Rapper, DJ, and producer Pete Rock first emerged in 1991 as one half of a duo with C.L. Smooth, debuting with the All Souled Out EP. A hit LP, Mecca and the Soul Brother, followed before the two went their separate ways in the wake of 1994's The Main Ingredient, with Rock remaining a prolific studio presence prior to the release of his solo... [+] Read More

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When a person is truly talented, fame has a way of finding them. For poet/spoken word artist/MC extraordinaire Black Ice, his spot in the limelight was more of a divine gift than a personal goal. With industry power players backing him like Russell Simmons, who introduced Black Ice to the world on his Def Poetry Jam series and Mary J. Blige, who... [+] Read More

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After trailblazing around the globe numerous times with Gang Starr as a core member of the Gang Starr Foundation, Big Shug, who has appeared on Gang Starr classics such as 1994's Hard To Earn, 1998's Moment Of Truth, and 2003's Gold-certified The Ownerz, follow's up his 2005 debut, Who's Hard, with his sophomore LP -- Streetchamp.
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Remembered for a couple of striking singles and their membership in the Native Tongues family of groups, Black Sheep also recorded one of rap music's most entertaining debuts, A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing. Handling both production and delivery, Dres and Mista Lawnge appeared headed for a long, rewarding career, but unfortunately faded after the... [+] Read More

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Though they were not the first to synthesize jazz and hip-hop, Digable Planets epitomized the laid-back charm of jazz hipsters better than any group before or since. The trio's 1993 debut album, Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space), was a mellow ride packed with samples from Art Blakey, Sonny Rollins, and Curtis Mayfield, and the single... [+] Read More

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Maxwell Dixon, better known as Grand Puba, is best-known for fronting Brand Nubian for the group's first album -- and the excellent full-blown reunion album, 1998's Foundation -- but he actually made his commercial debut with the Masters of Ceremony, a group who released a 1988 album (Dynamite) on 4th & Broadway. Puba went solo with 1992's Reel... [+] Read More

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Part of the early-'90s explosion of Latin rap, Lighter Shade of Brown (LSOB) was formed in Riverside, CA, in 1990, when the teenage ODM (One Dope Mexican, born Robert Gutierrez) was introduced to DTTX (Don't Try to Xerox, born Bobby Ramirez). The duo began cutting demos and secured a record deal within the year; they debuted with 1990's Brown... [+] Read More

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Though their name might imply violent gangsta rap, Lords of the Underground match socially conscious raps with hard-hitting beats. Newark, NJ's Doitall and Mr. Funke met Cleveland-native DJ Lord Jazz at Shaw University in North Carolina; since the two were looking for a DJ, they hooked up with Jazz. A friend of Doitall's introduced the group to... [+] Read More

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Extremely significant for 1991's Breaking Atoms alone, Main Source's effect on hip-hop is nearly impossible to gauge, especially when considering Large Professor and K-Cut's contributions outside of the group. Consisting of MC/producer Large Professor (born Paul Mitchell) and twin DJs/producers K-Cut (born Kevin McKenzie) and Sir Scratch, the... [+] Read More

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Extremely significant for 1991's Breaking Atoms alone, Main Source's effect on hip-hop is nearly impossible to gauge, especially when considering Large Professor and K-Cut's contributions outside of the group. Consisting of MC/producer Large Professor (born Paul Mitchell) and twin DJs/producers K-Cut (born Kevin McKenzie) and Sir Scratch, the... [+] Read More

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Los Angeles' Movement Ex lasted long enough to release one powerful album of Five Percent Nation-inspired themes. The self-titled album, recorded while both members were teens and released in 1990 on Columbia, failed to make much of an impact on the hip-hop world, but it held its own when compared to other confrontational and politically charged... [+] Read More

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New York City rap duo Gregg Nice (born Gregg Mays) and Smooth Bee (born Daryl Barnes) had an underrated 1991 debut release Ain't a Damn Thing Changed. It included the biting, nicely written, and bitterly performed "Sometimes I Rhyme Slow," which was a sizable hit in the R&B and hip-hop circuit. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide

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While a member of the New York City duo Organized Konfusion, Pharoahe Monch developed a reputation as one of underground hip-hop's pre-eminent lyricists, crafting intricate and intelligent raps with partner Prince Poetry. After recording three albums together from 1991-1997, the two split up amicably, and Monch pursued a more aggressive solo... [+] 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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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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