Lonnie Rashid Lynn,known by his stage name Common,is an American rapper and actor. He debuted in 1992 with the album Can I Borrow a Dollar?, and gained critical acclaim with his 1994 album Resurrection. He maintained an underground following into the late 1990s. He achieved mainstream success through his work with the Soulquarians.
Company Flow was an American hip hop trio from Brooklyn,New York City,consisting of Bigg Jus,El-P and Mr. Len.
Tony Cottrell,better known as Hi-Tek,is an American rapper and record producer from Cincinnati,Ohio. He is best known for his work with Talib Kweli. His father is singer Willie Cottrell of the Willie Cottrell Band,whom Hi-Tek featured on his second album,Hi-Teknology 2.
Reflection Eternal is an American hip hop duo composed of emcee Talib Kweli and producer Hi-Tek. They released their first album,Train of Thought,in 2000. They have since released a mixtape,The RE:Union,in late December 2009,and their second album Revolutions Per Minute was released May 18,2010.
DJ Jazzy Jeff &the Fresh Prince were an American hip hop duo from West Philadelphia,Pennsylvania,consisting of rapper Will Smith and disc jockey Jeff Townes. Active full time from 1986 to 1994 and occasionally thereafter,they scored a string of lighthearted,inoffensive,and humorous hit singles.
"Deep Cover",also known as "187",is the debut solo single by American rapper Dr. Dre and his first track released after the breakup of N.W.A. The track was recorded for the soundtrack of the film Deep Cover. The song features fellow American rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg in his first appearance on a record release.
"Georgia" is a single by Southern hip hop duo Field Mob and Atlanta-based rapper Ludacris featuring R&B singer Jamie Foxx,with production by DJ Vudu Spellz. It first appeared on Ludacris Presents:Disturbing tha Peace,a compilation album released by Ludacris' own Disturbing tha Peace record label,showcasing the company's new talent as of 2006. The track was reprised on the Field Mob album Light Poles and Pine Trees released later the same year.
Black Star is an American hip hop duo formed in 1997,from Brooklyn,New York City. The duo is composed of rappers Yasiin Bey and Talib Kweli. The duo is named after The Black Star Line,a shipping company founded by Marcus Garvey. Their critically-acclaimed debut album Mos Def &Talib Kweli Are Black Star was released on September 29,1998. After decades of only releasing singles and appearing on compilations,Black Star released their sophomore studio album No Fear of Time May 3,2022 on the podcasting platform Luminary.
Supastition is an American underground hip hop artist from Greenville,North Carolina. He has also recorded under the name of Kam Moye and Blackmel. He has appeared on songs with the likes of KRS-One,The RZA,Ras Kass,Tech N9ne,Little Brother,Croup,The Soulution,S1 (producer),M-Phazes,Tajai of Souls of Mischief,B-Real of Cypress Hill,Royce da 5'9",Elzhi,and countless others.
"The Corner" is the second single released by rapper Common on his sixth album,Be. It features a chorus and production by Kanye West as well as spoken word lyrics by The Last Poets. The song's lyrics deal with street corners in poor neighborhoods. The song's beat contains samples from "You Make the Sun Shine" by The Temprees and "What It Is" by The Temptations. Because of the song's gritty sound,some fans considered it to be a return to Common's Resurrection days. A music video directed by Kanye West was made for "The Corner."
"The Light" is the Grammy-nominated second single from Common's 2000 album Like Water for Chocolate. It was produced by Jay Dee and features keyboards performed by James Poyser. It samples "Open Your Eyes" as performed by Bobby Caldwell and the drums from "You're Gettin' a Little Too Smart" by The Detroit Emeralds. Framed as a love letter,it is a confession of Common's love for a woman –specifically,his girlfriend at the time,Erykah Badu. Cynthia Fuchs of PopMatters describes it as a "charming,tender,and undeniably soulful declaration of affection and respect." The music video features Common,Erykah Badu and "recognizable sensual delights" including "a homemade Minnie Riperton cassette,a mango,a pink lava lamp [and] a deeply green water-beaded leaf."
The Giancana Story is the third solo album by American rapper Kool G Rap,released by Koch Records on November 26,2002. Its producers included Bink,Buckwild,Jaz-O,Knobody,Rockwilder and V.I.C.,while AZ,Capone-N-Noreaga,Havoc,Joell Ortiz and Prodigy were amongst the guest vocalists.
"The Bitch in Yoo" is a single and diss song released by rapper Common in 1996. The song first appeared on the Relativity Records compilation Relativity Urban Assault and later on Roc Raida's Crossfaderz. It was also performed live alongside De La Soul on their album Live at Tramps,NYC,1996. The b-side of "The Bitch in Yoo" is "The Real Weight",a solo track by No I.D.
"Respiration" is a song by American rappers Mos Def and Talib Kweli,collectively known as Black Star. It was released as the second single from the duo’s eponymously titled 1998 album. It features a guest verse from fellow American rapper Common and guitar playing by DeChown Jenkins. The song’s production was handled by Hi-Tek,who sampled "The Fox" as performed by Don Randi. In addition,the song's introduction samples a monologue from the hip hop documentary Style Wars. It is found on Best of Decade I:1995-2005,a compilation of Rawkus Records' best songs. It can also be found on Howie B's compilation album Another Late Night:Howie B. The single reached #54 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
The discography of Yasiin Bey / Mos Def,an American rapper,consists of four solo albums,two compilation albums,and several singles. Mos Def began his hip hop career in 1994 in the underground rap group UTD alongside his sibling group members DCQ and Ces,after which he pursued a solo career. In 1998,he made his mainstream debut on Rawkus Records in the duo Black Star with rapper Talib Kweli. "Definition",the lead single from Black Star's self-titled debut album,reached No. 60 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 3 on the Hot Rap Singles chart.
"Rule" is the first single from American rapper Nas' 2001 album Stillmatic. It features a chorus sung by Amerie and production provided by Poke and Tone of Trackmasters Entertainment. The song is known for both sampling and interpolating "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears.
"Ryde or Die,Bitch",,is the lead single released from The LOX's second album,We Are the Streets. The song was produced by Timbaland and featured him and Eve. It was the most successful single from the album,peaking at 73 on the Billboard Hot 100,27 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and 22 on the Hot Rap Singles.
"Shut 'Em Down" is a song by American hip hop group Onyx. It was released on February 3,1998,by Def Jam and JMJ Records as the second single from Onyx's third album,Shut 'Em Down. The song featured labelmate DMX.
Troy Donald Jamerson,better known by his stage name Pharoahe Monch,is an American rapper from South Jamaica,Queens,New York. He is known for his complex lyrics,intricate delivery,and internal and multisyllabic rhyme schemes.
Talib Kweli Greene is an American rapper from New York. He earned recognition early on through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def in 1997,when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's musical career continued with solo success including collaborations with producers and rappers Kanye West,Just Blaze,and Pharrell Williams. His most recent album is titled Gotham,released in 2020. In 2011,Kweli founded his own record label,Javotti Media.
