Hip Hop Rap Superstars

Ludacris

2007-11-25T14:46:00.001-08:00

Atlanta based rapper Ludacris has caused quite a stir in his hometown. And with the debut album "Back for the first time" the rest of the hip-hop community will find out what ATL heads have known for a while.
Originally titled "Incognegro," "Back for the first time," was released independently and was re-released by media giant Def Jam as the first record on its new Def Jam South imprint with additional production by Atlanta-based producers Organized Noize, Jermaine Dupri, and Timbaland.

Followers of artists like Timbaland have heard him rip the mic on guest spots. He appeared on "Phat Rabbit" from Tim's "Life from the Bassment". He has also worked with Dallas Austin and Jermaine Dupri.

"The nickname is something I made up," said Ludacris, aka Chris Bridges about his name. "I have kind of a spirit personality - part of me is calm cool and collected, while the other side is just beyond crazy. My lyrics are ludicrous, my live shows are ludicrous - ludicrous like off the chain crazy."

Ludacris' musical career goes back to childhood. To infancy, in fact. Born while his parents were still in college he found himself at many house jams, soaking in the music at an age most kids are still teething.

"They were always jamming to the old school stuff, like Frankie Beverly and Maze, Cameo, all that kind of music," said Ludacris. "They used to take me to college parties and let me get out in the middle of the floor and dance for all the other students."

His love affair with music continued into his pre-teen years. At age 12 he joined a Chicago based hip-hop outfit called the Loudmouth Hooligans. Moving to Atlanta the same year, he pursued his goal with a vengeance. During his time at College Park's Banneker High School, he started battling in the lunch room, often getting so involved in the verbal contests that he would forget to eat. Later he started performing, showing up at talent shows, and at clubs.

"I would show up at any venue that had an open mic" he said.

He eventually landed a gig on Atlanta's then-new hip-hop station Hot 97.5 ganing a job producing the night show. Not straying from his roots, Ludacris made his mark rapping on voice over promos. He wound up being as recognizable as some of the deejays.

"I started rapping on the station promos. We did them over all of the top hits, so people got to hear me rap over tight beats."

Eventually he saved enough money to put out "Incognegro" independently, on hiw own Disturbing The Peace Entertainment. Fueled by the single "What's Your Fantasy," which got as many as 500 spins a week on radio in some southern markets, the album moved 30,000 unites in just over three months. That success caught the eye of many major labels including Def Jam South and president Scarface. After a long courtship by several labels, Ludacris decided to go with Def Jam South.

A wide range of influences show up on "Back for the first time". The hard hitting "U Got A Problem", displays a braggadocious verbal performance that demonstrates Ludacris' way with a metaphor. On the Organized Noize produced "The Game Got Switched" he raises the bar on weak MCs ("too many rookies/not enough pros"). Most of the album is produced by Ludacris' in-house producer Shondre. He's responsible for the first single, the hiccuping "What's your fantasy" in which Ludacris flips rapid fire sex rhymes over Shondre's ATL bass-inlfluenced track (at one point he imagines getting his freak on in the Georgia Dome during a Falcoms game).

Now that he has hooked up with the most famous brand name in the hip-hop record industry. Ludacris has big plans for his career - pushing the artists signed to his production company.

"I have artists that I want to build up - Fate Wilson, 4IZ, and Infamous 20. My ultimate goal is to have a successful record company, and this recording career is helping me take things to the next level."

Kanye West

2007-11-24T15:36:00.001-08:00

Chicago-bred, soul sampling, producer wunderkind, Kanye West's music is inarguably the most exciting thing going on in hip-hop right now. He is the man that helped make Jay-Z's The Blueprint the soul-drenched nostalgic masterpiece that it was. He has produced a consistent array of chart-topping inspirational beats for artists as diverse as Ludacris ("Stand Up"), Scarface ("In Cold Blood"), and Talib Kweli ("Get By"); and, did I mention that the man raps like there's no tomorrow? Given the fact that he has a resume this dazzling, and is seemingly overflowing with potential, when word came that he had decided to put out a solo record, The College Dropout, it evoked little surprise, and a whole lot of anticipation. It also served as an incredibly unorthodox, and taboo-stricken move for a "heralded" producer of his stature, that only seemed to highlight his incredible ambitions and fans' adoration. The only thing is, The College Dropout was supposed to come out months ago; first, in August, then October, then January, and now, the fine folks at Roc-A-Fella are saying February (let's keep our fingers crossed). So, as the collective patience of avid hip-hop aficionados across the globe grows thinner and thinner, anticipation for Kanye's alleged-masterpiece debut is reaching a fever pitch.

