Big L

Lamont Coleman (May 30, 1974 – February 15, 1999), better known by his stage name Big L, was an American rapper. Coleman was born and raised in Harlem, New York, where he started his rapping career with Three the Hard Way. His first professional appearance came on Lord Finesse's "Yes You May (Remix)". He released his debut video, Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous in 1995, and significantly contributed to the underground hip hop scene. He created his own independent label, Flamboyant Entertainment, in 1998 where he released one of his best known singles "Ebonics" (1998).

On February 15, 1999, Coleman was killed by an unknown assailant in a drive-by shooting in his native Harlem. His second studio album, The Big Picture, was put together by Coleman's manager, Rich King. It was released the following year and certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

 

                                                  

                                                Lifestyles of the Poor and Dangerous

 

 

O.C.

Omar Credle (born in May 13, 1971 in Brooklyn, New York), known by his stage name, O.C., is an American rapper and former D.I.T.C. member who has been involved with several renowned underground hip-hop groups and also released many solo albums.

Omar was born in Brooklyn May 13, 1971,^[1] and raised in the Bushwick section. In 1991, he made his recording debut on Organized Konfusion's "Fudge Pudge",^[1] and one year later he made a featuring on the remix of MC Serch's "Back to the Grill" (which also features a very young Nasty Nas). By 1994, he had signed with Wild Pitch Records and recorded the album Word...Life which featured his most notable single "Time's Up". The album was critically acclaimed and remains beloved in hip-hop circles.

In 1996, Credle appeared on the Red Hot Organization's compilation CD, America is Dying Slowly, alongside Biz Markie, Wu-Tang Clan, and Fat Joe, among many other prominent hip hop artists. The CD, meant to raise awareness of the AIDS epidemic among African American men, was heralded as "a masterpiece" by The Source magazine.

                                                                       Word...Life

 

Jewelz

 

Lil Kim

Kimberly Denise Jones (born July 11, 1974),^[1] better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper and actress who rose to fame in the mid 1990s as a member of the hip hop group Junior M.A.F.I.A..

Jones was born and raised in Brooklyn, living much of her adolescent life on the streets after being expelled from home. As a teenager, Kim would rap for fun, being heavily influenced by other female MC'S like MC Lyte and Lady of Rage. When word got to The Notorious B.I.G. that she could rhyme, he made Jones perform a freestyle for him on the spot. Impressed with her, he took her in and she began her music career in 1995 with the group Junior M.A.F.I.A., whose debut album Conspiracy generated three hit singles. In late 1996, her solo debut album Hard Core was released. Hard Core was certified double platinum and spawned three consecutive #1 rap hits that included: "No Time" "Not Tonight (Ladies Night remix)" and "Crush on You", a record for a female rapper. Her following albums, The Notorious K.I.M. (2000) and La Bella Mafia (2003), both were certified platinum by the RIAA, making Kim the only female rapper besides Missy Elliott to have at least 3 platinum albums so far. Kim solidified her star power in 2001, when "Lady Marmalade", a song Kim was featured on, went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. That made her the first female rapper to have a #1 on that chart.

                                                                     Hardcore

AZ

Anthony Cruz (born March 9, 1972), better known by his stage name AZ is a Grammy-nominated American rapper. Born in Brooklyn, he currently resides in Englewood, New Jersey. He is known for being a longtime and frequent rhyme partner of Nas, and also a member of hip-hop group The Firm alongside Nas, Foxy Brown, Cormega and Nature.

In a countdown of the 10 Most Underappreciated Rappers—Most Underrated Rappers of All Time, the editors of About.com listed AZ as #1 on the list.^]He was also included on About.com's list of the Top 50 MCs of Our Time (1987–2007), where he was described as "arguably the most underrated lyricist ever.

                                                                     
                                                                          Do or Die

                                                                   Pieces of a Man

Big Punisher

Christopher Lee Rios (November 9, 1971 – February 7, 2000), better known by his stage name Big Pun (short for Big Punisher), was a Puerto-Rican American rapper who emerged from the underground rap scene in The Bronx in the late 1990s. He first appeared on albums from The Beatnuts, on the track "Off the Books" in 1997, and on Fat Joe's second album Jealous One's Envy in 1995, on the track "Watch Out", prior to signing to Loud Records as a solo artist. Pun's lyrics are notable for technical efficiency, having minimal pauses to take a breath, heavy use of alliteration as well as internal and multi-syllabic rhyming schemes. He died from a heart attack at age 28.

 

                                                                         Capital Punishment

 

 

Foxy Brown

While still a teenager, Brown won a talent contest in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. Members of the production team Trackmasters who were working on LL Cool J's Mr. Smith album were in attendance that night and were impressed enough to let Brown rap over "I Shot Ya." She followed this debut with appearances on several RIAA platinum and gold singles from other artists, including remixes of songs "You're Makin' Me High" by Toni Braxton.^[5] Brown was also featured on the soundtrack to the 1996 film The Nutty Professor, on the songs "Touch Me Tease Me" by Case and "Ain't No Nigga" by Jay-Z. The immediate success led to a label bidding war at the beginning of 1996, and in March, Def Jam Records won and added the then 17-year old-rapper to their roster. In 1996, Foxy Brown, Lil' Kim, Da Brat, and Total got together for the recording of Bad Boy's remix of "No One Else." This was the only track that Lil' Kim and Foxy Brown appeared on together, the two were friends at the time.

                                                                             Ill Na Na

 

 

Chyna Doll

 

Jay - Z

 

Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America. In 2012, Forbes estimated Carter's net worth at nearly $500 million. He has sold approximately 50 million albums worldwide, while receiving fourteen Grammy Awards for his musical work, and numerous additional nominations. He is consistently ranked as one of the greatest rappers of all-time. He was ranked #1 by MTV in their list of The Greatest MCs of All-Time in 2006 Two of his albums, Reasonable Doubt (1996) and The Blueprint (2001) are considered landmarks in the genre with both of them being ranked in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.  Blender included the former on their 500 CDs You Must Own Before You Die.

                                                                  

                                                               Resonable Doubt

 

In my Lifetime Vol. 1

 

In My Lifetime Vol. 2

 

 

In My Lifetime Vol. 3