“I say, play your own way. Don’t play what the public wants. You play what you want and let the public pick up on what you’re doing — even if it does take them fifteen, twenty years.” - Thelonious Monk This very idea was the catalyst in the genesis of DRYrun. Consisting of 2 people with short attention spans and the idea that music should come... [+] Read More

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Iron Lung is an Emcee out of Miami FL currently living in Orlando. He produces a great deal of material for himself and others. more current songs are available on his myspace page. He has recently finished up a new EP entitled Samurai Electro featuring 4 tracks 3 of which he produced.

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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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Building on the rapping style of eccentrics Kool Keith and Del tha Funkee Homosapien, Def Jux headliner Aesop Rock became one of the hottest MCs in the post-millennial underground. After a pair of self-released LPs (Appleseed, Music for Earthworms), he recorded Float for Mush in 2000. The former Ian Bavitz then issued a pair of singles -- "Coma"... [+] Read More

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Building on the rapping style of eccentrics Kool Keith and Del tha Funkee Homosapien, Def Jux headliner Aesop Rock became one of the hottest MCs in the post-millennial underground. After a pair of self-released LPs (Appleseed, Music for Earthworms), he recorded Float for Mush in 2000. The former Ian Bavitz then issued a pair of singles -- "Coma"... [+] Read More

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Akrobatik jumps through hoops for nobody. As a decade-in-the making stalwart of independent hip-hop’s realest echelon, he backslaps chat room rap phonies spawning in his wake. And when he sails through the mainstream with his daily gig on Boston’s jiggy JAM’N 94.5, he does it on his own terms. In Ak’s words, he’s an MC who went to private school... [+] Read More

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Akrobatik jumps through hoops for nobody. As a decade-in-the making stalwart of independent hip-hop’s realest echelon, he backslaps chat room rap phonies spawning in his wake. And when he sails through the mainstream with his daily gig on Boston’s jiggy JAM’N 94.5, he does it on his own terms. In Ak’s words, he’s an MC who went to private school... [+] Read More

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Originally going under the name Bushwick Bomb Squad since their formation in 1993, members Q-Unique, D-stroy, Freestyle, Swel Boogie, and Jise One played around in the underground hip-hop field for a short duration before signing to the independent Fondle 'Em Records and changing their moniker to the Arsonists. With three 12" singles that... [+] Read More

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As the founder of Public Enemy, Chuck D. is one of the most colossal figures in the history of hip-hop, not to mention its most respected intellectual. He redefined hip-hop as music with a message, and his strident radicalism ushered in an era when rap was closely scrutinized for its content; although rap's primary concerns have changed over the... [+] Read More

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EL-P, aka El Producto, is one of hip-hop's most obstinate and adventurous pioneers, combining a mid-'80s lo-fi old school aesthetic with a progressive rock musician's inclination to push boundaries. He has never succumbed to the whims of corporate hip-hop, instead choosing to pursue his own decidedly uncommercial leanings. In the mid-'90s, he... [+] Read More

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EL-P, aka El Producto, is one of hip-hop's most obstinate and adventurous pioneers, combining a mid-'80s lo-fi old school aesthetic with a progressive rock musician's inclination to push boundaries. He has never succumbed to the whims of corporate hip-hop, instead choosing to pursue his own decidedly uncommercial leanings. In the mid-'90s, he... [+] Read More

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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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Rapper/composer Guru (real name Keith Elam) first rose to prominence as the "lyrical half" of the hip-hop duo Gang Starr, one of the first outfits that attempted to fuse jazz with rap. After three albums by Gang Starr hit record store shelves (1989's No More Mr. Nice Guy, 1991's Step in the Arena, and 1992's Daily Operation), Guru launched his... [+] Read More

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INTRODUCING an emcee that breaks the boundaries of the streets and the underground, doesnt buy into the industry standard of rap bullsh*t, and remains real by simply being himself. Tired of looking for the magic label to sign me that all rappers seek, I struck out independently, battling, dropping albums and doing shows as a way to create a name... [+] Read More

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Queens-based Kool G Rap & DJ Polo left one of the most impressive rap discographies in their wake. Though Kool G Rap's growth as an MC from their first single in 1986 to their final album in 1992 was considerable, the duo started off running and never looked back. The pair never had the large profile enjoyed by others in Marley Marl's extended... [+] Read More

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KRS-One (born Kris Parker) was the leader of Boogie Down Productions, one of the most influential hardcore hip-hop outfits of the '80s. At the height of his career -- roughly 1987-1990 -- KRS-One was known for his furiously political and socially conscious raps, which is the source of his nickname, "The Teacher." Around the time of 1990's... [+] Read More

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Patterning his persona and logo after the Marvel Comics supervillain Dr. Doom, the man behind MF (Metal Face) Doom's iron mask is actually Daniel Dumile, aka Zev Love X, a member of former Big Apple hip-hoppers KMD. First featured on the 3rd Bass single "The Gas Face," the London-born, Long Island-raised Zev made his debut with KMD a couple of... [+] Read More

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A longtime friend of Definitive Jux leader El-P, rapper Murs first appeared as a solo artist in 2003, after nearly a decade of working with various groups in the underground. Based in Los Angeles, his first single was released in 1993, and came from a self-released album by his first group, 3 Melancholy Gypsies. The track barely made a dent, but... [+] Read More

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Reflecting the party rap atmosphere of Baltimore's club scene, Spank Rock arrived as one of the best things to happen to both underground hip-hop and dirty rap, a pair of styles that rarely intermingle. The group formed as a collaboration between MC Naeem Juwan (aka Spank Rock) and producer XXXchange (Alex Epton). Both grew up in Baltimore,... [+] Read More

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