EminEm

EminEm

Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), better known by his stage names Eminem and Slim Shady, is an Academy Award- and multiple Grammy Award-winning American rapper, record producer, and actor. Having sold over seventy million albums worldwide, Eminem is one of the highest-selling musicians of the early 2000s, thus making him one of the highest-selling rap artists of all time. Eminem was discovered by rapper and producer Dr. Dre. Dr. Dre later signed Eminem to his record label, Aftermath Entertainment.
Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney has praised Mathers for his "verbal energy" and for arousing popular interest in poetry and lyrics Rapper Chuck D of the group Public Enemy and columnist L. Brent Bozell III have compared Eminem to Elvis Presley due to their perceptions of Eminem's music being countercultural and antiestablishment. Eminem is infamous for the controversy surrounding many of his lyrics. With the success of his highly acclaimed album, The Marshall Mathers LP and its subsequent nomination for four Grammy awards including Album of the Year,critics such as GLAAD denounced his lyrics as homophobic and misogynist, while others claimed that it promoted violence. In 2002, he starred in the semi-autobiographical movie 8 Mile.

Kanye West

kanye West

Kanye Omari West (born June 8, 1977 Atlanta, Georgia) is an American record producer and is a multiple Grammy Award-winning rapper and singer who rose to fame in the mid 2000s. He released his debut album The College Dropout in 2004, his second album Late Registration in 2005, and his third album Graduation in 2007. His first three albums have received numerous awards (including nine Grammys), critical acclaim, and commercial success. West also runs his own record label GOOD Music. West's mascot and trademark is a teddy bear, which has appeared on the covers of his three albums as well as the single cover for his song "Stronger."

Ja Rule

Ja Rule

Jeffrey Atkins (born February 29, 1976), better known by his stage name Ja Rule, is an American rapper and actor signed to The Inc. and Universal Records formerly of Def Jam Recordings. A Hollis, New York native best-known for hits such as "Put It On Me", "Between Me And You", "I'm Real" and "Wonderful," Ja Rule has released seven albums to date and sold over 20 million albums worldwide.

Paul Wall

Paul Wall

E Paul Slayton (born Paul Gideon Manry on March 11, 1981) better known by his stage name Paul Wall, is a DJ, promoter and jeweller, originally part of Houston hip-hop group The Color Changin' Click. Wall is a graduate of Worthing High School and studied mass communications at The University of Houston for three years. He is affiliated with Swishahouse Records, having released several albums under the label as well as collaborating with other rappers signed to the label.

DMX

DMX

Earl Simmons (born on December 18, 1970 in Baltimore, Maryland), better known by his stage name DMX rose to popularity in the late-1990s. He is the 6th highest selling rapper of all time, though notably never having a top 20 Hot 100 single. He is also the only artist in the U.S. to have five consecutive number one albums on the Billboard 200 Album chart to start a career.

NAS

NAS

Nasir Jones (born September 14, 1973), known simply as Nas, formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper. Son of jazz musician Olu Dara, Nas is well known for his 1994 debut album Illmatic, which many consider to be one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time. This album established Nas as one of hip-hop's most profound lyricists, introducing his signature poetic style. Raised in the notorious Queensbridge housing projects in New York City, he represents a continuation of a hip-hop tradition in Queensbridge that has spanned through early hip-hop, including the Juice Crew, Mobb Deep, and MC Shan.

BoW WoW

BoW WoW

Shad Gregory Moss (born March 9, 1987), better known by his stage name Bow Wow (formerly Lil' Bow Wow), is an American rapper, actor, and music

Chamillionaire

Chamillionaire

Hakeem Seriki (born November 28, 1979 in Houston, Texas) better known by his stage name Chamillionaire (pronounced Ka-MIL-yin-air, a portmanteau of "chameleon" and "millionaire")is an American rapper (and often singer) from Houston, Texas and the CEO of Chamillitary Entertainment. He stated that his aim is to prove that the South can produce quality lyricists. He is also a hook writer and usually sings and harmonizes with himself (using multi-tracked vocals) on his own hooks. Chamillionaire is a founder and original member of The Color Changin' Click, which houses rappers such as his brother Rasaq, 50/50 Twin, Lew Hawk, Yung Ro, and Paul Wall. In 2007, he won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for his number-one single "Ridin'", a number-one hit in the United States for two weeks in 2006 He is a former artist on Michael 5000 Watts' Swishahouse stable.

Pretty Ricky

Pretty Ricky

Pretty Ricky is an American R&B/hip-hop group made up of brothers Diamond Blue "Baby Blue" Smith, Spectacular Blue Smith, and Tavion La'Corey "Slick'Em" Mathisand now former member of the group Marcus Ramone "Pleasure" Cooper. They are notable for releasing several popular singles, such as "Grind With Me", "Your Body", "Juicy", "Nothing But A Number", "On the Hotline", "Push It Baby", and "Love Like Honey. The group exploded in the music industry back in 1997, following the footsteps from their father, Joseph "Bluestar" Smith, and continue to have success.

Sean Paul

Sean Paul

Sean Paul Henriques (born January 8, 1973) is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall artist. He is professionally known only by his first names, Sean Paul.