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Born in New York City, Tupac grew up primarily in Harlem. In 1984, his family moved to Baltimore, Maryland where he became good friends with Jada Pinkett Smith. His family moved again in 1988 to Oakland, California. His first breakthrough in music came in 1991 as a member of the group Digital Underground. In the same year he received individual recognition for his album "2Pacalypse Now," but this album was also the beginning of his notoriety as a leading figure of the gangster permutation of hip-hop, with references to cop killing and sexual violence. His solo movie career also began in this year with Juice (1992), and in 1992 he co-starred with Janet Jackson in Poetic Justice (1993).
However, law confrontations were soon to come: A 15-day jail term in 1994 for assault and battery and, in 1995, a conviction for sexual assault of a female fan. After serving 8 months pending an appeal, Shakur was released from jail.- Music Artist
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Nas, born Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones on September 14, 1973, is the son of Olu Dara, an unconventional jazz musician. At age nine he was a member of the Devastatin' Seven in the mid-1980s, the fruits of which can be heard on his 1994 debut, "Illmatic," which was released on Columbia/SME later that year. It attracted attention for its depiction of ghetto life and Nas' refusal to include the misogyny and violence evident in some hip-hop. Nas's first appearance on record was on Main Source's classic "Live at the Barbecue." However, his big break came when former 3rd Bass member 'MC Serch' included his verse in "Halftime" on the soundtrack of Zebrahead (1992), which led to a management deal with Serch's management company, Serchlight Productions. Nas's follow-up albums are "It Was Written," "I Am...," "Nastradamus," "Stillmatic," "From Illmatic to Stillmatic," "The Lost Tapes Vol. 1," and "God's Son."- Music Artist
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Christopher Wallace, a.k.a. Biggie Smalls, was born on May 21, 1972 in Brooklyn, New York. He was the son of Jamaican parents, Voletta Wallace, a pre-school teacher, and Selwyn George Latore, a welder and small-time politician. He was raised in the poor Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant. Dropping out of high school at the age of seventeen, Biggie became a crack dealer, which he proclaimed was his only source of income. Hustlin' one's way was a common life for a young Black man trying to make a living in the ghetto. His career choices involved certain risks. However, a trip to North Carolina for a routine drug exchange ended being the soon-to-be MC a nine-month stay behind bars. Once released, Biggie borrowed a friend's four-track tape recorder and laid down some hip-hop tracks in a basement. The tapes were then passed around and played at local radio station in New York.
Not extremely attractive, Wallace named himself Biggie, for his weight. Biggie was a Black man who was overweight, extremely dark skinned, and had a crook in his eye, yet he was a charmer. A young impresario and sometime producer by the name of Sean Combs heard Biggie's early tapes. Impressed, Puffy went to sign Biggie to his new label, Bad Boy Records.
Puffy and Biggie worked on the artist's first album, and the Notorious B.I.G. was born. Biggie was first heard on a remix of a Mary J. Blige song and a track on the Who's the Man? (1991) soundtrack. After these successes, the album worked on earlier went through its final touches and was released in 1994, titled "Ready to Die." The record was certified platinum quickly, and the Notorious B.I.G. was named MC of the Year at the 1995 Billboard Music Awards. After the quick success of the album, Biggie went back to get his friends, some who didn't even rhyme. He had several run-ins with the law, on charges that ranged from beatings, to drugs and to weapons, while all claimed that Biggie was a gentle person. He soon met a rapper from the west coast named Tupac Shakur, and the two became friends.
Tupac supported Biggie and was often giving him advice. However, their friendship turned into the most violent era of hip-hop music on November 30, 1994. While Biggie and Puffy were at a recording session at Quad Recording Studios in Manhattan, Tupac went there to record with another rapper for his third studio album, "Me Against The World" at the same time, but in the lobby, Tupac was held at gunpoint and robbed of $40,000 worth of jewelry. Tupac was shot five times. Biggie rushed down just in time to see Tupac being loaded into an ambulance. Extending a middle finger, Pac blamed Biggie for the shooting and said that Biggie knew about it and failed to warn him. This sparked the East Coast, West Coast rivalry. Tupac later recovered from his injuries. During this encounter, Biggie admitted that he was scared for his life. Biggie never responded to any of Tupac's disses. Tupac attacked Biggie in every way he could, even starting strong rumors that there was a love affair between Tupac and Biggie's wife, Faith Evans.
