Hip-Hop | Musicosity

Hip-Hop

R.A. the Rugged Man

R.A. the Rugged Man, real name R.A. Thorburn, is a rapper from Stony Brook, Long Island. He began his music career at age 12. At 18, he signed to Jive Records. R.A.'s legend, perpetuated by the P.R. biographies at his various labels, say he was dropped due to violent and disgusting behavior, but in interviews he disputes many of the more extreme stories told about him, adding that Jive just didn't know how to break new artists at the time.

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Daara J

Daara J (Pronounced Daa-raa Jee, which means "The School" in the Wolof language) are a Senegalese rap trio, consisting of N’Dango D, Aladji Man and Faada Freddy. Their music blends western hiphop with traditional African rhythms to create a great infectionsly dancy style. In their last album, Boomrang, they were joined by guests including Rokia Traore, who is one of the leading women in Malian music.

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DJ Shadow

Considered a prominent figure in the development of instrumental hip-hop, DJ Shadow (real name Josh Davis) has proven himself with groundbreaking, genre-defining solo output on such respected labels as Solesides and Mo' Wax. Although Shadow's earlier works, especially 'Endtroducing.....', are known for their innovation in genres such as hip-hop, ambient, and trip-hop, his latest album, The Outsider, had several tracks dedicated to Hyphy.

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2 Live Crew

2 Live Crew is a controversial rap group, largely due to the sexual themes of one album, As Nasty As They Wanna Be (1989). The 2 Live Crew formed as three men in the Air-Force all became stationed in Riverside California in 1983. Inspired by Planet Rock and Pretty Tony records, they put the group together with the intentions of "sustaining the 808 kick drum". They recorded their first release in 1984 which became a staple of Luke Skywalker and The Ghetto Style DJ's in Miami.

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M.I.A.

There are five known artists under this name: (1) Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam, a British alternative dance musician and graphic artist of Tamil descent.
(2) An 80’s American punk/hardcore band
(3) An Argentinian progressive folk collective
(4) An alias of Raphael Merriweathers Jr.
(5) An alias of Michaela Grobelny (1) Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam, (born 17 July 1977 in Hounslow, London, U.K.) is a British artist of Sri Lankan descent. As a baby she moved with her family to their native Sri Lanka, where her father became increasingly politically active in militant activities.

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Chasm

There are more than one artist named Chasm, one an Australian hip hop DJ, another a technical death metal group from Scotland, the third a Norwegian alternative rock band, the fourth is a pseudonym of Robert Hampson, who records as Main. . 1) Chasm the DJ is heavily influenced and inspired by soul, roots, reggae and jazz music; all of which is highly evident in the construction of his unique production that results in Chasm bringing a distinctive flavour to Australian hip hop.

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Supernatural

There are three known artists/bands as 'Supernatural' : Supernatural - MC ; Supernatural - pop band; Supernatural - avant-garde noise duo; Supernatural - Christian rock band from Bogotá (Colombia). There is also a popular TV series by the name of Supernatural (created by Erik Kripke) that airs on CW. Each season has a released soundtrack, with music featured during the episodes. Supernatural (the MC) is known for his incredible freestyle skills, raised from Indiana, and lives today in NYC.

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The Herd

There is more than one band called The Herd. 1. The Herd is a hip-hop group from suburban Sydney. They have released four full-length albums since 2001's self-titled debut. Unusually for a hip-hop outfit, The Herd's full band format permits dynamic live shows. The Herd's members include MCs Ozi Batla, Urthboy and Berzerkatron, Unkle Ho (beats), Traksewt (piano accordion, clarinet and beats), Sulo (beats and guitar), Toe-fu (guitar), Rok Poshtya (bass) and singer Jane Tyrrell. Their songs often feature politically-oriented lyrics.

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Chiddy Bang

The notion of "traditional hip hop" has changed forever. Whether you're talking about genre bending projects from superstars like Kanye and Lil Wayne or new artists like Kid Cudi hip-hop has reached a tipping point and its followers are expanding their horizons. Chiddy Bang is a Philly based duo comprised of Chiddy (emcee) and Xaphoon Jones (DJ/producer) who combine elements of indie and electronica with some good al fashioned "spitting".

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Lil' Kim

Kimberly Denise Jones (born July 11, 1975 in Brooklyn, New York), better known as Lil' Kim or Queen Bee, is a Grammy Award winning American rapper and actress signed to <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Jay-Z" class="bbcode_artist">Jay-Z</a>'s Roc Nation label. She is known for her sexually explicit lyrics and for being one of the most prominent female rap artists of her time. She began her career with <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Junior+M.A.F.I.A." class="bbcode_artist">Junior M.A.F.I.A.</a>, whose album Conspiracy generated three hit singles.