B Real History

Louis Freese, better known by his stage name B-Real, is a Latin rapper of Mexican and Afro-Cuban heritage. He is best known for being the lead rapper in hip hop group Cypress Hill, who debuted with their self-titled album Cypress Hill in 1991.

Early Life and Career
Born to a Mexican father and an Afro-Cuban mother, B-Real moved with his sister and mother out of his father's home to South Gate before ending up in South Central Los Angeles Before dropping out of Bell High School, he befriended future Cypress Hill members Sen Dog and Mellow Man Ace (who forewent staying with the group to go solo. After being introduced to DJ Muggs by Julio G the KDAY Mixmaster, B-Real and Sen gained interest in Muggs' concept of an album based on experiences from Cypress Ave in South Gate. The group was signed with Ruffhouse/Columbia records in 1991, and made their influential debut that year. B-Real would use his life-threatening experiences as material for the group's self-titled debut album, and subsequent releases. Although subversive as some would argue, the strong content is nevertheless an important artistic contribution as well as highly interesting from a sociological view.

Cypress Hill's trademark sound - an eccentric combination of B-Real's exaggeratedly high-pitched nasal vocals and DJ Muggs' distinctive beats - led to the trio becoming the first Latin rap group to have Platinum and Multi-Platinum albums. They remain the best selling Latin rap group to date. Aside from Cypress Hill, B-Real has been involved in several other musical projects. In 1996 he contributed to the soundtrack for the movie Space Jam. In 2002, he teamed up with Mellow Man Ace and Son Doobie for the short-lived Serial Rhyme Killas, which released one 12" single in 2002. The group recorded a full-length debut album, entitled Deluxe Rapture, but it was never released. He was also previously a member of the group The Psycho Realm.

Solo projects
B-Real has released three mixtapes as a solo artist "Gunslinger", "Gunslinger Vol. II" and "Gunslinger Vol. III".He is currently working on his first solo album, entitled Smoke and Mirrors and has teamed up with Snoop Dogg in a single called Vato for Snoop Dogg's album The Blue Carpet Treatment.

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Dr Dre History

André Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), better known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, actor and record executive. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records, also having produced albums for and overseeing the careers of many rappers signed to those record labels. As a producer he is credited as a key figure in the popularization of West Coast G-funk, a style of rap music characterized as synthesizer-based with slow, heavy beats.
Dr. Dre began his career in music as a member of the World Class Wreckin' Cru and he later found fame with the influential gangsta rap group N.W.A, which popularized the use of explicit lyrics in rap to detail the violence of street life. His 1992 solo debut The Chronic, released under Death Row Records, led him to become one of the best-selling American performing artists of 1993 and to win a Grammy Award for the single "Let Me Ride". In 1996 he left Death Row to found his own label Aftermath Entertainment, producing a compilation album, Dr. Dre Presents the Aftermath, in 1997 and releasing a solo album titled 2001 in 1999, for which he won the Grammy producer's award the next year.
During the 2000s he focused his career on production for other artists, while occasionally contributing vocals in other artists' songs. Rolling Stone named him among the highest-paid performers of 2001 and 2004. Dr. Dre also had acting roles in the 2001 films The Wash and Training Day. His final solo studio album Detox is set to be released in 2008 following much delay and speculation.
Early life
The first child of Verna and Theodore Young, Dr. Dre was born as André Romelle Young on February 18, 1965. His mother was only 16 years old at the time of his birth, after being impregnated by teenage boyfriend Theodore, whom she later married. Young's middle name, "Romelle", came from Theodore Young's unsigned, amateur R&B singing group The Romells. In 1968 his mother divorced Theodore Young for another man, Curtis Crayon, and had other children with him, including two sons named Jerome and Tyree (both of whom are now deceased) and daughter Shameka. As a young child, Young was fascinated with vinyl records spinning on phonographs; his family's record collection included many popular R&B albums of the 1960s and 1970s, from such singers as Diana Ross, James Brown, and Aretha Franklin. According to an interview with the Los Angeles Times, his mother Verna found R&B music to be a relief from the two jobs she had to work daily. Despite economic troubles, she continued to encourage Young not to give up in life. During Verna's second marriage, Young and his step-brother Tyree were raised primarily by their grandmother and Curtis Crayon, as their mother spent much time in search of work.
In 1976 Young began attending Vanguard Junior High School and had a new sister named Shameka. However, due to gang violence around Vanguard, he transferred to nearby Roosevelt Junior High School. Verna later married Warren Griffin, whom she met at her new job in Long Beach, which added three new stepsisters and one new stepbrother to the family. The stepbrother, Warren Griffin III, would eventually become a rapper under the stage name Warren G.
Young attended Centennial High School in Compton during his freshman year in 1979 but transferred to Fremont High School due to poor grades. On December 15, 1981, Young fathered a son with Lisa Johnson, however Curtis Young was not brought up by his father and they only met when Curtis had become rapper Hood Surgeon about 20 years later. He was nearly enrolled to an apprenticeship program at Northrop Aviation Company until poor grades at school made him ineligible. Therefore, he focused on social life and entertainment for most of his high school years.

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G Unit History

The Unit (short for Gorilla Unit, not Guerilla nor Gangsta Unit, as often believed) began as a trio comprised of 50, Lloyd Banks, and Tony Yayo (often with the accompaniment of either DJ Whookid or Cutmaster C as their DJ), and this particular lineup resulted in a series of popular mixtapes: 50 Cent Is the Future, God's Plan, No Mercy, No Fear, and Automatic Gunfire.
Practically every East Coast hardcore rapper has a posse to back him, and 50 Cent is no different, with G-Unit as his particular crew. Before the group had a chance to record its debut album for Interscope in the wake of 50's breakthrough with Get Rich or Die Tryin', Yayo was sentenced to prison for a gun-possession charge.
His replacement, Young Buck, stepped up soon afterward, and the group continued its activity, working on yet more mixtape recordings and scoring some big-time success on the "G-Unit Remix" to 50's "P.I.M.P.," which also featured Snoop Dogg and got heavy rotation on MTV.
Meanwhile, G-Unit recorded their debut album, Beg for Mercy, over the course of 2003, and Interscope finally rush-released the album on November 14 (to combat bootlegging), preceding it with a lead single, "Stunt 101."
Several other singles followed, including "Poppin' Them Thangs" and "Wanna Get to Know You."
Recently, The Game was dropped from G-Unit Records by 50 Cent. Although there were a number of reasons for this, the main reason was that 50 Cent claimed that Game had not shown him enough support in his newly instigated feuds with Nas, Jadakiss/D-Block, and Fat Joe. He also claims that 50 Cent has not received the proper credit for his work on The Game's album, The Documentary. During a radio interview with Hot 97's FunkMaster Flex in New York City on March 1, 2005, 50 Cent, while discussing the growing rift between the two rappers, was rushed out of studio as The Game's posse allegedly attempted to gain entrance to the studio to confront 50 Cent. In the process, a man from Compton was shot, an associate of The Game's Black Wall Street company, reportedly by a member of 50 Cent's posse [Although no arrests have been made, and a spokesperson for 50 Cent denies any involvement].
This controversy was put off by 50 Cent, The Game, and their respective companies. A formal announcement was made at a press conference on March 9, 2005.
"It's going to be a positive thing for both sides," said The Game. I think it's so much bigger being that the date is March 9 [The day Biggie Smalls was murdered]. I'm definitely going to do what I got to do...[to be] on a positive note.

