WTauheed Epps, known professionally as 2 Chainz, is an American rapper, songwriter, media personality, and basketball player. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, he initially gained recognition for being one-half of the Southern hip hop duo Playaz Circle, alongside his longtime friend and fellow rapper Earl "Dolla Boy" Conyers. The duo was signed to fellow Georgia-based rapper Ludacris' Disturbing tha Peace label, and are best known for their debut single "Duffle Bag Boy".
WAmil Kahala Whitehead is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. She was prominent in the late 1990s as a Jay-Z protégé, and recorded the single "Can I Get A..." with him from the Rush Hour soundtrack.
WLouis Freese, known by his stage name B-Real, is an American rapper and actor. He is one of two lead rappers in the hip hop group Cypress Hill, a part of the supergroup Serial Killers and was one of the frontmen of rap rock group Prophets of Rage (2016–2019).
WMarlon G. Fletcher better known under his stage name Big DS, was an American hardcore rapper and record producer from Queens, New York.
WChristopher Lee Rios, better known by his stage name Big Pun, was an American rapper and songwriter. Pun's lyrics are notable for their technical efficiency, having exceptional breath control, heavy use of alliteration, as well as internal and multi-syllabic rhyming schemes. He is frequently cited as one of the best MCs of all time. Emerging from the underground hip hop scene in the Bronx borough of New York City in the early 1990s, he came to prominence during the latter half of the decade for his work with Fat Joe and the Terror Squad.
WMalik Deshawn Cox, better known by his stage name Memphis Bleek, is an American rapper and songwriter known for his tenure with Roc-A-Fella Records and Jay-Z. Cox has since started his own labels: Get Low Records in 1998, and Warehouse Music Group in 2016. He has released four albums during his career, and had planned to release The Process in 2011, although the album has yet to be released.
WInga DeCarlo Fung Marchand, better known by her stage name Foxy Brown, is an American rapper. After signing to Def Jam in 1996, she released her debut album, Ill Na Na, that same year, and was also part of the short-lived rap group the Firm.
WKenyatta Blake, professionally known by his stage name Buckshot, is an American New York-based rapper, best known as a frontman of hip hop groups Black Moon and Boot Camp Clik. He is a founder of Duck Down Music record label with Drew "Dru-Ha" Friedman. He has released one solo studio album, three with producer 9th Wonder, one with KRS-One, four albums with Black Moon and four albums with the Boot Camp Clik.
WCameron Ezike Giles, better known by his stage name Cam'ron, is an American rapper, record executive, and actor from East Harlem, New York. Beginning his career in the mid-1990s as Killa Cam, Giles signed to Lance "Un" Rivera's Untertainment under the aegis of Epic and released his first two studio albums Confessions of Fire and S.D.E. in 1998 and 2000 respectively; the former achieved Gold status by the RIAA. After demanding his release from Epic, Giles signed to Roc-A-Fella Records in 2001 and released his third studio album Come Home with Me the following year; it achieved Platinum status by the RIAA, and also contained Cam'ron's highest-charting singles to date; "Oh Boy" and "Hey Ma", which peaked at #4 and #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively. His fourth studio album and final release on Roc-A-Fella, Purple Haze was released in 2004 to critical acclaim and commercial success, being certified gold by the RIAA.
WGermaine Williams, better known by his stage name Canibus, is a Jamaican-born American rapper and actor. He initially gained fame in the 1990s for his ability to freestyle, and eventually released his debut album Can-I-Bus in 1998. Since releasing his debut album, Canibus has gone on to release 13 solo studio albums in total, as well as multiple collaboration albums and EPs with other rappers as a member of The Hrsmn, Sharpshooterz, Cloak N Dagga, The Undergods and one-half of T.H.E.M.
WCraig J. Gordwin, known professionally as Craig Xen, is an American rapper and songwriter. Originally well known for his collaborations with American hip hop collective Members Only.