Later, The entire country became divided into two groups, the west side and the east side, which became Death Row Records versus Bad Boy Records, Marion 'Suge' Knight versus Puff Daddy, and Tupac versus Biggie. The two of them finally met again late in 1995, and Tupac secretly said to Biggie, "I'm just tryin' to sell some records." Unfortunately, it became very real when on September 7, 1996, Tupac was shot four times in a drive-by shooting off the Las Vegas strip after he left a fight he was involved in inside of the MGM Grand Hotel after a Mike Tyson boxing match. He died six days later on September 13, 1996 as a result of those gunshot wounds at the age of 25. The case is still unsolved. Biggie was scared for his life, but he wanted to put an end to the rivalry between the two coasts. Biggie went to the west coast for several events, to support for his next release album, "Life After Death," but also to make a statement that the rivalry was over. On March 7, 1997, he attended the Soul Train Music Awards and went to the after party hosted by Vibe magazine and Qwest Records on March 8. On March 9, Biggie was sitting in an SUV on the street when he was shot multiple times by an unknown assailant. He died almost instantly. Hip-Hop faced its greatest tragedy when both Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. were killed. Biggie was only 24 years old.- Actor
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Universally referenced as one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time, Rakim first exploded onto the New York scene in 1986 with the iconic "Eric B. is President" single and album "Paid In Full." With its unprecedented lyricism and complex rhyme patterns, the release, alongside a carefully curated mixture of conscious spirituality, street wise braggadocio, and trend setting fashion and visuals, marked a turning point in hip-hop culture--raising the bar for future emcees and revolutionizing the globally expanding art form. Over the course of four albums with long time collaborator Eric B, three solo albums and countless singles and features, Long Island's microphone fiend has continued to garner accolades from his peers and his public with his intellectual content, uncanny innovation, and the impenetrable aura of the God MC.- Music Artist
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Eminem was born Marshall Bruce Mathers III in St. Joseph, Missouri, to Deborah R. (Nelson) and Marshall Bruce Mathers, Jr., who were in a band together, Daddy Warbucks. He is of English, as well as some German, Scottish, and Swiss-German, ancestry. Marshall spent his early childhood being shoved back and forth from Kansas City and Detroit. He settled on the Eastside of Detroit when he was 12. Switching schools every two to three months made it difficult to make friends, graduate and to stay out of trouble. Marshall attended Lincoln High School in Warren, Michigan, 1986-1989.
Being a rap fan for most of his life, Marshall began rapping at the early age of 4. Rhyming words together, battling schoolmates in the lunchroom brought joy to what was otherwise a painful existence. At the age of 14, he began to get very serious about his rapping but it wasn't until he was 17 that he actually made a name for himself, becoming M&M, which he would later respell as "Eminem". Being rejected by most fellow rappers because of his race, Marshall grew an anger that flows through his music to this day. After failing the 9th grade for three times in a row, he quit school, but has remarked that he does not consider himself stupid and does not advise that people should follow his example. He says that it just wasn't for him. Forcing himself on radio shows, freestyle battles, Marshall threw himself head first into the rap game, where he was swallowed up most of the time. His very first album was titled "Infinite" and, while the album sold less than a thousand copies, it was the gearing up stages for the rapper who became a millionaire. It was then that his daughter, Hailie Jade Scott, was born on December 25th of 1995 with long time girlfriend Kim Scott.
Having nothing to lose at all, flat broke and not knowing where he would be living the next week, Marshall set out to rant about life in general, the set quickly caught the ear of hip-hop's difficult-to-please underground. What came out of this was the Slim Shady EP, the early work for the later Dr. Dre revised Slim Shady LP. Down to nearly his last dime, he went into the 1997 Rap Olympics in Los Angeles, basically hoping to win the $1,500 cash prize which he badly needed. After battling for an hour and throwing back every race diss thrown at him, Marshall made it to second place losing in a slip up. Furious that he had lost, Marshall didn't even notice that he had been spotted. In the crowd were a few producers from Interscope, and they were handed a copy of the "Infinite" tape by way of a demo.
Dr. Dre got to hear it and eventually tracked him down. The two instantly hit it off, recording four songs in their first six hours of working - three which made it to his first LP. After the album was finished, Dr. Dre asked Marshall to come work with him on his new album. He helped produce several tracks and was on the best songs of the album. Now officially making it, Marshall and Dre set to make his second LP. The album became the Marshall Mathers LP and won 3 Grammies and was the first rap album ever to be nominated "Album of the Year", selling more than 8 million records in the United States alone. He also stunned critics when he shot down all homophobic remarks by performing "Stan" with Elton John. Eminem made a movie, 8 Mile (2002). Though 2001 was a rough year for the rapper, being charged with weapon offenses, divorcing his wife, and almost going to prison, Marshall has explained his life in one word: "Claimer".- Composer
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Lamont Coleman was born on 30 May 1974 in Harlem, New York City, New York, USA. He was a composer and executive, known for Transporter 3 (2008), Mid90s (2018) and Black Mask (1996). He died on 15 February 1999 in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.- Composer
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Big Pun was born on 9 November 1971 in Bronx, New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for That Awkward Moment (2014), Vacation (2015) and Life of the Party (2018). He was married to Liza Rios. He died on 7 February 2000 in White Plains, New York, USA.- Jay. Z. is known for Gandhi, My Father (2007) and Abhay (2019).
