After performing live around his native Santurce to promote his self-produced tracks, Puerto Rican Big Boy (born Gustavo Roy Diaz) signed up with Musical Productions to release his first album, Mr. Big, in 1993. On his following record, titled Que Vayas Con Dios, and 1996's Mis Ojos Lloran por Ti, Big Boy delivered songs mostly influenced by... [+] Read More

Yes No

Orlando's C Note formed in 1997, when the vocal group that Jose "Brody" Martinez, Raul Molina, and David "D'Lo" Perez were in at the time lost two members. With a talent show performance drawing near, the trio recruited Andrew "Dru" Rogers to complete their harmonies. The quartet's victorious performance at the show caught the attention of... [+] Read More

Yes No

Like many of his West Coast gangsta peers in the early '90s, DJ Quik's career began wonderfully before slowly descending with each passing year. In 1991, when a 20-year-old Quik debuted on Priority Records, West Coast gangsta rap reigned and his label controlled the rap industry. These factors, coupled with Quik's production abilities, resulted... [+] Read More

Yes No

The Gospel Gangstaz comprised DJ Dove, Chilly Chill, Tic Toc, and Mr. Solo, all onetime Los Angeles gang-bangers who later spread the Lord's message via the hard beats and gritty rhymes of the West Coast rap sound. Debuting in 1994 with Gang Affiliated, the group returned two years later with Do or Die; I Can See Clearly Now followed in 1999. ~... [+] Read More

Yes No

This quintet from Vancouver, Canada, prides itself on representing every aspect of hip-hop culture: MCing, DJing, graffiti, and breakdancing. The Vancouver quintet made up of MC's Red 1 and Misfit, DJ Kemo, who is also an accomplished graffiti artist, and breakers Zebroc and Dedos, has achieved remarkable success by becoming Canada's... [+] Read More

Yes No

Chops, Peril-L and Styles met on campus at Penn State University and came together in 1992 to form the Mountain Brothers. What began as a recreation or hobby, hip-hop suddenly became something that the group wanted to pursue as a career, which found them up many nights honing their craft. After putting several songs together, the group started... [+] Read More

Yes No

Comparable to De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, the Pharcyde, the Jungle Brothers, and Digable Planets, Ugly Duckling is a quirky, jazz-influenced alternative rap trio who formed in the Los Angeles suburb of Long Beach in 1995. Group members Dizzy, Young Einstein, and Andy Cat started collaborating around 1995, and the hip-hoppers took the name... [+] Read More

Yes No