Michael Bivins discovered Cleveland-born MC Brains (born James De Shannon) in 1992. With Bivins assistance and encouragement, M.C. Brains debuted on Motown with Lovers Lane. The single "Oochie Coochie" just missed the pop Top 20, while "Brainstorming" was a respectable follow-up. M.C. Brains style was pop crossover rather than hard or gangsta,... [+] Read More

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Biz Markie's inclination toward juvenile humor and his fondness for goofy, tuneless, half-sung choruses camouflaged his true talents as a freestyle rhymer. The Biz may not have been able to translate his wild rhyming talents to tape, but what he did record was worthwhile in its own way. With his silly humor and inventive, sample-laden... [+] Read More

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Los Angeles rapper Candyman was featured backing Tone-Loc before he earned his own solo stint. His 1990 debut, Ain't No Shame in My Game, scored a Top Ten pop hit with "Knockin' Boots." The following year, he released another less successful LP for Epic, Playtime Is Over. He released I Thought U Knew for I.R.S. in 1993, which also failed to... [+] Read More

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Cousin of renowned gangster rapper Ice Cube, Del tha Funkee Homosapien (real name Teren Delvon Jones) was born in Oakland, CA, on August 12, 1972, and got his start with Ice Cube's backing band, da Lench Mob. But Del's rap isn't as grim or violent as Ice Cube's is, in fact, he's been known to include something in his music that's far too... [+] Read More

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"Jump Around," an impossibly infectious and catchy single, instantly elevated House of Pain from an unknown white hip-hop group to near-stars when it became a massive crossover hit in 1992. It made the band and it also broke the band, consigning them to the level of one-hit wonders. House of Pain continued to release records after their... [+] Read More

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Chicago native M-Doc first emerged as a producer and remixer, with a list of credits including projects for Madonna, Janet Jackson and Keith Sweat. He issued his solo rap debut Universal Poet in 1991, followed four years later by It's a Summer Thang; another four-year gap preceded the release of his third LP, Young, Black, Rich and Famous. ~... [+] Read More

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Best-known for his 1988 platinum hip-hop classic "It Takes Two," Rob Base (with DJ E-Z Rock) rode his hit onto R&B radio stations as well as dance clubs, providing a touchstone for the style known as hip-house. After leaping several hurdles -- vicious rumors about his personal life plus the legal action of Maze's Frankie Beverly after Base... [+] Read More

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The U-Krew (short for the Untouchable Krew) signed to Enigma and released one self-titled album before splitting. The Portland quintet was formed by programmer/producer Larry Bell and vocalist Kevin Morse in the mid-'80s, but their first and only album didn't come out until 1989. Supported by a trio of singles, only "If You Were Mine" managed to... [+] Read More

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Triple M was around long enough as a pop-rap artist to release one 1991 album on A&M. Despite the release of a supporting single ("Prisoner of Passion"), the album failed to make much of a dent commercially. Triple M seemed to disappear after that, though he did make a guest appearance on To Be Continued's 1993 album Free to Be. ~ Andy Kellman,... [+] Read More

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Coming out of the fertile early-'80s New York rap scene, Whodini were one of the first rap groups to add a straight R&B twist to their music, thus laying the groundwork for the new jack swing movement. The group consisted of rappers Jalil Hutchins and John "Ecstasy" Fletcher, adding legendary DJ Drew "Grandmaster Dee" Carter, known for being... [+] Read More

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