Christopher Brian Bridges, known professionally as Ludacris, is an American rapper, actor and record executive.
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.
Salt-N-Pepa is an American hip-hop group formed in New York City in 1985. Group members included Salt, Pepa, and DJ Spinderella. They were signed to Next Plateau Records and released their single "Push It" in 1987, which hit number one in three countries and became a top 10 or top 20 hit in various countries. Their debut album, Hot, Cool & Vicious, sold more than 1 million copies in the US, making them the first female rap act to achieve gold and platinum status. Their fourth album, Very Necessary, sold over 7 million copies worldwide, making it the highest-selling album by a female rap act in history at the time.
The Neptunes are an American production and songwriting duo composed of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1990. Williams often provides additional vocals on records and appears in the duo's music videos, while Hugo tends to stay behind the scenes.
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance is an honor presented to recording artists for quality rap performances. It was first presented at the 31st Annual Grammy Awards in 1989 and again at the 32nd Annual Grammy Awards in 1990, after which point the award was split into two categories: Best Rap Solo Performance and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. These two categories were combined again in 2012 as a result of a restructure of Grammy categories, and the reinstated Award for Best Rap Performance was presented at the 54th Grammy Awards in 2012. The restructuring was the consequence of the Recording Academy's wish to decrease the number of categories and awards and to eliminate distinctions between solo and duo or group performances.
The Grammy Award for Best Female Rap Solo Performance was an honor presented to female recording artists at the 45th Grammy Awards in 2003 and the 46th Grammy Awards in 2004 for quality rap solo performances. The Grammy Awards, an annual ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, are presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".
The Grammy Award for Best Male Rap Solo Performance was an honor presented to male recording artists at the 45th Grammy Awards in 2003 and the 46th Grammy Awards in 2004 for quality rap solo performances. The Grammy Awards, an annual ceremony that was established in 1958, and originally called the Gramophone Awards, are presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".
Clifford Joseph Harris Jr., better known by the stage names T.I. and Tip, is an American rapper, record executive, and actor. Harris, one of the highest selling hip-hop artists of all time, is also known as one of the pioneers of the hip hop subgenre trap music, along with fellow Atlanta-based rappers Jeezy and Gucci Mane. Harris signed his first major-label record deal in 1999 with Arista Records subsidiary LaFace. In 2001, he released his debut album and only project with the label, I'm Serious, as well as forming the southern hip hop group P$C. Upon being dropped from Arista, Harris signed to Atlantic and soon co-founded his own label imprint, Grand Hustle Records, which he launched in 2002.
"Hate It or Love It" is a single by American rapper and West Coast hip hop artist the Game, featuring vocals from his former G-Unit member 50 Cent. It was released as the third official single from the Game's debut studio album The Documentary (2005). The song features production from duo Cool & Dre, with additional production from Dr. Dre. The song features a music sample of "Rubber Band" by the Trammps from their album The Legendary Zing Album (1975). "Hate It or Love It" peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 for five consecutive weeks, becoming the Game's second top ten song on the chart as a lead artist and 50 Cent's eighth. It is the Game's highest-charting single on the Billboard Hot 100 to date. The song was kept from the number one position on the Billboard Hot 100 by 50 Cent's single, "Candy Shop",. "Hate It or Love It" reached the number one spot on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, making it yet again another top ten hit on the chart alongside "How We Do" which also featured 50 Cent. Outside of the United States, "Hate It or Love It" peaked within the top ten of the charts in multiple countries, including the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland, and the United Kingdom.
Faheem Rasheed Najm, better known by his stage name T-Pain, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Throughout his career as a singer, T-Pain popularized the creative use of the Auto-Tune pitch correction effect, used with extreme parameter settings to create distinctive vocal sounds. His success with the effect has influenced several other major artists to adopt it as well, namely Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Future and Travis Scott, among others. After signing with American singer Akon’s Konvict Muzik, T-Pain subsequently founded his own vanity label imprint, Nappy Boy Entertainment, established in 2005.
Hip Hop Is Dead is the eighth studio album by American rapper Nas, released December 19, 2006 on Def Jam Recordings. His first album for the label, it was co-financed by Nas's previous label, Columbia Records, which once distributed for Def Jam. The album's title was inspired by Nas's view of the music industry and the state of hip hop music at the time. The album features appearances from Nas’ then wife Kelis, Kanye West, Jay-Z, will.i.am, Snoop Dogg, The Game and Chrisette Michele, among others.
Algernod Lanier Washington, better known by his stage name Plies, is an American rapper. Born in Fort Myers, Florida, Washington was a wide receiver on the Miami Redskins football team of Miami University in Ohio in 1996 and 1997 before beginning his musical career. After dropping out of college, he was signed to Slip-n-Slide Records, he released four studio albums from 2007 until 2010. Plies debuted in 2007 with The Real Testament with successful singles "Shawty" and "Hypnotized". Plies also released two albums in 2008, Definition of Real and Da REAList, and later released Goon Affiliated in 2010.
The Trak Starz are an American hip hop record production duo from St. Louis, composed of Alonzo "Zo" Lee Jr. and Shamar "Sham" Daugherty.
"Put On" is a song by American recording artist Young Jeezy featuring Kanye West, from Jeezy's third studio album The Recession. The song was released as the album's lead single on June 3, 2008. The song received a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, and was featured in the video games Midnight Club: Los Angeles and Skate 3.
Theater of the Mind is the sixth studio album by American hip hop recording artist Ludacris. It was released in the US on November 25, 2008 and on other release dates throughout the world, through Disturbing tha Peace and Def Jam South. Ludacris calls the album "theatrical".
"Swagga Like Us" is a song by American hip hop recording artists Jay-Z, T.I., Kanye West, Lil Wayne, and British recording artist M.I.A. It was released on September 6, 2008, in the United States as the fifth single from T.I.'s album Paper Trail, and was also slated for inclusion on Jay-Z's eleventh album The Blueprint 3 (2009), although it ultimately did not make the final track listing. The song was produced by West and is constructed primarily around a vocal sample of "Paper Planes" by British musician M.I.A.
"My Chick Bad" is a song by American rapper Ludacris. The song features Trinidadian recording artist Nicki Minaj, who co-wrote the song with Ludacris, Samuel Lindley, and Derrelle Davidson. The track was produced by The Legendary Traxster. "My Chick Bad" serves as the second single from Ludacris' eighth album, Battle of the Sexes. An official remix to the song was also released, featuring female rappers Diamond, Eve, and Trina.
Quality Street Music is the fourth studio album by American hip hop disc jockey DJ Drama. It was released on October 2, 2012, by Entertainment One Music, Aphilliates Music Group, Embassy Entertainment and Powerhouse Productions. The album features guest appearances from Kendrick Lamar, Childish Gambino, T-Pain, Fabolous, Jeezy, Drake, Future, Nipsey Hussle, Wiz Khalifa, T.I., Ludacris, 2 Chainz, B.o.B., Kid Ink, Jeremih, Meek Mill, Waka Flocka Flame, Tyler, the Creator, among others.
Tauheed K. Epps, known professionally as 2 Chainz, is an American rapper. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, he initially gained recognition as one-half of the Southern hip hop duo Playaz Circle, alongside his longtime friend and fellow rapper Earl "Dolla Boy" Conyers. The duo was signed to fellow Georgia-based rapper Ludacris' Disturbing tha Peace label, and are best known for their debut single "Duffle Bag Boy".
Khaled Mohammed Khaled, known professionally as DJ Khaled, is an American DJ, record executive, and record producer.