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Too Phat History

Too Phat is a Malaysian hip-hop duo, consisting of Joe Flizzow (born Johan Ishak in Kuala Lumpur, 16 October 1979, aka JFK) and Malique Ibrahim (born in Johore Bahru, 21 August 1977, aka Que Chill).
Career
In the late 1990s Flizzow and Ibrahim formed a musical duo under the Positive Tone label. Their first big break came in 1999 when their first singles, Li'l Fingaz and Too Phat Baby entered normal rotation on local radio.
On the back of the success of these first singles, work soon began on an album entitled Plan B. So far, Plan B has sold over 45,000 copies, earning double platinum status in Malaysia. Cashing in on the duo's fame, recording label Positive Tone, a subsidiary of EMI International, produced a re-issue of Plan B entitled Plan B Platinum Edition, including two new songs, "Clap to This" and "Last Song". Song lyrics were also included in the Platinum Edition and all albums and singles thereafter.

The music video for a track from Plan B, "Just a Friend", was produced in collaboration with Maxis Hotlink and debuted on Malaysian television channel ntv7. The video features cameo appearances from local artistes M. Nasir, Fauziah Latiff and Ferhad, and Malaysian track and field athlete Watson Nyambek. Most of the scenes were shot locally, in the city of Kuala Lumpur. The group controversially used their video to confront issues regarding homosexuality, addressing a topic which is usually avoided in conservative Malaysia. "Just a Friend" became the first music video produced by a local music act to be shown on national television. Too Phat have also collaborated with American hip hop artist Warren G.
In 2005, they produced their latest album Rebirth Into Reality featuring various hip-hop artists from East Asia. The album's first single Dua Dunia features award winning Malaysian singer Siti Nurhaliza.
Recent developments
The group are now signed to Kartel Records, a label that Joe Flizzow created. The duo also created the PhatCap clothing line and the State of Mind imprint on Kartel Clothing. State of Minds caps or KL Caps are a well-known caps in Malaysia, and associated strongly with Kuala Lumpur.
Joe Flizzow is planning to release his first solo album, The President, in 2008, though the date has not been confirmed. The album is thought to feature guest performances from big names such as KRS-One. Ibrahim was rumoured to have quit the music scene to focus on a business in Bali, but recently rumours have surfaced about him recording a solo album, entitle OK. He is also dating an actress from Gol & Gincu.

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Run DMC History

Run-D.M.C. was a pioneering hip hop group during the 1980s founded by Joseph "Run" Simmons, Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels, and Jason "Jam-Master Jay" Mizell. The group had an impact on the development of hip hop through the 1980s and is credited with breaking hip hop into mainstream music. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked them number 48 in their list of the greatest musical artists of all time.
Career
Early
The three members of Run-D.M.C. grew up in the neighborhood of Hollis in the Queens borough of New York City, USA. After completing high school in 1982, Simmons and McDaniels recruited Mizell to play on the turntables. A year later, they released their first single "Sucker MC's", which was well received, peaking at #15 on the R&B charts. This was followed by other singles such as "Jam Master Jay" and "Hard Times".
Late 1980s
The 1988 album Tougher Than Leather lent its name to the band's film that year, which was directed by Rick Rubin and contained special guest performances by the Beastie Boys and Slick Rick. Run-D.M.C.'s executives at Profile Records were unimpressed by the excessive number of times the Def Jam Records logo popped up in the film, which was mostly because of Russell Simmons' involvement with the project.
The group re-invented itself as "gangstas" and released Back From Hell in 1990. The album suffered poor sales. It had two singles, the clean, anti-drug song "Pause", and "The Avenue". They were the # 1 hip hop act in the world. The first to be on the cover of rolling stone.

1990s
The group enjoyed mainstream success again in 1993 with Down With the King, which cracked Billboard magazine's Top 10. Pete Rock and CL Smooth contributed verses on the first single, "Down With the King". The album's second single, "Ooh, Watch'cha Gonna Do?", failed to match its predecessor's chart success. Other guests featured on the album were Mad Lion, Q-Tip and Tom Morello.
In 1998, Jason Nevins remixed It's Like That and It's Tricky. The remix of It's Like That hit number 1 in the United Kingdom, Germany, and many other European countries. A video was made for It's Like That, although no new footage of Run-D.M.C. appeared in the clip.
In 1999, Run-D.M.C. recorded the theme song for WWE wrestling stable D-Generation X entitled "The Kings".
Although Run-D.M.C. enjoyed plenty of commercial success, the effects of this were not solely positive. In Arts and Letters: An A-to-Z Reference of Writers, Musicians, and Artists of the African American Experience, the article on Run-D.M.C. notes that when their second album, King of Rock was released in 1985, there were also a number of violent incidents at rap concerts. While the media lauded Run-D.M.C. for their music, it also began to focus on "rap as a reflection of violence and drug abuse among young black males." Thus, the group felt torn between their mainstream appeal during the time of negativity in other manifestations of rap music.

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Obie Trice History

Obie Trice III (born November 14, 1977) is an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan. He began rapping at the age of 11, and had a number of underground hits such as "Respect", "My Club", "Dope Jobs Homeless", and "The Well Known Asshole" before he signed to Shady Records in 2000. Obie Trice credits himself for having no "rap name", but instead using his birth name/given name for performing, as also mentioned in one of his songs, "Rap Name".
Biography
Obie Trice was raised on Detroit's West Side by his mother, along with three brothers. He was given a karaoke machine by his mother when he was eleven and he used it to rhyme over instrumentals from artists such as N.W.A. By the age of fourteen, he was attending rap battle spots around Detroit, notably including the Hip Hop Shop, on which Obie commented ,
There was a place called the Hip-hop Shop. We'd go up there on Saturday afternoons for the battles. They were hosted by Proof, from D12. I got a response every time I went. That's when I said, 'OK, I wanna get into this music.' "Really, I didn't have a backup plan...
Obie Trice went by the name of Obie 1 during this time, but when he first met Proof, who was about to introduce him at the Hip Hop Shop, Proof asked him, "What's your name? Your real name, no gimmicks." He was then introduced as Obie Trice, and has kept his real name as his rap name. Obie Trice was introduced to Eminem through D12 member Bizarre. Eminem was impressed when Obie freestyled for him in a car park through a window, whilst Eminem was in a car. Later, Obie received a call from his manager informing him that he would be having dinner with Eminem, and later that night they went to a Kid Rock party.

