7L & Esoteric (7LES) are an underground hip hop duo from Boston, Massachusetts, known for battle rhymes and boom bap production. 7L is the duo's DJ/producer and Esoteric is the MC. 7L & Esoteric are both prominent members of underground hip-hop collectives Army of the Pharaohs and Demigodz, as well as being 2/3 of Czarface along with Wu-Tang Clan member Inspectah Deck.
Babygrande Records is an American independent record label based in New York City, founded by Chuck Wilson. Babygrande is distributed by The Orchard and represented by the Creative Artists Agency in Hollywood.
Tsidi Ibrahim, known professionally as Jean Grae, is an American rapper from Manhattan, New York City. She rose in the underground hip hop scene in New York City and has built an international fanbase. Her unique music and lyrical style have earned her recognition as a favorite emcee by many rap artists such as Talib Kweli, Jay-Z, and Black Thought of the Roots.
Patrick Denard Douthit, better known as 9th Wonder, is a hip hop record producer, record executive, DJ, and rapper from North Carolina. He began his career as the main producer for the group Little Brother in Durham, North Carolina, and has also worked with Mary J. Blige, Jean Grae, Wale, Jay-Z, Murs, Drake, Buckshot, Chris Brown, Destiny's Child, J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Erykah Badu, Ludacris, Mac Miller, David Banner, Lecrae, Jill Scott, Big Boi, Rapsody, 2 Chainz, Nipsey Hussle, and Anderson .Paak. As of 2010, 9th Wonder raps under the name of 9thmatic. 9th Wonder has a smooth and soulful production style that builds on samples from artists such as Al Green and Curtis Mayfield.
This Week is the second studio album by rapper Jean Grae. It was released on September 21, 2004, via Babygrande Records.
Blacksmith is a music management company and a record label founded by Harlem born Corey Smyth and Talib Kweli of Black Star. Signees include Jean Grae, Strong Arm Steady and Idle Warship and Kweli has stated he hopes to sign Camp Lo and had expressed interest in Rakim. Talib Kweli announced that there will be a 'BlackSmith TV' where people will get information about the label. The label was originally distributed through Warner Bros. Records but split in December 2008. Talib did confirm to AllHipHop.com that Warner Bros. would still distribute Reflection Eternal & Talib Kweli projects but not any other Blacksmith acts. It's now believed that the label has distribution through Element 9/Fontana with Strong Arm Steady latest project and Idle Warship's upcoming debut album said to have distribution through them. As of 2012 the label is defunct and was disbanded after Kweli's manager decided to focus the Blacksmith brand elsewhere rather than the label. Blacksmith management is currently home to artists such as Chad Hugo, and Vince Staples, among others.
Attack of the Attacking Things is the debut album by American rapper Jean Grae. It was recorded at Da Crib of Hitz, H.A.H, and Project Heat Studios in New York City.
James Bostick, better known by his stage name Jus Allah, is an American rapper from Camden, New Jersey. He is best known for being a former member of Philadelphia-based hip hop groups Jedi Mind Tricks (JMT) and Army of the Pharaohs (AOTP).
Vincenzo Luvineri, better known as Vinnie Paz, is a Sicilian American rapper and producer behind the Philadelphia underground hip hop group Jedi Mind Tricks. He is also the frontman of the hip hop collective Army of the Pharaohs.
Lawless Element is an underground hip hop duo from Detroit, Michigan. The duo is composed of cousins Griot as emcee and Magnif as DJ, producer and emcee. The duo of Magnif and Griot became engulfed in hip hop culture at the ages of 6 and 9, and spent their teenage years honing their skills on the production boards and on the microphone. At the ages of 16 and 19, the duo released their first single, titled "Mic Check", in 2003 on Running Man Records. The next year, the duo hooked up with fellow Detroit native, producer J Dilla, to release the single "The Shining". In early 2005, LE worked with Dilla's Jaylib partner Madlib on the single "High", which landed them a deal with popular independent rap label Babygrande Records. Their debut album, Soundvision: In Stereo, was released in September 2005 to generally positive reviews. Soundvision featured production from Magnif, J Dilla and Madlib and guest appearances from Dilla, Melanie Rutherford, Phat Kat, Big Tone, P.Dot, SelfSays and Diverse. "Rules Pt. 2" was the album's lead single, and also became the duo's first music video. URB magazine gave the album 4 out of 5 stars and stated that it was "Heavily influenced by the golden age of De La Soul, Pete Rock and DJ Premier" and that it featured "12 top-shelf tracks" The album also earned the duo Featured Artist status on the Okayplayer website. Magnif has continued production work for a number of other underground acts, and released a mixtape titled SupaBeatMaker in late 2005. The duo has announced plans for their second album, tentatively titled Evil, scheduled for released in 2008 on Babygrande Records. Magnif is also planning the release of a full-length production and solo album.
The Holocaust is a collaborative studio album by American hip hop production duo Blue Sky Black Death and American rapper The Holocaust. It was released by Babygrande Records in 2006. Due to a fan petition to Babygrande Records, the album's instrumentals were released on June 24, 2008.
Blue Sky Black Death was a production duo based in the San Francisco Bay Area. It consisted of Ryan Maguire, better known by his stage name Kingston, and Ian Taggart, better known by his stage name Young God, or, later, Televangel. They are known principally for their hip hop and instrumental music, made with a mixture of live instrumentation and sampling. Their name is "a skydiving phrase alluding to beauty and death."
Razah's Ladder is a collaborative studio album by American hip hop production duo Blue Sky Black Death and American rapper Hell Razah. It was released by Babygrande Records in 2007.
Late Night Cinema is a studio album by American hip hop production duo Blue Sky Black Death. It was released by Babygrande Records in 2008.
Jeanius is the third studio album by American rapper Jean Grae. She worked on it with hip hop producer 9th Wonder and intended to release it in 2004, but the album leaked prematurely and spawned various pirated versions of the unfinished project. After Grae's record deal with the label, Jeanius was released on July 8, 2008, by Talib Kweli's Blacksmith Records.
Slow Burning Lights is a collaborative studio album by American hip hop production duo Blue Sky Black Death and singer Yes Alexander. It was released by Babygrande Records in 2008.
Oneirology is the fifth studio album by American hip hop group CunninLynguists, released in 2011. It peaked at number 34 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart, as well as number 69 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
Rip the Jacker is the fifth studio album by American hip hop recording artist Canibus. Produced by Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind of the group Jedi Mind Tricks, the album was released on July 22, 2003, through Babygrande Records.
Third Party is a collaborative studio album by American hip hop production duo Blue Sky Black Death and singer Alexander Chen. It was released by Fake Four Inc. in 2010.
Sharkey's Machine is the 2004 debut album of Washington, D.C. DJ and producer Sharkey. Ranging across a variety of styles, this hip hop work features vocalists including Cannibal Ox, Cherrywine, Jean Grae, Grand Puba of Brand Nubian, and The Pharcyde.
