwan "Big Boi" Patton. Outkast is often regarded as one of the greatest and most influential hip hop acts of all time. The duo achieved both critical acclaim and commercial success from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s, helping to popularize Southern hip hop with their intricate lyricism, memorable melodies and positive messages, while experimenting with diverse genres such as funk, psychedelia, jazz, and techno.
John W. Armour, better known by his stage name Johnny Polygon, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and music producer. Raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Polygon would meet American producer DJ Green Lantern in 2008, who offered him a record deal with his label imprint, Invasion Music Group. In 2009, Polygon released his first project under the label, an extended play (EP) titled Group Hug, which URB Magazine called "risky yet authentic." In 2010, Polygon followed his EP with Rebel Without Applause, his first official mixtape, which included the promotional single, "The Riot Song". The single went on to be featured on MTV, VH1 and Centric, as well as the HBO television series, How to Make it in America.
Dominic Ross Hunn, better known by his stage name Dom Kennedy, is an American rapper from Leimert Park, Los Angeles, California. Since 2008, Kennedy has released 5 independent mixtapes, most notably his 2010 critically acclaimed mixtape From the Westside with Love. His first commercial studio album From the Westside with Love II was released on iTunes June 28, 2011. Despite it being his iTunes debut, FTWSWL2 received "a top 10 spot on Hip Hop/Rap albums chart during its release week" and was Kennedy's first album associated with The OpM Company, Kennedy's self-established record label. His song "My Type of Party" was ranked by Complex at #43 in the magazine's Best 50 Songs of 2012 list.
This article summarizes the events, album releases, and album release dates in hip hop music for the year 2012.
Corey Isiah Christie, better known as Reks, is an American rapper. Reks emerged from Lawrence, Massachusetts' underground rap scene. His debut underground album, Along Came The Chosen, was released on Brick Records in 2001. Reks has released eight additional albums and has appeared on various albums and mixtapes.
Hard Knock TV is a multi-platform video production and entertainment company founded in 2005 by Nick Huff Barili. The LA-based media outlet reports on Hip-Hop and urban music, culture, sports and lifestyle news via in-depth video interviews and long-length editorial features.
Soren Baker is an American journalist who has spent his career covering hip-hop. Best known for his six years as one of the main editors of The Source, Baker has had more than 3,500 articles published in such publications as The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, XXL, The Source, HipHopDX and RedBullUSA.com.
Damani Nkosi is an American rapper. Nkosi has worked with well-known artists including Dr. Dre, Swizz Beatz, Snoop Dogg, Pusha T and Malice of Clipse.