Trice was officially signed in 2000. He first received public attention via a freestyle skit on the Devil's Night album, followed by the deliverance of the opening line "Obie Trice-real name, no gimmicks", off Eminem's The Eminem Show lead single, "Without Me", as well as the song "Drips".Later in 2002, Obie rapped on songs for the 8 Mile soundtrack, and also got a cameo appearance in the film as a rapper in a parking-lot.
Trice's debut album, Cheers, was released on September 23, 2003 with its first single "Got Some Teeth" being well received on radio in a number of countries. He also released the singles "The Set Up" and "Don't Come Down". The album consists of 17 tracks with production from Eminem, Dr. Dre, Timbaland, Mike Elizondo, Emile, Fredwreck and Mr. Porter. Artists featuring on Cheers include Busta Rhymes, Eminem, 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, Dr. Dre, Nate Dogg and D12. The album was eventually certified platinum by the RIAA.
In 2005, he began work on his second album, entitled Second Round's on Me. The album was finally released on August 15, 2006. Following the release of Second Round's on Me, he released a mixtape called Bar Shots with G-Unit's DJ Whoo Kid.
In June 2008, Obie Trice departed from Shady Records. A misunderstanding was made where it was believed he was attacking the label and Eminem on a single titled "The Giant" but they were quickly dismissed.
Shooting
On December 31, 2005, Trice was shot twice while driving on the Lodge Expressway by Wyoming Avenue in Detroit. One of the bullets entered his head. Trice was able to drive off the expressway, where his girlfriend waved down the police. He was taken to Providence Hospital and released later that day. Doctors are still contemplating whether or not to remove the bullet, as it may be too dangerous to operate.
Shortly after his label-mate Proof was shot to death in a Detroit nightclub, a song emerged on the mixtape circuit called "Ride Wit Me". The song was dedicated to Proof. Trice made a speech at Proof's funeral, addressing the problem of black-on-black violence:
In the single "Cry Now" from his second album, Trice addresses his shooting, as well as Eminem's rumored retirement, referenced with the following line, "Rock City is my voice / The white boy has stepped down / So I will accept the crown." Obie Trice has since given insight as to why he feels the shooting occurred, and has labeled it "haterism", as well as a bad mind state by saying, "it’s a lot of do-or-die type individuals. They want to get that plug and there’s really more to the game then they think it is [...] it’s competition on a real vicious level." As of July 2007, the bullet is still lodged in Obie's skull.
Leaving Shady Records
Obie Trice left Shady/Interscope on June 26th, 2008. This news was first put in to circulation by Hip-Hop blog Urban Lookout; a few days after they broke the news, a track leaked confirming the rumor.
Obie Trice is now signed to his own independent label named Worldwide Hustle.

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D12 History

D12 (also known as D-12, The Dirty Dozen, D-Twizzy and Detroit-Twelve) is an American hip-hop group from Detroit, Michigan. D12 has had chart-topping albums in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia. D12 was formed in 1996, but only achieved mainstream success when one of its members, Eminem, rose to international fame and notoriety.
History
Early career
Proof formed D12 as a rap collective of local Detroit MCs including Bizarre, Eminem, Eye-Kyu, Killa Hawk, Fuzz and himself. The group was a loose collective in the vein of Wu-Tang Clan. The original concept of D12 was to have 12 of Detroit's most talented Rappers. However, when Eminem, Proof, Eye-Kyu, Bizarre and a few others who were members at the time, were unable to find 12 Rappers who were good enough, Proof decided in order to have 12, the then 6 members would create an alter-ego. Proof chose Dirty Harry. When Eminem found out Proof took that name, he decided on Billy The Kid. This was Eminem's first Dirty Dozen alter-ego. Eminem and Proof eventually decided to "fall-back" on the wild-west concept. At some point afterwards, most-likely early 1997, Eminem created the Slim Shady concept. Bizarre became Peter S. Bizarre. Kuniva became Hannz G., which later became Rondell Beene. Denaun became Kon Artis. Bugz became Robert Beck. During 1997, and continuing throughout 1998, several members began making names for themselves in Detroit. Bizarre was named Inner City Entertainment's "Flava of the Week". He went on to release an album called Attack Of The Weirdos and become an honorary member of The Outsidaz with Eminem, Rah Digga and Young Zee. Proof won a freestyling competition run by The Source in 1998.

Before the group had any success, Killa Hawk and Fuzz left the group due to various reasons. Fuzz in particular did not get along well with Proof (as stated by Eminem in his book Angry Blond). D12 went through many changes during its beginning stages - leaving only four official members: Proof, Bizarre, Eminem and Eye Kyu for a long while. Eminem then later left to pursue his solo career after being heard by Dr. Dre. D12 temporarily was over. Right about when Eminem got a deal, Proof decided to start D12 up again. Proof was set to find other local rappers to join the group. Proof managed to pick up local Detroit hip hop duo Da Brigade to join. Da Brigade featured longtime Eminem and Proof friend Kon Artis, who also produced Eminem's first album Infinite. The other half of Da Brigade was formed by local MC Kuniva. Kon Artis was just the producer for D12 at the time, but was later convinced to join D12 as an artist after his partner Kuniva decided to join the Dirty Dozen. Kuniva then introduced Bugz to Proof who later joined the group. Bizarre again joined, but Eye Kyu had decided not to. D12 were in need of one more member, until Bugz asked to have his long time friend Swift, who at the time was already a member of the rap duo Da Rabeez to join.

Rise to fame
The first member of the group to achieve solo success was Eminem. After he recorded an independent EP called The Slim Shady EP in 1997 that caught the attention of famed rap producer Dr. Dre and Interscope CEO Jimmy Iovine, and he was quickly signed to Aftermath/Interscope records. Eminem stuck to his pact, and Dr. Dre once stated that while making The Slim Shady LP, his debut album, he kept insisting that he go back to sign the others. Dr. Dre told him to first establish himself as a solo artist, then go back for his friends.
In 1999 he released his hit debut The Slim Shady LP and quickly rose to super stardom as The Slim Shady LP went on to sell four million copies in the United States. Having taken Dre's advice, he had established himself as a solo artist and decided it was time to gather his friends. As a way to establish D12, he created Shady Records under the Interscope imprint. He then made D12 the first act to be signed to Shady/Interscope Records.
Death of Bugz
The group toured with Eminem after they signed with Shady Records. Before a show in Detroit, D12 member Bugz attended a picnic which would end with his death. Bugz argued with a man over a water-pistol fight. As the argument escalated, the man went to his SUV and retrieved a firearm which he then fired in Bugz's direction. Bugz was shot three times and hit by the assailant's vehicle as he fled the scene. The attack was caught on tape and shown on the local news later that night.
D12 was shaken by the incident, darkening the light mood of the rap collective. One of the last things Bugz had asked Proof was to allow Swift to join D12. Unfortunately, a few weeks after Swift joined, Bugz was killed, and the rest of D12 couldn't cope and started to believe it was over. After Bugz's death, Eminem asked if he could substitute for Bugz to help them out and do some shows with them which they were booked for prior to Bugz's death. This eventually led to Eminem becoming a member of D12 again.
In memory of Bugz, the group recorded the track "Good Die Young" on their second album D12 World. The album also included a song titled "Bugz '97", which was a 1997 recording of Bugz, originally from the song 'Desperados'. All five members of D12 bear a tattoo of his name somewhere on their bodies in remembrance of him. The group recorded their first LP Devil's Night in his memory. Eminem's second album The Marshall Mathers LP was also dedicated to Bugz.

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Missy Elliot History

Born in Portsmouth, VA, in 1971 as Melissa Elliott, Missy's professional music career began when Jodeci member/producer Devante Swing signed her and her group, Sista, to his Swing Mob record label. Unfortunately, Swing Mob Records fell through and along with it the plans for Sista's debut album. Determined to move forward, Missy turned to longtime acquaintance Timbaland, who happened to be producing some tracks for Aaliyah's One in a Million (1996) album. It proved to be a key move for Missy, as the album racked up enormous sales. Soon record execs were knocking on her door. Missy began working with a number of artists as either a songwriter or a vocalist/rapper before finally signing herself a deal with Elektra in 1996. A year later, Supa Dupa Fly hit the streets and soon after went platinum thanks to "The Rain." Besides the sales numbers, the album also proved critically successful, impressing nearly everyone who heard it. It had not only radio-ready singles ("Sock It 2 Me," "Beep Me 911," "Hit 'Em Wit da Hee") but also an astounding array of album tracks that showcases just how multi-talented Missy indeed was, singing on some, rapping on others.

