- Kanye West
Kanye Omari West (pronounced /'kɑn.je(ɪ)/) (born June 8 1977 in Atlanta, Georgia) is an American record producer and rapper. He has released his debut album "The College Dropout", his second album "Late Registration", and is working on a third album coming out in 2007 called "Graduation". Both "The College Dropout" and "Late Registration" have received numerous awards. Kanye West also runs his own record label, GOOD Music. - Dr. Dre
André Romell Young, better known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, actor and record executive. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records. Young is a significant figure in the development of rap music. He was a founding member of the influential rap group N.W.A., … - Ice Cube
O'Shea Jackson (born June 15 1969) is an American rapper, actor and film director. He is better known as Ice Cube. Regarded as one of the greatest hip hop artists, he began his career as a founding member of the famously controversial rap group N.W.A., and later launched a successful solo career in music and cinema. In 1992 he married Kim Jackson, with whom he has four children. Later in 1992, he converted to Islam. - James Brown
James Joseph Brown (May 3 1933 – December 25 2006), commonly referred to as "The Godfather of Soul" and "The Hardest Working Man in Show Business," was an American entertainer recognized as one of the most influential figures in 20th century popular music. He was renowned for his shouting vocals, feverish dancing and unique rhythmic style. As a prolific singer, songwriter, bandleader, and record producer, … - Ll Cool J
James Todd Smith III (born January 14, 1968), better known as LL Cool J, is an American hip hop artist and actor. He is best known for romantic ballads like "I Need Love" as well as pioneering pop rap like "I Can't Live Without My Radio", "I'm Bad", "Boomin' System", and "Mama Said Knock You Out" "4, 3, 2, 1". He has also appeared in several films. - Method Man
Method Man (born Clifford Smith, April 1, 1971 in Staten Island, New York) is an American rapper, record producer, actor, and member of the hip hop collective, Wu-Tang Clan. He has appeared in films and TV shows such as "CSI, How High, The Wire, Garden State", and "Soul Plane", among others. He took his stage name from the 1979 film "The Fearless Young Boxer", also known as "Method Man". - Erykah Badu
Erykah Badu (born Erica Abi Wright on February 26, 1971 in Dallas, Texas) is an American R&B, soul, neo soul, and hip hop singer and songwriter whose work crosses over into jazz. She is best known for the single "You Got Me", her collaboration with The Roots, as well as her own songs "Tyrone", "Next Lifetime", "On & On", "Bag Lady", and "Cleva". Influenced early on by singers such as Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and Chaka Khan (her all-time favorite artist), … - KRS-One
Lawrence Krisna Parker (born August 20, 1965), known as KRS-One, is an American hip hop MC of Jamaican and Nigerian descent from South Bronx. Over his career he has been known by several pseudonyms, including "Kris Parker," "The Blastmaster," and "The Teacha." KRS-One is a significant figure in the hip hop community, … - Mobb Deep
Mobb Deep are a hip hop duo made up of Havoc and Prodigy. They are perhaps most famous for their landmark album "The Infamous", and for their accompanying hit single, "Shook Ones Pt. II". - Missy Elliott
Melissa Arnette Elliott (born July 1, 1971 in Portsmouth, Virginia), better known as Missy Elliott, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, MC, and record producer. With record sales (including singles) of over 24 million worldwide and 7.6 million domestically, she is the highest selling female rapper of all time. She is the only female rapper to have six certified platinum albums by the RIAA, including one double platinum plaque. - Oh No
Oh No (born Michael Jackson) is an underground hip hop artist from Oxnard, California, United States of America. He is the younger brother of hip hop artist and producer Madlib. Oh No released his debut album, "The Disrupt", on Stones Throw Records in 2004. He has also performed on numerous singles by other artists, including J Dilla's "Move Part 2," who performed on the track and produced it; and three singles with the rap trio Lootpack. - Wyclef Jean
Nelust Wyclef Jean (born October 17, 1972) is a Grammy Award-winning and Golden Globe-nominated Haitian-born American rapper, producer, and member of the hip hop trio The Fugees. - Pete Rock
Pete Rock (born Peter Phillips, June 21, 1970) in Bronx, New York is an American hip hop DJ, producer and rapper. He rose to prominence in the early 90s as one half of the critically acclaimed group Pete Rock & CL Smooth. After the duo went their separate ways, Rock continued with a solo career that has garnered him worldwide respect, if little in the way of mainstream success. - Jean Grae
Jean Grae (formerly What? What?; real name Tsidi Ibrahim) is a hip hop artist. - Rock