WDenzel Rae Don Curry is an American rapper, singer, and composer. Raised in Carol City, Florida, Curry started rapping while in sixth grade and began working on his first mixtape in 2011, when he was attending school. Influenced by underground Florida rapper SpaceGhostPurrp, the mixtape was later featured on Purrp's social media, giving Curry local attention and resulting in Curry joining Purrp's hip-hop collective, Raider Klan.
WEarl Simmons, better known by his stage name DMX, is an American rapper and songwriter. He began rapping in the early 1990s, and released his debut album It's Dark and Hell Is Hot in 1998, to both critical acclaim and commercial success, selling 251,000 copies within its first week of release. He released his best-selling album, ... And Then There Was X, in 1999, which included the hit single "Party Up ". Since his debut, DMX has released seven studio albums.
WMarshall Bruce Mathers III, known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Credited with popularizing hip hop in Middle America, Eminem's global success and acclaimed works are widely regarded as having broken racial barriers for the acceptance of white rappers in popular music. While much of his transgressive work during the early 2000s made him hugely controversial, he came to be a representation of popular angst and the American underclass. He has been influential for many artists of various genres.
WJoseph Antonio Cartagena, better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper and actor from the Bronx, New York. He began his music career as a member of hip hop group Diggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.), then forged a solo career and set up his own label, Terror Squad, to which he signed Big Pun, Remy Ma, Tony Sunshine, Cuban Link, Armageddon, Prospect, Triple Seis, and DJ Khaled as well as discover producers Cool & Dre.
WJames Campbell, better known by his stage names Freddie Foxxx and Bumpy Knuckles, is an American rapper and music producer from Long Island, New York.
WGreg Hogan, better known by his stage name Frenchie, is an American rapper from Queens, New York. He is one of the original members of Gucci Mane's 1017 Records and Waka Flocka Flame's Brick Squad Monopoly. Frenchie is credited for introducing fellow East Coast rappers Nicki Minaj and French Montana to Debra's Mizay Entertainment before their mainstream breakouts. He released French Connection in 2009.
WDennis David Coles, better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapper, songwriter and actor and lead member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. After the group achieved breakthrough success in the aftermath of Enter the Wu-Tang , the members went on to pursue solo careers to varying levels of success. Ghostface Killah debuted his solo career with Ironman, which was well received by music critics, in 1996. He has enjoyed continued success in the years that have followed, releasing critically acclaimed albums such as Supreme Clientele (2000) and Fishscale (2006). His stage name was taken from one of the characters in the 1979 kung fu film Mystery of Chessboxing. He is the founder of his own record label, Starks Enterprises.
WDalibor Andonov, known professionally as Gru, was a Serbian rapper, musician and DJ. His song Biću tu from the 1996 album Gru 2, gained him popularity in Eastern Europe, as well as the 2010 release I dalje me žele alongside Serbian rapper Ajs Nigrutin. His album Gru 2 is the most commercially successful album in Serbia, selling four million copies, and reaching certified gold status in Serbia. Other than his immense popularity in the Balkans, he is well known in other countries of Eastern and Northern Europe. He has been dubbed The Serbian Rap Machine.
WHerbert Randall Wright III, better known by his stage name G Herbo, is an American rapper and songwriter from Chicago, Illinois.
WFelipe Andres Coronel, better known by the stage name Immortal Technique, is a Peruvian American hip hop recording artist and activist. Most of his lyrics focus on controversial issues in global politics, from a radical left-wing perspective.
WJames Victor Heinz, professionally known by his stage name J57, is a Brooklyn-based American rapper, songwriter, record producer, & record label owner, that infuses hiphop with indie rock, pop, folk & Americana music. He is a member of the Brown Bag AllStars, a group of emcees he joined while working at Fat Beats in 2004, and Jamo Gang, a hip-hop group consisting of Ras Kass and El Gant. J57 cites DJ Eclipse and his mentor DJ Premier, as his musical influences.