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Germaine Williams a.k.a. Canibus (aka Can-I-Bus) was born in 1974 in Jamaica to Basil and Elaine Williams. Growing up, Canibus found interest in beat boxing and break dancing. After his parents divorced, Canibus and his mother immigrated to the U.S. before his teen years and moved around frequently due to his mother's work.
Before he was eighteen he had lived in Brooklyn, Washington D.C., Miami, England (where his mother was originally from), Atlanta, Georgia, and eventually New Jersey. Though Canibus dabbled with several jobs and interests, his main pursuit in life was rapping. During his days as a kid in the Bronx, Bis (another alias) evolved through various elements of Hip Hop and eventually began making his mark in the New York City rap scene. Canibus' biggest claim to fame arose when LL Cool J invited him to do a guest spot on LL's new single "3, 2, 1". During the recording session Canibus began admiring a tattoo of a microphone on LL's arm. He asked if Mr. Smith would mind if he got a mike tatted on his arm. LL joked about it, saying that Canibus should only get a mike tattoo if he truly felt he was worthy. When Canibus stepped into the booth to record his verse for the song he included a few lines before he began to rap, shouting out each of the other artists in the song; when he reach LL he shouted out, "LL, is that a mike on your arm? Let me borrow that!" LL took that as a diss although Canibus insisted that the line was meant as a compliment, LL went in the booth and recorded an entire verse directed at Canibus without actually naming him. Canibus has stated that LL asked him to remove the line about the microphone and Canibus did so, believing LL would remove the attack on Canibus but LL did not do that. Eventually the original version of the song, with Canibus' line about the microphone, leaked and so it was revealed that Canibus was the one LL was attacking in his verse. Canibus became convinced he had to respond as a matter of self-respect. He attacked back with a song called "Second Round Knockout". With a little help from Mike Tyson (who laid spoken background vocals to hype up the song) the song was released and was met with great praise and fanfare. This ignited a Hip Hop feud involving Canibus, LL Cool J, Wyclef, and various other individuals who wanted in on the action. Though Canibus' first hit was accepted, the overall lyrical war between LL Cool J and Canibus was won by the veteran LL. Canibus focused on recording his first album, 1998's "Can-I-Bus," which was met with very poor reviews.
While underground Hip Hop fans embraced Canibus' albums the mainstream entertainment world did not. Still, Canibus was credited with being one of the best lyrical freestyle rappers and had few equals in that area of rapping. In fact many rap magazines said the only rapper that could compete with Canibus in a freestyle battle was Eminem. Before Eminem made it big, he was a fan of Canibus, but after a false rumor caused Canibus to accuse Eminem of writing one of LL's diss tracks against him, the two exchanged low-key swipes at each other. Canibus dissed Eminem outright on his 2001 underground album "C True Hollywood Stories," which included songs featuring Stan, the obsessed-fan character created by Eminem in 2000. Eminem responded on his 2002 album "The Eminem Show," warning Canibus not to start a beef with him. Although the rappers went on to diss each other again, the feud died down without incident.
Canibus enlisted in the Army in 2002 and served in Iraq. His most critically acclaimed album, 2003's "Rip the Jacker," was released from prerecorded material. After his discharge in 2004, he went on to record many more albums, and has amassed a considerable cult following. His most recent album, "Time Flys, Life Dies, Phoenix Rise" was released in 2015.- Actor
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Scarface, a.k.a. Brad Jordan, was born and raised in Houston, Texas, in the South Park neighborhood. He is one of the rappers of the Geto Boys, and has recorded solo albums like Mr. Scarface is Back, The Diary, and The World is Yours. In real life, he was a high school dropout at 16, and suffered from manic depression. He is currently married and has five children. Not much is known of his age (either born in 1970 or 1972), and from magazine articles, his age might be a couple of years off.- Music Artist
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Ice Cube was born in South Central Los Angeles, to Doris (Benjamin), a custodian and hospital clerk, and Hosea Jackson, a UCLA groundskeeper. He first came to public notice as a singer and songwriter with the controversial and influential band N.W.A. His compositions with that group included many of the classic cuts from their debut LP "Straight Outta Compton" (Ruthless/Priority, 1989), including the title track, "Gangsta Gangsta" and "Express Yourself". He quit the band over business differences in 1990 and began a still-growing series of commercially and critically acclaimed solo albums, starting with "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted" (Priority, 1990). His second solo album, "Death Certificate" (Priority, 1991), a concept album about the fall and rise of the Black man, sold two million copies, and his subsequent solo output (six albums to date total) has sold over ten million copies. He has also discovered Yoyo, Del the Funky Homosapien, K-Dee and Mack 10. He has also produced, written, toured and recorded with Public Enemy, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, George Clinton, The D.O.C., Michel'e, Big Daddy Kane, WC & The Madd Circle (which spawned the solo career of Coolio), former N.W.A. bandmate Dr. Dre and Cypress Hill. He has also recorded with two post-N.W.A. side-project bands, Da Lench Mob ("Guerillas In Tha Mist", Street Knowledge/East-West, 1991) and Westside Connection ("Bow Down", Priority, 1996). His movie career has been no less stellar. Ice Cube's debut in Boyz n the Hood (1991) led to more roles in such films as Trespass (1992), Dangerous Ground (1997) and Anaconda (1997). He also appeared as himself in the comedy CB4 (1993). He is also no stranger to the other side of the camera, directing videos for himself as well as Prince and Color Me Badd, as well as co-writing his screenwriting debut, Friday (1995).- Actor
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L.L. Cool J was born James Todd Smith in Bay Shore, Long Island, New York, the son of Ondrea Griffith and James Louis Smith, Jr.
