hiphop+rap

Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect of all human societies, a cultural universal. While scholars agree that music is defined by a few specific elements, there is no consensus on their precise definitions. The creation of music is commonly divided into musical composition, musical improvisation, and musical performance, though the topic itself extends into academic disciplines, criticism, philosophy, and psychology. Music may be performed or improvised using a vast range of instruments, including the human voice.

The Underachievers are an American hip hop duo from Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York. Formed in 2011, the duo is composed of rappers AKTHESAVIOR and Issa Gold. American record producer Flying Lotus signed the duo to his Brainfeeder record label in 2012. Following that signing they independently released two mixtapes, Indigoism and Lords of Flatbush in 2013. Their debut studio album Cellar Door: Terminus Ut Exordium was released on August 12, 2014. The Underachievers released their second official album Evermore: The Art of Duality on September 25, 2015. Their third album, Renaissance was released on May 19, 2017. They released After the Rain on November 9, 2018, and Lords Of Flatbush 3 on June 21, 2019.

Run the Jewels is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo Run the Jewels, which consists of Killer Mike and El-P. The album was released on June 26, 2013, through Fool's Gold Records.

On April 9, 2013 , Killer Mike and El-P announced they would be releasing a collaborative album under the name Run the Jewels. On May 15, 2013, El-P announced on his Twitter account that they had finished the album. On June 12, 2013, it was announced that the album would be released on June 29, 2013. On June 25, 2013, Killer Mike announced on his Twitter account that the album would be released the following day, June 26, 2013.

On April 29, 2013, the first song from the album, "Get It", was released. On May 31, 2013, the second song from the album, "Banana Clipper", featuring Big Boi, was released. On June 7, 2013, the third song from the album, "36" Chain", was released. On July 16, 2013, the music video was released for "36" Chain". The album was released in Europe on January 13, 2014, through Big Dada Recordings. On October 24, 2013, the music video was released for "Get It". On December 21, 2013, the music video was released for "A Christmas Fucking Miracle".

Denzel Rae Don Curry (born February 16, 1995) is an American rapper and singer. Born and raised in Carol City, Florida, Curry started rapping while in the sixth grade and began working on his first mixtape in 2011. Influenced by underground Florida rapper SpaceGhostPurrp, the mixtape was later featured on Purrp's social media, giving Curry attention in the local music scene and resulting in him joining Purrp's hip-hop collective Raider Klan.

Curry left Raider Klan in 2013, releasing his debut studio album, Nostalgic 64, in September of that year, while still in high school. He has since released three extended plays: 32 Zel/Planet Shrooms in 2015, 13 in 2017, and Unlocked (a collaboration with Kenny Beats) in 2020, and four studio albums: Imperial in 2016, Ta13oo in 2018, Zuu in 2019, and Melt My Eyez See Your Future in 2022. Ta13oo, Zuu, and Melt My Eyez debuted at numbers 28, 32, and 51 on the Billboard 200 chart, respectively, with Melt My Eyez returning at number 17 after the release of a deluxe edition. All of his projects have garnered significant acclaim.

Jeffery Lamar Williams (born August 16, 1991), known professionally as Young Thug, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is considered to be an influential figure of his generation, with his music impacting the modern sound of hip hop and trap music. Known for his eccentric vocal style and fashion, Thug initially released a series of independent mixtapes beginning in 2011 with I Came from Nothing. In early 2013, he signed with Gucci Mane's 1017 Records, and later that year he released his label debut mixtape 1017 Thug to critical praise.

Young Thug received mainstream recognition in 2014 with the singles "Stoner" and "Danny Glover" in addition to appearances on several singles, including T.I.'s "About the Money", Tyga's "Hookah", and Rich Gang's "Lifestyle". That year, he also signed to Lyor Cohen's 300 Entertainment and collaborated on the mixtape Rich Gang: Tha Tour Pt. 1. In 2015, he amassed a number of mixtapes, including Barter 6 and two installments of his Slime Season series. Subsequently in 2016, Thug issued commercial mixtapes I'm Up, Slime Season 3, and Jeffery. In 2017, Thug featured on the worldwide hit "Havana" by Cuban pop singer Camila Cabello, which became his first number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2018, he released a compilation album Slime Language with his label YSL Records. In 2019, he won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year for his contributions to Childish Gambino's "This Is America".

Isaiah Rashad Joel McClain, is an American rapper. His first big break was performing on the 2012 Smoker's Club Tour with rappers Juicy J, Joey Badass and Smoke DZA among others. He is a founding member of the Chattanooga hip hop collective The House along with fellow Chattanooga rappers YGTUT, Michael Da Vinci (MikeyD), Chris P, and Brian Brown.

Jo-Vaughn Virginie Scott (born January 20, 1995), known professionally as Joey Badass (stylized as Joey Bada$$), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. A native of Brooklyn, New York City, he is a founding member of the hip-hop collective Pro Era, with whom he has released three mixtapes as well as his numerous solo projects.

Joey Badass released his debut mixtape, 1999, in June 2012 to critical acclaim and recognition, followed by Rejex in September, and Summer Knights in July 2013. His debut studio album, B4.Da.$$, was released in January 2015. In 2016, he made his television debut on the USA Network series Mr. Robot. His second and third studio album, All-Amerikkkan Badass and 2000, were released in April 2017 and July 22, 2022, respectively.

Terrence LeVarr Thornton (born May 13, 1977), better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American rapper and record executive. He rose to prominence as one-half of the hip hop duo Clipse, which was mainly active from 1994 to 2010, alongside his older brother No Malice. As Clipse, the two released three studio albums and a number of mixtapes, and had hit singles including "Grindin'" and "When the Last Time" (both 2002). They also founded the label Re-Up Records and the fashion label Play Cloths.

