Cypress Hill is Hip-Hop group from
California U.S.. Cypress Hill is undeniably one of the most influential names
in the world of hip-hop. Group consists of B-Real(born Louis Freese June 2,
1970), DJ Muggs(born Lawrence Muggerud January 28, 1968), Sen Dog(born Senen
Reyes November 20, 1965), Eric Bobo(born Eric Correa, August 27), 1968). The
group's name comes from Cypress Avenue, a street that runs through the South
Central L.A. hood where the group came together.
Their debut album was released in August 1991
titled “Cypress Hill”, album gave them a meteoric fame as the album sold
million copies in the U.S. alone and was certified a double Platinum. Their
second album "Black Sunday" released in 1993, it surpassed the
success of its predecessor. It debuted at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 200. The
selling number hit more than 3 millions mark, earning them a triple Platinum. Album’s
hit was "Insane In The Brain".
Cypress Hill released the group's third,
“III Temples of Boom”,(1995) and third-consecutive platinum album release. selling
1.5 million copies and reaching number 3 on the Billboard 200 on the strength
of the hit single Throw Your Set in the Air. one of their members Sen Dog took
a timeout to form a side project called SX-10. Every member of group focused on
their solo careers in 1997.
The group reunioned in 1998 when they
released "IV" which went gold in the U.S. this album couldn't achieve
the success of their previous albums, becoming their first effort to fail
charting on the Top 10 of Hot 200. This failure pushed group to come with something
different and in 2000 Cypress Hill released their 6th album with a
two-disc "Skull & Bones". The first disc "Skull"
features rap tracks, while the second one "Bones" explores rock
songs. This led them return to the Top 10 of the U.S. albums chart, peaking at
number three. Cypress Hill released "Stoned Raiders" and "Till
Death Do Us Part" in 2001 and 2004. Both efforts consist of more than 14
songs but failed to climb to the The Top 10 of Hot 200. The first could only
peak at No. 16, and the latter made its highest position at number 21.
M.O.P. (Mash Out Posse) is a Hardcore Hip-Hop
duo from Brownsville, Brooklyn, New York. M.O.P was formed in 1992 by Lil Fame
(Jamal Grinnage) and Billy Danze (Eric Murray), they were grew up in the neighborhood
of Brownsville, Brooklyn NY, from begining Lil Fame was DJ but than he started
writing rhymes.
M.O.P. Released first single in 1993 "How
About Some Hardcore?" wich was th soundtrack of film “House Party”. Their debut
album was released in 1994 and was called “To the Death”.
In 1996, M.O.P. released their second album,
“Firing Squad”. After this duo have changed label and signed new contract with Relativity
Records. In 1998 M.O.P. released the “Handle Ur Bizness”, which was soon
followed by the album “First Family 4 Life”. “Warriorz” followed two years
later. The success of “Warriorz” helped raise M.O.P's profile and garnered some
mainstream radio attention. After this in 2002 they were picked up by Jay-Z’s Roc-A-Fella
Records and appeared on Jay-Z's The Blueprint. Rock-a-Fella did not release a
full-length album from M.O.P and the band parted-ways with Rock-a-Fella in
2005. They then signed with G-Unit Records.
The Lost Boyz are a Hip-Hop group from New
York(South Jamaica, Queens). Group members were Mr.Cheeks (MC), Freaky Tah
(backup MC), Spigg Nice(DJ) and Pretty Lou. Lost Boyz’s first single was "Lifestyles
of the Rich and Shameless" wich charted on the Billboard Hot 100. The Single
earned them record deal with Uptown Records. Later in 1995 group released their
second single "Jeeps, Lex Coups, Bimaz & Benz”.
