Kimberly Denise Jones, better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper and singer. She was born and raised in New York City and lived much of her adolescent life on the streets after being expelled from home. In her teens, she would freestyle rap, influenced by fellow female hip-hop artists like MC Lyte and the Lady of Rage. In 1994, she was discovered by fellow rapper The Notorious B.I.G., who invited her to join his group Junior M.A.F.I.A.; their debut album, Conspiracy, generated two top 20 singles in the United States and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
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.
Christopher Charles Lloyd, better known by his stage name Lloyd Banks, is an American rapper. He began his career as a member of East Coast hip hop group G-Unit, alongside childhood friends 50 Cent and Tony Yayo. After the group released their debut album Beg for Mercy (2003), Banks released his debut solo album, The Hunger for More in 2004. The album was met with positive reception, peaked atop the Billboard 200, and spawned the Billboard Hot 100- top ten single, "On Fire". He followed up with his second album Rotten Apple (2006), which saw mixed reviews and a commercial decline. Banks then left Interscope Records and signed with EMI in 2010—along with his G-Unit cohorts—to release his third album, H.F.M. 2 in November that year, which was met with improved critical reception and moderate commercial response.
Katrina Laverne Taylor, known professionally as Trina, is an American rapper. She rose to prominence in the late 1990s for her collaborations with Trick Daddy on the singles "Nann Nigga", "Shut Up", and "Take It to da House". In 2000, she released her debut album Da Baddest Bitch. Afterwards, she made an appearance on the remix of "One Minute Man" by Missy Elliott and Ludacris. In 2002, she released the Kanye West-produced single "B R Right" featuring Ludacris, from her sophomore album Diamond Princess (2002).
Khia Shamone Finch is an American rapper and record producer. She is best known for her highest-charting single, "My Neck, My Back ", as well as other notable street hits such as "Snatch the Cat Back", "Respect Me", "K-Wang", and "Next Caller".
G-Unit Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group. Founded in 2003 by rapper 50 Cent, the label was operated by Interscope Records until February 2014. Thereafter, distribution of G-Unit operated under Caroline Records and Capitol Music Group. The label had also launched the subsidiary label G-Note Records, which caters to R&B and pop. The label's flagship artist is its founder 50 Cent, as well as the label's namesake group of which was formed prior.
Joseph Anthony Budden II is an American media personality, broadcaster, cultural critic, and former rapper. He first gained recognition in the latter occupation with his 2003 single "Pump It Up", which peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 and preceded the release of his eponymous debut studio album (2003). Met with critical and commercial success, the album peaked within the top ten of the Billboard 200, although it served as his only major label release for Def Jam Recordings; he thereafter released seven albums independently to continued critical praise. While doing so, he performed as a member of the hip hop supergroup Slaughterhouse, which were signed to Eminem's Shady Records in 2012; the group released two studio albums.
Kanesha Nichole Brookes, better known by her stage name Brooke Valentine, is an American actress, model, singer, songwriter, and television personality. Her single "Girlfight" peaked on U.S. music charts in 2005, paving the way for her debut album Chain Letter released via Subliminal Entertainment imprint on Virgin Records and went on to sell more than 290,000 units worldwide. After a first attempt at a comeback, Brooke officially returned to the spotlight in 2012 with two singles "Forever" and the Adult R&B Top 40 hit "Don't Wanna Be In Love".
Shamele Mackie, known professionally as Papoose, is an American rapper. Well known for his freestyles and prolific mixtape output, Papoose has released four studio albums and 29 mixtapes since 1998.
Olivia is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Olivia. It was released on May 15, 2001, through J. As the first artist signed to the record label, Olivia was referred to as "the First Lady of J". Olivia is an R&B album with elements of hip hop, jazz, and pop. Its lyrics revolve around sexuality and romance. Critics noticed two distinct tones on the album, which Olivia identified as softer R&B alongside harder hip hop sounds. Guest vocals are provided by Petey Pablo and Jimmy Cozier. Olivia wrote six of the album's twelve tracks where she sings and raps.
The discography of G-Unit, an American hip hop group, consists of two studio albums, two extended plays (EP), one soundtrack album, 43 mixtapes and 10 singles. Music videos and collaborations are also included.
Jasiel Amon Robinson, better known by his stage name Yung Joc, is an American rapper from Atlanta, Georgia. He is best known for his 2006 single "It's Goin' Down", which peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100. Prior to its release, he signed with Puff Daddy's Bad Boy South, an imprint of Atlantic Records in a joint venture with Block Entertainment; following the song's success, he released his debut studio album, New Joc City (2006). The album and its sequel, Hustlenomics (2007) both peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 despite mixed critical reception. He is also known for his guest appearance on T-Pain's 2007 single "Buy U a Drank ", which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100.