WKendrick Jeru Davis, known as Jeru the Damaja, is an American rapper and record producer best known for his 1994 debut album, The Sun Rises in the East, ranked as one of the 100 greatest hip-hop albums of all time by the editors of About.com. He has worked extensively with Guru and DJ Premier of Gang Starr, whom he has known since he was in high school.
WBarrington DeVaughn Hendricks, known professionally as JPEGMafia, is an American rapper, singer and record producer from Baltimore, Maryland. His 2018 album Veteran, released through Deathbomb Arc, received widespread critical acclaim and was featured on many year-end lists. It was followed by 2019's All My Heroes Are Cornballs, released to further critical acclaim.
WNathaniel Thomas Wilson, better known by his stage name Kool G Rap, is an American rapper from Queens. He began his career in the mid-1980s as one half of the group Kool G Rap & DJ Polo and as a member of the Juice Crew. He is often cited as one of the most influential and skilled MCs of all time, and a pioneer of mafioso rap/street/hardcore content and multisyllabic rhyming. On his album The Giancana Story, he stated that the "G" in his name stands for "Giancana", but on other occasions he has stated that it stands for "Genius".
WLawrence "Kris" Parker, better known by his stage names KRS-One an abbreviation of Knowledge Reigning Supreme Over Nearly Everyone and Teacha, is an American rapper and occasional producer from Bronx, New York. He rose to prominence as part of the hip hop music group Boogie Down Productions, which he formed with DJ Scott La Rock in the mid-1980s. KRS-One is best known for his top hits, "Sound of da Police", "Love's Gonna Get'cha ", and "My Philosophy", among others. Boogie Down Productions received numerous awards and critical acclaim in their early years. Unfortunately, following the release of the group's debut album, Criminal Minded, fellow artist Scott La Rock was shot and killed, but KRS-One continued the group, effectively as a solo project. He began releasing records under his own name in 1993. He is politically active, having started the Stop the Violence Movement after Scott's death. He's also a vegan activist, expressed in songs such as "Beef". He is widely considered as an influence to many well known hip hop artists, including 2Pac and Eminem.
WKimberly Denise Jones, better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper, songwriter, and reality television personality. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, she lived much of her adolescent life on the streets after being expelled from home. In her teens, Jones would freestyle rap, influenced by fellow female hip hop artists like MC Lyte and The Lady of Rage. In 1994, she was discovered by fellow rapper The Notorious B.I.G., who invited her to join his group Junior M.A.F.I.A.; their debut album, Conspiracy, generated two top 20 singles in the United States and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
WBabatunde Olusegun Adewale(born June 14, 1975), popularly known by his stage name Modenine, is an English-born Nigerian rapper. In 2014, he released a song titled "Super Human" with Jamaican-American rapper Canibus.
WMichael Lawrence Tyler, better known by his stage name Mystikal, is an American rapper, songwriter and actor from New Orleans, Louisiana.
WNine is the stage name of Derrick Keyes, an American rapper from The Bronx, New York. He is also known as 9MM or Nine Double M. Known for his harsh, gravelly flow and distinctive voice, Keyes got his break in early 1993 as a featured guest on Funkmaster Flex and the Ghetto Celebs' "Six Million Ways to Die".
WVincenzo Luvineri, better known as Vinnie Paz, is a Sicilian American rapper and the lyricist behind the Philadelphia underground hip hop group Jedi Mind Tricks. He is also the frontman of the hip hop collective Army of the Pharaohs.
WSean Duval Price was an American rapper and member of the hip hop collective Boot Camp Clik. He was half of the duo Heltah Skeltah, performing under the name Ruckus, along with partner Rock.
WCorey Woods, better known by his stage name Raekwon, is an American rapper and a member of Wu-Tang Clan. He released his solo debut, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... in 1995 to universal critical acclaim and has since recorded numerous solo albums, as well as continuing to work with Wu-Tang and providing an extensive number of guest contributions to other hip hop artists' works. He is the founder of his own label ICEH20 Records.
