We Heart 80's Hip Hop

It’s hard to believe it’s been 20 years since N.W.A. released Straight Outta Compton ushering in a new era of hip hop; an era that would forever change the game. Hip hop gave a voice and a sense of purpose to a generation who felt unheard and neglected. Hip hop was a friend and foe (as Common so poetically put on wax with I Used to Love H.E.R.). Hip hop consoled, gave courage, and confidence. And no matter what the critics try and tell you 80’s hip hop was hip hop’s BEST decade.

Some refer to hip hop's "golden age" as the period in mainstream hip hop around the late 1980s. 80's hip hop was diverse and innovative and the influence of the genre spanned the globe. There were also strong themes of Afrocentricity and political militancy, the music was experimental, and the sampling was eclectic.

It was about empowering youth to strive to be more and do more because for the first time we saw kids like us rising up from neighborhood’s similar to our own and they were doing their thing in a positive way and offering a new and different alternative to the abysmal futures that many thought was their fate. Hip hop in the 80’s was about unity in our community. Hip hop in the 80’s was about educating the masses on the rich history of black folks in this country. Hip hop in the 80’s was about partying and having a good time. Hip hop in the 80’s was a powerful movement that shaped an entire generation.

My only regret for many of the pioneers of the 80’s hip hop movement is that they were not educated enough on the business side of the industry. In hind-sight had they known just how GINORMOUS this thing we call hip hop was going to become they would have hopefully protected themselves better when it came to publishing and investing their money a bit wiser to secure their futures so, that when the inevitable day came to lay down the mic they would be able to live the lives they so richly deserve.

Long live 80’s Hip hop!!! We’re paying homage to the best decade in hip hop this weekend in H-Town and hope you will join us!! It’s going to be the ILLEST, DOPEST, FRESHEST JAM to hit the STATE this year!!! WORD TO THA MUTHA! Be sure to check back a week after the jump off to see exclusive photo's from this event!!!

Dance Fever

The dance style primarily associated with hip hop is breaking, which appeared in New York City during the early 1970s and truly became a cornerstone (or "element") of hip hop as a culture. Funk styles, such as popping and locking, evolved separately in California in the 1960-70s, but were also integrated into hip hop when the culture reached the West Coast of the United States.

Though breaking and the original funk styles look quite different stylistically, they share many surrounding elements, such as their improvisational nature, the music they're danced to and the way they originated from the streets, mainly within black and Hispanic communities. These similarities helped bring them, and other street dance styles, together under the same sub-culture, and help to keep them alive and evolving today. Yet, this has not been without problems, often involving the media, such as when the movie Breakin' put all various styles under the label "breakdance", causing a great naming confusion that spawned many heated debates.

In the late 1980s, as hip hop music took new forms and the hip hop subculture established further, new dance styles began appearing. Most of them were danced in an upright manner in contrast to breaking with its many ground moves, and were in the beginning light-footed with lots of jumping. Some moves hit the mainstream and became fad dances, such as The Wop, The Prep, The Running Man, The Cabbage Patch, The Fila, The Pee Wee Herman, The Smurf, The Gucci, and The Roger Rabbit, but overall they contributed a lot to later hip hop styles, and heavily influenced the development of house dancing. Just as common as it was for a MC to be accompanied by a deejay some MC's had back up dancers that danced while the MC rapped over beats. The most notable back up dancers in the 80's were Big Daddy Kane's dancers, Scoob and Scrap. Rappers also got in on the dancing as music videos became increasingly popular. While some rappers like MC Hammer made more of a splash with their moves than their rhymes other rappers would perform simple choreographed routines to their songs. Remember the "Shake Your Thang" video? Check it out and see how many dances you remember and start practicing your moves and join us at the FRESHEST party of the year!!

Word!

Hip hop culture has a language all it's own and each decade brings new vernacular to the genre. Once the language started crossing over to the white suburbs psychologists decided to give a name to our slang : EBONICS. But no matter what label you put on it one thing is for sure hip hop helped give a voice to a demographic in the 80's that was previously unheard.

B-Boy
The original term for style dancers. Also used to refer to pioneers of hip hop.

Beat Box
Big ass portable radio. (See L. L. Cool J’s song “Radio”)


Def
Very cool.
Use: “That beat box is def.”

Dope
More than cool.
Use: “ ‘Tougher than Leather’ is a dope album.”


Drop Science
Educate you.
Use: “KRS-1 be droppin’ science!”

Fly
Beautiful.
Use: “That girl is fly.”

Fresh
New and cool. Usually referring to the style of a person, place or thing.
Use: “You car is fresh!”


Homeboy
Partner. Friend or some other guy.
Use: “Don’t step on my Adidas, homeboy.”

Homie
Short for homeboy.

Hype
Message or propaganda. Can also refer to wild party.
Use: “Don’t believe the hype.” Or “This party is hype, man.”


Jack Move
Act of forcefully taking something from someone. Can include assault, theft, and robbery.
Use: “..ain’t no tellin when I’m down for a jack move.” Or “Those gangstas are about to do a jack move.”

Legit
Good. (Made more popular by M.C. Hammer in the 90s, but came from the 80s.)
Use: “This club is legit. It gets pretty hype at about 1am.”


NewJack
A rookie trying to prove himself on the streets. Can also be a sucka.

Step Off
Used to tell someone to stop annoying you or get out of business or just back up.
Use: “I wish my teachers would just step off!”

Sucka
A punk. A new jack. A fool. An idiot. A looser.
Use: “You think I'm a sucka, but I ain't the one.”


Posse
Group of people, friends or gang.
Use: “I was chillin’ with my posse.”

Funky Fresh Gear
Extremely cool clothes.


Rap
Urban poetry to a rhythm.

Human Beat Box
Art of urban vocal percussion; made famous by pioneers like the fat Boys, Doug E. Fresh, Biz Markie and others in the 80s.


Stupid
More than cool.

Sucka MCs
A punk, wimp, fake person attempting to rap and pretend too be tough.

Word to the Mother
Truth to the Mother land, Africa. I agree 100%.


Poppin' & Lockin'
dances with sudden stop start movements

Chill
Relax.
Use: “Just chill. You’ll get your money.”


Ill
Act like a fool. Can also refer to something slightly crazy but still cool or even something sickening.
Use: “That fool be illin’” or “That concert was ill, I liked it.” Or even “The dude threw up on stage and ate it, it was ill.”