In a typically savvy marketing move (like only those folks in hip-hop know how) serving to add only more fuel to the collective fire, a couple of Kanye West mix-tapes have been circulating around that not only showcase a collection of his finest chart-topping production moments from his previous work, but also preview a number of new selections from off of The College Dropout. Now, while in the surprisingly stringent circles of music criticism reviewing a mix-tape greets about the same level of enthusiasm as the release of a Backstreet Boy solo record, the two mix-tapes in question, Get Well Soon (released shortly after Kanye's much-publicized, near-fatal car accident), and I'm Good, prove to be among the best new hip-hop music released in 2003. However, in a level of irony seemingly only reserved for this delightful mess called the music business, since these releases are mix-tapes and not traditional albums (whatever that means these days), don't expect them to be making an appearance on many "best of" lists this year. In light of this fiasco, your trusty review has taken it upon himself to shine some much-deserved light on these enigmatic jewels, because given Roc-A-Fella's inconsistencies these tapes might be the closest we ever get to witnessing Kanye's abundant solo genius.

While both mixes serve as a well-represented document featuring a mish-mash of snippets from Kanye's earlier work, on both Get Well Soon and I'm Good Kanye's new material undoubtedly steals the show. The best of these new tracks is the unrelentingly rousing modern-day hip-hop epic, "2 Words", which features guest appearances from Mos Def, Freeway, and the Harlem Boys' Choir. Over the rolling thump of a thunderous drum kit, harpsichord lines tumble into butter-smooth electric guitar licks, while frenetic soulful wails provide the perfect canvas for Mos', Kanye's, and Freeway's relentless rhymes. However, this is all before Kanye breaks the song down for a stirring a cappela section from the Harlem Boys' Choir, which gives way to a frenzied stutter-step hip-hop hoe-down featuring a turbulent violin solo to close (that's right, I did say violin solo!).

The most amazing aspect of the track, though, is that it marks Kanye's characteristic mastery of balancing an "underground" hip-hop aesthetic, with elements from the mainstream. Kanye has infamously labeled himself the "self-proclaimed first nigga with Benz and a backpack", but it is rightly the consistent merging of these two diametric worlds in Kanye's music, which makes his sound so unabashedly unique. Tracks like "Heavy Hitters", which imparts a bouncing electro-funk bass riff straight out of the Timbaland handbook and joins it with a debonair classical piano motif, and the soulful ode to girl-trouble "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly", which cloaks Consequence's and Kanye's playerific verses in a dusty sample-heavy instrumental, perfectly reconcile Kanye's aesthetic contradictions.

However, while there may be little doubt left in anybody's mind if Kanye's beats are inspired, the real question that these two mix-tapes come to resolve is that if Kanye can handle himself on the mic. Thankfully, the answer is unresoundingly yes. Kanye has always attested to the fact that he was an emcee before he got into producing, and it was only his startling success as a beat-maker that took him away from first love of rhyming. This fact is abundantly clear on these mixes, as Kanye imparts a charmingly laconic vocal delivery, equal parts Mos Def and Snoop Dogg that is brimming with radiant wit, and agile word play. On The College Dropout's alleged first single, "Through the Wire" (an earnest recounting of the emotional toll of his horrific car accident), over a rolling motivational Chaka Kahn sample, Kanye cleverly attests, "In the same hospital where BIG and Tupac died, the Doctor said I had a blood clot, but I ain't Jamaican man, story on MTV, but I ain't trying to make a band." While over the old-school soul of "Home", Kanye personifies his relationship with his hometown of Chicago in the vain of Common's ode to hip-hop "I Used to Love Her", and through a wildly sincere monologue recounts their lengthy turbulent history; Kanye's cleverly rhymes, "I guess that's why last winter she got so cold on me, she said 'Ye keep making that platinum and gold for me."

On the closing track off Get Well Soon, the bitter-sweetly nostalgic, "My Way", a speed up vocal sample reflects, "I've lived a life that's full, I've traveled each and every highway, and what's more than this, I did it my way." The track serves as the perfect summation of every aspect that makes Kanye West such a rarity amongst the excess-laden caricatures that seem to dominate the hip-hop world; over a lush instrumental of sweeping syrupy string melodies, West earnestly recounts his hip-hop typical ambitions of making a dollar. However, when he states, "I'm not a Kennedy, but I'm good rich," it feels like a miracle. Finally a rapper who is equal parts ambitious and humble, aggressive and empathetic, and witty while still being genuine. He's Kanye West, and he's just put out the best hip-hop album of next year... his own way.