After two singles lost boyz made their 3rd
single “Renee” wich was soundtrack for film “Don't Be a Menace to South Central
While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood”. “Renee” became major hit for group breaking
into the Top 40 on the Hot 100 chart. The single also reached Gold status in
1996. In 1996 group released their first album “Legal Drug Money”. The work was
highly acclaimed, and the album featured five Billboard Hot 100 hits, including
their past singles "Lifestyles Of The Rich & Shameless",
"Renee", as well as "Music Makes Me High", "Jeeps, Lex
Coups, Bimaz & Benz" and "Get Up". The album was certified
Gold by the RIAA in late 1996.
Their second album, "Love, Peace &
Nappiness", was released on June 17, 1997. The album wasn't as acclaimed as
their debut, but fared well commercially, reaching Gold status in late 1997. Freaky
Tah was murdered on March 28, 1999 at the birthday party for Mr. Cheeks, he was
shot in the head. Three remaining group members finished their 3rd
album “LB IV Life” released in September 1999. Album failed to reach god
status. After this the group split up, Mr.Cheeks Began solo career and released
album “John P. Kelly” in 2001. Mr.Cheeks
released another album in 2003, titled “Back Again!”, then followed in 2004
with “Ladies & Ghettomen”.
Big L (Real name Lamont Coleman), was an
American rapper. Big L was Born in Harlem NY, (May 30, 1974 – February 15,
1999) where he founded group Children of the Corn also at that time he was
member of the Diggin' in the Crates Crew, after this he started solo career. Big
L's debut solo album “Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous” was released in
March 1995. MVP" and "Put It On" were two hits from this album. both
reached Billboard's top twenty-five HotRap Tracks, album itself also reached
the Billboard Top 200.
In 1997, Big L started working on his
second studio album, "The Big Picture”. In February 15, 1999 Big L was shot and
killed in Harlem, a week before releasing of his second album “The Big Picture”.
Album was released in 2000 by Rich King who was Big L’s manager. murder case still
remains unsolved.
Naughty By Nature are hip-hop's finest group and
unquestionably one of its most beloved.
The group Was formed in 1989 by Treach, Vin Rock, and the DJ
Kay (all members of group are from East Orange, New Jersey). Group’s First hit was track called “O.P.P.” which
sampled the Jackson 5's hit "ABC" and was released in 1991 on their
self-titled album Naughty by Nature. The song peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot
100, making it one of the most successful crossover songs in rap history.
O.P.P. also being named one of the top 100 rap singles of all time in 1998 by
The Source magazine.
Treach began a
secondary acting career in 1992, appearing in Juice; he would go on to
supporting roles in The Meteor Man, Who's the Man?, and Jason's Lyric, among
others. Naughty by Nature repeated their success with their second album “19
Naughty III” released in 1993, album went platinum.
1995's Poverty's
Paradise was the group's final album for Tommy Boy; though it didn't spawn any
major hits, it went on to win a Grammy for Best Rap Album becoming the first
album to win this award. It also spawned a hit song in "Feel Me Flow"
which peaked at #17 on the Billboard Hot 100. in 1997, both Treach and Vinnie
were arrested in Harlem for illegal weapons possession, and, in 1999, Treach
married Pepa, of Salt-N-Pepa (a union that would dissolve two years later).
Also in 1999, Naughty by Nature finally returned with a new album titled “Nineteen
Naughty Nine: Nature's Fury”.
DJ Kay Gee
decided to leave Naughty by Nature in late 2000. Treach and Vinnie struck a
deal with TVT, and the first Naughty by Nature album as a duo, “IIcons”, was
released in early 2002. In 2011 the group worked on their long-delayed seventh
group album, and it finally saw release. Titled “Anthem Inc.”, it came out
December 13, 2011.
Onyx is a hip hop group from New York City
(South Jamaica, Queens). Originally formed in 1988 by Fredro Starr, Sonsee, the
late Big DS, the group later added Sticky Fingaz, Fredro Starr’s cousin, in
1991. the members of Onyx (Fredro Starr, Sticky Fingaz, Big DS, and DJ Suave
Sonny Caeser) met while working as barbers. Onyx released its first single,
"Ah, And We Do It Like This", in 1990. After Sticky fingaz’s joining
the group, the group released Throw Ya
Gunz in 1992.