Rock, also known as the Rockness Monstah, is an American Rapper, famous as a member of Hip Hop collective Boot Camp Clik and the duo Heltah Skeltah along with Ruck. After releasing two albums with Heltah Skeltah, "Nocturnal" and "Magnum Force", Rock left Duck Down Records and pursued a solo career. He signed to DJ Lethal's Lethal Records and recorded a solo album titled "Planet Rock", which was never released after the label folded. - Yo-Yo
Yo-Yo (born Yolanda Whittaker on August 4, 1971) is a Grammy nominated American hardcore rapper known primarily among hip hop fans and music critics during the 1990s. Much of her music has advocated female empowerment, denouncing the frequent sexism found in rap music. Yo-Yo dubbed her rap crew the IBWC, which stood for the Intelligent Black Woman's Coalition. Yo-Yo first appeared as a guest on Ice Cube's "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted" album in 1990. - Immortal Technique
Felipe Coronel (born February 19 1978), better known as Immortal Technique, is a hip hop MC and political activist. Most of his lyrics focus on socio-political issues. The views expressed in his lyrics are largely a mixture of left-wing political commentary on issues such as poverty, religion, and racism. His lyrics also express a belief in conspiracy theories, especially regarding the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center attacks. - Keri Hilson
Keri Lynn Hilson (born October 27, 1982 in Atlanta, Georgia) is an American R&B singer and songwriter, currently signed to Zone 4/Mosley Music Group/Interscope. She is part of a collective of writers and producers known as The Clutch. - Ghostface Killah
Ghostface Killah, also known as Ghost Face Killer, Tony Starks, Ironman, or simply Ghostface, was born Dennis Coles on May 9, 1970 in Staten Island, New York. A rapper, he first rose to fame as a member of the hip hop collective, the Wu-Tang Clan. After the group achieved breakthrough success in the early-mid 1990s, … - Aesop Rock
Aesop Rock (born Ian Matthias Bavitz, 1976) is an American rap artist. He was in the forefront of the new wave of underground acts that emerged during the late 1990s/early 2000s. He is signed to El-P's Definitive Jux label and remains one of the most popular and critically acclaimed independent hip hop artists today. - Fatboy Slim
Fatboy Slim (born Quentin Leo Cook on July 31, 1963, also known as Norman Cook) is a British big beat musician. He stopped using 'Quentin' and began calling himself 'Norman' while a schoolboy, long before he adopted any other pseudonym. - Nate Dogg
Nathaniel Dawayne Hale (born August 19 1969), commonly known by stage name Nate Dogg, is an American hip hop artist born in Long Beach, California. He is known for his melodic flow, and is one of the few hip-hop artists who primarily sings his rhymes instead of simply rapping them. He began singing as a child in the New Hope Trinity Baptist Church choir in Clarksdale, Mississippi where his father (Daniel Lee Hale) was pastor. - Grandmaster Flash
Joseph Saddler (born January 1, 1958 in Bridgetown, Barbados), better known as Grandmaster Flash, is a hip hop musician and DJ; one of the pioneers of hip-hop DJing, cutting, and mixing. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007, becoming the first hip hop artists so honored. - 9th Wonder
9th Wonder (born Patrick Douthit, January 15, 1975 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina) is a Grammy Award winning hip hop producer from Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. He began his career as the main producer for the group Little Brother, and has also worked with the likes of Mary J. Blige, Jay-Z, and Destiny's Child. As part of Little Brother he gained widespread recognition and critical acclaim from hip-hoppers worldwide. He has recently left Little Brother - Swizz Beatz
Kasseem Dean is a New York-based American hip hop record producer/rapper of Jamaican and Puerto-Rican descent. He is better known by his stage name Swizz Beatz. He is founder of the Full Surface Records music label. His songs are usually very "bouncy" and energetic, though his early work was known to be quite and arguably experimental—it reportedly took him an average of only 10 to 15 minutes to complete a song. - Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan (born March 23, 1953) is an American singer known for her 1984 cover of Prince's "I Feel For You", for her smash hit "I'm Every Woman" and as a member of the funk band Rufus, with whom she recorded the legendary soul record "Ain't Nobody". In her career she has earned many accolades, including eight Grammy awards. Though regarded an R&B singer, she has in fact explored numerous musical genres including funk, disco, jazz, ballads, hip hop, adult contemporary, … - Jason Mraz
