Top Dawg Entertainment/Interscope rapper and Black Hippy crew member Jay Rock was named to XXL‘s 2010 Freshman Class but his debut single dropped two years priod. “All My Life” featured industry heavyweights Lil Wayne and will.i.am and quickly put him into the spotlight. After the release of his debut album Follow Me Home in 2011, Jay Rock was lauded for his verse on Kendrick Lamar’s […]

Jadakiss is New York hip-hop royalty. As part of the legendary trio The L.O.X., Jadakiss has been a part of nearly every important era of hip-hop in the Tri-State. His raspy vocals and gritty rhymes have been a game changer ever since he made his debut on the scene with longtime friends Styles P and Sheek […]

Erykah Badu, best known for her eccentric style and cerebral music, is a Grammy-award winning American soul singer and songwriter. Regarded as the Queen of Neo Soul, Badu’s sound—a concoction of soul, hip-hop, and jazz—cannot be contained in a single genre. Baduizm, her highly acclaimed debut album, was released in early 1997. The album went 3x […]

Eric Barrier and William Griffin a.k.a. Rakim were not just a DJ/MC duo, they were the DJ/MC duo during what many consider hip-hop’s “Golden Age” in the late 1980s. The two New Yorkers recorded their debut album Paid in Full over the course of one week in 1987 and nothing was the same. Rakim’s masterfully lyrical approach to rapping and […]

Born and raised in Harlem, Cam’ron epitomizes the unmatched entrepreneurial spirit of the neighborhood between the 110th and 155th blocks of Upper Manhattan, having successfully tackled with finesse the roles of hip-hop artist, director, actor, screenwriter, designer, and entrepreneur. He is the de facto leader and founding member of The Diplomats, arguably one of the most influential crews […]

DMX (born Earl Simmons) is one of the most prominent American rappers of the 1990s and early 2000s, and has had a number of memorable acting roles in films such as Belly, Cradle 2 The Grave, and Romeo Must Die. Growing up in Yonkers, NY with a lifelong interest in rap, DMX found himself on tracks with the likes of JAY-Z, […]

Hailing from North Carolina, rapper and producer J. Cole (born Jermaine Lamarr Cole) began his journey to stardom with a string of mixtapes released between 2007-2009. After becoming the first artist signed to JAY-Z’s Roc Nation music roster, he released his debut album Cole World: The Sideline Story in 2011, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 […]

James Todd Smith, better known as LL Cool J, began rapping at the age of 9. Thirteen years later, he released his first studio album, Radio, through Def Jam Recordings, marking the beginning of hip-hop’s “golden age.” The 1985 release eventually went {latinum in 1989 with singles “I Can’t Live Without My Radio” and “Rock the Bells” contributing to its success. The […]

Atlanta R&B/hip-hop star 6LACK (born Ricardo Valentine) released his LVRN/Interscope Records debut album FREE 6LACK after the explosion of his 2016 single “PRBLMS.” It may seem like he came out of nowhere, but the enigmatic, charismatic crooner has been working on his craft for quite some time. The Atlanta based singer/songwriter honed his skills as a rapper before […]

Big Sean’s rise from humble beginnings to the top of the rap game is proof that hard work equals success. The Def Jam Records signed rapper has not only inspired his legion of fans but also has gained the respect of rappers and labelmates like Kanye West and Pusha T. Born and raised in Detroit, Sean got his big break by […]

2 Chainz’s storied career is the definition of perfect timing. Before captivating listeners with his snappy punchlines and “TRU!” ad-libs, 2 Chainz (formerly Tity Boi) was a member of Playaz Circle, where he ruled the underground for years. His Trap-A-Velli and T.R.U. REALigionmixtapes caught fire… and the ear of Kanye West, who featured him on the Platinum G.O.O.D. Music […]

DJ Khaled is the best—and if you don’t believe it, he’ll tell you himself. The Miami-based, New Orleans-raised DJ, producer, and entrepreneur got his start at a record store in NOLA where he met Birdman, Lil Wayne, and Cash Money artists early in his career. After moving to Miami, Khaled began DJing in reggae soundclashes, soon moving […]