World of Hip-hop

Curtis James Jackson III is better known as 50 Cent He was born on July 6, 1975, He is an American rapper. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (2003) and The Massacre (2005). Both albums achieved multi-platinum success, selling over twenty-one million records worldwide.

Born in South Jamaica, Queens, 50 Cent began drug dealing at the age of twelve during the 1980s’ crack epidemic. After leaving drug dealing to pursue a rap career, he was shot nine times in 2000. After releasing his album Guess Who’s Back? in 2002, 50 Cent was discovered by rapper Eminem and signed to Interscope Records. With the help of Eminem and Dr. Dre—who produced his first major commercial successes—he became one of the highest selling rappers in the world. In 2003, he founded the record label G-Unit Records, which signed successful rappers such as Young Buck, Lloyd Banks, and Tony Yayo.

50 Cent has engaged in numerous feuds with other rappers including Ja Rule, The Game, and Fat Joe. He has also pursued an acting career, appearing in the semi-autobiographical film Get Rich or Die Tryin’ in 2005 and the Iraq War film Home of the Brave in 2006.

Curtis James Jackson III, grew up in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens in New York City. He grew up without a father and was raised by his mother Sabrina Jackson, who gave birth to him at the age of fifteen. Sabrina, a cocaine dealer, raised Jackson until the age of eight, when she was murdered. Twenty-three at the time, she became unconscious after someone drugged her drink. She was then left for dead after the gas in her apartment was turned on and the windows shut closed. After her death, Jackson moved into his grandparents’ house with his eight aunts and uncles. He recalls, "My grandmother told me, ‘Your mother’s not coming home. She’s not gonna come back to pick you up. You’re gonna stay with us now.’ That’s when I started adjusting to the streets a little bit".Jackson grew up with his younger cousin, Michael Francis, who earned the nickname "25 Cent" for being his younger counterpart. Francis raps under the stage name "Two Five".

Jackson began boxing around the age of eleven. At fourteen, a neighbor opened a boxing gym for local kids. "When I wasn’t killing time in school, I was sparring in the gym or selling crack on the strip", he recalled. In the mid 1980s, he competed in the Junior Olympics as an amateur boxer. He recounts, "I was competitive in the ring and hip-hop is competitive too… I think rappers condition themselves like boxers, so they all kind of feel like they’re the champ". At the age of twelve, Jackson began dealing narcotics when his grandparents thought he was at after-school programs. He also took guns and drug money to school. In the tenth grade, he was caught by metal detectors at Andrew Jackson High School. He later stated, "I was embarrassed that I got arrested like that… After I got arrested I stopped hiding it. I was telling my grandmother [openly], ‘I sell drugs.’

On June 29, 1994, Jackson was arrested for helping to sell four vials of cocaine to an undercover police officer. He was arrested again three weeks later when police searched his home and found heroin, ten ounces of crack cocaine, and a starter gun. He was sentenced to three to nine years in prison, but managed to serve six months in a shock incarceration boot camp where he earned his GED. Jackson said that he did not use cocaine himself, he only sold it. He adopted the nickname "50 Cent" as a metaphor for "change".The name was derived from Kelvin Martin, a 1980s Brooklyn robber known as "50 Cent". Jackson chose the name "because it says everything I want it to say. I’m the same kind of person 50 Cent was. I provide for myself by any means".

50 Cent started rapping in a friend’s basement where he used turntables to record over instrumentals. In 1996, a friend introduced him to Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC who was organizing his label Jam Master Jay Records. Jay taught him how to count bars, write choruses, structure songs, and make a record. On October 13, 1997, 50 Cent’s then-girlfriend Shaniqua Tompkins gave birth to a son, Marquise Jackson.The birth of his son changed his outlook on life, "when my son came into my life, my priorities changed, because I wanted to have the relationship with him, that I didn’t have with my father". He credited his son for inspiring his career and being "motivation to go in a different direction". 50 Cent has a tattoo of "Marquise" with an axe on his right biceps. "The axe is ‘cause I’m a warrior. I don’t want him to be one, though," he explains. He also has "50", "Southside", and "Cold World" inscribed on his back because "I’m a product of that environment. It’s on my back, though, so it’s all behind me". 50 Cent’s first official appearance was on a song titled "React" with the group Onyx on their 1998 album Shut ‘Em Down. He credited Jam Master Jay as an influence who helped him improve his ability to write hooks.Jay produced 50 Cent’s first album, however it was never released. In 1999, after leaving Jam Master Jay, the platinum-selling producers Trackmasters took notice of 50 Cent and signed him to Columbia Records. They sent him to a studio in Upstate New York where he produced thirty-six songs in two weeks. Eighteen were included on his unofficially released album, Power of the Dollar in 2000. He also started the now-defunct Hollow Point Entertainment with former G-Unit affiliate Bang ‘Em Smurf.

