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Wu-Tang Clan

Wu-Tang Clan is a New York City rap group with individuals hailing from Staten Island, Brooklyn and Bronx. They have gone on to become multi-platinum record producers, Grammy winners, TV and film stars, screenwriters, product spokespersons, business owners and, most recently, major motion picture composers. They also called themselves Killa Beez which could interpreted to be a reference to Queens. The Clan featured nine MCs until the death of Ol' Dirty Bastard in 2004.

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Prince Paul

Prince Paul (born Paul Huston) is a legendary DJ and hip hop producer. Prince Paul is known for having a very unorthodox, but mostly well-received sense of humor. Musically, he was one of the driving forces of what was to become known as alternative rap, by using surprising samples and quirky humour. Originally a member of Stetsasonic, he produced De La Soul's 1989 debut album 3 Feet High and Rising (It was on this album that Prince Paul invented the hip hop skit which has a long-standing and pervasive tradition on Hip hop albums to this day).

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Jeru the Damaja

He spent his early years in the Brooklyn neighborhood of East New York, where he has been rapping at block parties since the early days of his youth. He first showcased his hardcore Brooklyn style to audiences on "I'm the Man," a track from Gang Starr's 1992 album Daily Operation. The following year he released his first single, "Come Clean", which was produced by DJ Premier and became an instant underground hit.

Fabolous

John David Jackson (born November 18, 1977 in Brooklyn, New York), better known by his stage name Fabolous, is a Grammy award nominated American rapper, actor and designer signed to Def Jam Records. He released his debut album, Ghetto Fabolous in 2001 and has since released 2003's Street Dreams, 2004's Real Talk and 2007's From Nothin' To Somethin', all of which have collectively sold over four million copies in the United States. His fourth studio album, Loso's Way, was released in July of 2009 and debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart.

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Nas & Damian Marley

Nas & Damian Marley came together to record an album titled Distant Relatives (released May 18, 2010). Distant Relatives is a collaborative studio album by American rapper Nas and Jamaican reggae artist Damian Marley, released May 18, 2010, on Universal Republic and Def Jam Recordings. Production for the album took place during 2008 to 2010 and was handled primarily by Damian Marley and Stephen Marley. Fusing musical elements of hip hop and reggae, Distant Relatives features lyrical themes concerning ancestry, poverty, and the plight of Africa.

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DJ Eclipse

DJ Eclipse, renowned indie Hip Hop tastemaker, first gained national notoriety while djing for 3rd Bass front man MC Serch in the early 90's. His reputation grew in the mid 90's by filling in for Stretch Armstrong on his weekly 89.9 radio show on WKCR and then later for Mayhem on 89.1 WNYU. He joined Wild Pitch Records in '94 and became the National Director of Retail Promotion until their closing in '95.

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Backtrack

Backtrack is a hardcore band from Long Island, New York. The band has a demo 7" out on Flatspot Records, which can be heard on their myspace (www.myspace.com/backtrackny). Backtrack recently signed to California based 6131 Records. Backtrack released a 7" entitled Deal With The Devil in late September 2009. A new LP entitled "Darker Half" will be out on Reaper Records in the near future.

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Pharoahe Monch

Monch released three albums as part of the rap duo, Organized Konfusion with partner Prince Poetry: The self-titled Organized Konfusion, Stress: The Extinction Agenda and The Equinox. The duo handled a large amount of production on these albums themselves. All albums received positive critical reviews, but moderate sales. As a result, the duo split up after recording their final album The Equinox in 1997. Prince Poetry has since denied the possibility of an Organized Konfusion reunion.

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The Beatnuts

There are currently two groups: The Beatnuts; a hip-hop group and BeatNuts; a Japanese instrumental latin jazz-fusion group. The Beatnuts are a hip hop crew from Queens, New York City. The members are Ju-Ju (Jerry Tineo), of Dominican descent, and Psycho Les (Lester Fernandez), of Colombian descent. Early on in their career they produced whole albums for Posse members Common and Chi-Ali. Their production is noted as some of the finest and most accomplished, if unheralded, in all of hip-hop...