In 1999, she returned with her much-awaited follow-up album, Da Real World, an even more ambitious album that featured two mammoth hits -- "She's a Bitch" and "Hot Boyz" -- along with an array of often daring collaborations with such unlikely candidates as Eminem. Around this same time, she began appearing in TV ads for the Gap and Sprite, proving that not only was she a musical talent but also an important icon for the era. The cycle repeated itself in 2001 when she released Miss E...So Addictive, again powered by two huge hits: "Get Ur Freak On" and "One Minute Man." Her remarkable popularity continued a year later with her next album, Under Construction, and its hit singles, "Work It" and "Gossip Folks." Missy's music machine continued pummeling the charts, with Timbaland & Magoo's follow-up Under Construction, Pt. II appearing in mid-November and the new Elliott LP This Is Not a Test! released a week later. Ciara, Slick Rick, Mary J. Blige, and American Idol winner Fantasia were some of the guests on Missy's 2005 album The Cookbook. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide.
A one-woman hip-hop media machine, Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliot first made her mark in the music business as a writer, penning songs in the 1990s for artists such as Aaliyah, Mariah Carey and Puff Daddy. She released her own album, Supa Dupa Fly, in 1997 to popular and critical success; she's been writing, performing and producing chart-topping singles and albums ever since. Elliott has won numerous awards for her videos and has collaborated with a variety of pop and hip-hop stars, including Mya, Pink, Busta Rhymes and Lil Kim. Her albums include Da Real World (1999), Miss E...So Addictive (2001), Under Construction (2002), This Is Not A Test (2003) and The Cookbook (2005). She's recorded many dancehall favorites over the years, including "Get Ur Freak On," "Work It," "Lose Control," and, with Ciara, "1,2 Step." One of the top-selling female rappers and producers in the business, she is a multiple Grammy winner and a familiar face on music television and magazine ads.

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Lauryn Hill History

Lauryn Noel Hill (born May 25, 1975) is a Grammy Award-winning American singer, rapper, musician, songwriter, producer, and film actress. Early in her career, she established her reputation in the hip-hop world as the lone female member of The Fugees. On August 25, 1998 she launched her solo career with the release of the commercially successful and critically acclaimed album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, an album which helped to spur the neo-soul genre to a wider commercial platform. After a four year hiatus, she released MTV Unplugged No. 2.0; a live recording taped on July 21, 2001 at MTV Studios in Times Square. She has won eight Grammy Awards and is the mother of five children with Rohan Marley, the fourth son of reggae legend Bob Marley.

Biography
Early Life
Lauryn Hill was born in South Orange, New Jersey. Hill was the second of two children born to high school English teacher Valerie Hill and computer programmer Mal Hill. As a child, Hill incessantly listened to her parents' Motown and 1960s soul records. Music was a central part of the Hill home. Mal Hill sang at weddings, Valerie played the piano, and Lauryn's older brother Melaney played the saxophone, guitar, drums, harmonica, violin, and piano.
Hill graduated from Columbia High School in Maplewood, New Jersey. Hill was an active student, cheerleader, and performer. She began her acting career at a young age. In 1988, 13-year old Hill appeared as an Amateur Night contestant on It's Showtime at the Apollo. Hill sang her own version of William "Smokey" Robinson's song "Who's Lovin' You?".
Hill was childhood friends with actor Zach Braff and they both graduated from Columbia High School in 1993. Braff mentioned inviting Hill to his bar Mitzvah in 1988.

Hill appeared on the soap opera As the World Turns as Kira Johnson. In December 1993, she starred in Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit as Rita Louise Watson. In the film, she performed the songs "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" (a duet with Tanya Blount) and "Joyful, Joyful". It was in this role, as Rita, that she first came to national prominence, with Roger Ebert calling her "the girl with the big joyful voice".
Her other acting work includes the play Club XII with MC Lyte, and the motion pictures King of the Hill (as Arletta the Elevator Operator), Hav Plenty (1997), and Restaurant (1998). She appeared on the soundtrack to Conspiracy Theory in 1996 with "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" and on Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood in 2002 with the track "Selah".

Personal life
Since 1996, Hill has been a in a relationship with Rohan Marley, son of the late reggae music icon Bob Marley. Though she refers to Marley as her husband, it has not been confirmed publicly that they are legally married. According to an October 2003 Rolling Stone article by Touré, Marley never divorced his first wife Geraldine Khawly, whom the article stated he married in 1993 and had two children; daughter Eden Marley, and son Nicolas Marley. However, in the summer of 2005, Trace magazine interviewed Lauryn Hill and Rohan Marley; Marley said none of this was true and that many lies had been written about them.
Together they have four children: son Zion David Hill-Marley (August 3, 1997); daughter Selah Louise Marley (November 12, 1998); son Joshua Marley (January 2002) and son John Marley (summer 2003). As of October 2007, the couple were expecting their fifth child.
She has written a song about her eldest son, titled "To Zion", which can be found on her first solo effort, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. A song titled "Selah", is featured on the Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood soundtrack.
Hill is noted as a humanitarian, and in 1996 she received an Essence Award for work which has included the 1996 founding of the Refugee Project, an outreach organization that supports a two-week overnight camp for at-risk youth, and for supporting well-building projects in Kenya and Uganda, as well as for staging a rap concert in Harlem to promote voter registration. In 1999 Hill received three awards at the 30th Annual NAACP Image Awards. In 1999 Ebony named her one of "100+ Most Influential Black Americans". She was named with Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. and others among the "10 For Tomorrow," in the EBONY 2000: Special Millennium Issue.

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2 Live Crew History

2 Live Crew is a rap group. They caused considerable controversy with the sexual themes in their work, particularly on their 1989 album As Nasty As They Wanna Be.
Early Career
2 Live Crew was created by David "Treach DJ Mr. Mixx" Hobbs in Riverside, California, with fellow rappers Chris (Fresh Kid Ice) Wongwon, and Yuri (Amazing Vee) Vielot. The 3 met at March AFB Riverside, CA, as they were enlisted in the Air Force. Along with giving local parties on and off base, they recorded their first singles through Macola Records Distribution in Los Angeles, CA. They released "Revelation" in 1984; the single sold well in Florida, encouraging the group to release What I Like. In 1986, due to the popularity of the new single Throw the D**k, the group, including new member Mark "Brother Marquis" Ross replacing Amazing Vee due to military commitments, relocated to Miami and teamed up with Ghetto Style DJ's and soon to be manager and eventual performer Luther Campbell, who used the nickname "Luke Skyywalker" (and was subsequently sued by George Lucas).
Throw The Dick, with its fast dance tempo, turntable scratching explicit phrases from comedy albums, stuttering voice samples, and the Roland TR-808 drum machine brought a new sound to the group, penned as The Miami Bass Sound. David "Treach DJ Mr. Mixx" Hobbs was credited with the production.

The year 1987 saw the release of The 2 Live Crew Is What We Are, featuring profane and sexually graphic lyrics. Rudy Ray Moore's comedy albums and other XXX assorted comedy albums provided the material for most of the explicit samples that "Mr. Mixx" used. The album was produced by Mr. Mixx. Bob Rosenberg of Will to Power did trick edits on Beat Box and was billed "King of the Edits". The record went gold. Though the controversy did not rise to the levels the group would reach in the future, a Florida store clerk was charged and acquitted of felony charges for selling the album to a fourteen-year-old girl in 1987.
Campbell decided to sell a separate clean version in addition to the explicit version of the next album, Move Somethin' (1988), produced by Mr. Mixx. A record store clerk in Alexander City, Alabama was cited for selling a copy to an undercover police officer in 1988. It was the first time in the United States that a record store owner was held liable for obscenity over music. The charges were dropped after a jury found the record store not guilty.


