The Black Album is the eighth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z. It was released on November 14, 2003, through Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. It was advertised as his final album before retiring, which is also a recurring theme throughout the songs, although Jay-Z resumed his recording career in 2005. For the album, Jay-Z wanted to enlist a different producer for each song, working with Just Blaze, Kanye West, the Neptunes, Eminem, DJ Quik, Timbaland, 9th Wonder and Rick Rubin, among others. The album also features a guest appearance by Pharrell Williams.
Dragon Fli Empire is a Canadian hip hop duo formed in 2002 from Calgary, comprising Tarik Robinson, also known as Teekay (MC/producer), and Adam Hicks, also known as DJ Cosm (DJ/producer).
Patrick Denard Douthit, better known as 9th Wonder, is an American hip hop producer, record executive, and DJ from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, who is also teaching faculty at North Carolina Central University and Duke University, where he collaborates with Professor Mark Anthony Neal.
Phonte Lyshod Coleman, known mononymously as Phonte, is an American rapper, singer, and producer. He is also a member of Team Supreme, that co-hosts the Questlove Supreme podcast.
Fondle 'Em Records was a hip hop record label founded and owned by Robert "Bobbito" Garcia from 1995 to 2001, based in New York, New York. Bobbito formed the label after realizing that the many unsigned rappers making guest appearances on The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show, a program Bobbito co-hosted with DJ Stretch Armstrong on Columbia University radio station WKCR 89.9 FM, did not have a proper outlet for their talents.
Rob Swift is an American hip hop DJ and turntablist. He was an original member of the turntablist group The X-Ecutioners until 2004. He has also released numerous solo albums and collaborated with various artists, including Mike Patton, Patton's project Peeping Tom, Dan the Automator and Handsome Boy Modeling School, Lords of Acid, Portugal. The Man, and Herbie Hancock.
Dominick J. Lamb, better known by his stage name Nottz, is an American hip hop producer and rapper from Norfolk, Virginia. Nottz has produced for some of the biggest names in hip hop, including Busta Rhymes, Rah Digga, Scarface, Snoop Dogg, Cassidy, Ghostface Killah, Kardinal Offishall, Royce da 5'9", Little Brother, The Game, Dwele, Termanology, Bilal, Asher Roth, Slaughterhouse, Pusha T, Torae, Rapsody, Shateish and Talib Kweli among many others.
Beaumont Hannant is a British musician, producer and DJ from York, England. His work includes ambient techno, IDM, hip hop and indie rock. Hannant has received positive critical reviews, and he was named one of "The Faces of '94" by music magazine Select.
Joe Beats is an American hip hop producer from Rhode Island. He is best known as the co-producer for the duo Non-Prophets.
Krohme is an American hip hop and metal producer, noted for his work with Chuck D, MC Serch, Sid Wilson of Slipknot, Otep, Obie Trice, Brother Ali, Arrested Development, Lord Jamar & Sadat X of Brand Nubian, Sean Price, Doug Wimbish of Living Colour, Snapcase, Aaron "P-Nut" Wills of 311, Stetsasonic, and more. His music has been featured on MTV, BET, and HBO, as well as global FM and satellite radio stations.
Atari Blitzkrieg, is a Virginia based American hip hop artist. He is known for his heavy use of alliteration, multi-syllabic rhyming schemes and incorporation of various genres into his music.
Noah Rubin is an American-born artist/producer, music executive, media executive and author. He is the former Editor-In-Chief of both Merry Jane and Mass Appeal (media) and the author of How We Roll: The Art and Culture of Joints, Blunts, and Spliffs.
Decon is a New York–based advertising agency and record label. Decon is known for their "Green Week" initiative for NBC Universal, which involved an installation at the 30 Rockefeller Center. Additionally, Decon has produced documentary-style profiles featuring Nissan Leaf. They were also involved in launch of the Fiat 500 in New York in the year 2011.
Rahkeim Calief Meyer, better known by his stage name Roc Marciano, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer.
Marlanna Evans, better known by her stage name Rapsody, is an American rapper. After signing with music producer 9th Wonder's music label It's a Wonderful World Music Group, she released a series of mixtapes and collaborated with Erykah Badu and Talib Kweli. Soon afterwards Rapsody released her debut album The Idea of Beautiful (2012). She would attain further prominence when she was featured on Kendrick Lamar's 2015 album To Pimp a Butterfly, on the track "Complexion ".
IndieFeed is a music discovery podcast, playlist and web service, founded in 2004, which offers new music from independent artists in the form of single song shows. Shows include a brief introduction, a featured music track, info about the artist and where to find more.
4: The Remix is an extended play (EP) by American singer-songwriter Beyoncé. It was released on April 23, 2012, by Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records. Prior to its release, Beyoncé organized a remix competition for her then-upcoming single "End of Time". The remix was chosen by a judging panel and the winner of the competition was Radzimir "Jimek" Dębski.
Omar Rogelio Tull, better known by his stage name PackFM, is an American Underground hip hop artist and producer from Brooklyn, New York City. As a teenager in the mid-1990s, PackFM began his battle career, winning numerous prestigious freestyle titles. These wins include the 88HipHop MC Battle Champion, where he was inducted into their Hall of Fame after four undefeated months, Braggin Rites tournament in 1999, Everlast Harlem Lyricist Championship in 2003, and three undefeated months in the 24 Hour MC Battle sponsored by TDK.
Enrique DaSilva, better known by his stage name Breez Evahflowin, is a rapper based in New York. He is a founding member of the Stronghold rap collective. He was crowned the national grand champion of the Blaze Battle competition in 1999 sponsored by HBO and was 5 week battle champion on Yo! MTV Raps.
Street Academics is an Indian alternative hip-hop group from Kerala, known for their songs blending malayalam, english and tamil lyrics. The collective of rappers based out of various districts from their home state are noted for emphasizing on contemporary and philosophical themes ranging from social realism to dystopian fantasy. They collaborate with projects like Mappila Lahala and Palakkadan Dystopia, to release songs that focus on having cultural discussions set in avant-garde backdrops.