The band honed their rhyming skills and act
by performing at local clubs, which eventually gained the attention of
Run-D.M.C.'s Jam Master Jay, who signed the group to his label, JMJ Records,
and even helped produce Onyx's debut full-length, Bacdafucup, in 1993. The album turned out to be a
platinum-certified smash, spurred on by the runaway success of the hit single
"Slam," which went on to become one of the year's biggest rap hits. Onyx
also performed with Biohazard on the tune "Judgment Night", taken
from the soundtrack album of the same name. Onyx also received critical
acclaim, winning Soul Train's album of the year.
Big DS left the group during the recording
of All We Got Iz Us because he felt he wasn't getting enough time on the
microphone. In 1995, Onyx released their second album All We Got Iz Us. While the album was much less successful
commercially, it proved to be a critical success.
1998's Shut 'Em Down came and went without
much fanfare. In the August 2008 issue of VIBE, All We Got Iz Us was listed as
the best produced rap album of 1995 and one of twenty albums every fan of
hip-hop must own. The late '90s saw members Sticky and Fredro try their hand at
acting, landing spots on HBO's Strapped, Spike Lee's Clockers, the Rhea
Pearlman/Danny De Vito-directed Sunset Park, and Brandy's hit TV show Moesha. After
leaving Def Jam, the group returned in 2002 with Bacdafucup Part II released on Koch Records, Followed by the 2003
release Triggernometry on D3
Entertainment. The various members tried to launch solo careers, but the
records never connected with audiences.
The Wu-Tang
Clan is a New York City-based hip-hop group, which consists of: RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah
Deck, U-God, Masta Killa and Ol' Dirty Bastard.
They are frequently joined by fellow
childhood friend Cappadonna, a
quasi-member of the group. They were formed in (and are generally associated
with) the New York City borough of Staten Island (referred to by members as
"Shaolin"), though some of its members originate from Brooklyn.
The founders of the Wu-Tang Clan were cousins
Robert Diggs, Gary Grice, and Russell Jones, (RZA, GZA, and Ol' Dirty Bastard).
The name "Wu-Tang" is derived
from the name of the mountain Wu Dang (Wudang Shan) in northwest Hubei Province
in central China with long history associated with Chinese culture, especially
Taoism, martial arts and medicine. The RZA and Ol' Dirty Bastard adopted the
name for the group after the film Shaolin and Wu Tang.
The Wu-Tang Clan first became known in 1993
following the release of the independent single "Protect Ya Neck",
which immediately gave the group a sizable underground following, especially
after their tour with Kat Nu and Cypress Hill. The group members sold the
single to local record stores and radio stations, and it became an underground
success. Loud Records soon signed the Wu-Tang Clan to a deal that gave the group
members creative control and the freedom to negotiate solo projects with other
labels. In 1993 Loud released Enter the
Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). This album turned out to be critically acclaimed,
and to date is regarded as one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time.
RZA was the first to follow up on the
success of Enter the Wu-Tang with a side project, founding the Gravediggaz with
Prince Paul and Frukwan (both of Stetsasonic) and Poetic. The Gravediggaz
released 6 Feet Deep in August 1994, which became one of the best known works
to emerge from hip hop's small sub-genre of horrorcore. The first Wu-Tang
member to become a major solo star was Method Man. In November 1994, he
released Tical on Def Jam Recordings, the first official Wu-Tang solo album.
Again, RZA produced the album, creating a dense, dirty sonic collage. Tical
became a big hit in early 1995, as did Meth's duet with Mary J. Blige, I'll Be
There for You/You're All I Need to Get By. Ol' Dirty Bastard followed Method
Man's breakthrough success with Return to the 36 Chambers, which appeared in
March 1995 on Elektra Records. Thanks to the hits "Brooklyn Zoo" and
"Shimmy Shimmy Ya," the record became a gold success.