Imports

Ricky Walters (born January 14, 1965), better known by stage names Slick Rick, MC Ricky D and Rick the Ruler, is a British rapper-songwriter and actor. Originally from South Wimbledon, London, England, he moved with his family to The Bronx in 1975 where he met Dana Dane, later forming a hip hop duo as Kangol Crew.[1] Rick's characteristic eyepatch was acquired after being blinded in the right eye by broken glass as an infant. He is best known for a series of rap recordings during the 1980s, including "Children's Story" and "La Di Da Di", B-side of Doug E. Fresh single "The Show" (1985). Once he gained a degree of wealth, he earned a reputation for wearing an enormous amount of gold and diamond jewelry, including many large necklaces with giant pendants, bracelets, huge rings on each finger, and a gold tooth.

Simone Wilson or Simone Gooden (born July 2, 1970, in London) known by her stage name Monie Love, is a female, English rapper and former radio personality in the United States. Love was a well respected figure in British hip hop, and made an impact with American hip hop audiences as a protégé of female American rapper Queen Latifah, as well as through her membership in the late 1980s/early 1990s Native Tongues Posse. Love was one of the first BritHop artists to be signed and distributed world-wide by a major record label. Love also has a place in hip-hop history as a member of the Native Tongues Posse, a positive-minded hip-hop collective that included Queen Latifah, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, the Jungle Brothers, and a number of other acts. Love's debut album, Down To Earth, spawned two, Grammy-nominated hits, "Monie in the Middle" (a high school-set track dealing with a woman's right to determine what she wants out of a relationship) and "It's a Shame (My Sister)" (which sampled The Spinners' "It's a Shame" written for the band by Stevie Wonder). The album reached #26 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

Party Over Here!

For All You Sucka's

Be sure to peep the "battle" between Run DMC, Special K and Kool Moe Dee at the end of the video.

The Producer

Marlon Williams (born in Queens, New York City), better known as Marley Marl, is considered one of the most important and influential hip-hop producers in the History of hip hop. Pete Rock as well as DJ Premier cite him as their main influence.

Marley Marl was the house producer of the Juice Crew, known for The Bridge Wars, a feud with Boogie Down Productions seen as the first hip hop beef. The Juice Crew included Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie, Roxanne Shanté, Kool G Rap, MC Shan (his cousin) and Masta Ace, and produced songs for outside artists including King Tee and LL Cool J. He was also an important figure in the careers of Eric B. & Rakim, producing their first hits "My Melody" and "Eric B Is President", mixing James Brown samples and synthetic beats in a fashion previously unheard of. Marley Marl was one of the pioneers of sampling in hip hop. He debuted as an electro producer, but his records became more sample heavy, as can be seen by comparing the MC Shan LPs Down By Law (1987) and Born to be Wild (1988). The rhythms became less electronic, with drum machines becoming more prominent. Marl started his career working for Tuff City records. He debuted with his own track called "DJ Cuttin" in 1985, released under the pseudonym NYC Cutter. In 1994 Marley Marl was referenced on Biggie Smalls' track "Juicy" as being one of his early influences. He still works today and his music has had influences on RZA, DJ Premier as well as Pete Rock, who is also a longtime friend.

He and KRS-One released Hip-Hop Lives in May 2007 with Marley Marl as the executive producer. "It all happened with one phone call," Marley Marl told AllHipHop.com during a March 2006 interview. "They called me and he jumped on the phone and told me it would be spectacular for Hip Hop...My reason for doing this is to show these kids that Hip Hop beefs are not that serious."

On June 5, 2007, Marley Marl suffered a heart attack. He was released from the hospital a few days later on the 8th. According to an interview in The Source, he blamed the heart attack on stress brought on by his worries about being a good father. In 2008, Craig G and he will release a collaborative album.

Fresh to Def

Def Jam Recordings is a United States based hip-hop record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operates as a part of The Island Def Jam Music Group. In the 80's the label was synonymous with hip hop.

Def Jam was founded by Rick Rubin in his dorm room at New York University and its first release was a single by his rock group, Hose. Russell Simmons joined Rubin shortly after when they were introduced to each other by Vincent Gallo. The first single released with a Def Jam Recordings logo was T La Rock & Jazzy Jay "It's Yours". The first releases with a Def Jam Recordings catalogue number were LL Cool J's "I Need A Beat", and the Beastie Boys', "Rock Hard", both in 1984. The singles sold well, eventually leading to a distribution deal with CBS Records' (which would later become Sony Music Entertainment) Columbia Records the following year. The first full-length album released by Def Jam Recordings was LL Cool J's Radio in November of 1985. The following year, Def Jam created a short-lived subsidiary label called OBR Records, catered toward R&B artists — the first artist signed to that imprint was Oran "Juice" Jones, who enjoyed success with his hit single "The Rain". Def Jam also signed thrash metal band Slayer. As the decade drew to a close, the label signed Public Enemy, whose controversial lyrical content garnered the company both critical acclaim and disdain.
Lyor Cohen became president of Def Jam in 1988, after winning a power struggle with Rubin, who would shortly thereafter leave the company to form Def American Recordings (now known as American Recordings).

For more information on the progression of the label past the 80's and its amazing roster of artists visit http://www.defjam.com/

Gangsta Gangsta

Gangsta rap is a term originated by the mainstream media to describe a certain subgenre of hip hop music which developed during the late 1980s. It is a genre of hip hop that reflects the violent lifestyles of some inner-city youths. Gangsta is a corruption of the word gangster. The genre was pioneered around 1983 by Ice T with songs like Cold Winter Madness and Body Rock/Killers and was popularized by groups like NWA in the late '80s'. After the national attention that Ice-T & N.W.A created in the late 80's, gangsta rap became the most commercially lucrative subgenre of hip hop.

The subject matter inherent in gangsta rap has caused a great deal of controversy. Criticism has come from both right wing and left wing commentators, and religious leaders, who have accused the genre of promoting homophobia, violence, profanity, promiscuity, misogyny, rape, street gangs, drive-by shootings, police brutality, vandalism, thievery, crime, drug dealing, alcohol abuse, substance abuse, racism, and materialism. From the gansta rap genre emerged a sub-genre of sorts of rappers who used profane and sexually graphic lyrics most notably Too Short and the 2 Live Crew.

Keeping it Reel

Hip hop films are motion pictures that display the aesthetics and culture of hip hop, primarily use hip hop as the musical soundtrack, use hip hop artists as their main characters, or all of the above. Some have suggested that hip hop movies also include video recorded concerts and documentaries. Hip hop movies cover a wide range of genres and themes.

"Krush Groove" is a 1985 Warner Bros. film, written by Ralph Farquhar and directed by Michael Schultz (who also produced the movie, along with Doug McHenry). This film is based on the early days of Def Jam Recordings and up-and-coming record producer Russell Simmons (re-named Russell Walker in the film), portrayed by Blair Underwood in his feature film debut. Russell Simmons was the film's co-producer and story consultant; he also has a cameo role in the film as a club owner named Crocket.