50 Cent’s popularity started to increase after the successful but controversial underground single, "How to Rob", which he wrote in half an hour while in a car on the way to a studio. The track comically explains how he would rob many famous artists. He explained the reasoning behind song’s content as, "There’s a hundred artists on that label, you gotta separate yourself from that group and make yourself relevant".Rappers Jay-Z, Big Pun, DMX, and the Wu-Tang Clan replied to the song and Nas, who received the track positively, invited 50 Cent to travel on a promotional tour for his Nastradamus album.The song was intended to be released with "Thug Love" featuring Destiny’s Child, but two days before he was scheduled to film the "Thug Love" music video, 50 Cent was shot and confined to a hospital due to his injuries.

André Romelle Young is better known as Dr. Dre He was born on February 18, 1965, He is an American record producer, rapper, actor and record executive. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records, also having produced albums for and overseeing the careers of many rappers signed to those record labels. As a producer he is credited as a key figure in the popularization of West Coast G-funk, a style of rap music characterized as synthesizer-based with slow, heavy beats.

He was a member of the influential gangsta rap group N.W.A, which popularized the use of explicit lyrics in rap to detail the violence of street life. His 1992 solo debut The Chronic, released under Death Row Records, led him to become one of the best-selling American performing artists of 1993. In 1996, he left Death Row to found his own label Aftermath Entertainment, producing a compilation album Dr. Dre Presents the Aftermath in 1997 and releasing a solo album titled 2001 in 1999. In the 2000s, he focused his career on production for other artists, while occasionally contributing vocals in other artists’ songs. Rolling Stone magazine named him among the highest-paid performers of 2001 and 2004. In 2008, his final solo studio album Detox will be released, following much delay and speculation.

He was the first child of Verna and Theodore Young; Verna was only 16 years old upon giving birth to him after being impregnated by teenage boyfriend Theodore, whom she later married. She gave her new child the middle name "Romelle", which came from Theodore Young’s unsigned, amateur R&B singing group The Romells. In 1968, his mother divorced Theodore Young for another man, Curtis Crayon, and had other children with him, including two sons named Jerome and Tyree (both of whom now deceased) and daughter Shameka. As a young child, he was fascinated with vinyl records spinning on phonographs; his family’s record collection included many popular R&B albums of the 1960s and 1970s, from such singers as Diana Ross, James Brown, and Aretha Franklin. According to an interview with the Los Angeles Times, his mother Verna found R&B music to be a relief from the two jobs she had to work daily. Despite economic troubles, she continued to encourage Andre not to give up in life. During Verna’s marriage to Curtis Crayon, Andre and brother Tyree were cared mostly by their father Curtis or grandmother as their mother struggled to find work.

In 1976, Young began attending Vanguard Junior High School and had a new sister named Shameka. However, due to gang violence around Vanguard, he transferred to nearby Roosevelt Junior High School. Later, Verna married Warren Griffin, whom she met at her new job in Long Beach, and thus brought in three new stepsisters and one new stepbrother, Warren Griffin III, who would eventually become a rapper under the stage name Warren G.

Young attended Centennial High School in Compton during his freshman year but transferred to Fremont High School due to poor grades. On December 15, 1981, a young woman that he impregnated gave birth to his biological son Curtis Young, whom Andre would later meet as the rapper "Hood Surgeon" about 20 years later. He was nearly enrolled to an apprenticeship program at Northrop Aviation Company until poor grades at school made him ineligible. Therefore, he focused on social life and entertainment for most of his high school years. 