Later in 1995, the two most critically
acclaimed Wu-Tang records appeared: Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx and
Genius/GZA's Liquid Swords. Raekwon released his album on Loud/RCA in August
1995; the record featured extensive contributions - a total of 12 songs - from
Ghostface Killah, his greatest exposure yet. GZA/Genius narrated Liquid Swords
(1995), produced by RZA, the most dramatic and cinematic of the solo projects.
In February of 1996, Ghostface Killah's first solo track, Winter Warz, appeared
on the Don't Be a Menace to South Central While You're Drinking Your Juice in
the Hood soundtrack. Later that October, he released his own solo debut, the
critically acclaimed, '70s soul-flavored Ironman; the record was the first
released on RZA's new Epic subsidiary, Razor Sharp Records.
The Wu-Tang Clan finally reconvened and
returned with their second album, the double-CD Wu-Tang Forever, in June of
1997. Hugely anticipated, the album entered the charts at number one - selling
over 600,000 copies in its first week alone - and quickly spawned the hit
single Triumph. There were several contributions from guest associate
Cappadonna, who'd appeared on Only Built 4 Cuban Linx and Ironman. The group
toured extensively in support of the album.
In the meantime,
the next phase of the Wu-Tang plan started to take shape: unearthing new
associates and spinning the resulting stable of talent into a brand-name
franchise. A group of Wu protégés dubbed Killarmy released their debut album,
Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars, on Priority Records in August 1997, drawing
heavily upon the Clan's martial imagery. 1998, however, was truly the year for
Wu-related side projects. In March, Cappadonna released his solo debut The
Pillage on Columbia. The same month, Killah Priest - not an official part of
the Clan, but a frequent guest and a member of another protégé group called the
Sunz of Man - made his solo debut on Geffen Records with Heavy Mental, an
acclaimed album filled with spiritual imagery that established him as one of
the more distinctive solo artists in the Wu-Tang orbit. In July the Sunz of Man
released their own debut album, The Last Shall Be First, on Red Ant, and yet
another group of up-and-comers dubbed the Wu-Tang Killa Beez released their
first album, The Swarm, Vol. 1, on Priority, featuring a number of guest
appearances by Wu members and associates. In August, Killarmy issued their
second album, Dirty Weaponry.
1998 was also the year Ol' Dirty Bastard
began a long and bizarre saga of erratic behavior and run-ins with police that
found him making headlines with alarming (and ridiculous) regularity. In
February he interrupted Shawn Colvin's acceptance speech at the Grammy Awards
to protest the Clan's loss in the Best Rap Album category; shortly thereafter,
he announced he was changing his name to Big Baby Jesus. This was only the
beginning - over the next year and a half, ODB would be arrested for a litany
of offenses that included assault, shoplifting, making terrorist threats,
wearing body armor after being convicted of a felony, possessing cocaine, and
missing countless court dates. Plus, in early 1999, the whole Clan fell under
suspicion of masterminding a gun-running operation between Staten Island and
Steubenville, OH, charges that were never proven to have any validity.
The group reconvened once again to make The
W, though without Ol' Dirty Bastard, who was at the time incarcerated in
California for violating the terms of his probation. Though incarcerated, ODB
managed to make it onto the track "Conditioner" which featured Snoop
Dogg. ODB's vocals were recorded via the telephones used for inmates to talk
with visitors, while in prison. The W was mostly well received by critics,
particularly for The RZA's production, and also gave the group a hit single
with the uptempo "Gravel Pit", part of a trilogy of videos where the
group would visit different eras with a time traveling elevator, which also
included "Protect Ya Neck (The Jump Off)" and "Careful (Click,
Click)", which were then followed by "I Can't Go to Sleep"
featuring Isaac Hayes. The album would go on to reach double platinum status. In
2001, the Wu-Tang Clan released Iron Flag, an album which made extensive use of
outside producers and guests. GZA/Genius dropped his new album Legend Of The
Liquid Sword in December 2002.
