Showing 1 - 24 of 24
Artist: Furious Five
Artist: Da Original & Furious Five
Artist: Melle Mel & the Furious 5
Artist: 50 Cent
In many ways the ideal East Coast hardcore rapper, 50 Cent endured substantial obstacles throughout his young yet remarkably dramatic life before becoming in early 2003 the most discussed figure in rap, if not pop music in general. Following an unsuccessful late-'90s run at mainstream success (foiled by an attempt on his life in 2000) and a... [+] Read More
Artist: Grandmaster Melle Mel
Lyrical leader of the original Furious Five and founder of a splinter version of the group during the mid-'80s, Melle Mel wrote many of the legendary raps featured on Grandmaster Flash tracks. Born Melvin Glover, he and his brother Nate (aka Kidd Creole) (not the Caribbean dance-popster of the same name) joined up with Cowboy (Keith Wiggins) in... [+] Read More
Artist: Grandmaster Flash
DJ Grandmaster Flash and his group the Furious Five were hip-hop's greatest innovators, transcending the genre's party-music origins to explore the full scope of its lyrical and sonic horizons. Flash was born Joseph Saddler in Barbados on January 1, 1958; he began spinning records as teen growing up in the Bronx, performing live at area dances... [+] Read More
Artist: Rahzel
Probably best known in the semi-mainstream world as a member of the Roots, Rahzel is an MC that specializes in the "fifth element" of hip-hop culture -- beatboxing (which comes after graffiti spraying, DJing, MCing, and breakdancing). He actively discourages classification of his sound, attempting to remain on the eclectic edge of the commercial... [+] Read More
Artist: Captain Rapp
Although Captain Rapp was never an international superstar, he was one of the pioneers of rap on the West Coast and enjoyed a small cult following in that part of the United States. The Los Angeles resident first made his mark in the early '80s, recording a 1981 single, "Gigolo Rapp," as half of the duo Disco Daddy & Captain Rapp. At the time,... [+] Read More
Artist: Fat Joe
Latino rapper Fat Joe (aka Fat Joe da Gangsta, Joey Crack, and his real name Joe Cartagena) was raised in the South Bronx area of New York. It was through an older brother that Cartagena learned the ways of the street, as well as discovering rap music via the sounds of such groundbreaking artists as Theodore, Funky 4 + 1, and the Furious Five.... [+] Read More
Artist: Anthony Kiedis
Vocalist Anthony Kiedis went from playing Sylvester Stallone's son in the movie F.I.S.T. to becoming one of the most influential artists in the alternative rock boom of the early '90s. As the frontman for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kiedis has inspired a generation of musicians with a hankering for both punk and funk; however, the maturation of... [+] Read More
Artist: Crash Crew
The six-man Crash Crew recorded a few old school anthems, one of which ("High Powered Rap") was released before Grandmaster Flash found a hit with the same jam (as "Freedom"). Based in Harlem's Lincoln Projects, the collective was formed by high-school friends E.K. Mike C, Reggie Reg (Reginald Payne), La Shubee, Barry Bistro, G-Man, and DJ... [+] Read More
Artist: Chiefs of Relief
Something of a sequel to/ripoff of Mick Jones' Big Audio Dynamite, the Chiefs of Relief were three punk-era veterans and a newcomer looking for a similar rock and dance hybrid. The core of the group was guitarist Matthew Ashman (of the original post-punk lineup of Adam & the Ants, the one that got swiped by Malcolm McLaren and turned into Bow... [+] Read More
Artist: Freedom
It was 1975 in Jackson, MS, when lead guitarist, Caleb Tyrone Armstrong, a student at Wingfield high school, and Ray Smith (bass), a student at Jackson State College, formed Freedom. The other members were Joe Leslie (lead singer and bongos), David Thigpen (sax), Victor Mason (drums), Larry Addison (keyboards & vocals), Adolph Adams (sax and... [+] Read More
Artist: DMC
He's one-half of the pioneering Run-D.M.C., a trio who broke nearly every boundary for hip-hop and sold millions of records along the way. Born May 31, 1964, in Harlem but raised in Hollis, Queens, Darryl "D.M.C." Matthews McDaniels became fascinated with hip-hop the moment he heard Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five. He first learned to DJ... [+] Read More
Artist: Treacherous Three
One of the first rap groups on record, Treacherous Three recorded for both of the major old school labels (Enjoy, Sugar Hill) and introduced a faster style of rapping (dubbed speed rapping) that influenced the later course of hip-hop. Formed by a trio of Harlem high-school friends -- Kool Moe Dee (Mohandas Dewese) and L.A. Sunshine (Lamar Hill),... [+] Read More
Artist: Doug Wimbish
Doug Wimbish was one of the 1980s' most versatile bassists, able to move from pop and mainstream rock session work to heavy metal, funk, and experimental music over the course of the decade; he continued in this vein through the 1990s before finally releasing his first solo album, Trippy Notes for Bass, in 1999. Wimbish is perhaps best known as... [+] Read More
Artist: Funky 4 + 1
Funky 4 + 1 were one of the first hip-hop groups that contained a female MC and were certainly the first group of their kind that released records commercially. Further, the group were the among the first wave of Bronx crews to release records after the initial success of the Sugarhill Gang in 1979. The Funky 4 consisted of DJ Breakout, K.K.... [+] Read More
Artist: Cold Crush Brothers
The Cold Crush Brothers were one of the first rap crews to emerge from the Bronx soon after hip-hop's birth in the mid-'70s. Along with Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, Grand Wizard Theodore & the Fantastic 5 MCs, and the Funky Four Plus One, these four NYC natives were already well-established long before the Sugarhill Gang made rap a... [+] Read More
Artist: Mathematics
A member of the Wu-Tang family, DJ/producer Mathematics (aka DJ Allah Mathematics) is the man the group members turn to when they want that classic Wu sound, and he is rumored to have drawn the original "W" logo. Born Norman Porter in south-side Jamaica, Queens, Mathematics was exposed to hip-hop culture at an early age. His older brother... [+] Read More
Artist: Jae-P
Like David Rolas and Akwid, Mexican-American rapper Jae-P is among the bilingual Latino MCs who made a name for himself on the West Coast rap scene in the early 2000s. The Los Angeles resident, who has no problem rapping in either English or Spanish and is fluent in both languages, has often been cited as part of a trend known as urban regional;... [+] Read More
Artist: Wise Intelligent
Wise Intelligent is the front man for the critically acclaimed and Legendary Hiphop trio known to the world as the “Poor Righteous Teachers”. PRT hail from and represent to the fullest Trenton New Jersey (New Jerusalem). They released five incredible albums throughout their illustrious career. Their groundbreaking first album Holy Intellect... [+] Read More
Artist: Shade Sheist
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
Artist: Sylvia Robinson
Singer/songwriter/producer Sylvia Robinson had two chart toppers: as half of Mickey & Sylvia with "Love Is Strange" and her own solo gold single, the sensuous "Pillow Talk." Through the All Platinum label with husband Joe Robinson, she was instrumental in the careers of the Moments (she produced and co-wrote their number one R&B single "Love on... [+] Read More
Artist: Big Hutch
Gregory Hutchinson, who also goes by Cold 187um and Big Hutch, is among the many gangsta rappers who came out of South Central Los Angeles in the late '80s. Lyrically, the rapper/producer has never been known for his subtlety -- many of Hutch's lyrics are graphic, violent, and disturbing accounts of thug life in L.A.'s inner-city neighborhoods.... [+] Read More