In the movie, Russell Walker has signed all of the hottest acts to his Krush Groove record label, including Run-D.M.C., Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, and Kurtis Blow. Rick Rubin produces their records. When Run-D.M.C. has a hit record and Russell doesn't have the money to press records, he borrows money from a street hustler. At the same time, Russell and his brother Run are both competing for the heart of R&B singer/percussionist Sheila E. Also appearing in the film are LL Cool J, the Beastie Boys, New Edition, the Fat Boys, and some of their songs, as well as others from the likes of Chaka Khan, Debbie Harry, and The Gap Band. Members of the R&B band Full Force also make a cameo in the film as bodyguards.

Krush Groove was filmed in the Bronx, New York (including at least one scene in the Marble Hill projects). Among the locations where the movie was shot was the famous Disco Fever, a popular club during the embryonic stages of hip hop which, by the time of the film, had fallen on some hard times. Disco Fever owner Sal Abbatiello expected the movie not only to turn the spotlight on the burgeoning rap movement but also to "bring attention [back] to the club"and so agreed to have scenes shot there. Unfortunately, the attention surrounding the filming brought the scrutiny of the local authorities, who shut the club down for good on the last day of shooting for not having all the proper licenses and permits.

Breakin' is a 1984 movie directed by Joel Silberg. It was also released under the title Breakdance: The Movie in some international locations. The film is a retelling of West Side Story.
The film setting was inspired by a German documentary entitled Breakin' and Enterin' set in the Los Angeles multi-racial hip-hop club Radiotron, based out of Macarthur Park in Los Angeles. Many of the artists and dancers including Ice-T (who makes his movie debut as a club MC) and Boogaloo Shrimp went straight from Breakin' and Enterin' to star in Breakin'.
The story is a retelling of the 1957 musical West Side Story, which is based in turn on Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare (Kelly's agent Franco has a West Side Story poster directly behind his desk). Breakin' reverses the genders of the white/Puerto Rican couple. Although Kelly and Ozone are clearly a romantic couple in the sequel, and although they peck briefly in the first film (during the song "99 1/2 Won't Do"), the love scene in which they become a couple has been cut, and now exists only as a glimpse during the end credits.

Beat Street is a 1984 mainstream hip hop dramatic feature film, and the second following Breakin'. It is set in New York City during the popularity rise of hip hop culture in the early 1980s. The movie was the East Coast answer to the Los Angeles-set Breakin', displaying break dancing, DJing, and graffiti with a mild social undertone. Some of the plotline was based on the graffiti documentary Style Wars. Most visibly, the villain character Spit in Beat Street was lifted from the way the real-life graffiti artist Cap was portrayed in Style Wars.
Notable performances include a song by Grandmaster Melle Mel & the Furious Five, breakdance battles between the New York City Breakers and the Rock Steady Crew, and cameos by beatboxer Doug E. Fresh, Richard Lee Sisco, and the Treacherous Three.

The Crossovers

The Beastie Boys are an American hip hop group from New York City consisting of Michael "Mike D" Diamond, Adam "MCA" Yauch, and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz. Since around the time of the Hello Nasty album, the DJ for the group has been Michael "Mix Master Mike" Schwartz, who was featured in the song "Three MC's and One DJ".
They started out as a hardcore punk group in 1979, and appeared in the compilation cassette New York Thrash with Riot Fight and Beastie. They switched to hip hop with the release of their debut solo album Licensed to Ill (1986), which enjoyed international critical acclaim and commercial success. The group is well-known for their eclecticism, jocular and flippant attitude toward interviews and interviewers, obscure cultural references and kitschy lyrics, and performing in outlandish matching suits.
They are one of the longest-lived hip hop acts and continue to enjoy commercial and critical success in 2008, more than 20 years after the release of their debut album. On September 27, 2007 they were nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In 1985, the band opened for John Lydon's post-Sex Pistols band Public Image Ltd., as well as supporting Madonna on her North American Virgin tour. Later in the year, the group was on the Raising Hell tour with Run DMC, Whodini, LL Cool J, and the Timex Social Club. With their exposure on this tour, the track "Hold It Now, Hit It" made Billboard's national R&B and Dance charts. The track "She's on It" from the Krush Groove soundtrack continued in a rap/metal vein while a double A-side 12", "Paul Revere/The New Style," was released at the end of the year.
The band recorded Licensed to Ill in 1986 and released the album at the end of the year. It was a smash success, and was favorably reviewed by Rolling Stone magazine with the now-famous headline, "Three Idiots Create a Masterpiece." Licensed to Ill became the best selling rap album of the 1980s and the first rap album to go #1 on the Billboard album chart, where it stayed for five weeks. It also reached #2 on the Urban album charts. It was Def Jam's' fastest selling debut record to date and sold over five million copies. The first single from the album, "Fight for Your Right," (sample (help·info)) reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100, and the video (directed by Ric Menello) became an MTV staple.

After the success of Licensed to Ill, the Beasties parted ways with Def Jam and ended their relationship with Rick Rubin to sign with Capitol Records. A bootleg album entitled "Original Ill" features original demos of all the tracks from the final version of Licensed to Ill plus deleted tracks "I'm Down" (A Beatles Song) and "The Scenario" was released in 1998.

The DJ- DJ Hurricane (born Wendell Fite) is a hip hop DJ, producer and rapper. He is known for his work as the Beastie Boys' DJ. He was a member of the groups Solo Sounds and The Afros and recorded three solo albums, featuring many well known artists such as the Beastie Boys and Talib Kweli. One of New York's premier hip-hop artists on the turntables, DJ Hurricane fostered his skills alongside Run D.M.C. in the Hollis, Queens area of New York City before eventually hooking up with the Beastie Boys, where he made a name for himself as the group's DJ before going on to release his own albums. Hurricane began rhyming at the age of 11, during hip-hop's infancy, eventually forming a group called the Solo Sounds and later the Afros. While serving as one of Run D.M.C.'s body guards on the 1986 Raising Hell tour, he became friends with the Beastie Boys, who were the tour's opening act. It wasn't long before the Beasties offered Hurricane an opportunity to be their exclusive DJ. As the Beasties rose to fame with each successive album in the 1990s, Hurricane simultaneously reveled in the spotlight, releasing his first solo album in 1995 on Grand Royal, titled The Hurra. Five years later in late 2000, after having parted ways with the Beasties prior to their album Hello Nasty in 1998, Hurricane released his second album, Don't Sleep, which found him much more conceptually collected and with a broad scope of guest artists, including Kool G Rap, Xzibit, Scott Weiland, Public Enemy, Rah Digga, Talib Kweli, and others.

