In an era of fast money, fast cars, fast women and extreme lifestyles, Joe Young the Jyant offers an alternative to working class entertainment. The 25-year-old Temple University graduate makes an attempt to capture the driving force behind each and every form of the term “grind”. His attempts have resulted in the composition of lyrical... [+] Read More

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Kool G Rap never rose to superstar status during his late-'80s reign as a leading member of Marley Marl's Juice Crew, but the Queens-bred hardcore rapper endured for over a decade, eventually enjoying a renaissance in the early 2000s. Throughout his tour of duty, G Rap maintained a reverent following, mainly among his original... [+] Read More

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Public Enemy rewrote the rules of hip-hop, becoming the most influential and controversial rap group of the late '80s and, for many, the definitive rap group of all time. Building from Run-D.M.C.'s street-oriented beats and Boogie Down Productions' proto-gangsta rhyming, Public Enemy pioneered a variation of hardcore rap that was musically and... [+] Read More

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Arising from the Boogie Down Bronx in the mid-'80s as a far-flung hip-hop trio with a heap of new ideas to try out, Ultramagnetic's Kool Keith, Ced Gee, and DJ Moe Love occupy something of a singular place in the old-school pantheon. Combining funk-heavy tracks with jeep-rocking beats and obscure lyrical references, Ultramagnetic MC's have a... [+] Read More

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Dj Dax of The UNDC & 365 Click Djs. Miami Beach based hip hop dj / producer / artist & promoter. The Methuen, MA born hip hop entrepreneur has been making his mark all around the underground scenes of multiple cities in the country for far more than a hot minute. With production credits spread all across the board Dax continually strides further... [+] Read More

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On the surface, the sample-reliant productions and monotone rapping styles of Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith had little to recommend them, but the duo's recordings as EPMD were among the best in hip-hop's underground during the late '80s and early '90s. Over the course of four albums (from the 1988 classic Strictly Business to 1992's Business... [+] Read More

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Ice Cube was the first member of the seminal Californian rap group N.W.A. to leave, and he quickly established himself as one of hip-hop's best and most controversial artists. From the outset of his career, he courted controversy, since his rhymes were profane and political. As a solo artist, his politics and social commentary sharpened... [+] Read More

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New York rapper Intelligent Hoodlum (born Percy Chapman) served 20 months on Riker's Island for robbery in 1988, using the experience to immerse himself in works on African-American culture and the theology of the Nation of Islam. That combination underscores all of his work and makes his songs radiate with righteousness, anger, indignation, and... [+] Read More

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Although they predated the jazz-rap innovations of De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, and Digable Planets, the Jungle Brothers were never able to score with either rap fans or mainstream audiences, perhaps due to their embrace of a range of styles -- including house music, Afrocentric philosophy, a James Brown fixation, and of course, the use of... [+] Read More

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A member of one of the original hip-hop crews, Treacherous Three, Kool Moe Dee later became a solo star in his own right in 1986 by teaming with a teenaged Teddy Riley (later famed as the king of new jack swing) on the crossover hit "Go See the Doctor." The single earned him a contract with Jive Records, for which he recorded three successful... [+] Read More

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When he began releasing singles in the late '90s, party rap was the dominant style most MCs favored, but Mr. Lif's lyrical agenda was a political and socially conscious one that recalled the rap stars of the previous decade -- Public Enemy, Gang Starr, and Boogie Down Productions. Born Jeffrey Haynes, Mr. Lif grew up in the Boston, MA, suburb of... [+] Read More

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One of hip-hop's most militantly Afrocentric radicals, Paris struggled for most of his career to find acceptance for his fiercely political music, which drew from the provocative intelligence of Public Enemy and the gut-level rage of early Ice Cube. Born Oscar Jackson, Jr. in California, Paris earned a degree in economics from the University of... [+] Read More

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Part of the growing contingent of Islamic-oriented message rappers, Poor Righteous Teachers formed in Trenton, NJ, when teenage friends Culture Freedom and Wise Intelligent (songwriting credits are listed as S. Phillips and T. Grimes) decided to form a more positive rap group as an alternative to the gangsta style (which they vehemently defend).... [+] Read More

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True Mathematics was a mysterious rap act generally thought to be a collaboration between producers Hank Shocklee and Carl Ryder, with vocals generally credited to Eric Sadler. ~ John Floyd, All Music Guide

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