As Nasty As They Wanna Be
As Nasty As They Wanna Be (1989) became the group's biggest hit, largely because of the single "Me So Horny", which was popular in spite of little radio rotation, thanks, in part, to prevalent play on MTV. The song was based on a quote from a Vietnamese prostitute in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket and took a sample from Mass Production's Firecracker. This album was also produced by Mr. Mixx
The American Family Association did not think the presence of a "Parental Advisory" sticker was enough to adequately warn listeners of what was inside the case. Jack Thompson, a lawyer affiliated with the AFA, met with Florida Governor Bob Martinez and convinced him to look into the album to see if it met the legal classification of obscene. In 1990 action was taken at the local level and Nick Navarro, Broward County sheriff received a ruling from Judge Mel Grossman that probable cause for obscenity violations existed. Navarro warned record store owners that selling the album may be prosecutable. 2 Live Crew filed a suit against Navarro. That June, Judge Jose Gonzalez ruled against the album, declaring it obscene and illegal to sell. Charles Freeman, a local retailer, was arrested two days later, after selling a copy to an undercover police officer. This was followed by the arrest of three members of 2 Live Crew after they performed some material from the album at a live performance. They were acquitted soon after. In 1992, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit overturned the obscenity ruling from Jose Gonzales, and the Supreme Court of the United States refused to hear Broward County's appeal. A notable feature of the case was the distinguished literary critic and now Harvard University professor, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. as an "expert witness" on behalf of the defendants. He argued that the material that the county alleged was profane, actually had important roots in African-American vernacular, games, and literary traditions and should be protected.
As a result of the controversy, As Nasty As They Wanna Be sold over two million copies. It peaked at #29 on The Billboard 200 and #3 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. A few other retailers were later arrested for selling it as well. Later heavy metal band Van Halen sued over an uncleared sample of their song Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love in the 2 Live Crew Song "The Fuck Shop". The publicity then continued when George Lucas, owner of the Star Wars universe, sued Campbell for appropriating the name "Skywalker" for his record label, Luke Skyywalker Records. Campbell changed his stage name to Luke (and changed the record label's name to Luke Records) and then released an extremely political solo album, Banned in the USA after obtaining permission to use an interpolation of Bruce Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A. 2 Live Crew paraphernalia with the Luke Skyywalker or Skyywalker logos are usually sought after as collector's items.
In 1991, 2 Live Crew released the very first live rap album, Live in Concert, and Sports Weekend, a full-length studio original. It peaked at #22 on The Billboard 200 and #19 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It did not gain the same sales level that they experienced with As Nasty As They Wanna Be. The 2 Live Crew members went their separate ways after this. Luke pursued his solo music career and other projects.
In 1992, Fresh Kid Ice released unreleased tracks from pre-Luke 2 Live Crew Deal With This under the name Rock on Crew, while Luke and Ice also released new solo albums, I Got Shit on My Mind and The Chinaman, respectively.
Mark "Brother Marquis" Ross co-starred alongside Fred Williamson in the film South Beach and started a new group with Aldrin "DJ Toomp" Davis, a former member of Poison Clan, which was also signed to Campbell's label. They named the group 2 Nazty, and released the album "Indecent Exposure" on Attitude Records in 1993. The single was called "Can't Say I Love You," but it did not chart, and the group never released a second album. The single was a departure from the typical 2 Live nasty rhymes, and focuses on what a deep emotion love is, and how it should not be said to anyone lightly. The rest of the album sounds like a 2 Live Crew record, and focuses on sexual exploits of the members.
The hard feelings over the split of the 2 Live Crew is apparent on the album, as Marquis is heard on the track "Interview" saying he was fired from the group, and that the other members had no love for him. DJ Toomp also has a line in "Be My Bitch" comparing signing a deal with Skyywalker Records to signing your life away.

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Kris Kross Biography

Kris Kross was a teenage rap duo of the early 1990s. The duo is most famous for their 1992 hit "Jump," and their fashion styling—consisting of wearing their clothes backwards.
History
Kris Kross, consisted of Atlanta, Georgia natives: Chris "Mac Daddy" Kelly (born August 11, 1978), and Chris "Daddy Mac" Smith (born January 10, 1979). Childhood friends, Kelly and Smith were discovered in 1991, at the age of twelve, by Jermaine Dupri at an Atlanta shopping mall. Dupri thought the two "looked like a rap group," and proceeded to groom them as such.
Their Dupri-produced debut album, Totally Krossed Out, was released in 1992; selling four million copies in the US. It included the hit single "Jump," which topped the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart for eight weeks. In the interim, the duo landed a spot on Michael Jackson's European tour that year, as well as a cameo appearance on Jackson's "Jam" music video. In addition to this, they also made appearances in the music videos for Run DMC's "Down With the King" and Dj Nab's "Live megamix." They were also featured in episodes A Different World and In Living Color.

In 1992, a video game directed by Denis Dyack was released starring the pair titled Kris Kross: Make My Video. It was released on the Sega CD system, and consisted of the player editing together the group's music videos to a few of their hit songs—using portions of the original music videos, stock footage, and general video animation effects. Players were prompted before each edit session to make sure to have certain footage compiled into the video. The game was released only in the United States to poor sales figures and dismal reviews. It was ranked 18th on Electronic Gaming Monthly's list of the "20 Worst Games of All Time".
Kris Kross made a cameo appearance in Ted Demme's 1993 film Who's the Man?, which starred Ed Lover and Doctor Dré of Yo! MTV Raps fame. The movie earned modest box office success, but remains a cult favorite amongst rap enthusiasts for cameos of dozens of rap/hip-hop stars.
Their second album entitled Da Bomb, released in 1993 featured a more hardcore ambiance than their first. Although it was certified platinum, and spawned the hit "Alright," the album failed to match their earlier success. A third album, Young, Rich and Dangerous, was released in early 1996 and was certified gold. Following its run, the duo virtually disappeared from the public eye.
As of 2007, the group has reunited, currently working on different projects and still works for Jermaine Dupri. Chris Smith is releasing his new album, "Urbane Expressions" sometime in 2008, the first single from his album is titled "Lady." Chris Kelly has his own label called C.co records, but the group still works for Jermaine Dupri.

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Iwa K History

Iwa K
Iwa K (born Iwa Kusuma in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia, October 25, 1970; name sometimes spelled Iwa-K) is Indonesia's best known rapper. He was the first rapper to come to prominence, beginning his musical career in the late 1980s. He is the first Indonesian rapper to have released a full-length album (Kuingin Kembali), in 1992 or 1993.

