Christopher George Latore Wallace, better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta rap, he is cited in various media lists as one of the greatest rappers of all time. Wallace became known for his distinctive laid-back lyrical delivery, offsetting the lyrics' often grim content. His music was often semi-autobiographical, telling of hardship and criminality, but also of debauchery and celebration.
Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. Regarded as one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generation by XXL, he has often been cited as one of the greatest rappers of all time. Wayne's career began in 1997, when he was signed by rapper Birdman, joining Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label. From then on, he was the flagship artist of Cash Money Records before ending his association with the company in June 2018.
Southern hip hop, also known as Southern rap, South Coast hip hop, or dirty south, is a blanket term for a regional genre of American hip hop music that emerged in the Southern United States, especially in Atlanta, New Orleans, Houston, Memphis, and Miami—five cities which constitute the "Southern Network" in rap music.
400 Degreez is the third studio album by American rapper Juvenile. The album was released on November 3, 1998, on Universal Records and Bryan "Baby" Williams' Cash Money Records. It remains Juvenile's best-selling album of his solo career. The album was certified 4× platinum by the RIAA on December 19, 2000.
Nathaniel Thomas Wilson, better known by his stage name Kool G Rap, is an American rapper. He began his career in the mid-1980s as one half of the group Kool G Rap & DJ Polo and as a member of the Juice Crew. He is widely considered to be one of the most influential and skilled MCs of all time, and a pioneer of mafioso rap/street/hardcore content and multisyllabic rhyming. On his album The Giancana Story, he stated that the "G" in his name stands for "Giancana", but on other occasions he has stated that it stands for "Genius".
Antonio Hardy, better known by his stage name Big Daddy Kane, is an American rapper, producer and actor who began his career in 1986 as a member of the Juice Crew. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential and skilled MCs in hip hop. Rolling Stone ranked his song "Ain't No Half-Steppin'" number 25 on its list of The 50 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time, calling him "a master wordsmith of rap's late-golden age and a huge influence on a generation of MCs".
Cash Money Records is an American record label founded in 1991 by brothers Ronald "Slim" Williams and Bryan "Birdman" Williams. In the early years, Cash Money Records released albums of Juvenile, B.G., and Hot Boys. Distributed by Republic Records, the label has been home to a roster of mostly hip hop artists, including Lil Wayne, Drake, and Nicki Minaj. The company is regarded as one of the most successful record labels of the 2000s–2010s.
Hard Core is the debut studio album by American rapper Lil' Kim, released on November 12, 1996, by Undeas Recordings, Big Beat Records, and Atlantic Records. After achieving success with the hip hop group Junior M.A.F.I.A. and their album Conspiracy (1995), Kim began working on her solo album with the Notorious B.I.G. serving as the executive producer. She collaborated with a number of producers, such as Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs, Stevie J., David "Ski" Willis and Jermaine Dupri, among others. Other rappers, including Jay-Z, Lil' Cease and Puff Daddy were featured on the album.
Big Tymers was an American musical duo active from 1997 to 2005 and again in 2018 from New Orleans, Louisiana consisting of Cash Money Records co-founder Baby and former Cash Money in-house producer Mannie Fresh. Baby later changed his stage name to Birdman after the duo dissolved in 2005. Big Tymers released their debut album in 1997 titled How You Luv That.
Bryan Christopher Williams, better known by his stage name Birdman, is an American rapper and record executive. He is the co-founder and public face of Cash Money Records which he founded with his older brother Ronald "Slim" Williams in 1992. Birdman released his debut album in 2002, and has gone on to release four solo studio albums in total. Aside from his solo career, he is also a member of the hip-hop duo Big Tymers, along with producer Mannie Fresh.
The Hot Boys are an American hip hop group formed in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1997. The group is made up of B.G., Lil Wayne, Juvenile and Turk.
500 Degreez is the third studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne. It was released on July 23, 2002, by Cash Money Records and Universal Records. The album's title was inspired by the album 400 Degreez (1998), by fellow rapper and label-mate Juvenile.
Get It How U Live!! is the debut album by New Orleans hip-hop group the Hot Boys, released on October 28, 1997, on Ca$h Money. The album sold over 400,000 copies, primarily in New Orleans following B.G.'s success. It peaked at No. 37 on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart in 1997. All tracks featured on the album were produced by Mannie Fresh.
Chopper City in the Ghetto is the fourth studio album by American rapper B.G. released April 20, 1999, on Cash Money Records and Universal. It spawned the top 40 hit "Bling Bling". The album contains production by Mannie Fresh and appearances by Baby, Big Tymers, Lil Wayne and Juvenile.
"Ha" is a 1998 single by rapper Juvenile, from his third album 400 Degreez. It was produced by Mannie Fresh. This song, along with Juvenile's "Back That Azz Up" and B.G.'s "Bling Bling" was responsible for taking Cash Money Records from a small local label in New Orleans to the pop mainstream. The song is notable for its unique style of rapping, with every line except the chorus ending with "ha". The chorus to the song interpolates a line taken from the earlier Juvenile single "Solja Rags".
Big Money Heavyweight is the fifth and final studio album by hip hop duo Big Tymers. It was released on December 9, 2003, through Cash Money Records and was mainly produced by Mannie Fresh, with other production handled by R. Kelly, Jazze Pha and Leslie Brathwaite. The album debuted at number 21 on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 116,000 copies in the US and was certified Gold by the RIAA.
How You Luv That is the debut album by New Orleans hip hop duo, Big Tymers, released in 1997 on Cash Money Records. The album sold over 100,000 copies without the benefit of major radio or video airplay.
This article summarizes the events, album releases and album release dates in hip hop music for the year 2010.
Tha Block Is Hot is the debut major label studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne. It was released on November 2, 1999, by Universal Records and Bryan "Baby" Williams' Cash Money Records. Recording sessions took place at Cash Money Studios in Metairie, Louisiana with the executive production from Bryan "Baby" Williams and Ronald "Slim" Williams, all of these tracks were produced by Mannie Fresh himself. Prior to release, the album was known by the title I Ride At Night.
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.