Todd, as he was called, did not have a very happy childhood. At the age of four, he saw his mother and grandfather shot by his own father. After they recovered from their injuries, his mother began to date a young physical therapist she met while in the hospital. The therapist treated Ondrea kindly, but for years he abused Todd physically and verbally, which resulted in Todd becoming a bully himself. It was during this period that he started wearing hats all the time (one of L.L. Cool J's trademarks is the fact that people never see him without a hat on--until recently). Fortunately, Ondrea finally discovered what this man was doing to her son and left him.
As he grew older, Todd found a way to escape the effects of his abuse and his bullying attitude: hip-hop music. He fell in love with it at the age of nine, and by 11 he was writing lyrics and making his own songs with some DJ equipment his grandfather gave him. At 15, he and one of his best friends came up with his present stage name, L.L. Cool J, which means "Ladies Love Cool James."
In 1984, when L.L. was 16, he met Rick Rubin, a student at NYU, who gave him his big break in music. Rick really liked L.L.'s music and decided to try to get him a record deal. Together, they made the single "I Need a Beat" and sent it to an artist manager named Russell Simmons. Simmons loved the single, and, in the same year, Rick and Russell co-founded the famous Def Jam Recordings; L.L.'s debut album, "Radio," released in 1985, after securing a distribution deal for Def Jam with Columbia/CBS Records, was the label's first long-playing release. Even today, L.L. is considered one of Def Jam's most prized possessions.
1985 was also the year L.L. started his acting career. He first appeared in Krush Groove (1985), which is a semi-biographical account of the early days of Def Jam Recordings. L.L. had a cameo appearance in the film. In 1986, L.L. also had a cameo appearance in the movie Wildcats (1986) and also wrote that movie's theme song. After that, L.L. took a break from film and concentrated more on his first love: music. His career took off, and after every one of his albums hit platinum-selling status, he was (and still is) regarded as one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time.
After a few years, he had small roles in a few other films, but was still better known for his music. All this changed in 1995. By this time he was a happily married 27-year-old with three children. His first starring film, Out-of-Sync (1995), had also been released. It didn't do very well at the box office, but it got him noticed by executives at NBC-TV, who wanted to give him a part in a sitcom they were going to air. This sitcom was In the House (1995), which showed L.L.'s acting ability; the show stayed on the air until 1999.
He had been offered several films roles during the run of the show and decided to accept a part in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998). Its success resulted in L.L. being cast in bigger and better film roles, and he has acted alongside such stars as Whoopi Goldberg, Samuel L. Jackson, Jamie Lee Curtis, James Woods, Al Pacino, Omar Epps, Pam Grier, Stanley Tucci, and Dennis Quaid, to name a few.
In 2000, he was finally rewarded for his acting talent. That year he won a Blockbuster Entertainment Award for the best supporting actor in the action film Deep Blue Sea (1999). Even though his film career has taken off, he hasn't forgotten his love of hip-hop music. In 1998, he was planning to retire from hip-hop and just concentrate on his film career, but he later decided to keep dividing his time between both fields. L.L. is not only known as one of the greatest MCs of all time, but he is also known as a great actor.- Producer
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Felipe Andres Coronel (born February 19, 1978), better known by the stage name Immortal Technique, is an American rapper. Most of his lyrics focus on controversial issues in global politics, from a radical left-wing perspective.