Cornell Haynes Jr. is better known as Nelly He was born on November 2, 1974, He is a rapper from St. Louis, Missouri and part of the rap group St. Lunatics. He performed with the group independently from 1996 to 2000, when he was signed to Universal Records. Under Universal, Nelly has four solo studio albums released in his name and several number-one hits.^[1] He also won Grammy Awards in 2003 and 2004.^[2] He also starred in the 2005 remake film The Longest Yard alongside Adam Sandler and Chris Rock. In addition, Nelly played in the Main Event at the 2007 World Series of Poker and he is one of the owners along with Robert L. Johnson and NBA legend Michael Jordan Of The Charlotte Bobcats.

He was born in Austin, Texas and raised in University City, where he formed the group St. Lunatics with his friends in the surrounding area. The group had a local hit in 1996 with the self-produced single "Gimme What You Got". After much frustration and failed attempts to be signed to a record deal, the members of St. Lunatics felt that Nelly would have a better shot at success as a solo act, to gain recognition first as a soloist and then bring in the rest of his group, the St. Lunatics in the time to come.

In 2002, Nelly’s second album Nellyville was released and reached number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart; its lead single "Hot in Herre" was also a number-one hit. Other singles included "Dilemma" featuring Kelly Rowland of Destiny’s Child, "Work It" featuring Justin Timberlake, "Air Force Ones" featuring Murphy Lee and the St. Lunatics, and "Pimp Juice". A music video of his titled "Tip Drill", which was distributed only on the Internet and underground rap video outlets, became a source of controversy due to perceptions of misogynistic depictions of women in the video. The controversy forced Nelly to cancel an appearance at a bone marrow drive in Spelman College, a historically black college in Atlanta, Georgia.Similar claims of misogyny also surrounded Nelly’s single "Pimp Juice".

Nike and Nelly agreed on a one-year deal in 2003 to release a limited-edition sneaker called the "Air Derrty" which was a retro remake of Charles Barkley’s signature sneaker the Nike Air Max2 CB ‘94 which was released in 2003 at select NIKE town stores in New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles, as well the the Squad 1 shoe store in St. Louis, Nelly’s hometown. He later made a deal with Reebok, stating, “I’ve always been into sneakers and throughout my career I’ve always wanted to have a signature pair of sneakers that truly reflect my personal style. It made the most sense for me to partner with Reebok because they fully understand and respect the culture of sports, music and entertainment.

At the 2003 Grammys, he received two awards; one for Best Male Rap Solo Performance, and another shared with Kelly Rowland for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. He also won the 2003 American Music Award for "Fan’s Choice" and received four other nominations. He won his third Grammy in 2004 for his and P. Diddy’s guest vocals in Murphy Lee’s number-one hit single "Shake Ya Tailfeather" from Lee’s album Murphy’s Law.

Albums

• 2000: Country Grammar
• 2002: Nellyville
• 2004: Suit
• 2004: Sweat
• 2008: Brass Knuckles

  Compilation albums

• 2001: Free City (with St. Lunatics)
• 2003: Da Derrty Versions: The Reinvention
• 2004: Sweat / Suit
• 2005: Sweatsuit
• 2006: Who’s The Boss (with St. Lunatics)

  Singles

• 2000: "Country Grammar (Hot Shit)"
• 2000: "E.I."
• 2001: "Ride wit Me" (featuring City Spud)
• 2001: "Batter Up" (featuring Murphy Lee & Ali)
• 2001: "#1"
• 2002: "Hot in Herre"
• 2002: "Dilemma" (featuring Kelly Rowland)
• 2002: "Air Force Ones" (featuring Murphy Lee, Ali, & Kyjuan)
• 2003: "Work It" (featuring Justin Timberlake)
• 2003: "Pimp Juice"
• 2003: "Iz U"
• 2004: "Na-Nana-Na"
• 2004: "My Place" (featuring Jaheim)
• 2004: "Flap Your Wings"
• 2004: "Tilt Ya Head Back" (featuring Christina Aguilera)
• 2004: "Over and Over" (featuring Tim McGraw)
• 2005: "N Dey Say"
• 2005: "Errtime" (featuring King Jacob & Jung Tru)
• 2005: "Fly Away"
• 2005: "Grillz" (featuring Paul Wall, Ali & Gipp & Brandi Williams)
• 2007: "Cut It Out" (featuring Pimp C & Sean P)
• 2007: "Wadsyaname"
• 2008: "Party People" (featuring Fergie)

