Rapper Cam'ron was born and raised in Harlem, attending Manhattan Center High School, where one of his basketball teammates was Mason "Mase" Betha, who also became a successful rapper. Though his playing earned him scholarship offers from top colleges, Cam'ron was unable to take advantage of them because of his poor academic record, and he... [+] Read More

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From the depths of the R&B music revolution emerges an artist whose multi-dimensional lyrical decadence is nothing short of sensational. She is the innovative, yet sensual phenom whose passion and drive for success
propelled her music into a new dimension of personal growth for music lovers to experience. Her name is Adina Howard.
She... [+] Read More

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One of the numerous thoughtful, literate gangsta rappers to emerge from New York during the mid-'90s, AZ never garnered the attention of peers like Nas and Jay Z. Instead, he saw his debut album, Doe or Die, become a critical favorite in late 1995 before his career suddenly went downhill after such modest and short-lived success. Critics and... [+] Read More

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One of the numerous thoughtful, literate gangsta rappers to emerge from New York during the mid-'90s, AZ never garnered the attention of peers like Nas and Jay Z. Instead, he saw his debut album, Doe or Die, become a critical favorite in late 1995 before his career suddenly went downhill after such modest and short-lived success. Critics and... [+] Read More

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Philadelphian rapper Beanie Sigel had a rapidly rising career, beginning with his appearance on one of underground rapper/producer DJ Clue's mix tapes, to his cameos on Jay-Z's Vol. 2: Hard Knock Life, to a consequent solo deal with Roc-A-Fella Records. His distinctive, slightly drawling delivery and his clever but hard-hitting rhymes were... [+] Read More

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Loved by the streets as well as by critics, Cormega was the rare hardcore rapper to win praise from all directions, and while he never quite crossed over like some of his New York City peers, he maintained a respectable independence over the years nonetheless, self-releasing his work on the Legal Hustle label. Born Cory McKay, Cormega came up as... [+] Read More

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Loved by the streets as well as by critics, Cormega was the rare hardcore rapper to win praise from all directions, and while he never quite crossed over like some of his New York City peers, he maintained a respectable independence over the years nonetheless, self-releasing his work on the Legal Hustle label. Born Cory McKay, Cormega came up as... [+] Read More

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The biggest hip-hop impresario of the mid-'90s, Sean Combs -- known as Puff Daddy both here and in the world of rap until his professional name change to P. Diddy -- created a multi-million dollar industry around Bad Boy Entertainment, with recordings by the Notorious B.I.G., Craig Mack, Faith Evans, 112, and Total, all produced and... [+] Read More

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To the admiration of a generation, Jay-Z led an incredibly storied career in the rap industry, pulling himself up by his bootstraps as a youth to one day become the reigning rapper of New York City and then a major-label executive following his retirement from music-making. More than anyone, Jay-Z embodied the ultimate rags-to-riches rap dream,... [+] Read More

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Junior Masters at Finding Intelligent Attitudes, or Junior M.A.F.I.A., were able to grab instant notoriety with two hit singles, "Get Money" and "Player's Anthem," thanks to their childhood crony and producer, the Notorious B.I.G. Their gold-certified debut album, Conspiracy (Undeas/Big Beat), was also released on Biggie's Undeas label in 1995.... [+] Read More

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After making her presence known on Junior M.A.F.I.A.'s debut album, Conspiracy, Lil' Kim launched a solo career in 1996 with the release of her first record, Hard Core. As the album's title implies, Kim was a rarity among female rappers -- one who not only concentrated on edgy hardcore rap but also explicit sexuality, two territories that had... [+] Read More

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LOX -- an acronym for Living Off Experience -- was a Yonkers, NY-based rap trio who worked their way up through the Bad Boy training camp; writing and rapping on hits by the likes of Puff Daddy, the Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, and Mariah Carey before releasing their debut album in early 1998.

Sheek (Shawn Jacobs), Jadakiss... [+] Read More

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Best known as Puff Daddy's favorite sidekick, Mase secured his place as a Bad Boy label favorite through a series of guest appearances on hit singles by other artists. By the time he issued his debut album, the Bad Boy promotional machine had effectively already made him a star. His flow was slow and relaxed, and his raps often unabashedly... [+] Read More

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A Queens rapper with a streetwise attitude as well as a few ties to Puff Daddy's pop-rap empire of the late '90s, Mic Geronimo grew up listening to LL Cool J and Big Daddy Kane, plus soul acts like Stevie Wonder and Prince. Discovered by producer Irv Gotti (DJ Irv) at a talent show, Mic Geronimo signed to Blunt/TVT and debuted with the 1995 LP... [+] Read More

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No female rap artist paralleled the success of Missy Elliott, neither during her reign nor before, and none was more deserving. Unlike most of urban music's female superstars, Missy writes her own songs as well as performs them, and her creative wit in on a par with her stylish demeanor. In addition to her talent and showmanship, though, she... [+] Read More

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One-half of the Queens hardcore rap duo Capone-N-Noreaga, Victor "Noreaga" Santiago met Kiam "Capone" Holley in 1992 while both were serving prison sentences. Signed to Penalty Records in 1996, the pair released a hard-hitting debut (The War Report) in June 1997, but after Holley was thrown back in jail on a parole violation, Santiago began... [+] Read More

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Remy Ma, who grew up in the Bronx, the second oldest of five children, spent much of her youth writing and performing both rhymes and poetry. In 1999, she caught the attention of rapper Big Pun, who soon became Remy's mentor and invited her into Terror Squad, a group of which he was also a part. After Pun's death in 2000, the young MC signed to... [+] Read More

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