ALERT: DJ HURRICANE WILL BE SPINNING ON THE WHEELS OF STEEL IN H-TOWN LABOR DAY WEEKEND @ "DJ, BRING THA BEAT BACK '08" HOSTED BY THE KANDY GYRLZ SOCIAL CLUB. SEE FLYER AT THE BOTTOM OF PAGE FOR MORE DETAILS!!!!

Fashion

During the 1980s, hip-hop icons wore clothing items such as brightly colored name-brand tracksuits, sheepskin and leather bomber jackets, Clarks shoes , Dr. Martens boots and sneakers (usually Adidas-brand shelltoes and often with "phat" or oversized shoelaces). Popular haircuts ranged from the early-1980s Jheri curl to the late-1980s hi-top fade popularized by Will Smith (The Fresh Prince) and Christopher "Kid" Reid of Kid 'n Play, among others.

Popular accessories included large eyeglasses (Cazals or Gazelles), Kangol bucket hats, nameplates, name belts, and multiple rings. Heavy gold jewelry was also popular in the 1980s; heavy jewelry in general would become an enduring element of hip hop fashion. In general, men's jewelry focused on heavy gold chains and women's jewelry on large gold earrings. Performers such as Kurtis Blow and Big Daddy Kane helped popularize gold necklaces and other such jewelry, and female rappers such as Roxanne Shanté and the group Salt-N-Pepa helped popularize oversized gold door-knocker earrings. The heavy jewelry was suggestive of prestige and wealth, and some have connected the style to Africanism. 1980s hip hop fashion is remembered as one of the most important elements of old school hip hop, and it is often celebrated in nostalgic hip hop songs such as Ahmad's 1994 single "Back in the Day", and Missy Elliott's 2002 single "Back in the Day".

Backpackers

"Backpacker" was originally a slang term from the 1980s for a graffiti artist who always wore a backpack containing his music collection and, more importantly, his spraypaint cans, markers, and spray tips. Typically, the music collection would consist only of local underground rap/hip-hop music artists. The sub-genre or sub-categorization of the music means nothing, as long as they are a local unsigned (no recording contract) artist. A backpacker's music selections are based upon three principles: 1) no mainstream, 2) the music is commercially unavailable, and 3) the music was given/sold to them "hand-to-hand" from the originating recording artist. However, these principles eventually became very loose, and soon many people who listened to commercially available underground rap or "indie rap" became known as "backpackers."

The term gradually came to refer to someone with this musical taste, and now has almost nothing to do with graffiti (although certain "backpackers" may participate in graffiti "tagging.") The term also may have originated (or became popularized) through the association of "indie" hip hop listeners with underground rock movements such as "straight edge." The "straight edge" fashion style often involves backpacks, sometimes even if the backpack is not being used. As underground rap listeners co-mingled with "straight edge" rockers (or any punk rocker with the backpack style), the term may have become even more popular.

In the 1990s and 2000s, "backpacker" became a derogatory term to describe someone who listens only to independent hip-hop music, such as the nerdcore or "alternative rap" sub-genre of hip-hop music.

Old School Backpackers

A Tribe Called Quest is an American hip-hop group, formed in 1988. The group is composed of rapper/producer Q-Tip (Kamal Fareed), rapper Phife Dawg (Malik Taylor), and DJ/producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad. A fourth member, rapper Jarobi White , left the group after their first album but appears to have rejoined the group since 2006. Along with De La Soul, the group was a central part of the Native Tongues Posse, and enjoyed the most commercial success out of all the groups to emerge from that collective. Their innovative fusing of hip hop and jazz has had a lasting impact on hip hop music, helping to expand the art of hip hop production. Many of their songs, such as "Bonita Applebum", "Can I Kick It?", "I Left My Wallet in El Segundo", "Scenario", "Check the Rhime", and "Electric Relaxation" are regarded as classics of the genre.

They released five albums in ten years, the first three of which were very highly acclaimed, and disbanded in 1998. In 2006, the group reunited and toured the US and plan to release an album after some works in the studio. The group is generally regarded as pioneers of alternative hip hop music, having helped to pave the way for socially aware hip-hop artists. Allmusic calls them "the most intelligent, artistic rap group during the 1990s". In 2005, A Tribe Called Quest received a Special Achievement Award at the Billboard R&B Hip-Hop Awards in Atlanta. In 2007, the group was formally honored at the 4th VH1 Hip Hop Honors.

De La Soul is a Grammy Award-winning hip hop group. They are best known for their eclectic sampling and quirky, surreal lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap subgenre. The members are Kelvin Mercer (Posdnuos, Mercenary, Plug Wonder Why, Plug One), David Jude Jolicoeur (Trugoy the Dove, Dave, Plug Two) and Vincent Mason (P.A. Pasemaster Mase, Maseo, Plug Three). The three formed the group in high school and caught the attention of producer Paul Huston (Prince Paul) with a demo tape of the song "Plug Tunin'". Prince Paul was also sometimes referred to as Plug Four.

With its playful wordplay, innovative sampling, and witty skits, the band's debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising, has been hailed as a hip-hop masterpiece. It is also the band's biggest commercial success to date, with their subsequent albums selling progressively less, despite receiving high praise from critics. A measure of 3 Feet High and Rising's cross-over appeal was the fact that it was voted Album of the Year by NME Magazine, a title better known for its taste in guitar-based music. De La Soul has influenced numerous other hip hop artists such as Camp Lo, Black Eyed Peas, and Digable Planets. They were also instrumental in the early stages of rapper/actor Mos Def's career, and are a core part of the Spitkicker collective. They are the longest standing Native Tongues Posse group, after the Jungle Brothers.

The Jungle Brothers are an American hip hop/jungle group who pioneered the fusion of jazz and hip-hop/early jungle dnb and also became the first hip-hop group to use a house-music producer. They began performing in the mid-1980s and released their first album, Straight Out the Jungle, in 1988 (see 1988 in music). With Afrocentric lyrics and innovative beats, the Jungle Brothers were critically acclaimed and soon joined the influential Native Tongues Posse. The trio is comprised of Michael Small (Mike Gee), Nathaniel Hall (Afrika Baby Bam) and Sammy Burwell (DJ Sammy B). Sammy B left the group after the group released Raw Deluxe.

Female Lyricists

MC Lyte (born Lana Michele Moorer on October 11, 1971 in Brooklyn, New York) is a female rap artist and the younger sister of Milk Dee and Gizmo, who recorded under the name of Audio Two. She is a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc."MC Lyte" Lana Moorer began rapping at the age of 12 and began her career in 1986. The release of her first single, "I Cram to Understand U (Sam)", was produced by her older brothers. This song, about a lying boyfriend’s crack cocaine addiction, led to her recording contract with First Priority Music. Her debut album, Lyte As a Rock, was released in 1988, and featured the previously mentioned single and another titled "10% Dis", which targeted her former microphone rival, Antoinette.