In September 2010, Pusha T signed to Kanye West's GOOD Music imprint, under the aegis of Def Jam Recordings. Later that year, he was featured on West's single "Runaway," which peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2011, he released his first solo project, the mixtape Fear of God. He released his debut solo album, My Name Is My Name, in 2013. In November 2015, Kanye West appointed Pusha T to take over his role as president of GOOD Music. Pusha T has since then released three more solo albums: King Push – Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude (2015), Daytona (2018), and It's Almost Dry (2022), all of which received widespread acclaim; the latter was Pusha T's first number one debut on the Billboard 200.

Nickelus F (formerly known as Nick Fury) is a rapper, songwriter, and producer from Richmond, Virginia. He is best known for being the Black Entertainment Television 106 & Park "Freestyle Friday" champion seven weeks in a row and being inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2007. Nickelus F is also known for his collaborations with rapper Drake. On the Cut the Check mixtape, Drake and Nickelus F released the song "AM 2 PM" by FTP Productions, which was also included on Drake's first mixtape Room for Improvement, a project which features Nickelus F on several tracks including "Money," "A Scorpio's Mind," and "S.T.R.E.S.S.".

Nickelus F first began rapping in the 4th grade while at summer camp but he did not begin to take rap seriously until he was in the 6th grade. His first official song was recorded over LL Cool Jay's song "Hey Lover."

Darold Durard Brown Ferguson Jr. (born October 20, 1988), known professionally as ASAP Ferg (stylized as A$AP Ferg), is an American rapper from New York City's Harlem neighborhood. Aside from his solo career, he is a member of the hip hop collective A$AP Mob, from which he adopted a record deal with Polo Grounds and RCA, the same labels that helped launch A$AP Worldwide. Two years prior, Ferg's A$AP Mob cohorts A$AP Rocky and A$AP Yams, negotiated their own respective deal in 2011. His debut studio album Trap Lord was released on August 20, 2013, and was met with generally positive reviews. On April 22, 2016, Ferguson released his second studio album, Always Strive and Prosper. On August 18, 2017, Ferguson released his second mixtape, Still Striving, which was preceded by the single, "Plain Jane" (featuring Nicki Minaj). In 2019 and 2020, he released Floor Seats and Floor Seats II respectively, the latter featuring the single "Move Ya Hips" (featuring Nicki Minaj and MadeinTYO). In 2021, Ferguson signed an additional management deal with Roc Nation.

Spark Master Tape is the pseudonym of an anonymous rapper. He has released five mixtapes since 2012 with an announced sixth tape releasing sometime in the future. These albums have garnered interest from blogs and music websites such as Mass Appeal Magazine, passionweiss.com, The Daily Dot, Noisey.Vice, Complex, DJBooth, and The Fader, to name a few. All of his beats are produced by Paper Platoon, which is also the name of his unique collective that includes visual artists and musicians.

Jacques Bermon Webster II (born April 30, 1992), better known by his stage name Travis Scott (formerly stylized as Travi$ Scott), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. His stage name is the namesake of a favorite uncle combined with the first name of one of his inspirations, Kid Cudi (whose real name is Scott Mescudi).

In 2012, Scott signed his first major-label contract with Epic Records and a publishing deal with Kanye West's GOOD Music. In April 2013, he signed a joint-recording contract with Epic and T.I.'s Grand Hustle imprint. Scott's first full-length project, the mixtape Owl Pharaoh, was self-released in 2013. It was followed with a second mixtape, Days Before Rodeo, in 2014. His debut studio album, Rodeo (2015), was led by the hit single "Antidote". His second album, Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight (2016), became his first number one album on the Billboard 200. The following year, Scott released a collaborative album with Quavo titled Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho under the group name Huncho Jack.

Jayson Mick Jenkins is an American rapper based in Chicago and signed to Cinematic Music Group. His debut album, The Healing Component, was released in 2016, followed by Pieces of a Man in 2018.

Pro Era is an American hip hop collective group from Brooklyn, New York. The group is a collective of rappers and record producers that includes East Coast rappers Joey Badass, CJ Fly, Kirk Knight, Nyck Caution, Dyemond Lewis, Aaron Rose, Dessy Hinds, Dirty Sanchez, Rokamouth, J.A.B. and Jakk Da Rhymer, along with producers Chuck Strangers and Powers Pleasant. The collective was formed in 2011 by Capital STEEZ and Powers Pleasant, with Joey Badass and CJ Fly among its founding members.

ASAP Mob is an American hip hop collective formed in 2006 in Harlem, New York City, that consists of rappers, record producers, music video directors and fashion designers.

Fredrick Jamel Tipton, better known by his stage name Freddie Gibbs, is an American rapper. After initially being signed to Interscope Records in 2006, Gibbs recorded his debut studio album under the label. However, he was eventually dropped and the album was cancelled. Gibbs later signed with Young Jeezy's CTE World and released a number of mixtapes through the label, including 2012's highly acclaimed Baby Face Killa.

Donald McKinley Glover Jr., also known by his stage name Childish Gambino, is an American actor, comedian, singer, rapper, writer, director, and producer. After working in Derrick Comedy while studying at New York University, Glover was hired at age 23 by Tina Fey as a writer for the NBC sitcom 30 Rock. He later rose to fame for portraying college student Troy Barnes on the NBC sitcom Community from 2009 to 2014. From 2016 to 2022, Glover starred in the FX series Atlanta, which he created and occasionally directed. For his work on Atlanta, Glover won various accolades, including two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards.

Chester Watson is an American rapper and record producer based in Miami, Florida. He is a member of the crew Nü Age Syndicate.