Bryan Christopher Williams, better known by his stage names Birdman or Baby, is an American rapper and record executive. He is the public face of the record label Cash Money Records, which he co-founded with his older brother Ronald "Slim" Williams in 1991. Birdman released his eponymous debut studio album in 2002, and released three follow up albums—Fast Money (2005), 5 * Stunna (2007), and Priceless (2009)—to moderate commercial success and mixed critical reception; in 2020, he announced the latter as his final. Along with his solo career, he is a member of the hip hop duo Big Tymers with producer Mannie Fresh, as well as the supergroup Cash Money Millionaires.
Joseph Guillermo Jones II, better known by his stage name Jim Jones, is an American rapper and record executive. He is a founding member of the hip hop collective the Diplomats, which he formed in 1997 with fellow Harlem native Cam'ron.
"Stuntin' Like My Daddy" is the first single from Birdman and Lil Wayne's album, Like Father, Like Son. It peaked at number twenty-one on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, won the 2007 BET Viewer's Choice Award, and was named the 94th best song of 2006 by Rolling Stone magazine.
DeAndre Cortez Way, known professionally as Soulja Boy, is an American rapper and record producer from Atlanta, Georgia. He rose to prominence after his self-released 2007 debut single, "Crank That " peaked the Billboard Hot 100 for seven non-consecutive weeks. After its commercial re-release by Collipark Music, an imprint of Interscope Records, the song and its follow-up, "Soulja Girl" led to the release of his debut studio album, Souljaboytellem.com (2007). Despite unfavorable critical reception, it peaked at number four on the Billboard 200 and spawned the single "Yahhh!."
A mixtape is a compilation of music, typically from multiple sources, recorded onto a medium. With origins in the 1980s, the term normally describes a homemade compilation of music onto a cassette tape, CD, or digital playlist. The songs are either ordered sequentially or made into a continuous programme by beatmatching the songs and creating seamless transitions at their beginnings and endings with fades or abrupt edits. Essayist Geoffrey O'Brien described this definition of the mixtape as "perhaps the most widely practiced American art form".
Bobby Ray Simmons Jr., known professionally as B.o.B, is an American rapper. Raised in Decatur, Georgia, Simmons signed with producer Jim Jonsin through his Rebel Rock Entertainment label in 2006. Two years later, he and Jonsin signed a joint venture recording contract with fellow Georgia rapper T.I.'s Grand Hustle Records, an imprint of Atlantic Records. Following his major-label deal, Simmons quickly achieved commercial success when his 2009 debut single, "Nothin' on You", peaked the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and received Grammy Award nominations for Record of the Year, Best Rap Song, and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 53rd Grammy Awards.
Rich Forever is the second mixtape by American rapper Rick Ross. It was released on January 6, 2012. It became one of the most downloaded hip hop mixtapes of all time. The mixtape spawned one commercial single, "Stay Schemin'" and features guest appearances from Diddy, 2 Chainz, Wale, John Legend, Nas, Kelly Rowland, Styles P, Birdman, Meek Mill, French Montana, Pharrell, Future, Stalley and Drake.
Keith Farrelle Cozart, better known by his stage name Chief Keef, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Born and raised in Chicago's South Side, he began his recording career as a teenager and first garnered regional attention and praise for his mixtapes in the early 2010s. His first local hit, "I Don't Like" was released in March 2012 and soon became his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100, spawning a remixed version from high-profile hometown native Kanye West.
Finally Rich is the debut studio album by American rapper Chief Keef. It was released on December 18, 2012 by Glory Boyz Entertainment and Interscope Records. The album features guest appearances from 50 Cent, Wiz Khalifa, Lil Reese, Rick Ross, Young Jeezy, Master P, French Montana, and Fat Trel, while production was mainly handled by Keef's longtime affiliate Young Chop.
Agápē is the second mixtape by American pop-R&B singer JoJo. It is of EP length, unlike the previous mixtape. The mixtape was announced in early November 2012. JoJo recorded material specifically intended for the mixtape as she did not want to keep her fans waiting for new music any longer. Released on her 22nd birthday on December 20, 2012, it marked the follow-up to her 2010 mixtape Can't Take That Away from Me, which spawned the single and video for "In the Dark". The mixtape's first single "We Get By" was released for free online on November 15, 2012 on JoJo's official SoundCloud with a limited number of downloads, with JoJo stating that "there's a limit on the download because we want you to download the entire mixtape once it's released". She recorded the song with a group of her friends known as The Backpackkids who all got together to create what they call "genre-less music".
Ritchie Acheampong, better known as Rich Kidd, is a Canadian hip hop recording artist, record producer and film/video director from Toronto, Ontario. He is a two-time nominee for the Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year as a solo artist, garnering nominations at the Juno Awards of 2013 for The Closers and at the Juno Awards of 2014 for In My Opinion. In 2013, he formed the project Naturally Born Strangers with collaborators Tona and Adam Bomb. That group's debut release, The Legends League Presents: Naturally Born Strangers, won the Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2015.
