Heralded instantly as one of New York's leading rap voices, Nas expressed an outspoken, self-empowered swagger that rallied the streets of his city and elsewhere. Whether proclaiming himself "Nasty Nas" or "Nas Escobar" or "Nastradamus" or "God's Son," the self-appointed King of New York battled numerous adversaries for his position atop the... [+] Read More

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3 out of 3 people agree

In just a few short years, the Notorious B.I.G. went from a Brooklyn street hustler to the savior of East Coast hip-hop to a tragic victim of the culture of violence he depicted so realistically on his records. His all-too-brief odyssey almost immediately took on mythic proportions, especially since his murder followed the shooting of rival... [+] Read More

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2 out of 2 people agree

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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1 out of 1 people agree

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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1 out of 1 people agree

They never had a mainstream hit of their own, but during rap's so-called golden age in the late '80s, Eric B. & Rakim were almost universally recognized as the premier DJ/MC team in all of hip-hop. Not only was their chemistry superb, but individually, each represented the absolute state of the art in their respective skills. Eric B. was... [+] Read More

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1 out of 1 people agree

Latino rapper Fat Joe (aka Fat Joe da Gangsta, Joey Crack, and his real name Joe Cartagena) was raised in the South Bronx area of New York. It was through an older brother that Cartagena learned the ways of the street, as well as discovering rap music via the sounds of such groundbreaking artists as Theodore, Funky 4 + 1, and the Furious Five.... [+] Read More

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1 out of 1 people agree

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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I haven't eaten in years. I'm hungry people. I'm the 215 lyrical assassin known as CZR short for CRIMINAL ZOO **** with RHINO strength.
Feel me!

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Craig G's career began in the late '80s when he ran with legendary producer Marley Marl and his Juice Crew posse. The Queensbridge rapper teamed with Marley early on, back in 1985, when the two recorded "Shout" and "Transformer," both released by Pop Art Records. Though definitely not as treasured as other Marley classics from the era such as MC... [+] Read More

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Born James Campbell in Westbury, NY, in 1969, veteran rapper Freddie Foxxx was in a group by the age of ten and made his recorded debut as Freddie C. in 1986 on a 12" by Supreme Force. He landed a deal with MCA and released Freddie Foxxx Is Here in 1989. After making noted appearances on records by Kool G. Rap & DJ Polo, Boogie Down Productions,... [+] 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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Passionate, furious, intelligent, and well crafted flow. Reminiscent of the stalwarts of the true "gangsta rap" era (i.e. Ice Cube, Scarface, Kool G. Rap, etc.) The signature sound is undeniable and the voice is definitely authentic.

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As golden age rap suddenly gave way to West Coast gangsta in the early '90s, an East Coast variety of hardcore rap arose in turn, with Mobb Deep initially standing tall as one of New York's hardcore figureheads on the basis of their epochal Infamous album. Released in April 1995, The Infamous was released almost exactly a year after Illmatic and... [+] Read More

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Born and raised in the notorious Bedford Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, Papoose took his first jabs at being a rapper at the young age of 11. Given the name by his grandmother meaning "Indian baby", whom he resembled as a child, Papoose is the true definition of a real mc. Inspired by rap legends Rakim, Kool-G-Rap and Big Daddy Kane, he has... [+] Read More

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Acknowledged as the more skilled member of the duo Mobb Deep on the mic, Prodigy spent years making a name for himself alongside partner Havoc on acclaimed albums such as Hell on Earth (1996) and Murda Muzik (1999) before releasing his first solo album, HNIC, on Loud Records in late 2000. With this album, Prodigy teamed up with a roster of... [+] Read More

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