Common (originally Common Sense) was a highly influential figure in rap's underground during the '90s, keeping the sophisticated lyrical technique and flowing syncopations of jazz-rap alive in an era when commercial gangsta rap was threatening to obliterate everything in its path. His literate, intelligent, nimbly performed rhymes and political... [+] Read More

Yes No

1 out of 1 people agree

California-based Anticon producer Alias had never heard about New York-based Rona "Tarsier" Rapadas before he got a letter from her one day in 2003, shortly after the release of his instrumental-based album Muted, telling him how much she liked his work, if he would listen to her band (Brooklyn indie electronica outfit Healamonster & Tarsier),... [+] Read More

Yes No

Each a respected producer in his own right, Kingston and Young God joined forces when they decided to create the group Blue Sky Black Death. After they signed to Mush Records in 2005, the duo set to work on making their first record. A Heap of Broken Images, a two-disc album divided into an instrumental set and one featuring guest appearances... [+] Read More

Yes No

With just a few (mostly underground) releases, Dilated Peoples have energized the rap underground in similar fashion to fellow West Coast crew Jurassic 5. The duo of Evidence and Rakaa came together in the mid-'90s, when they met at many of the same hip-hop shows; after deciding to start making tracks together, they formed Dilated Peoples. Once... [+] Read More

Yes No

Hip-hop duo Lil' Dap and Melachi -- collectively known as Group Home -- surfaced in 1995 on a compilation called Guru Presents Ill Kids Records, which was released around the same time as their debut album, Livin' Proof. In spite of Guru's championing the duo, Group Home remained silent for a few years, finally reappearing in 1999 with the album... [+] Read More

Yes No

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

Yes No

RJD2's music is a collage of cut-and-paste hip-hop that combines disparate elements to make for soulful, moody portraits of the world. Born in Eugene, OR, on May 27, 1976, he moved to Columbus, OH, a few years later and was raised there. He first busted out onto the hip-hop scene in 1998 -- a time when producers were emerging from the shadows to... [+] Read More

Yes No

Though popular success has largely eluded the Roots, the Philadelphia group showed the way for live rap, building on Stetsasonic's "hip-hop band" philosophy of the mid-'80s by focusing on live instrumentation at their concerts and in the studio. Though their album works have been inconsistent affairs, more intent on building grooves than pushing... [+] Read More

Yes No