WTrevor George Smith Jr., known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and record executive. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes. He has received 11 Grammy Award nominations for his work.
WRyan Daniel Montgomery, known professionally as Royce da 5'9", is an American rapper and songwriter. He is best known for his longtime association with Eminem as well as his solo career, recording primarily with producers Carlos "6 July" Broady and DJ Premier, as well as ghostwriting for the likes of Diddy and Dr. Dre. Royce is currently one half of the rap duo Bad Meets Evil with Eminem and one half of the hip hop duo PRhyme with DJ Premier. He was also one quarter of the hip hop group Slaughterhouse with Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz and Kxng Crooked. The editors of About.com ranked him No. 31 on their list of the "Top 50 MCs of Our Time (1987–2007)".
WMark Anthony Greene popularly known by his stage name Young Scrap is an American recording artist, rapper and songwriter. His hit single titled "Love L.A" off his Faded Ambition album charted at #18 on the Billboard Twitter Top Tracks during the week of July 12, 2014. Young Scrap is also credited to have written V.I.C.'s song titled "Twerk It" which charted at #69 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
WJoseph William Utsler, known by his stage name Shaggy 2 Dope, is an American rapper, record producer, DJ, podcast host Shaggy and the creep show, and professional wrestler. He is part of the hip hop duo Insane Clown Posse. He is the co-founder of the record label Psychopathic Records, with fellow Insane Clown Posse rapper Violent J and their former manager, Alex Abbiss. Along with Bruce, Utsler is the co-founder of the professional wrestling promotion Juggalo Championship Wrestling, where he currently acts as color commentator.
WFred Lee Scruggs Jr., better known by his stage name Fredro Starr, is an American hardcore rapper, record producer, actor and author, best known as a member of multi-platinum hardcore rap group Onyx. Fredro Starr was discovered by the late hip hop star Jam Master Jay of Run-D.M.C. who signed Onyx on his label JMJ Records. Onyx went on to release three top selling albums before Fredro began his solo career. As a part of Onyx, Fredro Starr was nominated as "Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop New Artist" on American Music Awards of 1994 and won "Best Rap Album" on 1994 Soul Train Music Awards.
WKirk Jones, better known by his stage name Sticky Fingaz, is an American hardcore rapper, record producer, actor, film director, film editor and writer, best known as a member of multi-platinum hardcore rap group Onyx.
WTimothy Blair, better known by his stage name Tim Dog, was an American rapper from the Bronx, New York, who rose to notoriety during the early 1990s with his debut LP Penicillin on Wax and the celebrated diss track "Fuck Compton". Tim had already appeared on songs with the Ultramagnetic MCs and went on to form a duo, Ultra, with member Kool Keith. "Fuck Compton" appeared in XXL magazine's "Top 25 Diss Tracks of All Time" and earned Tim Dog critical acclaim from progressive hip-hop producer Blockhead, who said Tim Dog's "The Dog's Gonna Getcha" is "quite possibly the hardest song ever made." Nas references Tim Dog on his track "Where Are They Now?" from his 2006 album Hip Hop Is Dead, and despite Tim Dog's feud with Dr. Dre, Eminem name-checked him on the track "Ricky Ticky Toc".
WJoseph Francis Bruce, known by his stage name Violent J, is an American rapper, record producer, professional wrestler, and part of the hip hop duo Insane Clown Posse. He is co-founder of the record label Psychopathic Records, with fellow ICP rapper Shaggy 2 Dope and their former manager, Alex Abbiss. Also along with Utsler, Bruce is the co-founder of the professional wrestling promotion Juggalo Championship Wrestling.
WJahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy, known professionally as XXXTentacion, was an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Despite being a controversial figure due to his widely publicized legal issues, XXXTentacion gained a cult following among his young fanbase during his short career through his depression and alienation themed music. He was often credited by critics and fans for his musical versatility, with his music exploring emo, trap, lo-fi, indie rock, nu metal, hip hop and punk rock.