Jason Thomas Mraz (born June 23, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter, born and raised in Mechanicsville, Virginia, a suburb of Richmond. His last name is from the Slavic word "mraz", meaning "frost". Mraz is an eclectic artist with multiple and varied stylistic influences, including pop, rock, folk, jazz, country, and hip hop/rap. He has played with various artists, including The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Dave Matthews Band, Paula Cole, John Popper, Makana, … - Scott Storch
Scott Spencer Storch is a Canadian entertainment mogul, hip hop, pop, R&B and Reggeaton record producer of Jewish descent. He has his own record label, Storch Music Company and Tuff Jew Productions and he has produced for a variety of artists including Christina Aguilera and Beyoncé, to name a few. He plans to release a debut album called Piano Man. - Rjd2
RJD2 (born Ramble John "RJ" Krohn on May 27 1976) is an American hip hop producer, singer and musician. RJD2 was born in Eugene, Oregon, and raised in Columbus, Ohio. He currently resides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was signed to the Definitive Jux label where he released two largely instrumental hip hop albums and has produced tracks for many prominent rappers. However, he has now left Def Jux and has signed with XL Records. - Afrika Bambaataa
Afrika Bambaataa (born April 17 1957) (born Kevin Donovan) is a DJ and community leader from the South Bronx, who was instrumental in the early development of hip hop throughout the 1970s. - Cee-Lo
Cee-Lo Green is the stage name of Thomas DeCarlo Callaway (born May 30, 1974), an American hip hop, funk, soul, and R&B musician. He is a singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer, best known as a member of Goodie Mob and more recently Gnarls Barkley, and has also recorded two critically acclaimed solo LPs. Among Cee-Lo's solo hits are the singles "Closet Freak" (2002) and "I'll Be Around" (2003), produced by and featuring Timbaland. - Dwele
Dwele (born Andwele Gardner) is an R&B and soul singer, songwriter and record producer from Detroit, Michigan. Dwele grew up in Detroit, listening to such Motown artists as Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye and jazz on the radio. Dwele began honing his songwriting skills at the age of ten, after his father's murder outside his home. After briefly attending Wayne State, he left college to pursue a more informal education, while working for the AAA. - Biz Markie
Biz Markie (born Marcel Hall April 8, 1964 in Harlem, New York) is an East Coast hip hop rapper and DJ, best known for humorous singles such as "Just a Friend". He has been labeled The Clown Prince of Hip-Hop. - The Notorious B.I.G.
Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 - March 9, 1997), popularly known as Biggie Smalls (after a gangster in the 1975 film "Let's Do It Again"), Big Poppa, Frank White (from the film "King of New York"), and his primary stage name, The Notorious B.I.G. (Business Instead of Game), was an American rapper and hip hop artist. - Brother Ali
Brother Ali (born Jason Newman, now Ali Newman) is an American hip hop artist. - Hi-Tek
Tony Cottrell, better known as Hi-Tek, is an American hip hop producer from Cincinnati, Ohio. He is best known for his work with Talib Kweli on his Reflection Eternal album and on Black Star. His father is singer Willie Cottrell of the Willie Cottrell Band whom Hi-Tek featured on his second release Hi-Teknology 2. - Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17 1972), commonly known as Eminem or Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer and actor from the Detroit, Michigan area. Having sold seventy million albums worldwide, Eminem is one of the best-selling musicians of the early 2000s, and one of the best-selling rappers of all time. Eminem was discovered by pioneer gangsta rapper and producer Dr. Dre, … - Flavor Flav
William Jonathan Drayton Jr., known by the stage name "Flavor Flav" (born March 16, 1959), is an American rap artist and television star and member of the politically conscious hip hop group Public Enemy. After falling out of the public eye in former years, he has recently reappeared as a star of American reality television. He has starred in multiple VH1 programs, most recently the Flavor of Love series. - Big Boy
Gustavo Roy Díaz, known publicly as Big Boy, is a hip hop/reggaeton artist. Díaz, a pioneer of reggaeton music, began his music career at the age of eighteen when he signed with Musical Productions to release his first album "Mr. Big" in 1993. The album sold more than 100,000 copies, and spawned the hit single, "Big Boy Is In Tha House", a video which ironically featured an exclusively homeless cast. - Big Boy
Big Boy's image became well known throughout the Greater Los Angeles Area in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when Power 106 placed his nearly-nude 500-plus pound image onto billboards throughout the area. Big Boy has been named Personality of the Year four times by the Radio Music Awards and three times by Radio and Records magazine. The National Association of Broadcasters awarded him the Marconi Award in 2002 and 2004.
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