Shad Gregory Moss, better known by his stage name Bow Wow, is an American rapper and actor. His career began upon being discovered by rapper Snoop Dogg in 1993 at the age of six; five years later, he signed with record producer Jermaine Dupri's So So Def Recordings, an imprint of Columbia Records. As Lil' Bow Wow, he released his debut studio album, Beware of Dog (2000) at age 13, and his second album, Doggy Bag (2001) the following year. Both met with critical and commercial success, the albums peaked at numbers ten and 11 on the Billboard 200, respectively.
John David Jackson, better known by his stage name Fabolous, is an American rapper. Raised in Brooklyn, he first gained recognition for his ability upon performing live on DJ Clue's Hot 97 radio show. Jackson then signed to Clue's record label, Desert Storm Records in a joint venture with Elektra Records. He first gained mainstream prominence for his debut studio album Ghetto Fabolous (2001), which spawned the hit singles "Can't Deny It" and "Young'n ." His second album, Street Dreams (2003) was further commercially oriented and supported by the singles "Can't Let You Go" and "Into You" —both of which peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100.
Crunk is a subgenre of southern hip hop that emerged in the early 1990s and gained mainstream success during the early to mid 2000s. Crunk is often up-tempo and one of Southern hip hop's more nightclub-oriented subgenres. Distinguishing itself with other Southern hip hop subgenres, crunk is marked and characterized by its energetic accelerated musical tempo, club appeal, recurrent chants frequently executed in a call and response manner, multilayered synths, its pronounced reliance on resounding 808 basslines, and rudimentary musical arrangement. An archetypal crunk track frequently uses a dominant groove composed of a nuanced utilization of intricately multilayered keyboard synthesizers organized in a recurring pattern, seamlessly shifting from a lower to a higher pitch that encompasses the song's primary central rhythm, both in terms of its harmonic and melodic aspects. The main groove is then wrapped up with looped, stripped-down, and crisp 808 dance claps and manipulated snare rolls coupled and accompanied by a bassline of thumping 808 kick drums. The term "crunk" was also used throughout the 2000s as a blanket term to denote any style of Southern hip hop, a side effect of the genre's breakthrough to the mainstream. The word derives from its African-American Vernacular English past-participle form, "crunk", of the verb "to crank". It refers to being excited or high on drugs.
Lavell William Crump, better known by his stage name David Banner, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor.
Webster Gradney Jr. who performs under the mononym Webbie, is an American rapper from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He's been signed to the independent Trill Entertainment label since 2003. In 2005 he came into the hip hop scene with "Gimme That" featuring Bun B. His songs "Bad Bitch" and "Swerve" were featured on Gangsta Musik, his 2003 group album with Lil Boosie, and in the 2005 movie Hustle & Flow. Webbie's second album, Savage Life 2, was released in early 2008 with the hit single "Independent" featuring Lil Boosie and Lil Phat.
Torence Ivy Hatch Jr., better known by his stage name Boosie BadAzz or simply Boosie, is an American rapper. Hatch began rapping in the 1990s as a member of the Southern hip hop collective Concentration Camp, eventually pursuing a solo career in 2000 with the release of his debut album Youngest of da Camp. After leaving the label the following year, he signed with Pimp C's Trill Entertainment to release his second studio album, For My Thugz (2002). One of the most prominent figures of Southern hip hop, Hatch has gone on to release thirteen solo studio albums, as well as seven collaborative albums and 44 mixtapes.
D'Juan Montrel Hart, better known by his stage name Young Dro, is an American rapper. After gaining recognition with his regional hit song "Yes Sir", from his 2002 independent album I Got That Dro, Young Dro aligned himself with fellow Atlanta-based rapper T.I. and signed to his label, Grand Hustle, in 2004. Young Dro's debut Best Thang Smokin', was released in August 2006, under Grand Hustle and Atlantic Records. The album was preceded by his debut single "Shoulder Lean", which served as the album's lead single and proved to be a hit in the urban community and Billboard charts. After amassing an abundance of mixtapes, Young Dro released his second album High Times, 7 years later on October 15, 2013, under Grand Hustle, Atlantic and E1. It spawned the single "FDB", his highest charting single since "Shoulder Lean".
