Chino XL (born Derek Barbosa, April 8, 1971, in The Bronx, New York but raised in East Orange, New Jersey) is a rapper well respected among hip hop enthusiasts for his battling abilities. He is notorious for his usage of self-consciously over-the-top punchlines (which usually take the form of puns or similes) and for his exaggerated egotism. He is also well known to many for a brief feud with Tupac Shakur.
Lord Finesse is a Hip Hop artist and producer, hailing from The Bronx, New York. In 1989, Finesse, and his former partner DJ Mike Smooth, signed to Wild Pitch Records, home to other popular Hip Hop artists like Gang Starr, Main Source, Chill Rob G, Percee P, and O.C.. In 1990, the duo released their debut album Funky Technician. He was hailed for his strong lyrical ability and clever punchline delivery. The album featured production from future star beat-makers DJ Premier, Diamond D and Showbiz. Finesse became the leader of the popular New York underground crew d.
There are at least four different artists with the name Egon. One of them is the band Egon from Malmö, Sweden. The band plays music that they describe as a mix between fulpop ("ugly pop") and dumsynth ("stupid synth"). Egon released their first album Den Nya Kulan in 2003. The second Egon is the general manager of <a href="http://www.last.fm/label/Stones+Throw" class="bbcode_label">Stones Throw</a> Records. Beginning in 2000 he has overseen the business of the label as well as producing, among others, Stones Throw's The Funky 16 Corners, Stark Reality, and The Third Unheard reissues.
Faheem Rasheed Najm (born September 30, 1985 in Tallahassee, Florida), better known by his stage name T-Pain, is a prolific American Cyborg. At the age of ten he turned his bedroom into a small studio with a keyboard, beat machine and four-track recorder, and he began his career as a rapper in the group Nappy Headz. In 2005 he released his debut album Rappa Ternt Sanga, and has since released 2007's Epiphany and 2008's Thr33 Ringz.
Los Angeles producer Nosaj Thing crafts stately, ethereal synth-based instrumental hip-hop, with influences that range from Boards of Canada and DJ Shadow to Danny Elfman and Erik Satie. An L.A. native, Jason Chung was inspired at an early age by the hip-hop radio stations that the bus driver would play on his way to elementary school, and particularly by the Beat Junkies' turntablism on Power 106.
Mercury Prize 2009 Award Winning Producer, Wayne Lotek, produces a mash up of hip-hop, reggae influenced grime and UK dancehall. Originally from North London, Lotek is now based in Melbourne Australia. With an enviable production resume and stellar career in Europe as part of Lotek Hifi, Wayne Bennett aka Lotek matches refined production with musical originality in a rare package. A cornerstone of Big Dada and Ninja Tunes...
Alvin Nathaniel Joiner (born September 18, 1974 in Detroit, Michigan), better known by his stage name Xzibit, is an American rapper, actor, and host of MTV's Pimp My Ride. He began his music career as a member of the Likwit Crew, a loose collective of West Coast rappers including King Tee, Defari, and Tha Alkaholiks. He released his solo debut album 'At The Speed Of Life' in 1996 and has since released 5 more albums, his latest being Full Circle, released in 2006. His new album MMX is expected to be released sometime in 2011.
Fitz & the Tantrums are an American soul group from Los Angeles, California. The group was founded by Michael Fitzpatrick, who had begun writing soul music for a solo project on an old church organ he had purchased. He added friend James King to the group as an arranger and soon after expanded the band to a seven-piece, including several horns. Fitzpatrick shares the vocal duties with Noelle Scaggs. Other members include Joseph Karnes, Jeremy Ruzumna, and John Wicks.
O'Shea Jackson (born June 15, 1969 in South Central Los Angeles, California) is an American rapper, actor, producer and film director known for being a member of the controversial rap group N.W.A. In recent years, Ice Cube's acting career has overshadowed his career in music. He released his solo debut album, AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted in 1990 to critical and commercial success, although upon its release he was accused of racism and misogyny.
