If skills sold, Talib Kweli would have been one of the most commercially successful rappers of his time. As it was, however, the especially earnest MC became one of the most critically successful rappers of his time, which dawned in the late '90s when he rapped alongside Mos Def and DJ Hi-Tek as part of the group Black Star. This trio of... [+] Read More

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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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Seattle-based band featuring pianist Deems, various members doing mix of mainstream, bop and fusion numbers. They recorded on a Seattle label better known for its hip-hop groups than jazz; have issued two albums, one in the early '80s, the other in 1990. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide

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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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Speaking out against what he saw as a decline in rap during the mid-'90s, Jeru the Damaja came to the fore as a self-proclaimed prophet and the savior of hip-hop, much as KRS-One had done almost ten years before. Jeru first appeared as a guest on Gang Starr's Daily Operations album, and his own deal with Payday/ffrr appeared soon after,... [+] Read More

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Uniondale, NY, rappers MC Charlie Brown, MC Dinco D, MC Busta Rhymes, and Cut Monitor Milo issued A Future Without a Past for Elektra in 1991 as Leaders of the New School. They combined Afrocentric message tracks with novelty throwaways, and got a little attention for "Teachers, Don't Teach Us Nonsense." They followed it with T.I.M.E. in 1993. ~... [+] 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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The best and most popular French rapper, MC Solaar found success in America among fans of acid jazz and jazz-rap (if not the larger hip-hop community) after guesting on Guru's acclaimed Jazzmatazz project. His fluid phrasing makes up for his lack of English, and the production on his solo work (by DJ Jimmy Jay and Boom Bass of La Funk Mob)... [+] 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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My name is Samuel John. One day in November of 2002, during my first year of college, my buddy Phil, a.k.a Big PHC, and I were cruising, blowing trees, bumping 2Pac, and I suddenly just had the inspiration to start flowing. Big Phil said I was hella sick and was surprised that I had kept my talent quiet. I told him that I never even knew I... [+] Read More

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As a member of Brand Nubian, Sadat X (born Derek Murphy) was one of the key MCs who related messages inspired by the Five Percent Nation. Two years after Brand Nubian's third album, Everything Is Everything, he made his solo debut with Wild Cowboys, which built on his lyrical reputation on top of tough, jazz-inflected arrangements. The album,... [+] Read More

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Michael Franti released only one album as half of the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy, but it was praised for his insightful raps and Public Enemy-influenced beats. After disappearing for two years, Franti resurfaced in 1994 with Spearhead, a band more rooted in '70s funk; their debut Home was followed in 1997 by Chocolate Supa Highway. ~ John... [+] Read More

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The jazz/hip-hop fusion collective Us3 scored a major hit in 1994 with "Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)," a song that displayed the group's fondness for sampling classic recordings on the Blue Note label (in this case, Herbie Hancock's "Cantaloupe Island"). The group was founded in London in 1991 when concert promoter and jazz writer Geoff Wilkinson... [+] Read More

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