  Featured singles

• 2001: "Where the Party At" (Jagged Edge featuring Nelly)
• 2002: "Girlfriend" (’N Sync featuring Nelly)
• 2003: "Shake Ya Tailfeather" (Murphy Lee featuring P. Diddy & Nelly)
• 2003: "Hold Up" (Murphy Lee featuring Nelly)
• 2005: "Get It Poppin’" (Fat Joe featuring Nelly)
• 2005: "Nasty Girl" (The Notorious B.I.G. featuring P. Diddy, Nelly, Jagged Edge, and Avery Storm)
• 2006: "Call on Me" (Janet Jackson featuring Nelly)
• 2006: "Hard In Da Paint" (Ali & Gipp featuring Nelly)
• 2007: "5000 Ones" (DJ Drama featuring Nelly, T.I., Yung Joc, Willie the Kid, Young Jeezy, & Twista)
• 2007: "Switch" (Ashanti featuring Nelly)

Jonathan Mortimer Smith is better known as Lil Jon he was born on January 27, 1971 , He is an American rapper, hype man, and producer. He is best known as a pioneer of the sub-genre of hip hop known as "crunk" (a combination of elements of Bounce Music, Disco music, Southern hip hop and bass music). His group, The Eastside Boyz, which includes Big Sam and Lil Bo, is one of crunk’s most notable acts. He is also a prolific producer for other groups, and frequently makes guest appearances.

Lil Jon was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia and graduated from Douglass High School in 1989.^[3] He worked for So So Def between 1993 and 2000.

Lil Jon is a big fan of the Atlanta Thrashers of the NHL and writes a blog on NHL.com. He has also stated on the blog that his son plays hockey. Atlanta Trashers goalie Kari Lehtonen also has a picture of Lil Jon on the back of his helmet.^[6] He also has his own energy drink, called CRUNK!^[7], and has his own line of Oakley Sunglasses.

Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz returned in 2002 with "Put Yo Hood Up". "Bia Bia", the single from the album featuring Ludacris, Too Short, and Chyna Whyte, became a hit in clubs throughout the U.S., and also made the top twenty downloads on MP3.com.

In 2002, Lil Jon looked onto old school Miami bass artist Rick Taylor (also known as Disco Rick), one of the bass music kings and legends of Miami, who gave Lil Jon his first MPC-3000 in 1996. Taylor was then called by Lil Jon to come down to Rick’s studio in Miami and work with him on The Kings Of Crunk LP. Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz released their breakthrough album Kings of Crunk. The first single, "I Don’t Give a Fuck" featuring Mystikal and Krayzie Bone became another dance floor filler. However, it was "Get Low" with the Ying Yang Twins and its catchy hook that became a breakout hit. It reached the top five in a composite worldwide chart (compiled from U.S., German, French R&B charts) in 2003 and Internet download charts. It also went into the top 40 in markets such as Germany and Australia in 2004. Based on the success of "Get Low", Kings of Crunk reached the top twenty of the U.S. album chart in September 2003. Lil Jon put out a compilation CD and DVD in 2003 called Part II featuring remixes of Get Low featuring Busta Rhymes and Elephant Man as well as the Ying Yang Twins. Jon also produced the hit single Salt Shaker for the Ying Yang Twins. Lil Jon also did some work with Youngbloodz with the songs Damn! but beside that hasn’t been much more work with YoungBloodZ.

In 2004, Lil Jon produced what would be his breakthrough, Usher’s hit single Yeah!. The track which featured Ludacris quickly skyrocketed to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Lil Jon also helped produce two other big hits of the year. One was for the new R&B artist Ciara, also out of Atlanta. "Goodies" her debut single, featured Petey Pablo and reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 04. Lil Jon also helped produce Petey Pablo’s Freak-A-Leak. Another song was for R&B singer Nivea that was called "Okay" in 05.

Lil Jon released his new album called Crunk Juice, which features contributions from protégé Lil’ Scrappy and Bo Hagon, Grammy Award-winning record producer Rick Rubin, R. Kelly, Ice Cube, Timbaland, Usher, Three 6 Mafia, Gangsta Boo, and Ludacris, and one of Lil Jon’s punk heroes, Bad Brains. The double-CD Crunk Juice includes remixes of Daddy Yankee’s Reggaeton hit "Gasolina", Terror Squad’s "Lean Back", and others. The biggest hit from this album was the Usher/Ludacris collaboration "Lovers & Friends", which reached #3 on the Hot 100. Lil Jon worked with KoЯn for a track on their album released later in 2005.