Snoop Dogg

2007-11-22T14:52:00.000-08:00

No other rapper has been able to carve such a distinct niche in hip hop's diverse and expansive history as Snoop Dogg. His flow is like a Southern breeze on a lazy Sunday afternoon - soothing in its feel, sturdy in its power. We've all witnessed the curly-headed, lyrical phenomenon from 21st Street in Long Beach evolve and fortify into a grown man, now just as concerned with his business as he is with his lyrics - his game as healthy and expanding as his straightened head of hair.

The Doggfather is now bringing his collection of classics to arenas across America as a headliner on Dr. Dre's "Up in Smoke 2000" tour. Snoop will join Tray Deee and Goldie Loc of his newly formed group Tha Eastsidaz, Eminem, Warren G, Xzibit, Nate Dogg, Kurupt, Ice Cube, Mack 10, WC, and others on a tentative 39-city, seven-week tour to show audiences across the nation how the West coast rocks.

His set includes joints from his upcoming No Limit/Priority Records album, Tha Last Meal, due in stores this fall and featuring production from Dr. Dre, Battlecat, Meech Wells, Timbaland, Jellyroll, Fredwreck and Swizz Beats, and Snoop recently completed shooting his long-awaited New Line cinema produced horror-flick "Bones," set to hit theaters later this year. In perhaps his most rewarding accomplishment, Snoop has started his own label, ---------- Records, which offers its artists 100 percent of their publishing rights. "You won't see that in no record label that I've dealt with," says Snoop. "Me giving it to the artist is something special because I feel like if you write your songs and create that atmosphere, you should be compensated for it." ---------- artists include Tha Eastsidaz, Kokane, Butch Cassidy and a female rap trio, Doggy's Angels. The label also has a film division entitled Snoopadelic Films, another gratifying achievement considering Snoop's personal love of motion pictures. The company's
first release will be "The Eastsidaz," a straight-to-video film featuring himself, Tray Deee and Goldie Loc.

For fans interested in Snoop's long and bumpy path to the present day, Snoop detailed his life story in his autobiography, "Tha Doggfather." Written with Davin Scay,the project required a self-analysis that few people are willing to undertake. "I had to go back to my childhood and the things that made me upset, and made me who Iam," says Snoop. "I also had to expose the bad things about myself that caused me to have that bad reputation when I first came out. But it's all a part of life. I was willing to reveal it and share it with the public."

Between his numerous projects, Snoop manages to squeeze in a weekly radio show at The Beat in Los Angeles that has just picked up national syndication in 14 U.S. markets and counting. His air-shift sizzles with his favorite old-school r&b and hip hop joints, as well as world premiere releases of his own material.

Snoop Dogg has already accomplished what many rap artists will never achieve. The sheer resiliency of his 28-year hustle has made hip hop's own "King of All Media" currently available in record stores, movie theaters, book stores, syndicated radio, and recently in concert, C-walking across a stage near you. Snoop admits his newfound focus on matters other than rhyming was sparked by Master P taught me," says Snoop. "Now I'm taking what he taught me, putting it to use with my personal knowledge and just trying to be the best artist in the game."

Akon

2007-11-19T03:20:00.001-08:00

Akon is the performing name of Senegalese-American singer Aliaune Thiam, whose 2004 debut album, Trouble, spawned the hit singles "Locked Up" and "Lonely." The son of jazz percussionist Mor Thiam, Akon spent his childhood in the U.S. and Senegal (Dakar), settling in New Jersey when he was a teenager. Out of high school, Akon turned to crime and was jailed for his part in a car theft ring. After his release he focused on making his own demo tapes and eventually landed a recording contract. His distinctive smooth and reedy voice was backed by production skills that made him a sought-after collaborator, and by the time of his second release, 2006's Konvicted, he had hits lined up with top stars, including Eminem ("Smack That"), Gwen Stefani ("The Sweet Escape") and Snoop Dogg ("I Wanna Love You").

TRIVIA: The song he does with Snoop Dogg, "I Wanna Love You," is really titled something a little naughtier... Akon is vague and cagey about his background, especially his actual date of birth, which many sources list as 14 October 1981... He has said his full name is Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Badara Akon Thiam.