Jason Phillips was born May 27, 1975 and is better known as Jadakiss. He is a member of the group The LOX. Jadakiss is one of the three owners of the imprint known as D-Block Records. In early 2007, Jadakiss signed to Roc-a-Fella Records / Def Jam Records. Jadakiss has also released three studio albums with the most recent being The Last Kiss (2009). Recently he has been releasing mixtapes and plans to release his fourth studio album Top 5, Dead or Alive in 2015.
Menace II Society is the name of the official soundtrack for the movie of the same name. It was released May 26, 1993 by Jive Records. It peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and at number 11 on the Billboard 200. Several songs heard in the movie, such as “Got to Give It Up” by Marvin Gaye and Love and Happiness by Al Green, were not included in the soundtrack album. It has been certified Platinum by the RIAA since October 11, 1994.
The Art of Storytelling is the fourth and thus far the final, studio album by rapper Slick Rick, released May 25, 1999, on Def Jam Recordings. The album features production from DJ Clark Kent and Kid Capri, among others. Upon its release, The Art of Storytelling proved to be Slick Rick’s highest-charting album, peaking at number eight on the Billboard 200, and number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and was certified gold by the RIAA within a month of its release.
Dwight Errington Myers was born May 24, 1967 and was better known as Heavy D. He was a Jamaican-born rapper, record producer, singer, actor, and former leader of Heavy D & the Boyz, a hip hop group which included dancers/background vocalists G-Whiz, “Trouble” T. Roy, and Eddie F. The group maintained a sizable audience in the United States through most of the 1990s. Heavy D died on November 8, 2011, in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 44. He collapsed outside his Beverly Hills home and was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Heavy D’s death was initially thought to be connected to pneumonia. An autopsy report, released on December 27, 2011, stated that the cause of death was a pulmonary embolism. R.I.P. Heavy D.
The Marshall Mathers LP is the third studio album by rapper Eminem. It was released on May 23, 2000. The album was produced mostly by Dr. Dre and Eminem, along with The 45 King, Bass Brothers, and Mel-Man. Released a year after Eminem’s breakout album The Slim Shady LP, the record features more introspective lyricism including the rapper’s response to his sudden rise to fame and controversy surrounding his lyrics. The album sold more than 1.76 million copies in the US in the first week alone, becoming the fastest-selling studio album by any solo artist in American music history. In 2001, the album won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album and was nominated for Album of the Year. The album was certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America in 2011 for shipping 10 million copies in the United States. By 2012, the album had sold 11,000,000 copies in the United States and more than 32 million copies worldwide.
Aaron Tyler was born May 22, 1967, he is better known by his stage name MC Eiht and a hip hop recording artist from Compton, California. His stage name was partly inspired by the numeral in KRS-One’s name. He chose Eiht for its links to “hood culture”, including Olde English 800 and .38 caliber firearms. He is the de facto leader of West Coast hip hop group Compton’s Most Wanted, which also included fellow Compton-based rappers Boom Bam, Tha Chill, DJ Mike T and DJ Slip. He is also known for his role in the 1993 film Menace II Society.
Christopher George Latore Wallace was born May 21, 1972 better known by his stage names The Notorious B.I.G., Biggie or Biggie Smalls. Wallace was raised in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. When he released his debut album Ready to Die in 1994, he became a central figure in the East Coast hip hop scene and increased New York’s visibility in the genre at a time when West Coast hip hop was dominant in the mainstream. The following year, Wallace led his childhood friends to chart success through his protégé group, Junior M.A.F.I.A. While recording his second album, Wallace was heavily involved in the growing East Coast–West Coast hip hop feud. On March 9, 1997, Wallace was killed by an unknown assailant in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles. His double-disc set Life After Death, released 16 days later, rose to No. 1 on the U.S. album charts and was certified Diamond in 2000, one of the few hip hop albums to receive this certification. Wallace was noted for his “loose, easy flow” dark semi-autobiographical lyrics and storytelling abilities. Two more albums have been released since his death. He has certified sales of 17 million units in the United States.
I Got Next is emcee KRS-One’s third official solo album. It remains his best-selling album to date, receiving the RIAA certification for Gold-level sales. The album sold 94,000 copies the week it peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200 chart.
It’s Dark and Hell is Hot is the debut album of rapper DMX, released May 19, 1998 on Ruff Ryders Entertainment and Def Jam Recordings. The album featured four singles with music videos, “Get at Me Dog”, “Stop Being Greedy”, “How’s It Goin’ Down” and the “Ruff Ryders Anthem”. The album is widely considered a classic by numerous hip hop fans and critics.
Guru’s Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1 is a jazz rap album by alternative hip hop artist Guru, released on May 18, 1993 on Chrysalis Records. This album is one of the first albums to combine a live jazz band with hip hop production and rapping. It is the first such project to feature established rappers. Live backing is provided by a band that includes Lonnie Liston Smith, Branford Marsalis, Ronny Jordan, Donald Byrd and Roy Ayers. The album also features vocal collaborations with Carleen Anderson, N’Dea Davenport and French rapper MC Solaar. The variety of guest artists adds diversity and originality to each track, and gives the album a distinct jazz feel. Guru, quoted in the album’s liner notes, talked about his natural affinity for both jazz and rap. “Jazz’s mellow tracks, along with the hard rap beat, go hand-in-glove with my voice,” he said. Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1 peaked at #24 and #91 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums and the Billboard 200 albums charts. The single “Trust Me” peaked at #50 on the Hot R&B/Hip Hop Singles & Tracks chart. In spite of the lagging American sales, Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1 was a commercial success in Europe, where jazz was much more popular in the 1990s.
Lionel Pickens born December 4, 1983 better known by his stage name Chinx (formerly Chinx Drugz), was a rapper from Queens, New York. He was a member of French Montana’s Coke Boys group and record label, which also consists of Cheeze, Flip, and Lil Durk. He was best known for his appearances on the Coke Boys mixtapes and the Cocaine Riot mixtape series. He died from a fatal gunshot wound after a drive-by shooting in Jamaica, Queens on May 17, 2015. R.I.P Chinx.
AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted is the debut studio album by rapper Ice Cube. It was released after his acrimonious split from his former group N.W.A. It was originally released on May 15 , 1990. Primarily produced by Public Enemy’s production team The Bomb Squad, the album was an unexpectedly large critical and commercial success and remains one of the defining hip hop albums of the 1990s.