For most of 2005, Lil Jon concentrated on production, overseeing forthcoming records for several artists off of his BME Recordings including: Trillville, Lil’ Scrappy, Oobie, E-40, BHI, and Bo Hagon. In this year, Lil John also released his first spoken word album, Atlanta to limited fanfare.

 
 Albums

• 1997: Get Crunk, Who U Wit: Da Album
• 2000: We Still Crunk!!
• 2001: Put Yo Hood Up
• 2002: Kings of Crunk
• 2004: Crunk Juice
• 2008: Crunk Rock

 Solo singles

• 2002: "Get Low" (featuring Ying Yang Twins)
• 2003: "Play No Games" (featuring Fat Joe, Trick Daddy & Big Sam)
• 2003: "I Don’t Give a Fuck" (featuring Mystikal & Krayzie Bone)
• 2004: "What U Gon’ Do" (featuring Lil’ Scrappy)
• 2004: "Real Nigga Roll Call" (featuring Ice Cube)
• 2006: "Snap Yo Fingers" (featuring E-40 & Sean P of The YoungBloodz)
• 2006: "Act a Fool" (featuring Three 6 Mafia)
• 2007: "I’m a J" (featuring Gucci Mane and Fabo)

Marshall Bruce Mathers III is better known as Eminem was born on October 17, 1972, He is an Academy Award and multiple Grammy Award-winning American rap artist. Eminem is one of the highest-selling musicians of the early 2000s. He has sold over seventy million albums worldwide, and is one of the highest-selling rap artists of all time. Eminem was discovered by rapper and producer Dr. Dre, who later signed Eminem to his record label, Aftermath Entertainment.

Eminem signed to Aftermath Entertainment/Interscope Records in 1998 and released The Slim Shady LP, which went triple platinum by the end of the year. In 2000, he released The Marshall Mathers LP, and sold 1.65 million copies in its first week, the best first week sales of any Rap album in history. The Eminem Show was released in 2002 and sold one million copies in its first week. Eminem released his fourth album, Encore, in 2004, which also went on to become another successful album for the rapper.

 Marshall Bruce Mathers III was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, the son of Deborah (née Nelson) and Marshall Bruce Mathers II, and is reportedly of Scottish, German, and English descent. Shortly after his birth, his father walked out, leaving Debbie and Marshall alone. Until he was twelve, he and his mother moved to and fro, between St. Joseph and Warren, Michigan, a Detroit suburb. As a teenager, he became interested in hip-hop, performing amateur raps at age fourteen under the pseudonym "M&M" and joining the group Soul Intent around 1995, when his first single was released. Within the community, he frequently participated in freestyle battles to gain the approval of underground hip-hop audiences. And gets dissed by insane clown posse which is mad and the reason y they diss him is cause he dissed them first because insane clown posse didnt go to his b’day party.and eminem is gay. And loves justin gonzalez 4 lyf.

 

Twista grew up in K-Town area on the West Side of Chicago, where he started rapping at the age of 12. Before starting his professional career, however, he had several other jobs, including working at a factory, selling shoes, telemarketing, working at McDonald’s, working as a security guard, and as a hairdresser.

Twista was one of the first artists to sign with Loud Records. In 1991, he released Runnin’ Off at Da Mouth under the name of Tung Twista.

Despite this recognition, the album achieved little success. Twista dropped "Tung" off of his stage name for his second album, Resurrection, which was never released outside of some parts of Chicago. On the album he disses Treach of Naughty By Nature, who had stated that Twista’s style was all show and no content. Twista’s local notoriety grew in the underground mixtape circuit, as he was featured on several Chicago rap mixtapes, notably Chibangin, alongside unsigned artists like Psychodrama, Triple Darkness, and DA Smart.

In 1996, he teamed with fellow Chicago act Do or Die on the track "Po’ Pimp" the track became a hit single, leading to a contract with Atlantic Records. He released Adrenaline Rush during 1997, where the album was a huge success with little mainstream help. Around this time, he and Do or Die began a bout of dis tracks against Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, which accused Chicago acts of stealing their fast-spitting style.

