Joseph Ward Simmons (AKA Run, Rev. Run, or DJ Run) is a pioneering musician, accomplished author, fashion mogul, and star of MTV's hit reality show Run's House. With his trademark Adidas kicks, black sweatsuits, and gold chains, Simmons has become far more than an MC. The man once known as the superstar rapper Run, from the Rock and Roll Hall... read full bio
"Jay Rock was raised by his mother in the Nickerson Gardens housing projects and at an early age he was told that he was going to have to find a way to make his own money so he tried some odd jobs “but it just wasn’t right” so then he decided to start rapping. He used to stay after church... read full bio
Kollegah is a German rapper, signed to his own hip-hop label Alpha Music Empire. His first album, Alphagene, rose to No. 51 on the German album charts. Jung, brutal, gutaussehend 2, a collaboration with fellow rapper Farid Bang, achieved Gold certification in Germany. Within the very first day of its release, Kollegah’s fourth album King reached Gold status in Germany,... read full bio
The rap group, Run the Jewels, is composed of two like-minded individuals, Killer Mike and EI-P. Linked together through past work and productions, the duo joined up to create a successful alternative hip-hop group. The pair’s music is fueled by topics like politics, social issues, and drugs. They offer insight into these topics through their outspoken raps. Run the Jewels... read full bio
Once fraternity brothers at the University of California Irvine, Derek Anderson and Scott Land are now the DJ duo known as Slander. Derek and Scott began playing together while in college; they played for their friends at house parties just for fun but soon realized DJing was their calling. Their sound is unique in that it fuses hip-hop with dance... read full bio
Shaggy is a Jamaican musician, singer, DJ, actor, producer, and philanthropist. He hit peak popularity in the late 90’s to 2000’s with the release of hit singles such as, “It Wasn’t Me”, “Boombastic”, “In the Summertime”, “Oh Carolina”, and “Angel”. Prior to his music career, Shaggy had enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and had obtained the MOS of... read full bio
"Hard Core", Lil' Kim's debut album on Undead/Big Beat/Atlantic, was the one that got her most noticed by the public early on in her career, but she has since blown up in a very big way. Kim fashioned "Hard Core" as an exotic black-light soundtrack that smashes through the constraints of uncut funk and banned profanity. This is comparable to the experience... read full bio
Public Enemy is an American hip-hop group formed in 1982, consisting of Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Professor Griff, and DJ Lord. Hailing from Long Island, New York, they are widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influential hip-hop groups of all time. Public Enemy's music is characterized by politically charged lyrics and innovative production techniques, with an... read full bio
Kem is an American singer, songwriter, and producer of RnB and soul music. He has stated that his music is geared to listeners that love his soul/jazz adult contemporary sound and lyrical content rather than the mainstream hip-hop-dominated RnB crowd. He used his American Express to write, produce, and pay for his self-released debut album, "Kemistry," while also playing top... read full bio
This influential group combines elements of rhythm and blues, matched with an essential mix of hip-hop beats and soulful pop that created the New Jack Swing movement. Guy was originally formed in Harlem by singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Teddy Riley. The members of Guy include Riley and R&B singer-songwriters Aaron Hall and Damien Hall. Their first album quickly established... read full bio
Naughty By Nature, a New Jersey super-group, has been creating party anthems and hip-hop feel good music that has become the soundtrack to our lives for over 20 years. Even those who weren't born when Naughty By Nature know their songs word for word. For example, O.P.P, Hip-Hop Hooray, Ghetto Bastard, Jamboree, Uptown Anthem, and Feel Me Flow were more... read full bio
Fat Joe discovered rap music via the sounds of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five among other eternally great rappers. Eventually taking on the moniker Fat Joe, the rapper secured a recording contract with the Relativity Label, resulting in the release of his full-length debut Represent (1993). Fat Joe’s sophomore effort, Jealous One's Envy (1995), included production contributions by the... read full bio
CeeLo Green is a Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter-producer, television personality, actor, entrepreneur, pop culture and fashion icon. CeeLo Green has appeared as a coach on NBCs hit show The Voice. Early on in Cee Los musical career he was part of a band called Goodie Mob. He sang vocals on a ban called Outkasts debut album entitled Southerplayalisticdillacmuzik, and he... read full bio
Big Boi is an American rapper, songwriter, actor and record producer who has appeared on tracks by Missy Elliott, Trick Daddy, Jay-Z, Killer Mike, Beyoncé, Brooke Valentine, Sleepy Brown, and Fantasia. He is most popular as a member of the hip-hop group Outkast, alongside Andre 3000. Outkast has released six critically acclaimed and commercially successful studio albums, as well as... read full bio
G-Eazy was a fixture on the local New Orleans rap scene for several years, before blowing up in the music blogosphere. Recently, his popularity has surged as his national profile has grown exponentially. His latest mixtape, The Endless Summer, produced his rendition of Runaround Sue, whose sun stroked throwback video garnered over 100,000 plays on Youtube in less than a week.... read full bio
Ice-T not only invented gangster rap, he has lived it. Ice-T is the original embodiment of LA Hip-Hop. Through his music, his book, The Ice Opinion, and his lecture tours of Americas prisons, high schools and colleges (including Harvard, Berkeley and Stanford), Ice-T has become an influential spokesman for Americas youth, regardless of color. Outspoken, thought-provoking and intelligent, Ice-T has... read full bio
What separates DJ Cassidy from others is this unique versatility, a rare uncompromising approach to his craft, and his relentless determination to stay true to himself and his audience. Described as a ""walking cultural movement"" by former Vibe Magazine Editor-In-Chief Emil Wilbekin, Cassidy continues to surprise audiences with his uncanny ability to connect musically to everyone within his reach. His... read full bio
Atmosphere is an American hip-hop duo that consists of members Sean Daley, also known as his stage name, Slug, and DJ and producer Anthony Davis, also known as Ant. The group was originally started by Slug and Derek Turner who performed locally in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Slug later met Ant through Musab and he convinced him to work with him later... read full bio
Anthony Kiedis is the lead singer of the funk influenced rock band The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Kiedis has been the lead singer and writer since the bands formation in 1983 and remains, along with bassist Flea, one of the two original members. The Chili Peppers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. The band's... read full bio
Ty Dolla Sign is a hip hop singer-songwriter from Los Angeles who gained popularity for writing and appearing on YG’s track “Toot It and Boot It”. He has toured with renowned artists, such as Wiz Khalifa, A$SAP Rocky, The Weeknd, and Fifth Harmony. He is known for the songs “Paranoid”, which emerged on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was... read full bio
