Rap

Nayvadius DeMun Cash, better known by the stage name Future, is an American rapper. Known for his mumble-styled vocals and prolific output, Future is considered a pioneer of the use of melody and auto-tune in modern trap music. Due to the sustained contemporary popularity of his musical style, he is commonly regarded as one of the most influential rappers of his generation.

Matthew Tyler Musto, professionally known as Blackbear, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has released six studio albums, six EPs, one mixtape and two collaborative albums. Musto is also a member of the alternative hip hop duo Mansionz with singer-songwriter Mike Posner.

Jordan Michael Houston III, known professionally as Juicy J, is an American rapper and record producer. Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, he is a founding member of the Southern hip hop group Three 6 Mafia, established in 1991. The group won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for their single "It's Hard out Here for a Pimp". His most notable singles as a soloist are his features on the Top 40 singles: Mike Will Made It's "23", Usher's "I Don't Mind" and his own single "Bandz a Make Her Dance", the last of which served as the lead single for his third album and major label debut Stay Trippy on August 27, 2013. The album was followed up by Rubba Band Business (2017), which was his final project on a major label before independently releasing his most recent album The Hustle Continues (2020).

Melvin Lewis Calhoun Jr. (born January 1, 1977), better known by his stage name Kutt Calhoun, is an American rapper and business executive from Kansas City, Missouri. After getting his start in the late 1990s underground rap scene of Kansas City, he subsequently signed to Strange Music when the label was founded in 1999. Calhoun released his debut album B.L.E.V.E. in 2004, and his 2007 sophomore album Feature Presentation debuted at number 60 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Calhoun's third album, Raw and Un-Kutt, made its debut at number 162 on the Billboard 200 chart in its first week of release, as well as charting at No. 19 on the Top Heatseekers chart.

Between 2011 and 2012 he released two EPs, Red-Headed Stepchild and Kelvin, both of which again charted high on Billboard, with Kelvin reaching No. 8 on Top Heatseekers. Calhoun released his fourth studio album, Black Gold, in 2013, and the album debuted at number 1 on Top Heatseekers. With first-week sales of 4,300 copies in the United States, the album met with positive critical response from publications such as HipHopDX. Splitting from Strange Music in 2014 on amicable terms, he afterwards founded the record label Black Gold Entertainment. His 2015 Kuttin Loose EP was the first release on the imprint. Distributed through Empire Distribution, it peaked at No. 16 on Heatseekers and No. 41 on the Top Rap Albums chart. Again meeting with a positive response, MetroActive wrote that the EP "demonstrates a devastating flow, razor sharp wit and some downright nasty Dirty South production." Frequently touring the United States, by the end of 2015, Calhoun had embarked on his independent On My Own Tour.

Claudia Alexandra Madriz Meza (born June 24, 1987) known professionally as Snow Tha Product, is an American rapper, singer and actress from San Jose, California. She released her first album Unorthodox in 2011. In 2012, she signed a record deal with Atlantic Records but is no longer with Atlantic Records. She is best known for the singles "Holy Shit" and "Drunk Love", as well as her mixtape Good Nights & Bad Mornings.

Claudia Alexandra Madriz Meza was born on June 24, 1987 in San Jose to Mexican immigrants. Her father illegally immigrated to the United States and her mother legally moved to the country. During her younger years, Meza became more involved with her music. At the age of 6, she appeared in school talent shows and began performing with her grandfather's mariachi band in Redwood City. She got her first exposure to hip hop when she moved to San Diego. As a teenager, she started freestyling with her friends. After graduating high school, she briefly attended San Diego Mesa College to begin studying to become a social worker. At the age of 19, she began taking music seriously and dropped out of college to pursue a career as a rapper. She adopted her name from Disney's character Snow White. Initially using the name "Snow White", and then add it along with "the Product", and then changed it into her new moniker as "Snow Tha Product". After recording a number of songs in Spanish, she caught the attention of Mexican artist Jaime Kohen. They recorded a collaboration song, titled "Alguien," which became popular in Mexico and appeared on Kohen's album Fotosíntesis.

Ashton Nicole Casey, known professionally as Ashnikko, is an American singer, rapper, and songwriter. She rose to prominence with her 2019 single "Stupid" with (Yung) Baby Tate, which gained viral popularity on the video-sharing platform TikTok and was certified gold in the United States and Canada. Ashnikko's debut mixtape, Demidevil, was released in January 2021, and spawned the singles "Daisy" and "Slumber Party" featuring Princess Nokia.

Maria-Cecilia Simone Kelly (born May 7, 1997), known professionally as Rico Nasty, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter from Maryland. She rose to prominence in 2018 with singles such as "Smack a Bitch" and "Poppin".

While in high school, Rico Nasty began self-releasing content in 2014 and had released five solo mixtapes by late 2017. She gained a local, underground following with SoundCloud singles such as "iCarly" and "Hey Arnold". After gaining wider recognition in 2018, she signed to Atlantic Records where she released her sixth mixtape, Nasty (2018). This was followed by the collaborative mixtape Anger Management (2019) with long time associate Kenny Beats. Rico Nasty's debut studio album, Nightmare Vacation, was released in December 2020. Rico's seventh mixtape, Las Ruinas, was released on July 22, 2022.