This was followed by Mobstability in 1998. Twista then formed his own Legit Ballin’ label, which released two compilation albums: Legit Ballin’ in 1999 and Legit Ballin’ Vol. 2: Street Scriptures in 2001. The label later released Respect The Game, Vol. 3 in 2002 and Volume 4: Tha Truth in 2006. In 2000, Twista collaborated with Ruff Ryders and Drag-On on the Ruff Ryders: Ryde or Die Vol. 2 album, on the track "Twisted Heat."

Twista’s reputation in hip-hop circles led to work with some other midwestern acts, such as Royce da 5′9" and Da Brat, and southern acts such as Timbaland and Ludacris, as well as an appearance on P. Diddy’s albums No Way Out and Forever, and ties to Roc-A-Fella Records. His long awaited 2004 album, Kamikaze, was cerified platinum on the strength of two singles produced by the Roc’s Kanye West. The first single, "Slow Jamz" (featured on both Kamikaze and Kanye’s debut College Dropout), featured Kanye West and Jamie Foxx.

After this success, Dame Dash made clear his desire to sign Twista to Roc-A-Fella. Although Atlantic would not release him from his contract, Dame tried to negotiate a joint venture and made Twista an honorary member of the Roc-A-Fella roster. One of summer 2004’s biggest hits, "Jook Gal" by Elephant Man, featured Twista & The YoungBloodZ (on the Coolie riddim) on a remix. Twista’s next album, The Day After, was not as commercially or critically successful and showed a notable lack of Kanye West production. He recently reunited with Kanye for the Mission Impossible III soundtrack, and released his next album, titled Adrenaline Rush 2007, in August 2007, which featured Tight Mike aka Cuzzo, Toxic, The Neptunes, Kanye West, and Jazze Pha. Guest appearances included the likes of Lil Wayne, R Kelly, and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony.

In 2006, He and his 17-year-old nephew Jesse Marvin Parks, a.k.a. Jmoney, an upcoming emcee out of Minnesota, released his debut single "Get Doe." Twista was also featured on the song "Hell No (Leave Home)" from Monica’s new album, The Makings of Me.

Twista has his own column in the weekly Chicago Tribune publication RedEye, called "Twista’s Turn," in which he shares his thoughts and answers readers’ questions. During April 2008, Twista even toured Iraq to entertain the American troops.

Albums

• 1991: Runnin’ Off at Da Mouth (as Tung Twista)
• 1994: Resurrection
• 1997: Adrenaline Rush (Gold)
• 1998: Mobstability (with Speedknot Mobstaz)
• 2004: Kamikaze (Platinum)
• 2005: The Day After (Platinum)
• 2005: 2 For 10
• 2007: Adrenaline Rush 2007
• 2008: Mobstability II: Nation Business (with Speedknot Mobstaz)

[edit] Singles

• 2004: "Slow Jamz" (featuring Kanye West & Jamie Foxx)
• 2004: "Overnight Celebrity"
• 2004: "So Sexy" (featuring R. Kelly)
• 2005: "Hope" (featuring Faith Evans)
• 2005: "Girl Tonite" (featuring Trey Songz)
• 2005: "Hit the Floor" (featuring Pitbull)
• 2006: "So Lonely" (featuring Mariah Carey)
• 2007: "Give It Up" (featuring Pharrell)

 
Andrew E. (the ‘E’ stands for his last name, Espiritu) began his career in December of 1990 when he released his first single "Humanap Ka Ng Panget". The combination of his catchy story-telling rap style, irresistible beats, naughty and often hilarious lyrics made him unique in Philippine pop culture.

Due to his double-entendre lyrics, some of his songs had been criticized for its allegedly suggestive lyrics. Andrew’s career branched out as he began to star in comedy films based on his songs. He has more than 28 films under his belt.

In the mid 1990s, Andrew E. founded Dongalo Wreckords for the purpose of discovering and producing new Philippine Rap talents. One popular rap group that got its start with Dongalo is Salbakuta. Their song S2pid Luv became a big hit and was made into a popular movie which also starred Andrew.

Andrew E. spent some time in Japan in the late 1990s, performing in clubs and eventually releasing a song in Japanese about the misadventures of a tourist in Tokyo. He is now married and lives in Don Galo, Paranaque (where his record label was named from) with his wife and son. Andrew is also a certified platinum artist given that he has acquired over 13 albums, each at least 3 times platinum.