Immortal Technique seeks to retain control over his production, and has stated in his music that record companies, not artists themselves, profit the most from mass production and marketing of music. He claimed in an interview to have sold close to a combined total of 200,000 copies of his first three official releases- Music Artist
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Earl Simmons (December 18, 1970 - April 9, 2021), known by his stage name DMX ("Dark Man X"), was an American rapper and actor. He began rapping in the early 1990s and released his debut album It's Dark and Hell Is Hot in 1998, to both critical acclaim and commercial success, selling 251,000 copies within its first week of release. DMX released his best-selling album, ... And Then There Was X, in 1999, which included the hit single "Party Up (Up in Here)". His 2003 singles "Where the Hood At?" and "X Gon' Give It to Ya" were also commercially successful. He was the first artist to debut an album at No. 1 five times in a row on the Billboard 200 charts. Overall, DMX sold over 74 million records worldwide.- Actor
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Lawrence "Kris" Parker better known by his stage names KRS-One (an abbreviation of "Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone") and Teacha, is an American rapper, lyricist and occasional producer from New York. He rose to prominence as part of the hip hop group Boogie Down Productions, which he formed with DJ Scott La Rock in the mid-1980s. KRS-One is best known for his top hits, "Sound of da Police", "Love's Gonna Get'cha (Material Love)", and "My Philosophy", among others. Boogie Down Productions received numerous awards and critical acclaim in their early years. Following the release of the group's debut album, Criminal Minded, fellow artist Scott La Rock was shot and killed, but KRS-One continued the group, effectively as a solo project. He began releasing records under his own name in 1993. He is politically active, having started the Stop the Violence Movement after Scott's death. He is also a vegan activist, expressed in songs such as "Beef". He is widely considered an influence on many hip-hop artists, including Tupac Shakur and Eminem- Music Artist
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Considered by many to be hip-hop's greatest producer, Dr. Dre (b. André Young, February 18, 1965) pioneered gangsta hip-hop and his own variation of the sound, dubbed G-Funk. His very early albums were violent but cautionary tales of the criminal mind, but Dre's records with NWA celebrated the hedonistic, amoralistic side of gang life. Being around during the birth of west coast hip-hop during the early 1980s, Dre found himself performing at house parties and clubs with the World Class Wreckin' Cru around South-Central Los Angeles. Wearing a Doctor's mask when he performed, he called himself Dr. Dre, Dre being a nickname from André. In 1986, Dre met Ice Cube. Instantly becoming good friends, the two MCs began writing songs for Ruthless Records, a label started by former drug pusher Eazy-E. Initially they were rejected by the record-buying public, but Eazy formed NWA', with Dre, Cube, and newcomers MC Ren and DJ Yella, releasing their first album in 1987. Then, in 1989, with distribution from Bryan Turner and his Priority Records label (now a part of EMI), N.W.A. delivered "Straight Outta Compton," a vicious, violent, and misogynistic record that became an underground hit with virtually no support from radio, the press, or the still hip-hop-free MTV. N.W.A. became notorious for their violent lyrics, which resulted in the FBI sending a warning letter to Ruthless and its distributor, Priority Records, suggesting that the group should watch their step. Dre would have several bad falls with the police during his life. While it seemed that the group was strong, Ice Cube suddenly departed in late 1989 amidst many financial disagreements with Dre. Suddenly the the music was in Dre's hands. Dre left the group the next year to form Death Row Records with Suge Knight. Knight held NWA's manager at gunpoint and threatening to kill him if he refused to let Dre out of his contract. Dre didn't know how he got out, nor did he care, he was making music. Then Dre discovered Snoop Dogg through his stepbrother 'Warren G', and he immediately began working with the brilliantly talented MC. Snoop would become great friends with the Doctor and was on Dre's 1992 debut "The Chronic" as much as Dre himself. But trouble was soon to follow. Dre grew frustrated with Knight's strong-arm techniques. At the time, Death Row was devoting itself to Tupac Shakur's label debut, "All Eyez on Me," and Snoop was busy recovering from his draining murder trial. Dre, fed up, left the label in the summer of 1996 to form Aftermath, declaring gangsta hip-hop was dead. Soon thereafter, both 2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G. were murdered, putting a sudden end to the East Side/West Side hip-hop war, and Suge was later arrested and sent to prison. It would be at least three years before anything big came out of the great producer. It wasn't until he began working on his 2001 album, and discovering an underground MC by the name of Eminem that Dre would make his comeback.- Actor
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Born to Jamaican parents in London, on January 14, 1965, Slick Rick, born Ricky Martin Lloyd Walters, is the most successful British-American rapper in music history. Brilliant word play, the effort-less ability to bring life to the stories he rhymed about, dead on pop-culture references and hilarious one-liners make him the wittiest rapper of all time.
He began his career in the late 80s, where he released a series of acclaimed recordings such as, "Children's Story", "La Di Da Di" and "Hey Young World." Slick Rick is best known for his British accent and his story telling innovations. His music has been frequently sampled and interpolated by other artists such as TLC, Talib Kweli, Eminem, Mos Def, Beyonce, Jay-Z, Missy Elliott, Snoop Dogg, Alicia Keys and many others; with many of these songs later becoming hit singles. Slick Rick is known as one of the architects of Hip-Hop.
These days, much of Slick Rick's story remains untold. The articles about his legal troubles may sell magazines, but they tend to overshadow the rapper's impressive and influential body of work. Rick has spent more than seven years in prison, three and a half paying his debt to society and over four years in a federal detention center while hassling with Immigrations Services over his residency in the US. Slick Rick has been in this country since his childhood and has become a productive member of our society.
