2Pac became the unlikely martyr of gangsta rap, and a tragic symbol of the toll its lifestyle exacted on urban black America. At the outset of his career, it didn't appear that he would emerge as one of the definitive rappers of the '90s -- he started out as a second-string rapper and dancer for Digital Underground, joining only after they had... [+] Read More

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Coolio was one of the first rappers to balance pop accessibility with gritty, street-level subject matter and language. Yet despite his nods to hardcore, his music was clearly more happy-go-lucky at heart; he shared the West Coast scene's love of laid-back '70s funk, and that attitude translated to his music far more often than Dr. Dre's Death... [+] Read More

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One of the key members of the mid-'90s Death Row Records empire, producer/rapper Daz Dillinger worked alongside some of the West Coast's best rappers. Along with Kurupt, Nate Dogg, and Snoop Dogg, Dillinger (at time known as Dat Nigga Daz) was one of the Long Beach, CA, clique that had been introduced to Dr. Dre through Warren G during the... [+] Read More

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Devin Copeland aka Devin the Dude was born in St. Petersburg, FL, and later moved to Texas while in the fourth grade. As a child he went back and forth from New Boston and Houston and finally settled in the latter after he graduated high school. In the late '80s, Devin met Rob Quest, a blind rapper and producer who was part of a Houston crew... [+] 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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One of the first rappers to come out the Midwest in the early '90s, MC Breed experienced modest success while based in Flint, MI, before leaving the Midwest to work with the D.O.C. in L.A. and Too $hort in Atlanta. Breed's debut album, MC Breed & DFC, was released on the tiny independent label SDEG (4103) and pictures Breed and da Flint Crew... [+] Read More

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He's known as the soul man of G-funk, and before his first album had ever been released, Nate Dogg made appearances on several huge hits: "Regulate" with Warren G, 2Pac's All Eyez on Me, and the soundtrack to Murder Was the Case. The cousin of Snoop Dogg, Nate was born in Los Angeles and began working with Warren early in the '90s. By 1994, the... [+] 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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After the release of his debut album, the career of Texas-born rapper the D.O.C. was shattered by a car crash that almost took his life. Although he could no longer rap like he used to, his former producer Dr. Dre featured the rapper on his groundbreaking album The Chronic, which built on the foundation laid by the D.O.C.'s No One Can Do It... [+] Read More

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A rolling G-funk trio from Flint, Michigan, Top Authority debuted with Somethin' to Blaze To on Trak Records. The following year brought Rated G, and Ichiban picked up distribution through Wrap for third album Top Authority Uncut (The New Year). ~ John Bush, All Music Guide

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