Dequantes Devontay Lamar, known professionally as Rich Homie Quan, is an American rapper. Beginning his career in 2011, Lamar rose to mainstream success with his 2013 single "Type of Way", which peaked at number 50 on the Billboard Hot 100. A 2015 follow up single, "Flex " reached further success at number 26 on the chart. In addition, Lamar was a member of the Cash Money Records spin-off project Rich Gang in 2014, which found success with their single "Lifestyle" in June of that year, preceding the mixtape Rich Gang: Tha Tour Pt. 1 (2014). Lamar's debut studio album, Rich as in Spirit was released in March 2018 and debuted at number 32 on the US Billboard 200.
Migos were an American hip hop group founded in Lawrenceville, Georgia, in 2008. The group was composed of rapper Quavo, his late nephew Takeoff, and their mutual friend Offset. Quavo is from Athens, Georgia, while Offset and Takeoff were born and raised in nearby Lawrenceville. As a group, they were managed by Coach K, the former manager of Gucci Mane and Jeezy, and frequently collaborated with producers DJ Durel, Murda Beatz, Zaytoven, and Buddah Bless. Recognized for their contribution to trap music in the 2010s, Billboard stated that the group "influenced pop culture and the entire English language by bringing their North Atlanta roots to the mainstream".
Boss Yo Life Up Gang is a compilation mixtape by American rapper Young Jeezy's record label CTE World. The mixtape was released for free on August 13, 2013, by CTE World. The mixtape featured guest appearances by Nipsey Hussle and Rich Homie Quan. The mixtape was supported by two singles; "My Nigga" by YG featuring Young Jeezy and Rich Homie Quan, and "Mob Life" by Doughboyz Cashout also featuring Jeezy.
Dimitri Leslie Roger, known professionally as Rich the Kid, is an American rapper. After a number of independent mixtapes, he signed with Interscope Records in 2017 to release his debut studio album, The World Is Yours (2018). The album, supported by the singles "New Freezer" and "Plug Walk", peaked at number two on the Billboard 200. His second and third studio albums, The World Is Yours 2 (2019) and Boss Man (2020) peaked at numbers four and 24 on the chart, respectively. He has also released the collaborative mixtapes Nobody Safe (2020) with YoungBoy Never Broke Again, and Trust Fund Babies (2021) with Lil Wayne. Furthermore, he founded the record label Rich Forever Music in 2016, and has signed rappers Famous Dex and Jay Critch.
Bang, Pt. 2 is a self-released mixtape by American hip hop recording artist Chief Keef. The mixtape is produced by a variety of producers including Zaytoven and Tarentino. It is hosted by DJ Holiday and comedian Michael Blackson. It was released on August 15, 2013 as a follow-up to his 2011 mixtape, Bang. Bang, Pt. 2 is itself a predecessor to the third mixtape in the Bang series, Bang 3. Although heavily panned upon release, it has been more positively looked upon in recent years.
Rodney Jerome Brown, Jr., known professionally as RJMrLA, is an American rapper from Los Angeles, California. He is known for his frequent collaborations with fellow West Coast artists YG and Mustard, and was signed to their labels: 4Hunnid and 10 Summers Records respectively. His most celebrated releases to date are his O.M.M.I.O. mixtape trilogy.
Durk Derrick Banks, known professionally as Lil Durk, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter from Chicago, Illinois. He first garnered a regional following with the release of his Signed to the Streets mixtape series (2013–2014), which led to his signing of a recording contract from Def Jam Recordings. The label released his debut studio album, Remember My Name (2015) and its follow up, Lil Durk 2X (2016) to moderate commercial reception before parting ways with the artist in 2018. Being involved in an upcoming artist like simjo.
Kentrell DeSean Gaulden, known professionally as YoungBoy Never Broke Again, is an American rapper. From 2015 to 2017, he released eight independent mixtapes and garnered a regional following for his work. He signed with Atlantic Records in the latter year to release the singles "Untouchable" and "No Smoke", both of which marked his first entries on the Billboard Hot 100. In January of the following year, his single "Outside Today" became his first to reach the top 40 of the chart, and received quadruple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It served as both his mainstream breakthrough and the lead single for his debut studio album Until Death Call My Name (2018), which peaked at number seven on the US Billboard 200 despite mixed critical reception.
Gleesh is a mixtape by American rapper Fat Trel. It was released on April 1, 2014, by Maybach Music Group and his own label, Slutty Boyz, and also released for digital download on LiveMixtapes. The mixtape features guest appearances from Maybach Music labelmates Rick Ross, Wale, Rockie Fresh, Stalley, and Tracy T, alongside other features including Rich Hil, P-Wild, and Boosa Da Shoota. It also features production from Young Chop, Harry Fraud, No Credit, Izze The Producer, and All Star, among others. And, the mixtape was supported by a sole single: "She Fell In Love".