Despite life's setbacks, Rick continues his commitment to his craft. Above all, Rick is very dedicated to his community. He regularly mentors the youth whenever he is given the opportunity to do so.- Actor
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Antonio Hardy better known by his stage name Big Daddy Kane, is an American rapper who began his career in 1986 as a member of the Juice Crew. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential and skilled MCs in hip hop. Rolling Stone ranked his song "Ain't No Half-Steppin'" number 25 on its list of The 50 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time, calling him "a master wordsmith of rap's late-golden age and a huge influence on a generation of MCs".- Actor
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Eric Lynn Wright, better known by his stage name Eazy-E, was an American rapper who performed solo and as a member of the group NWA Wright is affectionately called "The Godfather Of Gangsta Rap."
He was born in Compton, California. After dropping out of high school in the tenth grade, he supported himself primarily by selling drugs before investing it in and becoming founder of Ruthless Records. He made his debut as a rapper with "Boyz-N-The-Hood" which was a revolutionary song in rap history written by Ice Cube. NWA first released N.W.A. and the Posse in 1987. In 1988, they released their most controversial album, "Straight Outta Compton." The group released two more albums before disbanding in the early 1990s.
Eazy-E continued as a solo artist releasing three solo projects. In addition, he released several notable artists on his Ruthless Records label including but not limited to Jada Michelle, The D.O.C., Above the Law and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.
He fathered nine children. He died March 26, 1995 due to complications of pneumonia associated with AIDS.- Actor
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Gary Earl Grice (born August 22, 1966), better known by his stage names GZA and The Genius, is an American rapper and songwriter. A founding member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, GZA is the group's "spiritual head", being both the first member in the group to receive a record deal and being the oldest member. He has appeared on his fellow Wu-Tang members' solo projects, and has maintained a successful solo career starting with Liquid Swords (1995).- Actor
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Robert Fitzgerald Diggs better known by his stage name the RZA, is an American rapper, actor, filmmaker, and record producer. He is the DE factor leader of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, having produced most albums for the group and its respective members. He is a cousin of two other original Wu-Tang Clan members: GZA and Ol' Dirty Bastard. He has also released solo albums under the alter-ego Bobby Digital, along with executive producing credits for side projects. After forming the Wu-Tang Clan, RZA was a founding member of the horror-core group Gravediggaz, where he went by the name The RZArector.- Actor
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Award-winning actor, producer, musician, and entrepreneur Cliff "Method Man" Smith, has been forging an extraordinary and unparalleled path across all mediums since he first entered the scene 30 years ago.
Smith currently stars as 'Attorney Davis MacLean' opposite Mary J. Blige in the worldwide hit STARZ series Power Book II: Ghost. The show, which completed production on its fourth season, follows the on-going journey of some of "Power's" most controversial characters, in addition to introducing new fan favorites.
He was last seen in Paramount+'s feature film On the Come Up, which is based on a novel written by New York Times bestselling author, Angie Thomas. The film premiered at Toronto International Film Festival and was released in Septemeber 2022. Method received a 2023 NAACP Image Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for this role. He recently wrapped production on Lionsgate's action thriller, Shadow Force, alongside Kerry Washington and Da'Vine Joy Randolph, and on Carnegie Hill Entertainment's feature Bad Shabbos. Smith made his film debut in One Eight Seven and Belly, and his additional film credits include Concrete Cowboy, Peppermint, Last Looks, Keanu, Trainwreck, Red Tails, The Wackness, The Sitter, The Cobbler, the award-winning drama Garden State amongst many others.- Music Artist
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Reginald Noble better known by his stage name Redman, is an American rapper, DJ, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame in the early 1990s as an artist on the Def Jam label. He is well known for his collaborations with his close friend Method Man, as one-half of the rap duo Method Man & Redman, including their starring roles in films and sitcoms. He was also a member of the Def Squad in the late 1990s.- Actor
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Regarded as one of hip-hop's most introspective and insightful artists, Mos Def has shaped a career that transcends music genres and artistic medium. Taking a cue from the Afrocentric stylings of the Native Tongues crew, which included De La Soul, Jungle Brothers, A Tribe Called Quest and Andres Titus, Mos Def has emerged as one of the more conscientious voices of new school hip-hop, alongside the likes of Common, Outkast, Goodie Mob and The Roots, to name just a few.