Her second album Eyes on This was released in 1989. It spawned Lyte's first #1 Rap Tracks single "Cha Cha Cha" and another hit titled "Cappuccino", which is a metaphysical story weaved around a bad cappuccino experience. The song's video was directed by Ric Menello, who also helmed the The Beastie Boys's, "Fight for Your Right" music video. MC Lyte turned to producers Wolf & Epic (of Bell Biv Devoe fame) for her third release, 1991's Act Like You Know, which spawned another #1 Rap Track titled "Poor Georgie" and two smaller hits "When in Love" and "Eyes are the Soul". In 1993, MC Lyte released the album Ain't No Other. The album spawned yet another #1 Rap Track, "Ruffneck", which earned her a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rap Single and was the first ever gold single by a solo female rap artist (Salt-N-Pepa had had several gold and platinum singles earlier). Another smaller hit titled "I Go On" also came from this album.

Lyte then signed Elektra/Asylum and issuing released 1996's Bad As I Wanna B, which featured a duet with Missy Elliott on the track "Cold Rock a Party," which became another #1 Rap Track for her, and reached #11 Pop. Her contribution to the Sunset Park soundtrack, "Keep On, Keepin' On", reached #10 on the Pop charts. In 2001, Rhino Entertainment released The Very Best of MC Lyte. The artist mounted a comeback in 2003 with Da Undaground Heat, Vol. 1 with production team Maad Funk.

In 2003 MC Lyte released her first independent record on her own label SGI/CMM along with manager/partner Fred Crawford. The album entitled, "Da Underground Heat Vol. 1 hosted by Jamie Foxx", went on to garner her yet another Grammy nomination and Bet Award nomination as well. The leading single, "Ride With Me", became the title track for a show called HOLLA hosted by Cheryl Underwood and also became one of the title songs for EA Sports NBA video game of 2003. The song also appeared in a popular LL COOL J feature entitled "Deliver us from Eva".

Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), better known by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an award-winning American rapper, singer and actress. Latifah's work in music, film and television has earned her a Golden Globe award, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Image Awards, a Grammy Award, six additional Grammy nominations, an Emmy Award nomination and an Academy Award nomination.

Latifah was born in Newark, New Jersey, the daughter of Rita, a schoolteacher who worked at Irvington High School, and Lancelot Owens, a policeman. Her parents divorced when Latifah was ten. Latifah performed the number "Home" from the musical The Wiz in a high school play. Her stage name, Latifah, meaning "kind" in Arabic, was given to her when she was eight by her cousin. Latifah was raised in the Baptist church, and, while in high school, was a power forward on her basketball team.

Latifah started her career beatboxing for the rap group Ladies Fresh. Latifah was one of the members of the original version of the Flavor Unit, which, at that time, was a crew of emcees grouped around producer DJ Mark the 45 King. In 1988, DJ Mark the 45 King heard a demo version of Latifah's single "Princess of the Posse" and gave the demo to Fab Five Freddy, who was the host of Yo! MTV Raps. Freddy helped Latifah sign with Tommy Boy Records, which released Latifah's first album All Hail the Queen in 1989, when she was nineteen. That year, she appeared as Referee on the UK label Music of Life album "1989—The Hustlers Convention (live)". Her debut managed to be both a critical and a commercial success and was followed by the albums Nature of a Sista and Black Reign, which contained the Grammy Award winning hit single, U.N.I.T.Y. In 1998, Co Produced by Ro Smith now CEO of Def Ro Inc. she released her fourth hip-hop album Order in the Court. In 2004, she released the soul/jazz standards The Dana Owens Album.

On July 11, 2007, Latifah made her singing debut at the famed Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles as the headliner act in a live jazz concert. Before an enthusiastic crowd of more than 12,400, she was backed by a 10-piece live orchestra and three backup vocalists, The Queen Latifah Orchestra. Latifah performed new arrangements of standards including "California Dreaming," first made popular by '60s icons The Mamas & the Papas.
In 2007, Latifah released an album entitled Trav'lin' Light. Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Joe Sample, George Duke, Christian McBride, and Stevie Wonder made guest appearances. It was nominated for a Grammy in the "Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album" category.

From 1993 to 1998, Latifah had a starring role on Living Single, a FOX sitcom; she also wrote and performed its theme music. She began her film career in supporting roles in the 1991 films House Party 2, Juice, and Jungle Fever. She had her own talk show, The Queen Latifah Show, from 1999 to 2001.

Latifah first attracted notice for her role portraying a lesbian in the 1996 box-office hit, Set It Off and subsequently had a supporting role in the Holly Hunter film Living Out Loud (1998). She played the role of Thelma in the 1999 movie adaptation of Jeffrey Deavers' The Bone Collector, alongside Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. Although she had already received some critical acclaim, she gained mainstream success after being cast as Matron "Mama" Morton in the Oscar-winning musical Chicago, the recipient of the Best Picture Oscar. Latifah received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her role, but lost to co-star Catherine Zeta-Jones. Latifah is one of two hip-hop artists to receive an Academy Award nomination in an acting category (Best Supporting Actress, Chicago, 2002). The other is Will Smith (Best Actor, Ali, 2001, and Best Actor, The Pursuit of Happyness, 2007).

In 2003, she starred with Steve Martin in the film Bringing Down the House, which was a major success at the box office. Since then, she has had both leading and supporting roles in a multitude of films that received varied critical and box office receptions, including Scary Movie 3, Barbershop 2: Back in Business, Taxi, Kung Faux, Beauty Shop, and Hairspray.

In early 2006, Latifah appeared in a romantic comedy/drama entitled Last Holiday. Film critic Richard Roeper stated that "this is the Queen Latifah performance I've been waiting for ever since she broke into movies". Also in 2006, Latifah voiced Ellie, a friendly mammoth, in the animated film, Ice Age: The Meltdown (her first voice appearance in an animated film), and also appeared in the drama Stranger Than Fiction. She has starred in two movie remakes (Taxi and Last Holiday), four sequels (House Party 2, Scary Movie 3, Barbershop 2: Back in Business and Ice Age: The Meltdown), one spinoff (Beauty Shop), one movie based on a book (The Bone Collector), and two screen adaptations of musicals (Chicago and Hairspray). Addressing the apparent disparity between rap music and movie musicals, Queen admits that she grew up watching musicals and singing in that style. "What the hell was I going to do," she revealed to CraveOnline, "it wasn't like I was going to perform much of that ... but now it's all paying off because here come the musicals again and I get a chance to have some fun with a lot of these songs."