In the Filipino rap scene, Andrew has largely contributed to the growth and popularity of tagalog rap, furthermore by introducing a freestyle battle competition which gave aspiring rappers a shot at record deals.

Andrew has notably collaborated with Sharon Cuneta, Willie Revillame, Regine Velasquez, Francis M., Carlos Agassi, Deathtreath, Salbakuta, Dongalo artists, singers and actresses such as Donita Rose, Rica Peralejo and so much more.

•  Albums

• "Alabang Girls"
• "Andrew Ford Medina"
• "Beach"
• "Bini B. Rocha"
• "Ganyan!"
• "Gusto Ko"
• "Here We Go"
• "Highblood"
• "Honey"
• "Humanap Ka Ng Panget"
• "Huwag kang Gamol"
• "I Love You"
• "Isayaw at Igalaw"
• "It’s Andrew E!"
• "Ize Batayojan"
• "Krispy Na Kreamy Pa"
• "L na L"
• "Live In Full FX!"
• "Majime"
• "Malupit"
• "Manchichiritchit"
• "Mas Gusto Mo Sya"
• "Nang Ma-Meet Kita"
• "Pag-ibig ko’y Tunay"
• "Pagdating ng Panahon" - kaduweto ang Salbakuta
• "Pink Palaka"
• "Pretty Boy"
• "Pretty Girl"
• "Rave"
• "Sa Club"
• "Sha Na Na"
• "Shoot-Shoot"
• "Showbiz Rapper"
• "Sinabmarin"
• "Story of Life"
• "Tayo na sa Dilim"
• "Text"
• "That’s Why"
• "Tina Moran"
• "Twina"
• "You’re Shit"

 
A sibling amongst nine brothers and sisters, Francis Magalona is the son of late Philippine movie screen legends Pancho Magalona and Tita Duran. Starting out as a breakdancer in the early 1980s, he followed in his parents footsteps and ventured out into acting, appearing in several Filipino movies; he branched out to emceeing and released the groundbreaking album Yo! in 1990 garnering the nationistic hit Mga Kababayan (My Countrymen), making Yo! the first commercially released Pinoy rap album in the Philippines. While rapping politically conscious and thought-provoking rhymes in both English and Tagalog, the album was a total success and helped instantly catapult Filipino hip hop from underground to mainstream status and also marked the birth of Makabayang or Nationalistic rap in Filipino hip hop.

In 1992, Francis Magalona released Rap Is FrancisM (1992), which is highly regarded as one of the greatest Pinoy Rap albums. With tracks addressing the various cultural and social problems that plagued his country such as drug addiction in "Mga Praning" (Paranoia), political instability in "Halalan" (Elections) as well as the detrimental effects of a colonial mentality in "Tayo’y Mga Pinoy" (We Are Filipinos), the record’s complexity and conscious message quickly earned it its classic status and became the standard by which future albums of the genre were to be compared.

The release of his third album, "Meron akong ano!" (I Got Some!) in 1993, followed by "FreeMan" in 1995 marked the beginning of Francis’ experimentation with Pinoy rock, becoming an exceptional artist in both genres of music. He has frequently collaborated with other Pinoy music luminaries such as Joey Ayala, Heber Bartolome, Ryan Cayabyab, Mike Hanopol of the legendary Juan dela Cruz Band, Andrew E, Michael V and Denmark and of course, the Eraserheads. Even more recently he has been seen working side by side with Pikaso, Gloc 9, Stick Figgas and Parokya ni Edgar.

FrancisM’s contributions to the genre have been featured in several international hip hop publications including the All Music Guide to Hip-Hop: The Definitive Guide to Rap and Hip-Hop (2003) published by Backbeat Books; as well as the May 2004 issue of the U.S. based publication The Source. FrancisM was also given the Pioneer Hall of Fame Award by Empire Entertainment at the 1st Annual Philippine Hip-Hop Music Awards in 2005.

He has since founded his own record company called Red Egg Records, as well as his own production company Filipino Pictures Inc. wherein he is the resident Director and has made music videos for several bands and solo artists. His work on Sponge Cola’s "KLSP" won Best Rock Video at the 2006 MYX Video Awards. Other music videos directed by Francis Magalona are for artists such as, Ely Buendia, Gloc 9, Join The Club, Shamrock, Pikaso, Death Threat and Denmark.