Mos Def was born in Brooklyn, New York City, to Sheron Smith and Abdul Rahman. A child of hip-hop's Golden Era, he spent his childhood imbedded in the culture surrounding him as well as absorbing knowledge from across the artistic spectrum. With the release of "Universal Magnetic" (1996) Mos became an underground favorite in the hip hop world, leading to his legendary collaboration with Talib Kweli. The two formed Black Star whose debut album, Mos Def and Talib Kweli Are Black Star, would become one of the most critically acclaimed hip-hop albums. Mos followed that release with his 1999 solo debut, Black On Both Sides, which was certified gold and credited by critics as bringing hip-hop back to its soapbox roots. As with his music, Mos has demonstrated insight and passion with his acting career, appearing in Spike Lee's Bamboozled, MTV's Carmen: A Hip Hopera, 2002's critically acclaimed Monster's Ball, Showtime, and the 2002 romantic comedy Brown Sugar, for which he received an NAACP Image Award nomination. In addition Mos has served as the host, music supervisor and co-executive producer for the HBO series Def Poetry and served as a writer, producer and actor on the MTV sketch comedy series Lyricist Lounge. Mos completed his Broadway debut in 2002 in the Tony nominated, Pulitzer Prize winning, Topdog/Underdog. Mos re-teamed with Topdog playwright, Suzan Lori Parks and director George Wolfe for an off-Broadway play for which he was awarded an Obie Award. In 2003, Mos Def starred in Paramount Pictures' The Italian Job, alongside Ed Norton, Mark Wahlberg and Charlize Theron. Last year Mos Def starred opposite Alan Rickman in the critically acclaimed HBO movie Something the Lord Made, for which he has received a 2004 Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie. Def was also nominated for both a Golden Globe Award (Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture) and Golden Satellite Award (Best Actor in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television) for the same role. He co-starred in the feature film The Woodsman, with Kevin Bacon, Benjamin Bratt, Eve and Kyra Sedgwick. The New York Times said of his performance, "I hope we don't have to wait too much longer to see him in a big-screen leading role," and USA Today heralded him as "the movie's best performance." In addition, he co-starred in Spyglass Entertainment's The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, released in April 2005. In the film, an adaptation of the classic Douglas Adams Science Fiction novel, Def starred as hero "Ford Prefect."
Mos Def released his highly-anticipated and critically acclaimed sophomore solo release, The New Danger (Geffen Records), on October 12th. The album was met with praise from both critics and fans alike, with Rolling Stone giving it 4 Stars and hailing the album as "Ghetto rock and righteous hip-hop from dazzingly talented Def" and the New York Daily News proclaimed "No one is doing more to change our notion of how hip hop can sound." The first single, "Sex, Love and Money' earned Def a 2005 Grammy nomination for Best Alternative/Urban Performance and the album was certified gold by the RIAA.- Actor
- Composer
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Prodigy (b. Albert Johnson) and Havoc (b. Kejuan Muchita) began making music together, after meeting as teenagers, while attending the Graphic Arts High School in Manhattan. In the early 1990s, they adopted the stage name Mobb Deep and released their debut album, "Juvenile Hell". The 1995 follow-up, "The Infamous", was an enormous success and featured hit singles "Shook Ones, Part II" and "Survival of the Fittest". It shares venerated classic hip hop status with Nas' "Illmatic" and the Notorious B.I.G.'s "Ready to Die". All of their subsequent albums have sold well, but 1999's "Murda Muzik" was particularly successful, earning the duo, their first Platinum album. As natives of Queensbridge, NY, Havoc and Prodigy spoke about their experiences growing up in the projects. Their beats, produced mostly by Havoc, are characterized by heavy brushes on snare drum and haunting instrumental riffs. The result is a distinctly atmospheric, gritty sound that has become known to hip-hop heads as "Mobb Phonics". Far from glorifying gang violence, Mobb Deep can be considered the pioneers of "reality rap", a style of hip-hop that presents an accurate, observational picture of the inner-city. Their credibility, straightforward lyrics, and grimy sound earned them respect among peers and fans alike. They released several more albums, on various labels, including their own imprint. Decades later Mobb Deep remains synonymous with New York hip hop and the name continues to maintain a loyal fan base.- Actor
- Composer
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Ryan Montgomery, also known as Royce Da 59, is an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan. Voted as one of the most underrated MCs in the rap industry, Royce has three full-length albums credited to his name, despite being through more career upheavals than most artists experience over their whole careers. He is better known for his freestyling skills, purportedly not having lost a single rap battle.
A helpful boost to his career came when Rockstar Games hired the Game Records label on for the rap music radio station "Game FM" in Grand Theft Auto III. Several artists from the Label, including Agallah, Sean Price, Black Rob as well as Royce Da 59 were featured on "Game FM". Royce himself contributed three singles: "We're Live (danger)", "Spit Game", and "I'm The King". The song "I'm The King" was edited specifically for the game, and is arguably better than the original album version.
As an underground rap artist, Royce garnered hype with his successful underground hit "Boom". The DJ Premier-produced track was later found on the artists debut album; Rock City 2.0. However, most recognition came after collaborating with fellow Detroit rapper Eminem, the duo formed a group called Bad Meets Evil (with Royce occupying the 'Bad' half, and Eminem the 'Evil' half). Bad Meets Evil produced a number of hits such as "Scary Movies" and "Bad Meets Evil", with the latter track featuring on Eminem's album The Slim Shady LP. The group was short-lived however, with an altercation occurring between Royce and Eminem's clique D12 prompting Eminem and Royce to cut off any connections. Royce is generally considered to have emerged victorious from the feud, calling out the entire group in his scathing track entitled "Malcolm X". Though the rivalry has cooled down enough to allow Royce and Proof, a member of D12, several public interviews, both parties have declared the situation had a deep impact on their relationship.