The summer of 2007 brought Latifah triple success in the big-screen version of the Broadway smash hit Hairspray, in which she acted, sang, and danced. The film rated highly with critics. It starred, among others, John Travolta (Grease), Michelle Pfeiffer (Stardust), Allison Janney (Juno), James Marsden (Enchanted) and Christopher Walken (Balls of Fury). Also in 2007, she portrayed an HIV-positive woman in the film Life Support, a role for which she garnered her first Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award and an Emmy nomination.
Latifah produced the 2007 film The Perfect Holiday penned by Marc Calixte and Lance Rivera in Westfield, NJ. In addition to producing the film, Latifah starred alongside Terrence Howard, Morris Chestnut, Gabrielle Union, Charles Q. Murphy, Jill Marie Jones, and Faizon Love.

In 2008, Latifah appeared in the crime comedy Mad Money opposite Academy Award-winner Diane Keaton as well as Katie Holmes and Ted Danson.

Roxanne Shanté (born Lolita Shanté Gooden on November 9, 1969) is an American hip-hop pioneer. Born and raised in the Queensbridge Projects, Shanté first gained attention through the Roxanne Wars and her association with the legendary Juice Crew.

Shanté's career began at the age of 14 when she encountered influential record producer Marley Marl, radio DJ Mr. Magic, and Tyrone Williams talking about how UTFO had canceled their appearance at a show they were promoting. Shanté offered to record an answer to UTFO's recent hit "Roxanne, Roxanne," which was about a woman named Roxanne who rejects the members of the group. The men agreed and the result was "Roxanne's Revenge," a confrontational and profane song in which Shanté assumed the role of Roxanne, dissing UTFO over its own instrumental, which sparked the Roxanne Wars and made her a hip-hop star in the process. The single would go on to sell over 250,000 copies in the New York area alone. Aligning with the Juice Crew, most of her tracks would be produced by Marley Marl, with the exception of several songs on Shanté’s last album, 1992’s The Bitch Is Back.

As an MC, Shanté had an extraordinary ability to freestyle (improvise) entire songs. "Roxanne’s Revenge" was an example, reportedly written and recorded at the same time in one take.[citation needed] However, the original version of the song was rerecorded after UTFO sued over the usage of its original backing track; the new version featured slightly different music with less profanity. People are most familiar with this version, which appears on the original 12-inch single released in 1984, with the original on the reverse side.
In 1988, Shanté and Rick James had a hit with "Loosey's Rap."

At the age of 25, Shanté retired from the recording industry to become a psychologist. She continues to make occasional guest appearances and live performances, as well as mentor young female hip-hop artists. She also took part in a series of Sprite commercials during the late 1990s. She is married and has one son and one daughter. She earned a PhD in psychology from Cornell University-paid for by her record label via an unusual contract clause—and has a practice in Queens. She is a vegan and owns Hip-Hop Ices ice cream parlor in Queens.
She will be portrayed by actress Keke Palmer in The Vapors, a film about the formation and rise of the Juice Crew.

Dope Duo's (Plus One Deejay!)

Run-D.M.C. was a pioneering hip hop group during the 1980's founded by Joseph "Run" Simmons, Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels, and Jason "Jam-Master Jay" Mizell. The group had an impact on the development of hip hop through the 1980's and is credited with breaking hip hop into mainstream music. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked them number 48 in their list of the greatest ever musical artists of all time.

More than any other hip-hop group, Run-D.M.C. are reponsible for the sound and style of the music. As the first hardcore rap outfit, the trio set the sound and style for the next decade of rap. With their spare beats and excursions into heavy metal samples, the trio were tougher and more menacing than their predecessors (Sugar Hill Gang, Grandmaster Flash, etc.). In the process, they opened the door for both the politicized rap of Public Enemy and Boogie Down Productions, as well as the hedonistic gangsta fantasies of N.W.A. At the same time, Run-D.M.C. helped move rap from a singles-oriented genre to an album-oriented one -- they were the first hip-hop artist to construct full-fledged albums, not just collections with two singles and a bunch of filler. By the end of the '80s, Run-D.M.C. had been overtaken by the groups they had spawned, but they continued to perform to a dedicated following well into the '90s.

All three members of Run-D.M.C. were natives of the middle-class New York borough Hollis, Queens. Run (born Joseph Simmons, November 14, 1964) was the brother of Russell Simmons, who formed the hip-hop management company Rush Productions in the early '80s; by the mid-'80s, Russell had formed the pioneering record label Def Jam with Rick Rubin. Russell encouraged his brother Joey and his friend Darryl McDaniels (born May 31, 1964) to form a rap duo. The pair of friends did just that, adopting the names Run and D.M.C., respectively. After they graduated from high school in 1982, the pair enlisted their friend Jason Mizell (born January 21, 1965) to scratch turntables; Mizell adopted the stage name Jam Master Jay.
In 1983, Run-D.M.C. released their first single, "It's Like That"/"Sucker M.C.'s," on Profile Records. The single sounded like no other rap at the time -- it was spare, blunt, and skillful, with hard beats and powerful, literate, daring vocals, where Run and D.M.C.'s vocals overlapped, as they finished each other's lines. It was the first "new school" hip-hop recording. "It's Like That" became a Top 20 R&B hit, as did the group's second single, "Hard Times"/"Jam Master Jay." Two other hit R&B singles followed in early 1984 -- "Rock Box" and "30 Days" -- before the group's eponymous debut appeared.

By the time of their second album, 1985's King of Rock, Run-D.M.C. had become the most popular and influential rappers in America, already spawning a number of imitators. As the King of Rock title suggests, the group were breaking down the barriers between rock & roll and rap, rapping over heavy metal records and thick, dense drum loops. Besides releasing the King of Rock album and scoring the R&B hits "King of Rock," "You Talk Too Much," and "Can You Rock It Like This" in 1985, the group also appeared in the rap movie Krush Groove, which also featured Kurtis Blow, the Beastie Boys, and the Fat Boys.

Run-D.M.C.'s fusion of rock and rap broke into the mainstream with their third album, 1986's Raising Hell. The album was preceded by the Top Ten R&B single "My Adidas," which set the stage for the group's biggest hit single, a cover of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way." Recorded with Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, "Walk This Way" was the first hip-hop record to appeal to both rockers and rappers, as evidenced by its peak position of number four on the pop charts. In the wake of the success of "Walk This Way," Raising Hell became the first rap album to reach number one on the R&B charts, to chart in the pop Top Ten, and to go platinum, and Run-D.M.C. were the first rap act to received airplay on MTV -- they were the first rappers to cross over into the pop mainstream. Raising Hell also spawned the hit singles "You Be Illin'" and "It's Tricky."