Algernod Lanier Washington, better known by his stage name Plies, is an American rapper. Born in Fort Myers, Florida, Plies was a wide receiver on the Miami Redskins football team of Miami University in Ohio for two years in 1995 before embarking on a musical career. After a brief transfer to University of Central Florida, he dropped out and signed with South Florida-based record label Slip-n-Slide Records in 2004; after four mixtapes, he signed a joint venture with Atlantic Records two years later.
"We Takin' Over" is the first single from DJ Khaled's second album, We the Best. Akon, T.I., Rick Ross, Fat Joe, Baby, and Lil Wayne are all featured on this hip hop track. Nate "Danja" Hills assisted the artists in writing the song and is also the producer.
"A Bay Bay" is the debut single by American rapper Hurricane Chris, released on April 10, 2007. The song was produced by Phunk Dawg. It peaked at number 7 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
51/50 Ratchet is the debut studio album by American rapper Hurricane Chris. It was released on October 23, 2007, by Collipark Music, Go Live Entertainment, Young Mogul Entertainment, Polo Grounds Music and J Records. The album debuted at number 24 on the Billboard 200, with first week-sales of 26,000 copies in the United States.
"The Hand Clap" is the second single by American rapper Hurricane Chris from his debut studio album, 51/50 Ratchet (2007). The song features guest vocals from Big Poppa of Ratchet City, and it is produced by Phunk Dawg.
Antoine Franklin McColister, known professionally Ace Hood, is an American rapper. Born in Port St. Lucie and raised in Deerfield Beach, Florida, he was discovered by disc jockey DJ Khaled and became the first act to sign with his record label, We the Best Music Group in 2008. Released in a joint venture with Def Jam Recordings, his debut studio album, Gutta (2008) was met with mild critical and commercial reception, but yielded his first Billboard Hot 100 entry, "Ride".
"Out Here Grindin" is the first single from DJ Khaled's third studio album, We Global. The track features American hip hop artists Akon, Rick Ross, Young Jeezy, Lil Boosie, Trick Daddy, Ace Hood and Plies. It was produced by The Runners and co-produced by Akon, with the hook written by T-Pain.
"Halle Berry (She's Fine)" is the lead single by American rapper Hurricane Chris for his second studio album, Unleashed, The hip hop song features a guest appearance from Louisiana rapper Superstarr (also known as SVPA). The song was co-produced by the latter, alongside Play-N-Skillz and Q Smith. The song originally belonged to Superstarr, who was signed to Play-N-Skillz, of whom sold the song to Hurricane Chris.
The discography of Hurricane Chris, an American rapper, consists of two studio albums, one independent album, nine mixtapes, six music videos, and ten singles.
Dijon Isaiah McFarlane, known professionally as Mustard, is an American record producer and DJ. A frequent producer for California-based artists YG and Ty Dolla Sign, he has produced a bulk of singles and albums for both rappers, as well as other prominent acts in hip hop and R&B. He first saw recognition for his work on Tyga's 2011 single "Rack City".
The discography of Boosie Badazz, an American rapper, consists of 13 studio albums, 7 collaboration albums, 44 mixtapes, 3 compilation albums, 1 extended play, 26 singles, and 33 music videos.
Durk Derrick Banks, known professionally as Lil Durk, is an American rapper 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.
Dominique Armani Jones, known professionally as Lil Baby, is an American rapper from Atlanta, Georgia. He rose to prominence following the release of his 2017 mixtapes Harder than Hard and Too Hard, the former of which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100 entry with its lead single, "My Dawg." He signed with Quality Control Music, an imprint of Motown and Capitol Records to release his debut studio album Harder Than Ever (2018), which peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and was supported by the Billboard Hot 100-top ten single "Yes Indeed". He released two additional retail projects that same year: The collaborative mixtape Drip Harder with fellow Georgia-based rapper Gunna—which saw continued success with its singles "Drip Too Hard" and "Close Friends"—and his commercial mixtape Street Gossip, which peaked at number two on the Billboard 200.