In 1999 Royce contributed as a ghostwriter for Dr. Dre's album, 2001, on the song "The Message". Royce has since released three albums and three mixtapes.- Music Department
- Actor
- Producer
As Co-Founder of The Roots, a critically acclaimed solo artist, actor, writer, activist, producer, and creator, Tariq Trotter-aka Black Thought-has quietly affirmed himself as one of the most prolific, prescient, and powerful voices in hip-hop.
Over the course of his career, he has won three GRAMMY® Awards and three NAACP Image Awards. Not only did he deliver eleven applauded albums with The Roots, but the group also joined The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon as the house band and beloved mainstay of late-night television for over a decade.
Black Thought's solo music career has accelerated at full speed with his Streams of Thought series. Pairing him with a legendary producer for each release, the Streams of Thought series has generated millions of streams as Pitchfork proclaimed Trotter "is somehow still improving decades after his peers' primes, which in hip-hop sounds almost as crazy as a professional athlete doing the same." The Guardian awarded the series "4-out-of-5 stars," and meanwhile, HYPEBEAST crowned him "one of the best lyricists in hip-hop history." In 2022, Black Thought teamed up with Danger Mouse for their acclaimed collaborative album, Cheat Codes. The acclaimed release topped many year end "best of" lists in 2022.
Maintaining this momentum, he continued his creative renaissance as the main composer and lyrist of the 2022 Off-Broadway production Black No More. In addition, he also made his Off-Broadway debut starring in the production, stretching the boundaries of his creativity once more. Black No More earned a nomination for "Best Musical" at the 2022 Lucile Lortell Awards. His presence has also seamlessly translated into roles in film and television such as HBO's The Deuce amongst other productions. He most recently appeared in Lin-Manuel Miranda's feature directorial debut, Tick, Tick... Boom!.
Beyond collaborations with everyone from Eminem, John Legend, J Dilla, and Big Pun to Linkin Park, Logic, and Fall Out Boy, Trotter co-produced the multiplatinum GRAMMY® Award-winning Original Broadway Cast Recording of Hamilton.
Alongside fellow The Roots co-founder Questlove, he launched the production company Two One Five Entertainment, executive producing the AMC documentary series, Hip-Hop: The Songs That Shook America. Together, in 2020, the pair announced a first-look deal with Universal Television to develop scripted and non-scripted programming. Questlove and Black Thought, under Two One Five, executive produced "Rise Up, Sing Out," a collection of animated musical shorts for Disney Junior, which earned a nomination for "Outstanding Short Form Series" for the 2023 NAACP Image Awards. Most recently, the company executive produced Descendant, a feature documentary on the historic discovery of The Clotilda-the last known slave ship to arrive in America illegally transporting enslaved Africans. The documentary, which made its world premiere at Sundance in 2022, was acquired by Netflix and Higher Ground-President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama's production company. The film earned an impressive three nominations for "Best Documentary Feature," "Best Director" and "Best Historical Documentary" and took home the award for "Best Historical Documentary" at the 2022 Critics Choice Documentary Awards. Descendant received a nomination for "Outstanding Documentary" for the 2023 NAACP Image Awards and was also named one of the "Top 5 Documentaries" of 2022 by the National Board of Review. Moveover, it received positive reviews from the New York Times, the LA Times, The Guardian, Variety and more. Next up, Two One Five Entertainment is set to executive produce Sam Pollard's The League, a documentary centered on the tumultuous journey of Negro league baseball and also produce an upcoming documentary on the legendary Sly Stone as well as various projects with partners such as Disney Jr.
Lyrically dexterous, politically provocative, and consciously incisive, Black Thought continually encourages the game to move forward with him again and again.- Music Artist
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50 Cent (Curtis James Jackson) is an American rapper, actor, producer, and entrepreneur.
He began a musical career and in 2000 he produced Power of the Dollar for Columbia Records, but days before the planned release he was shot and the album was never released. In 2002, after Jackson released the compilation album Guess Who's Back?, he was discovered by Eminem and signed to Shady Records, under the aegis of Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records.
With the help of Eminem and Dr. Dre (who produced his first major-label album, Get Rich or Die Tryin'), Jackson became one of the world's best selling rappers and rose to prominence with East Coast hip hop group G-Unit (which he leads de facto). In 2003, he founded G-Unit Records, signing his G-Unit associates Young Buck, Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo. Jackson had similar commercial and critical success with his second album, The Massacre, which was released in 2005. He released his fifth studio album, Animal Ambition, in 2014 and as of 2019 is working on his sixth studio album, Street King Immortal.
During his career Jackson has sold over 30 million albums worldwide and won several awards, including a Grammy Award, thirteen Billboard Music Awards, six World Music Awards, three American Music Awards and four BET Awards. He has pursued an acting career, appearing in the semi-autobiographical film Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2005), the Iraq War film Home of the Brave (2006) and Righteous Kill (2008).