It started 29 years ago when Ms Jerk gave birth to the first black white man . And years later he would find himself at the bottom of the barrel. How would he manage to work his way out of the gutter? And then came, ...

The Beginning 15 solid tracks with more flavors than baskin and robbins. Featured on the Insane Clown Posse's... [+] Read More

Yes No

DJ Magic Mike, the breakthrough bass producer after 2 Live Crew, was the music's most crucial recording artist. An underground label impresario on the order of Master P, Mike's productions were much rougher than the slick Miami bass sound and pursued a gritty old-school vibe -- more akin to Ultramagnetic MC's than Luther Campbell -- long after... [+] Read More

Yes No

The first human beatbox in the rap world, and still the best of all time, Doug E. Fresh amazed audiences with his note-perfect imitations of drum machines, effects, and often large samples of hip-hop classics. Fresh was born Doug E. Davis in Barbados, and his first appearance came in 1983 on a single for Spotlight called "Pass the Budda," with... [+] Read More

Yes No

One of the most prolific and influential of the '80s electro artists, Miami-based producer Tony Butler recorded a string of popular club tracks on Power/Jam Packed and his own Music Specialist label in the mid-'80s, helping build the electro legacy that would give birth to Miami-style bass music and freestyle (named after Butler's primary... [+] Read More

Yes No

Full Force rose to prominence in the mid-'80s, writing and producing popular R&B hits for Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam before embarking on a moderately successful solo career that ultimately led them back to production work in the late '90s. The six-man collective -- featuring Paul Anthony, Bowlegged Lou, B-Fine, Baby Gerry, Shy Shy, and Curt-t-t --... [+] Read More

Yes No

Gucci Crew was one of the most prolific and crucial Miami booty-bass groups during the '80s and early '90s; when all was said and done, they had released five studio albums and one compilation. Each studio album was released on the group's own label. They debuted with a self-titled album in 1983 and followed it with 1989's What Time Is It? It's... [+] Read More

Yes No

Ice-T (born Tracy Morrow) has proven to be one of hip-hop's most articulate and intelligent stars, as well as one of its most frustrating. At his best, the rapper has written some of the best portraits of ghetto life and gangsters, as well as some of the best social commentary hip-hop has produced. Just as often, he can slip into sexism and... [+] Read More

Yes No

Over and above their standing as one of the best and most innovative groups from hip-hop's golden age, Mantronix provided rap music with its first man-machine, Kurtis Mantronik. A turntable master who incorporated synthesizers and samplers into the rhythmatic mix instead of succumbing to the popular use of samples simply as pop hooks, Mantronik... [+] Read More

Yes No

A bizarre hip-hop duo that merged social-commentary hardcore with explicit party rap, No Face released only one record, 1990's Wake Your Daughter Up, for Ral/Columbia. Multi-instrumentalists Mark Sexx and the Shah had a lot to do with their lone hit, "Half," which nearly broke into the rap Top 40. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide

Yes No

One of the few successful rap groups from the South in the early '90s, Poison Clan played an important role in the development of the Dirty South movement that would arise late in the decade. The group began as a 2 Live Crew-sponsored group on Luke Records and came to an end when the group's driving force, JT Money, went on to a more successful... [+] Read More

Yes No

Born in Los Angeles, but an Oakland resident by the age of 14, Too Short was the first West Coast rap star, recording three albums on his own before he made his major-label debut with 1988's gold album Born to Mack; his next four all went platinum. Anticipating much of the later gangsta phenomenon, he restricted his lyrical themes to tales of... [+] Read More

Yes No