A promising West Coast vocalist/rapper that worked with Snoop Dogg and Xzibit on their late-2000 albums, foreshadowing a possible future as a West Coast utility man in the tradition of Nate Dogg and Kokane. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide

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More than any other rapper, Dr. Dre was responsible for moving away from the avant-noise and political stance of Public Enemy and Boogie Down Productions as well as the party vibes of old-school rap. Instead, Dre pioneered gangsta rap and his own variation of the sound, G-funk. BDP's early albums were hardcore but cautionary tales of the... [+] Read More

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South Africa: a country known by many for nothing but its struggle during the apartheid era, its overwhelmingly bizarre laws, its incredibly high amount of HIV/AIDs patients and its extremely high crime rates which have over the years given its lands the title of “The Crime Capital of The World”.

However, even in the... [+] Read More

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HoodRAT Mafia iz a two-man krew from yarmouth, NS... Made up of MC PIMP Naztee and R&B singer Sho*Shott... We got 6 songz completed rite now and plan on droppin' an album before tha summer hitz... We got 3 new songz in tha midst of completion rite now and we hope 2 drop 'em in on tha site real soon... We're experimentin' wit a few new soundz &... [+] Read More

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Though Kokane had been involved with the West Coast rap scene since the dawn of gangsta rap, he was never able to secure any substantial success for himself until 2000 when he played a major role in the success of Snoop Dogg's Tha Last Meal. His eccentric vocal approach is half fluid rapping and half weird P-funk-influenced singing. This balance... [+] Read More

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Urban R&B producer/vocalist/multi-instrumentalist/songwriter R. Kelly and his supporting band Public Announcement began recording in 1992 at the tail end of the new jack swing era, yet he was able to keep much of its sound alive while remaining commercially successful. While he created a smooth, professional mixture of hip-hop beats, soul-man... [+] Read More

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From his flow to the beats that he rhymes over, everything about hardcore rapper Shade Sheist screams "West Coast" in no uncertain terms. Sheist has, on occasion, worked with some East Coast rappers -- including Ja Rule and Naughty by Nature member Kay Gee -- but even so, Sheist is very much a product of the Southern California rap scene.... [+] Read More

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Suga Free's career got off to a slow start despite a promising debut album, 1997's Street Gospel. In 2000, he returned to the spotlight with high-profile guest appearances on Xzibit's Restless and Snoop Dogg's Tha Last Meal. In 2004, the rapper issued his second album, The New Testament, followed two years later by Just Add Water and two volumes... [+] Read More

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Though Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and 2Pac may have stolen the spotlight, tha Dogg Pound played an important role in the success of Suge Knight's Death Row empire before the duo moved on to solo careers. Dogg Pound members Daz Dillinger and Kurupt aided in the success of the both Dr. Dre's The Chronic (1992) and Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle (1993) before... [+] Read More

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Born Warren Griffin III, Warren G exploded out of the burgeoning Long Beach rap scene in 1994 with the smash single "Regulate," a duet with longtime friend Nate Dogg, and its accompanying album, Regulate...G Funk Era. G grew up in Long Beach listening to his parents' extensive collection of jazz, soul and funk records, also frequently hanging... [+] Read More

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