Hollywood Undead is an American rap rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2005. All of the band members use pseudonyms and previously wore their own unique mask, most of which were based on the common hockey goaltender design. The band currently consists of five members: J-Dog, Funny Man, Johnny 3 Tears, Charlie Scene, and Danny. They released their debut album, Swan Songs, on September 2, 2008, and their live CD/DVD Desperate Measures, on November 10, 2009. Their second studio album, American Tragedy, was released April 5, 2011. Their third studio album, titled Notes from the Underground, was released on January 8, 2013.

Felipe Andres Coronel (born February 19, 1978), better known by the stage name Immortal Technique, is an American rapper. Most of his lyrics focus on controversial issues in global politics, from a radical left-wing perspective.

Immortal Technique seeks to retain control over his production, and has stated in his music that record companies, not artists themselves, profit the most from mass production and marketing of music. He claimed in an interview to have sold close to a combined total of 200,000 copies of his first three official releases.

Coronel was born in a military hospital in Lima. He is of mostly Amerindian descent, and also has Spanish, French and African ancestry. His family immigrated to Harlem, New York, in 1980 to escape the Peruvian Civil War. During his teenage years, he was arrested multiple times due in part to what he has said was "selfish and childish" behavior. He attended Hunter College High School on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, where his classmates included Chris Hayes and Lin-Manuel Miranda, whom he bullied, although the two later became friends. Shortly after enrolling in Pennsylvania State University, he was arrested and charged with assault-related offenses due to his involvement in an altercation between fellow students; the charges stemming from this incident led to him being incarcerated for a year.

Anthony Terrell Smith (born March 3, 1966), better known by his stage name Tone Lōc (), is an American actor, rapper, voice actor, and producer. He is known for his raspy voice, his hit songs "Wild Thing" and "Funky Cold Medina", for which he was nominated for a Grammy Award, and for being featured in "We're All in the Same Gang", a collaborative single by the West Coast Rap All-Stars.

Anthony Terrell Smith was born March 3, 1966, in Los Angeles, California, the son of Margaret, who managed a retirement home, and James Smith.

Tone Lōc's debut album, Lōc-ed After Dark, was released in January 1989. The video for the first single, "Wild Thing," became a staple on MTV in the US. The song rose to No. 2 on the US Hot 100, and the top twenty in Australia. The second single, "Funky Cold Medina," also became a hit. It reached the top 5 in the US, peaking at No. 3; the top ten in Australia; and the top twenty in the UK.

Run-DMC was an American hip hop group from Hollis, Queens, New York City, founded in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as one of the most influential acts in the history of hip hop culture and especially one of the most famous hip hop acts of the 1980s. Along with Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, and Public Enemy, the group pioneered new-school hip hop music. The group was among the first to highlight the importance of the MC and DJ relationship.

Salt-N-Pepa (also stylized as Salt 'N' Pepa or Salt 'N Pepa) is an American hip-hop group formed in New York City in 1985, that comprised Salt (Cheryl James), Pepa (Sandra Denton), and DJ Spinderella (Deidra Roper). Their debut album, Hot, Cool & Vicious (1986), sold more than 1 million copies in the US, making them the first female rap act to achieve gold and platinum status by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album included the single, "Push It", which was released in 1987 as the B-side to their single "Tramp", and peaked within the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Salt-N-Pepa's second album A Salt with a Deadly Pepa (1988), was certified gold by the RIAA. The Trio's third album Blacks' Magic (1990), featured the singles "Expression" and "Let's Talk About Sex". In 1993, they released the album, Very Necessary, which sold over 7 million copies worldwide (5 million of those in the U.S.), and was the highest-selling rap album by a female act (solo or group) in history at the time. The album included the hit singles "Shoop" and "Whatta Man" with En Vogue. They won the 1995 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for their song "None of Your Business", making them one of the first female rap acts to win a Grammy Award, along with Queen Latifah, who won later during the same ceremony.

American rapper Eminem has released five video albums and appeared in various music videos, films, and television programs.

Outkast was an American hip hop duo formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1992, consisting of rappers André "3000" Benjamin and Antwan "Big Boi" Patton. The duo achieved both critical and commercial success from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s, helping to popularize Southern hip hop with their intricate lyricism, memorable melodies, and positive themes, while experimenting with a diverse range of genres such as funk, psychedelia, jazz, and techno.

Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close affiliate Cappadonna later became an official member. Wu-Tang Clan are regarded as a highly influential group in hip hop, helping to popularize and develop the East Coast hip hop and hardcore hip hop styles.

After signing to Steve Rifkind's label Loud Records in 1992, Wu-Tang Clan released their debut album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) in 1993; initially receiving positive reviews, it has since garnered widespread critical acclaim and is widely considered one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time. Members of the group released solo albums between 1994 and 1996. In 1997, the group released their second album, Wu-Tang Forever. It debuted atop the Billboard 200 and was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 1998 Grammy Awards. The group later released the albums The W (2000), Iron Flag (2001), 8 Diagrams (2007) and A Better Tomorrow (2014), to less popularity. The only copy of their seventh album, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin (2015), was bought for $2 million by former hedge fund manager and convicted felon Martin Shkreli.