The opinion that Nasir Jones—better known as simply Nas—is one of the most important rappers of all time is all but unanimous. The New York native took the world by storm at age 21 with his 1994 debut album Illmatic, which is regarded by many as the greatest hip-hop album ever made, and particularly a pillar in […]

Atlanta trio Migos—made up of Offset, Quavo, and Takeoff—grew up together and started making music around 2009. The three cousins grew quite a buzz in the Atlanta rap scene and—much like the rest of the ATL’s rising stars—Migos found a mentor in Gucci Mane. In 2012, they released the mixtape No Label, but it wasn’t until 2013’s YRN that put them in […]

Percy Robert Miller a.k.a. Master P is a living legend from New Orleans whose talents have transcended boundaries for the entirety of his long career. A rapper, producer, entrepreneur and more, Master P’s professional story began in the 1990s when he opened a store called No Limit Records that would eventuate into his record label and storied […]

Recording artist, actor, philanthropist, restaurateur—just a few of the befitting titles for Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, who first gained worldwide acclaim more than 10 years ago with his debut album, Back For The First Time. Ever since, his unrivaled lyrical prowess, dynamic performances, and timeless hits including “Stand Up,” “Get Back,” “Number One Spot,” “Money Maker,” and “My Chick […]

Logic (born Sir Robert Bryson Hall II) grew up in Maryland and began his rap career with a batch of increasingly popular mixtapes spanning from 2009 to 2013, whereupon he inked a deal with Def Jam. His debut studio album, Under Pressure, came to fruition the following year, but his breakthrough came in 2015 with his critically-acclaimed […]

Miles Parks McCollum, better known as Atlanta rapper Lil Yachty, broke onto the scene in 2015 with his self-released Summer Songs EP. The delightfully off-kilter tracks “One Night” and “Minnesota” garnered all kinds of attention, and a record deal quickly followed. His debut mixtape Lil Boat and the subsequent Summer Songs 2 were the first of his releases through a joint venture […]

Lil Wayne is the “Greatest Rapper Alive.” After signing to Birdman’s Cash Money Records at 11 years old, Weezy joined forces with labelmates Juvenile, Young Turk, and B.G. (formerly Lil’ Doogie) to create Hot Boys. The trio’s debut album Get It How U Live!! landed in 1996 but Hot Boys didn’t find true success until 1999’s Guerrilla Warfare and the smash […]

You can call Kid Cudi a lot of things. He’s a GRAMMY Award winning, Gold-selling rapper, in-demand producer, songwriter, acclaimed actor, and an “artist” in the truest sense of the word. The Cleveland-born MC singlehandedly ushered in a different era of hip-hop in the late aughts. His first official project, A Kid Named Cudi, was released in 2008 and caught […]

Born in Southern California, Jhené Aiko started her career early, laying down vocals for B2K, but gave up a record deal to finish her education, raise her daughter, and eventually blaze her own trail as a singer/songwriter. In 2011, Aiko returned with her first full-length project Sailing Soul(s) and later that year, she signed a deal with No I.D.’s ARTium—distributed […]

Chicago crooner Jeremih is a bonafide triple threat—the singer/songwriter/producer has stayed ahead of the game for years. Born into a musical family, Jeremih taught himself a variety of instruments during his childhood. He found his niche as an artist while at Columbia College Chicago, and eventually landed a meeting with Def Jam. After signing a deal in 2009, Jeremih hit the […]

Born in Macon, GA and raised in Atlanta, Jeezy made his name in the underground with an undeniable hot streak of mixtapes. Projects like Trap or Die accurately depicted the glory and tragedy of mid-aughts in Atlanta, which gained him the respect of the streets and mainstream support. His 2005 debut album, Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101, debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and was quickly […]

Top Dawg Entertainment/Interscope rapper and Black Hippy crew member Jay Rock was named to XXL‘s 2010 Freshman Class but his debut single dropped two years priod. “All My Life” featured industry heavyweights Lil Wayne and will.i.am and quickly put him into the spotlight. After the release of his debut album Follow Me Home in 2011, Jay Rock was lauded for his verse on Kendrick Lamar’s […]