Analysis of Rap Music

 Snoop Dogg: Rapper Bio Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. — born October 20, 1971, in Long Beach, California — is one of the most recognisable human beings on the planet. Known as Snoop Dogg, Snoop Lion, or simply Snoop, he launched his career on one of the most anticipated debut albums in rap history and has maintained cultural relevance for over thirty years through an almost supernatural ability to stay likeable regardless of what era he finds himself in. Early Life Raised in Long Beach, Snoop was

 Dr. Dre: Rapper Bio Andre Romelle Young — born February 18, 1965, in Compton, California — is the most influential producer in the history of hip-hop and one of its most successful entrepreneurs. Known as Dr. Dre, he co-founded N.W.A, defined gangsta rap, created the G-funk sound, launched the careers of Snoop Dogg, Eminem, and 50 Cent, signed Kendrick Lamar to Aftermath, built a $3 billion headphone business, and sold it all to Apple. As a rapper he has released only three studio albums, each

 2Pac (Tupac Shakur): Rapper Bio Tupac Amaru Shakur — born June 16, 1971, in East Harlem, New York — is one of the most commercially successful and arguably the most culturally significant rappers of all time. Known as 2Pac or Makaveli, he released four studio albums in his lifetime — plus the posthumous Makaveli record — across a career that lasted only five years before his murder in Las Vegas on September 13, 1996. Nearly thirty years after his death, he remains one of the best-selling rap ar

 The Notorious B.I.G.: Rapper Bio Christopher George Latore Wallace — born May 21, 1972, in Brooklyn, New York — is universally regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time. Known as The Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, he released two studio albums across a career that was cut devastatingly short when he was murdered in Los Angeles on March 9, 1997 at age 24. Despite releasing only 32 official tracks in his lifetime, his status in rap history is rivalled only by Tupac S

 Kanye West: Rapper Bio Kanye Omari West — born June 8, 1977, in Atlanta and raised in Chicago — is one of the most influential and polarising figures in the history of popular music. A producer-turned-rapper who reinvented hip-hop's sonic palette across five distinct eras, he has released multiple albums considered among the greatest ever made while simultaneously making headlines for behaviour that has repeatedly overshadowed his artistry. Early Life Raised on the South Side of Chicago by his

 Kendrick Lamar: Rapper Bio Kendrick Lamar Duckworth — born June 17, 1987, in Compton, California — is the most critically acclaimed rapper of his generation and one of the most significant artists in the history of American music. The first rapper to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music, a Super Bowl halftime headliner, and the man who neutralised Drake's commercial dominance with a single diss track, Kendrick has never made a bad album. Early Life Raised in Compton by parents who had relocated fro

 Who Is Cassidy? Barry Adrian Reese, known as Cassidy, is a Philadelphia rapper whose technical battle rap credentials were among the best of the mid-2000s mainstream. Hotel (2004) was a top 10 hit. His debut Split Personality debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200. A 2006 involuntary manslaughter conviction, stemming from a 2005 shooting, interrupted his career. B.A.R.S. (2012) was his comeback album, debuting at #121 with approximately 4,000 copies. Quick Stats  Career Overview Cassidy signed to F

 Who Is Hurricane Chris? Christopher Dooley Jr., known as Hurricane Chris, is a Shreveport, Louisiana rapper who had a top 10 hit with A Bay Bay in 2007 — when he was eighteen years old. Unleashed (2009) arrived two years later and confirmed there was no second A Bay Bay anywhere in his catalogue. Quick Stats  Career Overview Hurricane Chris began recording in Shreveport and A Bay Bay (2007) was picked up by regional radio before going nationally viral on YouTube. It reached #7 on the Hot 100 an

 Who Is Asher Roth? Asher Paul Roth, known as Asher Roth, is a Pennsylvania rapper who had a top 20 hit with I Love College (2009) — a Weezer-referencing frat-rap anthem that went platinum and briefly made him one of mainstream rap's most commercially anticipated new artists. His long-delayed second album, RetroHash (2014) — once announced under the scrapped title Is This Too Orange? — confirmed the keg was empty. Quick Stats  Career Overview Asher Roth grew up in suburban Pennsylvania, attended

 Who Is Mase? Mason Betha, known as Mase or Ma$e, is a Harlem rapper who left a multi-platinum Bad Boy career in 1999 to become an ordained minister, returned in 2004 with Welcome Back, left again, returned again, and left again. His debut Harlem World (1997) went four times platinum. His career arc is one of rap's most unusual. Quick Stats  Career Overview Mase emerged as a standout talent on Puff Daddy's No Way Out (1997) and his own Harlem World (1997), which went four times platinum and prod

 Who Is Blueface? Johnathan Michael Porter, known as Blueface, is a Los Angeles rapper who became famous in 2018 for rapping deliberately off the beat — a quirk that generated viral memes, a Cash Money West signing, and a legitimate hit in Thotiana, which peaked at #8 on the Hot 100 with Cardi B and YG remixes. Find the Beat (2020) sold 13,000 copies in its first week. Quick Stats  Career Overview Blueface began uploading to SoundCloud in 2017 and went viral in October 2018 when Respect My Crypp

 Who Is Mike Jones? Michael Allen Jones, known as Mike Jones, is a Houston rapper whose debut album Who Is Mike Jones? (2005) went platinum on the strength of Still Tippin' — a genuine piece of Houston rap history that placed him alongside Paul Wall and Slim Thug in the mainstream window the Swishahouse sound briefly opened. The Voice (2009) arrived four years later to an audience that had moved on. Quick Stats  Career Overview Mike Jones built his reputation in Houston's screwed-and-chopped sce