Kimberly Michelle Pate is an American singer and television personality. She is best known for appearing as a regular cast member on the VH1 reality television series Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta during its first two seasons, later returning to the show during its fifth season. Michelle subsequently signed with Atlantic Records. Her debut studio album, Rebellious Soul, debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200, and number one on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. Her second studio album Anybody Wanna Buy a Heart? was released on December 9, 2014. The album debuted at number six in the US and spawned three singles "Love 'Em All", "Maybe I Should Call" and "Hard to Do". The album sold 87,000 copies in its first week in sales.
Teyon Isiah Winfree, better known by his stage name Vado, is an American rapper from New York. He formed the hip hop duo U.N. with hometown native Cam'ron in 2009, releasing two regionally acclaimed collaborative albums: Heat in Here Vol. 1 (2010) and Gunz n' Butta (2011), as well as the mixtape series, Boss of All Bosses. Vado then signed a solo recording contract with DJ Khaled's We the Best Music Group, an imprint of Cash Money and Republic Records in 2013 to release his debut commercial single, "My Bae" the following year. Although failing to chart, Vado made notable guest appearances on Khaled's studio albums We the Best Forever (2011), Suffering from Success (2013), and I Changed a Lot (2015); he continued releasing mixtapes for the New York audience until departing We the Best by 2020.
The discography of American rapper Wale consists of seven studio albums, three compilation albums, ten mixtapes, one extended play, sixty-five singles, two promotional singles and forty-one music videos. In 2005, Wale started his music career by releasing mixtapes in the Washington, D.C. area. His debut mixtape was titled Paint a Picture. Following that, Wale released his second mixtape in 2006, Hate Is the New Love. In the same year, Wale signed with a local record label in Studio 43. In 2007 Wale was discovered by Mark Ronson, and was signed by Allido Records, which released his third mixtape, 100 Miles & Running, featuring artist Daniel Merriweather.
"Bizounce" is the debut single recorded by American singer Olivia, from her self-titled debut studio album (2001). Producers Doug Allen and Joshua Thompson wrote the song in collaboration with Olivia and songwriters David L. Conley, Quincy Q. Patrick, and Juan Magic" Peters. It was released on March 20, 2001 as the lead single from the album. It is an upbeat, R&B track with lyrics that revolve around dissatisfaction with a relationship and the desire to "bizounce" or leave the partner. In her autobiography, Release Me: My Life, My Words, Olivia revealed her disappointment that "Bizounce" was chosen and released as the lead single because of interference by label executives.
Marlanna Evans, better known by her stage name Rapsody, is an American rapper. After signing with music producer 9th Wonder's music label It's a Wonderful World Music Group, she released a series of mixtapes and collaborated with Erykah Badu and Talib Kweli. Soon afterwards Rapsody released her debut album The Idea of Beautiful (2012). She would attain further prominence when she was featured on Kendrick Lamar's 2015 album To Pimp a Butterfly, on the track "Complexion ".
Nicholaus Joseph Williams, better known by his stage name Trinidad James, is a Trinidadian-American rapper and songwriter. In December 2012, he signed a recording contract with Def Jam Recordings and released his debut single, "All Gold Everything". The song reached number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100, received platinum certification by the RIAA, and spawned a remix featuring fellow Georgia-based rappers T.I., Jeezy and 2 Chainz. He was dropped from the label in 2014 after failing to promptly record a debut album.
Rebellious Soul is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter K. Michelle. The album was released on August 13, 2013, by Atlantic Records. Its songs were mostly co-written and co-composed by Michelle and Bianca Atterberry. Other artists who collaborated on the album include Tank, Priscilla Renea, Meek Mill, and Jack Splash. Musically, Rebellious Soul was inspired by Michelle's love for emotional ballads, and the 1970s and 1980s eras in music. She incorporated different combinations of musical genres, including electronic, R&B, hip hop, soul and gospel, for the album's songs.
Willie Junior Maxwell II, better known by his stage name Fetty Wap, is an American rapper and singer. He quickly rose to mainstream prominence in late 2014, after his song "Trap Queen" was re-released as his debut single for 300 Entertainment, an imprint of Atlantic Records. The song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, and was followed by the singles "679" and "My Way", each saw similar chart success throughout 2015. The trio of hits—along with his single "Again"—preceded the release of Fetty Wap's eponymous debut studio album (2015), which peaked atop the Billboard 200 chart. During this time, he became distinctive for his melodic blending of singing and rapping, lighthearted lyricism, "bouncy" production, and exclamation of various catchphrases such as "1738!"