Run-D.M.C. spent most of 1987 recording Tougher Than Leather, their follow-up to Raising Hell. Tougher Than Leather was accompanied by a movie of the same name. Starring Run-D.M.C., the film was an affectionate parody of '70s blaxploitation films. Although Run-D.M.C. had been at the height of their popularity when they were recording and filming Tougher Than Leather, by the time the project was released, the rap world had changed. Most of the hip-hop audience wanted to hear hardcore political rappers like Public Enemy, not crossover artists like Run-D.M.C. Consequently, the film bombed and the album only went platinum, failing to spawn any significant hit singles.

Two years after Tougher Than Leather, Run-D.M.C. returned with Back From Hell, which became their first album not to go platinum. Following its release, both Run and D.M.C. suffered personal problems after overcoming their problems both of the rappers became born-again Christians, touting their religious conversion on the 1993 album Down With the King. Featuring guest appearances and production assistance from artists as diverse as Public Enemy, EPMD, Naughty by Nature, A Tribe Called Quest, Neneh Cherry, Pete Rock, and KRS-One, Down With the King became the comeback Run-D.M.C. needed. The title track became a Top Ten R&B hit and the album went gold, peaking at number 21. Although they were no longer hip-hop innovators, the success of Down With the King proved that Run-D.M.C. were still respected pioneers.

Salt-n-Pepa is a Grammy-Award Winning American hip hop group from Queens, New York that came onto the music scene in 1985 and went on to sell over 13 million albums and singles according to RIAA.com. They are the top selling female rap act, consisting of the lineup of: Cheryl James (now known as Cheryl Wray), Sandra Denton ("Salt" and "Pepa", respectively), and the group's DJ, Deidra "Dee Dee" Roper (Spinderella).

Originally calling themselves Supernature (for just the first single), James and Denton debuted in 1985 on the small Pop Art record label with the single "The Show Stopper", an answer record to Doug E. Fresh's hit record "The Show". "The Show Stopper" was produced by Hurby Azor (who had to do it as a school project) and utilized a melody from the 1985 hit movie "Revenge of the Nerds." It garnered play on many urban stations and became a modest R&B hit. With this success, James and Denton changed the group's name to Salt-N-Pepa (which they had called themselves in the first verse of the song) and signed to Next Plateau Records. Their 1986 debut album, Hot, Cool & Vicious, was also produced by Salt's then-boyfriend Hurby "Luv Bug" Azor (also the group's manager); he received songwriting credit for the album that was later disputed. It also featured DJ Latoya Hanson as the original Spinderella. She appears on the group's first album cover with James and Denton but appears in none of the music videos as she would soon be replaced by Roper, who would keep the name Spinderella.

Hot, Cool & Vicious received some airplay on R&B stations around the country thanks to the songs "My Mic Sound Nice" and "Tramp". But when San Francisco DJ and producer Cameron Paul created a remix of "Push It", the b-side to "Tramp", it gave the group their first major hit single. "Push It" was added to subsequent pressings of Hot, Cool & Vicious and was released as a single, quickly becoming a platinum Top 20 pop hit, receiving a Grammy nomination, and thrusting the album to Platinum album status in the US with 1 million sold, making James, Denton, and Roper the first female rap act to go gold or platinum. The album would eventually sell 1.2 million total worldwide.

Salt-n-Pepa's next album release, 1988s A Salt With a Deadly Pepa, contained the R&B hit and moderate pop hit "Shake Your Thang", featuring the go-go band E.U.. Minor hits were also seen in "Everybody Get Up" and "Twist And Shout", with the latter becoming a #4 pop hit in the UK. The album would sell about 800,000 worldwide with roughly 600,000 of those in the US, attaining gold status.

Their third album, Blacks' Magic, was released in March 1990, and was a personal album for the women on many fronts. Azor —- often late or a no show to their sessions as he was producing other acts -— agreed to let the women work with different producers to finish the album. James and Roper took on producing assignments themselves and the trio also hired different producers for additional songs, such as Invincible's producer Dana Mozie. This would also be the first album to feature Roper on vocals as well as DJ'ing. The result would be six singles and three hits released by Next Plateau Records: "Expression", #1 on the R&B Chart for over 10 weeks and produced by Salt; "Independent"; "I Don't Know" (featuring Kid N Play); "Do You Want Me", (#21 pop); "Let's Talk About Sex" (Top 20 pop); and "You Showed Me". The album would sell 1.3 million worldwide with a million of those sold in the US. A greatest hits album would later be released called "A Blitz of Salt-N-Pepa Hits", featuring remixed versions of songs from the group's first three albums.

Salt-n-Pepa's fourth studio album Very Necessary, released in September 1993 on London Records (see 1993 in music) was their most successful album to date. Breaking further away from Azor, whom the group accused of not paying them fair royalties, the album featured production by Salt, Pepa, and Spinderella. Buoyed by the singles "Shoop" (co-produced by Pepa and their first US Top Five), "Whatta Man" (featuring En Vogue and also a Top Five hit) and "None of Your Business", the album eventually sold six million worldwide with four million of those in the US (4x platinum) at its time of release, making them the first female rap act to have a multi-platinum album.


Whodini is a hip hop group from New York that was formed in 1981, made up of Jalil (Jalil Hutchins), Ecstasy (John Fletcher) and Grandmaster Dee (Drew Carter). Along with Run-DMC and The Fat Boys, Whodini was among the first hip-hop groups to cultivate a high-profile national following for hip-hop music and made significant inroads on Urban radio. The Brooklyn, New York-based trio consisted of vocalist-chief lyricist Jalil Hutchins; co-vocalist John Fletcher, aka Ecstasy, who tended to wear a Zorro-style hat as his trademark; and DJ Drew Carter, aka Grandmaster Dee. Contemporaries of Run-D.M.C., they were managed by Russell Simmons, brother of Joseph “Run” Simmons. The group signed with London-based indie Jive Records in 1982; they enjoyed a string of hits, mostly charting on Urban/R&B stations. The bulk of production on its releases was done by Larry Smith, a bass player who also handled much of Run-D.M.C.’s early work.

In keeping with 1980s trends, Whodini’s cuts tended to be synthesizer-driven with a heavy electronic drumbeat. The sampling technology that became identified with hip-hop music hadn’t really become prominent during Whodini’s early days, and its works were thoroughly original compositions. “Haunted House of Rock” was its first single, a whimsical Halloween-themed number. Synth-pop pioneer Thomas Dolby produced another of its early singles, “Magic’s Wand,” which was originally conceived as an advertisement for prominent radio jock Mr. Magic, who worked for New York’s WBLS. The group cultivated a female audience with such relationship-themed cuts as “Friends” and “One Love.” Backstage partying was extolled in the mildly controversial “I’m a Ho.” “Fugitive” was guitar-driven funk.

