Born Rakaa Taylor in Los Angeles, California, Rakaa (aka Iriscience) is a hip-hop MC, and one third of the renown west-coast underground crew Dilated Peoples. In 2010 he released his first solo album, Crown Of Thorns. Aside from rapping, Rakaa's passions run deep: stretching from visual arts to training Gracie Jiu-Jitsu to traveling the world as a highly sought after Host and MC, all in his spare time.
Blu is definitely a leader in the new school of Los Angeles emcees. His presence is undeniable, while his music captivates audiences regardless of race, class, and gender. His delivery flows flawlessly, while his content reflects the joy and pain of working class youth everywhere. Exile is a producer, DJ and occasional emcee previously known for being a member of the duo Emanon, along with Aloe Blacc. His style of production is known for its "laid back soulful vibes" and is influenced by such producers as J Dilla and Madlib.
Freedom Williams knows how to set the world in motion. As front-man and rapper for C+C Music Factory, he led ubiquitous anthem “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)” to No. 1 around the globe, including five weeks at the top of the U.S. Club Play chart and a reign on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B charts in 1990.
His iconic rapid-fire machismo also appears on follow-up C+C singles “Here We Go” and “Things That Make You Go Hmmmm”—both No. 1 dance hits—leading accompanying album “Gonna Make You Sweat” to sales of more than 8 million worldwide.
There are at least two artists with this name. 1) M.E.D. aka Medaphoar is a hip hop MC who has recorded with Madlib, Wildchild, and Oh No. M.E.D's debut album was released on Stones Throw Records in 2005. Entitled Push Comes To Shove, the album features production from Madlib, J Dilla, Oh No (Madlib's younger brother), and Just Blaze. A CD entitled "Bang Ya Head" was released during Stones Throw's 2005 Tour and features M.E.D (known as Medaphoar) guest spots from 1998 to 2005.
M.E.D. made a dis track toward Canibus called "Lightwork."
Dominick Wickliffe, better known by his stage name Crooked I is an American rapper from Long Beach, California. The name "Crooked I" comes from a shortened version of his original moniker, Crooked Intriago. It has nothing to do with the malt liquor. He is 1/4th of rap supergroup Slaughterhouse (with Joe Budden, Royce da 5'9" & Joell Ortiz), and is currently regarded as the best rapper on the west coast, after rising to hip-hop prominence with his freestyle series 'Hip-Hop Weekly', which he released a new freestyle over popular industry beats every week for 52 weeks.
Nice & Smooth is an underground East Coast rap duo from New York, composed of Greg Nice (Greg Mays) and Smooth B (Daryl Barnes). Together, they made several albums in the late 1980s and early 1990s to little popular appeal, though their second album (Ain't a Damn Thing Changed, 1991) was a commercial success that included a minor hit in "Sometimes I Rhyme Slow". "Hip-Hop Junkies", which featured a sample from The Partridge Family's "I Think I Love You" was also a hit, and once performed live on Keenan Ivory Wayans "In Living Color".
Obie Trice is a rapper born in Detroit, Michigan, United States on November 14, 1977 to a single mother; Eleanor Trice. On October 5, 1998 he became the father of his only daughter, Kobie. 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. Before first major release, early years on Shady Records
Cornell Iral Haynes, Jr. (born November 2, 1974 in St. Louis, Missouri), better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, actor and entrepreneur signed to Universal and Derrty Records. He has been active since 1993 as a bandmate of the rap group St. Lunatics, and became a hip-hop superstar after the success of his solo release, Country Grammar, in 2000. The album peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200, spawned multiple chart toppers and won three Grammy awards.
Biz Markie is an East Coast hip hop artist, DJ and world-renowned Human Beat Boxer, best known for humorous singles like "Just a Friend" and "Pickin' Boogers." and his pre-MTV hit "Vapors". He has been labeled The Clown Prince of Hip-Hop. His career began in the 1980s. In 1992, Biz recorded a song called "Alone Again," but Gilbert O'Sullivan claimed the track featured an unauthorized sample of his hit "Alone Again (Naturally)," and served Biz papers. His career was quite damaged from the lawsuit, and Biz ducked out of the harshest glare of the limelight for the remainder of the 1990s.