Indonesian rap does not come from the mean streets of Jakarta, Yogyakarta or Bandung. In Jakarta's notoriously bad district of Tanah Abang, you can find drug dealers, gambling dens and prostitutes but you can't find any rappers.
In fact, the totality of the local "rap scene" comes from a single one-story house on the other side of town in Cinere, south Jakarta. It is here that Guest Music Productions has set up the stable of Iwa-K and his junior posse of Pesta Rap fame, as in let's rap to have fun, make money and live on the cool side of things. Rap is all about territory and this is as inconspicuous as a base can be.
The rappers and their entourage of fans, producers and girlfriends spend their days at the one-home 'hood between the sweltering heat of an outdoor basketball court where they play basket-ball, mostly it seems to keep up appearances, and the chill of a three-by-four recording studio inside. They have no competitors so life is tranquil.
And the lyrics are not about violence and sex. Iwa-K, 28, prefers to talk about love, social situations and sports.
The country's best selling rapper - the only one, in fact, to release an album all to his credit - is the guru of this posse. His "juniors" as lieutenants of rap are called in these parts are dressed in loud, oversized and overpriced basketball replica threads. They hang on his every word. They seem to have taken to his approach. On the compilation album Pesta Rap I, the duo that calls itself Boyz got no Brain sings about mosquitoes. The hit song of Pesta Rap II, released last year -- Mati Lampu -- is about an electricity blackout.

"A lot of people think that rap is talking about violence and sex, but rap is just talk and you can basically talk about anything you want," points out Masaru Riupassa, the manager of this rapping Mecca. He is in charge of rent and deciding when the time is right for an album's release. "The problem isn't getting the good tunes on tape, it's making sure they sell. As for our image, we're not gangsters, but we won't back down from saying what's wrong with everyday society."
Rap emerged two decades ago on the streets of South Bronx, New York, as a way of expressing rage on energetic bass lines. Hip-hop, which encompasses rap, graffiti and break-dancing has since grown into a global pop culture, but was slow coming to Indonesia.
The only rappers to record any success on the local market are The Hammer and Bobby Brown, hybrid musicians who offer more dance and soul than rap. Hard-core rappers such as Wu-Tang Clan or the slain 2 Pac and Notorious Big haven't registered any success here.
But Riupassa firmly believed the powers of black music could cross southeast Asian borders and during the late eighties he successfully launched Guess Band, an R&B unit, with the hit song Takan. When the lead singer left the group, Riupassa decided to start a recording company instead. Riupassa found the rapper he wanted in Iwa-K, a Jakarta native and sometime university student in Bandung. At the time, Iwa-K was writing lyrics and rapping cool tunes for pleasure instead of going to classes.
Riupassa signed Iwa-K to produce Indonesia's first ever rap album, Ku Ingin Kembali, which was released in 1992 and sold 100-thousand units. The hardest part was finding a distributor. Riupassa was turned down by seven music labels until PT Musica Studios reluctantly agreed to promote the product, not knowing they had stepped into a lucrative mine.
Iwa-K's second album, Topeng, released in 1993, sold 260-thousand copies. The first track, Bebas, a free-flowing song about freedom, was briefly the number one song on the Prambors radio chart, Jakarta's barometer for popular songs. The music video produced by Rizal Mantovani, with Malcolm X in the background, won the MTV Asia video of the month award in April 1995.
Not satisfied to have only one rapper to market, Riupassa organized a rapping competition for teenagers at the Jakarta Hilton hotel in 1995. The winners, he decided, would participate in the production of a new rap album with fresh voices. The result was Pesta Rap I which sold an astonishing 270-thousand copies.
"If you make good rap like we do, the upper middle class teenagers will go for it," Riupassa says. "It's all a question of toning down the style, making it easy-listening, all the while keeping that distinctive edge rap possesses. I might add a lot of Indonesians have a natural gift for rap."
He then organized a competition over the phone, to make matters easier. The best sounding telephone rappers from across Indonesia, including Da'Ricuh, an 18-year-old girl from Jakarta, were then chosen to produce Pesta Rap II, which was released at the end of last year. Meanwhile, Iwa-K released his third album Kramotak, which means brain dead. The title song Nombok Dong with its incessant chorus Bola Basket, Bola Basket! has become an anthem for the country's growing legion of basketball players.
Iwa-K and the Pesta Rap posse regularly perform on TV or on stage in Jakarta. They have the local veto on the rap look - bandannas, droopy hats, large jerseys. Their concerts are as much about energy - sprawling all over the place, bouncing off walls, polishing the floor with their moves - as it is about their music, sometimes lacking in maturity. In addition to the music celebrity circuit, Iwa-K does double duty as a basketball commentator on private television.
Of late, albums have been few and far in between because of the economic crisis, "not a good time to release" says Riupassa. But that doesn't mean the Cinere crew is not busy at work, still recording rhymes. In Indonesia's only rap ghetto, far from the murderous streets of Compton, California, which gave the world gangsta rap, the trailblazer and the posse survive, play ball and keep on rapping. Pesta Rap III and Iwa-K's fourth album are both ready and should be out in record stores by the end of the year.

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50 Cent History

Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2003) and The Massacre (2005). Both albums achieved multi-platinum success, selling over twenty-one million copies combined.
Born in South Jamaica, Queens, 50 Cent began drug dealing at the age of twelve during the 1980s' crack epidemic. After leaving drug dealing to pursue a rap career, he was shot nine times in 2000. After releasing his album Guess Who's Back? in 2002, 50 Cent was discovered by rapper Eminem and signed to Interscope Records. With the help of Eminem and Dr. Dre who produced his first major commercial successes—he became one of the world's highest selling rappers. In 2003, he founded the record label G-Unit Records, which signed successful rappers such as Young Buck, Lloyd Banks, and Tony Yayo.
50 Cent has engaged in feuds with other rappers including Ja Rule, The Game, and Fat Joe. He has also pursued an acting career, appearing in the semi-autobiographical film Get Rich or Die Tryin' in 2005 and the Iraq War film Home of the Brave in 2006.

Life and Music Career
Early life
50 Cent, born Curtis James Jackson III, grew up in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens in New York City. He grew up without a father and was raised by his mother Sabrina Jackson, who gave birth to him at the age of fifteen. Sabrina, a cocaine dealer, raised Jackson until the age of eight, when she was murdered. Twenty-three at the time, she became unconscious after someone drugged her drink. She was then left for dead after the gas in her apartment was turned on and the windows shut closed. After her death, Jackson moved into his grandparents' house with his eight aunts and uncles. He recalls, "My grandmother told me, 'Your mother's not coming home. She's not gonna come back to pick you up. You're gonna stay with us now.' That's when I started adjusting to the streets a little bit". Jackson grew up with his younger cousin, Michael Francis, who earned the nickname "25 Cent" for being his younger counterpart. Francis raps under the stage name "Two Five".
50 Cent's mug shot, August 23, 1994
Jackson began boxing around the age of eleven. At fourteen, a neighbor opened a boxing gym for local kids. "When I wasn't killing time in school, I was sparring in the gym or selling crack on the strip", he recalled. In the mid 1980s, he competed in the Junior Olympics as an amateur boxer. He recounts, "I was competitive in the ring and hip-hop is competitive too... I think rappers condition themselves like boxers, so they all kind of feel like they're the champ". At the age of twelve, Jackson began dealing narcotics when his grandparents thought he was at after-school programs. He also took guns and drug money to school. In the tenth grade, he was caught by metal detectors at Andrew Jackson High School. He later stated, "I was embarrassed that I got arrested like that... After I got arrested I stopped hiding it. I was telling my grandmother [openly], 'I sell drugs.'"
On June 29, 1994, Jackson was arrested for helping to sell four vials of cocaine to an undercover police officer. He was arrested again three weeks later when police searched his home and found heroin, ten ounces of crack cocaine, and a starter gun. He was sentenced to three to nine years in prison, but managed to serve six months in a shock incarceration boot camp where he earned his GED. Jackson said that he did not use cocaine himself, he only sold it. He adopted the nickname "50 Cent" as a metaphor for "change". The name was derived from Kelvin Martin, a 1980s Brooklyn robber known as "50 Cent". Jackson chose the name "because it says everything I want it to say. I'm the same kind of person 50 Cent was. I provide for myself by any means"