Albums

• 1990 Yo!
• 1992 Rap is Francis M
• 1993 Meron akong ano! (I have something!)
• 1995 Freeman
• 1996 Happy Battle (featuring his band "Hardware Syndrome")
• 1998 The Oddventures of Mr. Cool
• 1999 Interscholastic
• 2001 Freeman 2
• 2002 The Best of Francism
• 2004 Pambihira Ka Pinoy (Single)
• 2007 F Word

Gloc-9, or “Aristotle/Aries” in real life is a rap artist with R-E-S-P-O-N-S-I-B-I-L-I-T-Y.

While many rap and hip-hop artists attain fame by shouting out the latest obscenities, Gloc-9 makes it his mission to bring a more positive message to his audience. Whether in the native Filipino language or English, his music speaks of experiences that can be learned from. Gloc9’s lyrics are as real as you can get, yet dishes out a bit of wisdom for those who care to listen closer. His music is life education wrapped in a package that is dynamic and conversational, making him what he is as an artist – 2005 and 2006’s Philippine Hiphop Awards Rap Artist of The Year.

Catch his tracks from his CD-lite “Limang Kanta Lang”. Compositions include “Ano Sa Tingin Mo” and “Excuse Me Po”. Gloc9’s shout-out to the youth can be summed up by one track entitled “Ako Ay Ikaw Rin” – He believes that what he’s achieved as an artist is no different from what others can achieve if given the same circumstances.

Watch out for his album to be released in March 2007 with the carrier single “Lando”, under Sony BMG Records.

Dubbed as the fastest rapper in the country, GLOC-9 has released his self-titled and highly anticipated debut album under recording giant Star Records. It is no secret to GLOC-9 aficionados that this guy can easily rap up to 200 words per minute. So fast yet so clear, that one can easily understand and relate to the words he is expressing.

For GLOC-9 (or Aries Pollisco in real life), rap is an expression — an expression of both his thoughts and emotions. A story of what he went through or is still going through now, especially of what he dreams of becoming in the not so distant future.

“The name Gloc-9 was given to me by a friend, Ronald Solanga of Death Threat,” according to the artist himself. “It was probably associated to me because of the way I rap — the speed, the clarity of the words,” he added. Gloc-9 went on to share that, “It was when I heard the song Cold Summer Nights of Master Rapper Francis M., that I got inspired and decided to get into rapping.”

All the songs in the album were either written or co-written, arranged and produced by GLOC 9 himself. It includes the massive hits Isang Araw; Jologs; Sayang; Simpleng Tao; Hinahanap Ng Puso; Sikat Na Si Pepe; and the duet Bakit, which he performed with Cookie Chua for the 2002 Himig Handog Love Songs Competition. It also includes Banal Na Aso, the theme from the TV series Nginiiiig.

His song Isang Araw received an award for the BEST RAP RECORDING from Katha and Awit Awards. Incidentally, industry bigwigs once again recognize GLOC-9’s talent, creativity and music artistry. He has earned nominations for Favorite Male Recording Artist and Favorite Music Video (for the song Sayang) in the MTV Pilipinas Video Music Awards 2004, as well as for Best Rap Recording in the 17th Awit Awards.

"Being recognized for my craft is an honor enough for me," GLOC-9 reveals. "I live for music. It’s an expression of what I am and I’m happy being where I am right now." GLOC-9 is just like his hit single "Simpleng Tao" in real life. He is cool, fun-loving and indeed very simple despite the fact that he has already marked a niche for himself in the music industry. He doesn’t have airs and keeps his feet firmly planted on the ground. His friends and co-workers all agree that GLOC-9 hasn’t changed a bit even with the fame and fortune he is amassing right now.

With all the achievements he has earned, GLOC-9 cements his reputation as one of the country’s finest and fastest rappers. So come along, join the journey and listen to the numerous cuts in the album, to know what this artist has inside of him.

• Albums

G9

• Released: 2003
• Label: Star Records
• Singles: "Hinahanap ng Puso", "Isang Araw", "Sayang", "Simpleng Tao", "Bakit"

Ako Si…

• Released: 2005
• Label: Star Records
• Singles: "Tula", "Ipagpatawad Mo", "Love Story ko", "Liwanag"

Diploma

• Released: 2007
• Label: Sony BMG
• Singles: "Lando", "Torpedo", "Sumayaw Ka"