From 1982 to 1986 was the band’s heyday, touring with Run-D.M.C., LL Cool J, the Fat Boys, and other prominent R&B and funk outfits of the 1980s. The group was involved in the first Fresh Fest tour, which was the first hip-hop tour to play large coliseums. The instrumental to its hit record "Five Minutes of Funk" was used as the theme music for WNYC TV show Music Box, an influential early hip-hop music video show. Its albums Whodini (1983), Escape (1984), and Back in Black (1986; no relation to AC/DC) were all well-received by hip-hop fans and youthful R&B enthusiasts, but full-fledged crossover fame seemed to elude them.

Microphone Fiends

Rakim (pronounced Rah-Kem) (full name Rakim Allah, born William Michael Griffin Jr. on January 28, 1968 in Wyandanch, Long Island, New York) is a legendary rapper and pioneer of hip hop.

Many hip hop/rap artists (both underground and mainstream) acknowledge a huge debt to Rakim's innovative style. He is given credit for popularizing the heavy use of internal rhymes in hip-hop - rhymes that are not necessary to the overall rhyme scheme of the verse, but occur between the endpoints of lines and stanzas, serving to increase the alliteration, assonance, and emphasis of the rap. He is also credited for the jazzy, heavily stylistic, seemingly effortless delivery of his lyrical content.

Rakim pioneered a practice previously unknown to rap called "internal rhyming," already an important aspect of traditional poetry, where rhymes could be found throughout the bar of a lyric which added to the rhythmic complexity of the song:

“ I keep the mic at Fahrenheit, freeze MCs, make 'em colder/The listeners system is kicking like solar/As I memorize, advertize like a poet/Keep it goin', when I'm flowin' smooth enough, you know it's rough ”

Instead of two rhyming syllables within two lines at the end of the lines, as we would find in the older rap style displayed above, we have 18 rhyming syllables in just four lines. Rakim also introduced a lyrical technique known as "cliffhanging" and popularized the use of metaphors with multiple meanings. His songs were the first to really impart rap music lyrics with a serious poetic device sensibility.

Discography- (w/Eric B.): 1987- Paid in Full; 1988- Follow the Leader; 1990- Let the Rhythm Hit ‘Em; 1992- Don’t Sweat the Technique; (solo): 1997- The 18th Letter/The Book of Life; 1999- The Master


Antonio Hardy (born September 10, 1968 in Brooklyn, New York), better known by his stage name, Big Daddy Kane. Widely regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all-time, he started his career in 1986 as a member of the legendary rap group, The Juice Crew.

In 1984, he met Biz Markie, and the two struck a friendship. Kane would go on to co-write some of the Biz's best-known lyrics, and both eventually became important members of the Queens-based Juice Crew, a collective headed by renowned producer Marley Marl. Kane signed with Marl's Cold Chillin' Records label in 1987 and debuted the following year with the 12" single "Raw," an underground hit. Kane is known for his ability to syncopate over faster hip hop beats, and despite his asthmatic condition he is acknowledged as one of the pioneering masters of fast-rap. His sense of style is renowned and set a number of late-1980s and early-1990s hip hop trends (high-top fades, velour suits, and four-finger rings). The backronym "King Asiatic Nobody's Equal" is often applied to his moniker. His name "Kane" came from Caine from the popular TV show Kung Fu. The "Big Daddy" came from Vincent Price's character in an old Frankie Avalon movie, Beach Party.

Discography: 1988- Long Live the Kane; 1989- It’s a Big Daddy Thing; 1990- Taste of Chocolate; 1991- Prince of Darkness; 1993- Looks like a Job For. . .; 1994- Daddy’s Home; 1998- Veteranz Day


Lawrence Krisna Parker (born August 20, 1965), better known by his stage name KRS-One, is a Jamaican-American rapper. Over his career, he has been known by several pseudonyms including "Kris Parker", "The Blastmaster", "The Teacha", and "The Philosopher". KRS-One is a significant figure in the hip hop community and is often credited by critics and other hip hop artists as epitomizing the "essence" of an MC and for being one of the greatest rappers to hold the mic.

KRS-One began his recording career as one half of the hip hop group Boogie Down Productions alongside DJ Scott La Rock. They met during a stay KRS-One had at the Bronx's Franklin Armory Shelter. La Rock (real name Scott Sterling) worked as a social worker there. The duo would begin to create music. After being rejected by radio DJs Mr. Magic and Marley Marl, KRS-One would go on to diss the two and those associated with them, sparking what would later be known as The Bridge Wars. Additionally, KRS had taken offense to "The Bridge", a song by Marley Marl's protege MC Shan (later on, KRS One produced an album with Marley Marl in 2007); the song could be interpreted as a claim that Queensbridge was the birthplace of hip hop. Though MC Shan has repeatedly denied this claim. Still, KRS "dissed" the song with the BDP record "South Bronx"; a second round of volleys would ensue with Shan's "Kill That Noise" and BDP's "The Bridge Is Over". KRS-One, demonstrating his nickname "The Blastmaster", gave a live performance that devastated MC Shan, and many conceded he had won the battle. Many believe this live performance to be the first MC battle where rappers attack each other, instead of a battle between who can get the crowd more hyped.


KRS-One also gained acclaim as one of the first MC's to incorporate Jamaican style into hip-hop. Using the Zungazung melody, originally made famous by Yellowman in Jamaican dance halls earlier in the decade. While KRS-One used Zunguzung styles in a more powerful and controversial manner, especially in his song titled, "Remix for P is Free", he can still be credited as one of the more influential figures to bridge the gap between Jamaican music and American hip-hop. Scott La Rock was killed in a shooting shortly after the release of their album Criminal Minded. BDP continued until 1993 with members beatboxer Derrick “D-Nice” Jones, rapper Ramona "Ms. Melodie" Parker (whose marriage to Kris would last from 1988 to 1992), and Kris's younger brother DJ Kenny Parker, among others.

Discography: (w/BDP) 1987- Criminal Minded; 1988- By All Means Necessary; 1989- Ghetto Music: The Blueprint of Hip Hop; 1990- Edutainment; 1991- Live Hardcore Worldwide; 1992- Sex and Violence.

Hip Hop Defined

Hip hop is a cultural movement developed in New York City in the 1970's primarily by African Americans and Latin Americans. Since first emerging in The Bronx and Harlem, the lifestyle of hip hop culture has today spread around the world.

The four historic "elements" of hip hop are: MCing (rapping), DJing, urban inspired art/tagging (graffiti), and b-boying (or breakdancing). The most known "extended" elements are beatboxing, hip hop fashion, and hip hop slang.

When hip hop music developed in the 1970s, it was originally based around DJs who created rhythmic beats by "scratching" a record on one turntable while looping the break (an upbeat drum and rhythm phrase of a song often found in soul and funk music) of various records on another, which was later joined by the "rapping" (a rhythmic style of chanting) of MCs.