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Hip-Hop History

Nowadays if you ask most people to give a definition of "rap", they're likely to state that it's the reciting of rhymes to the best of music. It's a form of expression that finds its roots imbedded deep within ancient African culture and oral tradition. Throughout history here in America there has always been some form of verbal acrobatics or jousting involving rhymes within the Afro-American community. Signifying, testifying, Shining of the Titanic, the Dozens, school yard rhymes, prison 'jail house' rhymes and double Dutch jump rope' rhymes are some of the names and ways that various forms of rap have manifested. Modern day rap music finds its immediate roots in the toasting and dub talk over elements of reggae music. In the early 70's, a Jamaican dj known as Kool Herc moved from Kingston to NY's West Bronx. Here, he attempted to incorporate his Jamaican style of dj which involved reciting improvised rhymes over the dub versions of his reggae records. Unfortunately, New Yorkers weren't into reggae at the time. Thus Kool Herc adapted his style by chanting over the instrumental or percussion sections of the day's popular songs. Because these breaks were relatively short, he learned to extend them indefinitely by using an audio mixer and two identical records in which he continuously replaced the desired segment.

In those early days, young party goers initially recited popular phrases and used the slang of the day. For example, it was fashionable for dj to acknowledge people who were in attendance at a party. These early raps featured someone such as Herc shouting over the instrumental break; 'Yo this is Kool Herc in the joint-ski saying my mellow-ski Marky D is in the house'. This would usually evoke a response from the crowd, who began to call out their own names and slogans.

As this phenomenon evolved, the party shouts became more elaborate as dj in an effort to be different, began to incorporate little rhymes-'Davey D is in the house/An he'll turn it out without a doubt.' It wasn't long before people began drawing upon outdated dozens and school yard rhymes. Many would add a little twist and customize these rhymes to make them suitable for the party environment. At that time rap was not yet known as 'rap' but called 'emceeing'. With regards to Kool Herc, as he progressed, he eventually turned his attention to the complexities of djaying and let two friends Coke La Rock and Clark Kent (not Dana Dane's dj) handle the microphone duties. This was rap music first emcee team. They became known as Kool Herc and the Herculoids. Rap caught on because it offered young urban New Yorkers a chance to freely express themselves. This was basically the same reason why any of the aforementioned verbal/rhyme games manifested themselves in the past. More importantly, it was an art form accessible to anyone. One didn't need a lot of money or expensive resources to rhyme. One didn't have to invest in lessons, or anything like that. Rapping was a verbal skill that could be practiced and honed to perfection at almost anytime.

Rap also became popular because it offered unlimited challenges. There were no real set rules, except to be original and to rhyme on time to the beat of music. Anything was possible. One could make up a rap about the man in the moon or how good his dj was. The ultimate goal was to be perceived as being 'def (good) by one's peers. The fact that the praises and positive affirmations a rapper received were on par with any other urban hero (sports star, tough guy, comedian, etc.) was another drawing card.

Finally, rap, because of its inclusive aspects, allowed one to accurately and efficiently inject their personality. If you were laid back, you could rap at a slow pace. If you were hyperactive or a type-A, you could rap at a fast pace. No two people rapped the same, even when reciting the same rhyme. There were many people who would try and emulate someone's style, but even that was indicative of a particular personality.

Rap continues to be popular among today's urban youth for the same reasons it was a draw in the early days: it is still an accessible form of self expression capable of eliciting positive affirmation from one's peers. Because rap has evolved to become such a big business, it has given many the false illusion of being a quick escape from the harshness of inner city life. There are many kids out there under the belief that all they need to do is write a few 'fresh' (good) rhymes and they're off to the good life. Now, up to this point, all this needs to be understood with regards to Hip Hop. Throughout history, music originating from America's Black communities has always had an accompanying subculture reflective of the political, social and economic conditions of the time. Rap is no different.

Hip hop is the culture from which rap emerged. Initially it consisted of four main elements; graffiti art, break dancing, dj (cuttin' and scratching) and emceeing (rapping). Hip hop is a lifestyle with its own language, style of dress, music and mind set that is continuously evolving. Nowadays because break dancing and graffiti aren't as prominent the words 'rap' and 'hip hop' have been used interchangeably. However it should be noted that all aspects of hip hop culture still exists. They've just evolved onto new levels. Hip hop continues to be a direct response to an older generation's rejection of the values and needs of young people. Initially all of hip hop's major facets were forms of self expression. The driving force behind all these activities was people's desire to be seen and heard. Hip hop came about because of some major format changes that took place within Black radio during the early 70's. Prior to hip hop, black radio stations played an important role in the community be being a musical and cultural preserver or griot (story teller). It reflected the customs and values of the day in particular communities. It set the tone and created the climate for which people governed their lives as this was a primary source of information and enjoyment. This was particularly true for young people. Interestingly enough, the importance of Black radio and the role djs played within the African American community has been the topic of numerous speeches from some very prominent individuals.In the early days rappers flowed on the mic continously for hours at a time..non stop. Most of the rhymes were pre-written but it was a cardinal sin to recite off a piece of paper at a jam. The early rappers started off just giving shout outs and chants and later incorporated small limricks. Later the rhymes became more elaborate, with choruses like 'Yes Yes Y'all, Or 'One Two Y'all To The Beat Y'all being used whenever an emcee needed to gather his wind or think of new rhymes. Most emcess rhymed on a four count as opposed to some of the complex patterns one hears today. However, early rappers took great pains to accomplish the art of showmanship. There was no grabbing of the crotch and pancing around the stage. Pioneering rapper Mele-Mel in a recent interview pointed out how he and other acts spent long hours reheasing both their rhymes and routines. The name of the game was to get props for rockin' the house. That meant being entertaining. Remember back in the late 70s early 80s, artists weren't doing one or two songs and leaving, they were on the mic all night long with folks just standing around watching. Folks had to come with it or be forever dissed. Before the first rap records were put out (Fat Back Band's King Tem III' and Sugar Hill Gang's 'Rapper Delight'), hip hop culture had gone through several stages. By the late 70's it seemed like many facets of hip hop would play itself out. Rap for so many people had lost its novelty. For those who were considered the best of the bunch; Afrika Bambaataa, Chief Rocker Busy Bee, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Four (yes initially there were only 4), Grand Wizard Theodore ad the Fantastic Romantic Five, Funky Four Plus One More, Crash Crew, Master Don Committee to name a few had reached a pinnacle and were looking for the next plateau. Many of these groups had moved from the 'two turntables and a microphone stage' of their career to what many would today consider hype routines. For example all the aforementioned groups had routines where they harmonized. At first folks would do rhymes to the tune of some popular song. The tune to 'Gilligan's Island' was often used. Or as was the case with he Cold Crush Brothers, the 'Cats In the Cradle' was used in one of their more popular routines. As this 'flavor of the month' caught hold, the groups began to develop more elaborate routines. Most notable was GM Flash's' Flash Is to The Beat Box'. All this proceeded 'harmonizing/hip hop acts like Bel Biv DeVoe by at least 10 years.

The introduction of rap records in the early 80s put a new meaning on hip hop. It also provided participants a new incentive for folks to get busy. Rap records inspired hip hoppers to take it to another level because they now had the opportunity to let the whole world hear their tales. It also offered a possible escape from the ghetto.... But that's another story..we'll tell it next time.

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The Roots Of Hip-Hop

Nowadays if you ask most people to give a definition of "rap", they're likely to state that it's the reciting of rhymes to the best of music. It's a form of expression that finds its roots imbedded deep within ancient African culture and oral tradition. Throughout history here in America there has always been some form of verbal acrobatics or jousting involving rhymes within the Afro-American community. Signifying, testifying, Shining of the Titanic, the Dozens, school yard rhymes, prison 'jail house' rhymes and double Dutch jump rope' rhymes are some of the names and ways that various forms of rap have manifested. Modern day rap music finds its immediate roots in the toasting and dub talk over elements of reggae music. In the early 70's, a Jamaican dj known as Kool Herc moved from Kingston to NY's West Bronx. Here, he attempted to incorporate his Jamaican style of dj which involved reciting improvised rhymes over the dub versions of his reggae records. Unfortunately, New Yorkers weren't into reggae at the time. Thus Kool Herc adapted his style by chanting over the instrumental or percussion sections of the day's popular songs. Because these breaks were relatively short, he learned to extend them indefinitely by using an audio mixer and two identical records in which he continuously replaced the desired segment.

In those early days, young party goers initially recited popular phrases and used the slang of the day. For example, it was fashionable for dj to acknowledge people who were in attendance at a party. These early raps featured someone such as Herc shouting over the instrumental break; 'Yo this is Kool Herc in the joint-ski saying my mellow-ski Marky D is in the house'. This would usually evoke a response from the crowd, who began to call out their own names and slogans.

As this phenomenon evolved, the party shouts became more elaborate as dj in an effort to be different, began to incorporate little rhymes-'Davey D is in the house/An he'll turn it out without a doubt.' It wasn't long before people began drawing upon outdated dozens and school yard rhymes. Many would add a little twist and customize these rhymes to make them suitable for the party environment. At that time rap was not yet known as 'rap' but called 'emceeing'. With regards to Kool Herc, as he progressed, he eventually turned his attention to the complexities of djaying and let two friends Coke La Rock and Clark Kent (not Dana Dane's dj) handle the microphone duties. This was rap music first emcee team. They became known as Kool Herc and the Herculoids. Rap caught on because it offered young urban New Yorkers a chance to freely express themselves. This was basically the same reason why any of the aforementioned verbal/rhyme games manifested themselves in the past. More importantly, it was an art form accessible to anyone. One didn't need a lot of money or expensive resources to rhyme. One didn't have to invest in lessons, or anything like that. Rapping was a verbal skill that could be practiced and honed to perfection at almost anytime.

Rap also became popular because it offered unlimited challenges. There were no real set rules, except to be original and to rhyme on time to the beat of music. Anything was possible. One could make up a rap about the man in the moon or how good his dj was. The ultimate goal was to be perceived as being 'def (good) by one's peers. The fact that the praises and positive affirmations a rapper received were on par with any other urban hero (sports star, tough guy, comedian, etc.) was another drawing card.

Finally, rap, because of its inclusive aspects, allowed one to accurately and efficiently inject their personality. If you were laid back, you could rap at a slow pace. If you were hyperactive or a type-A, you could rap at a fast pace. No two people rapped the same, even when reciting the same rhyme. There were many people who would try and emulate someone's style, but even that was indicative of a particular personality.

Rap continues to be popular among today's urban youth for the same reasons it was a draw in the early days: it is still an accessible form of self expression capable of eliciting positive affirmation from one's peers. Because rap has evolved to become such a big business, it has given many the false illusion of being a quick escape from the harshness of inner city life. There are many kids out there under the belief that all they need to do is write a few 'fresh' (good) rhymes and they're off to the good life. Now, up to this point, all this needs to be understood with regards to Hip Hop. Throughout history, music originating from America's Black communities has always had an accompanying subculture reflective of the political, social and economic conditions of the time. Rap is no different.

Hip hop is the culture from which rap emerged. Initially it consisted of four main elements; graffiti art, break dancing, dj (cuttin' and scratching) and emceeing (rapping). Hip hop is a lifestyle with its own language, style of dress, music and mind set that is continuously evolving. Nowadays because break dancing and graffiti aren't as prominent the words 'rap' and 'hip hop' have been used interchangeably. However it should be noted that all aspects of hip hop culture still exists. They've just evolved onto new levels. Hip hop continues to be a direct response to an older generation's rejection of the values and needs of young people. Initially all of hip hop's major facets were forms of self expression. The driving force behind all these activities was people's desire to be seen and heard. Hip hop came about because of some major format changes that took place within Black radio during the early 70's. Prior to hip hop, black radio stations played an important role in the community be being a musical and cultural preserver or griot (story teller). It reflected the customs and values of the day in particular communities. It set the tone and created the climate for which people governed their lives as this was a primary source of information and enjoyment. This was particularly true for young people. Interestingly enough, the importance of Black radio and the role djs played within the African American community has been the topic of numerous speeches from some very prominent individuals.In the early days rappers flowed on the mic continously for hours at a time..non stop. Most of the rhymes were pre-written but it was a cardinal sin to recite off a piece of paper at a jam. The early rappers started off just giving shout outs and chants and later incorporated small limricks. Later the rhymes became more elaborate, with choruses like 'Yes Yes Y'all, Or 'One Two Y'all To The Beat Y'all being used whenever an emcee needed to gather his wind or think of new rhymes. Most emcess rhymed on a four count as opposed to some of the complex patterns one hears today. However, early rappers took great pains to accomplish the art of showmanship. There was no grabbing of the crotch and pancing around the stage. Pioneering rapper Mele-Mel in a recent interview pointed out how he and other acts spent long hours reheasing both their rhymes and routines. The name of the game was to get props for rockin' the house. That meant being entertaining. Remember back in the late 70s early 80s, artists weren't doing one or two songs and leaving, they were on the mic all night long with folks just standing around watching. Folks had to come with it or be forever dissed. Before the first rap records were put out (Fat Back Band's King Tem III' and Sugar Hill Gang's 'Rapper Delight'), hip hop culture had gone through several stages. By the late 70's it seemed like many facets of hip hop would play itself out. Rap for so many people had lost its novelty. For those who were considered the best of the bunch; Afrika Bambaataa, Chief Rocker Busy Bee, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Four (yes initially there were only 4), Grand Wizard Theodore ad the Fantastic Romantic Five, Funky Four Plus One More, Crash Crew, Master Don Committee to name a few had reached a pinnacle and were looking for the next plateau. Many of these groups had moved from the 'two turntables and a microphone stage' of their career to what many would today consider hype routines. For example all the aforementioned groups had routines where they harmonized. At first folks would do rhymes to the tune of some popular song. The tune to 'Gilligan's Island' was often used. Or as was the case with he Cold Crush Brothers, the 'Cats In the Cradle' was used in one of their more popular routines. As this 'flavor of the month' caught hold, the groups began to develop more elaborate routines. Most notable was GM Flash's' Flash Is to The Beat Box'. All this proceeded 'harmonizing/hip hop acts like Bel Biv DeVoe by at least 10 years.
The introduction of rap records in the early 80s put a new meaning on hip hop. It also provided participants a new incentive for folks to get busy. Rap records inspired hip hoppers to take it to another level because they now had the opportunity to let the whole world hear their tales. It also offered a possible escape from the ghetto.... But that's another story..we'll tell it next time.

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