In August 2003 Ol' Dirty Bastard returned
home and immediately signed a new deal with Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records the
same day of his release. An official mixtape titled Osirus featuring many new
songs was released in March 2005, but ODB's Roc-A-Fella album A Son Unique,
which should have been released in 2005, had numerous delays until now.
Ghostface Killah joined Def Jam Recordings to build his own Starks Enterprises
imprint. Raekwon jumped to Universal Records and his shaping up his own
company: Ice Water, Inc. Masta Killa released his first solo album No Said Date
in 2004. In early 2004, U-God apparently left the group in disgust. A DVD
titled Rise of a Fallen Soldier was released detailing his problems, which were
mostly with his treatment by RZA, who he claimed had hindered his success as a
solo artist. He also formed a new group of young protegés called the Hillside
Scramblers, with whom he released the album U-Godzilla Presents the Hillside
Scramblers in March 2004. The dispute culminated in a heated phone conversation
between RZA and U-God on live radio, which ultimately saw the two reconcile. He
has since returned to the group and is heavily featured on solo albums, Wu
albums, and projects.
On November 13, 2004 the most tragic moment
in the Wu-Tang history happened as Ol' Dirty Bastard collapsed at approximately
5:29 p.m. at Wu-Tang's 36 Chambers studios on West 34th Street in New York
City. Less than an hour later he was pronounced dead, only two days before his
36th birthday. His funeral service was held at Brooklyn's Christian Cultural
Center.
In 2005 RZA premiered as a writer and
published his first book the Wu-Tang Manual giving an inside view of the
philosophy behind the Clan. The manual is divided into four books each
containing nine chambers totaling 36 chambers. The chapters include biographies
of each member, an explanation of the famous Wu-Tang slang, a history on the
Wu-Tang Clan logo, explanations of diverse influences like the Nation of Gods
and Earths, chess, comic books, drugs, and martial arts. The book also shows
RZA's views on music, spirituality and producing, and a lyrical guide to the
meanings of key Wu-Tang songs. U-God also released his second album Mr.
Xcitement in 2005 and GZA started his collaboration with DJ Muggs, GrandMasters.
On March 28, 2006, Ghostface Killah
released Fishscale which was followed by the release of More Fish in December.
The whole Clan, including Cappadonna and the deceased ODB, appeared on "9
Milli Bros." Method Man came back with his critically acclaimed 2006 album
4:21... the Day After. He was heavily featured in the media due to his
displeasure with Def Jam's handling of his project, and despite not having any
promotion or airplay the album still debuted in the Billboard Top Ten. 2006
also saw the release of Masta Killa's second studio album, Made in Brooklyn,
and Inspectah Deck released an official mixtape titled The Resident Patient on
June 25, 2006, a prelude to his next album The Rebellion. Finally in December
2006, the Wu-Tang Clan signed a one-album deal with Steve Rifkind's SRC
Records, who released the group's four previous albums on Loud Records. The
album was titled 8 Diagrams referring to the Kung Fu classic movie The 8
Diagram Pole Fighter and has been released on December 11, 2007.
RZA announced the release of a new Bobby
Digital album DigiSnacks in summer 2008, which he has already begun to work on.
Raekwon's Cuban Linx 2 and GZA's new album Protools are also scheduled for
releae this year.
On June 29,
2011, Raekwon announced that the group were working on a new studio album,
still in early stages. Ghostface Killah later revealed in an interview during
their European Rebirth Tour that the album should hit the shelves in May 2012.
Discography:
Enter the
Wu-Tang (1993)
Wu-Tang Forever
(1997)
The W (2000)
Iron Flag
(2001)
Method Man:
Tical (1994)
Method Man:
Tical 2000 (1998)
Method Man:
Blackout (1999)
Ol' Dirty
Bastard: Return to the 36 Chambers (1995)
The group reunioned in 1998 when they
released "IV" which went gold in the U.S. this album couldn't achieve
the success of their previous albums, becoming their first effort to fail
charting on the Top 10 of Hot 200. This failure pushed group to come with something
different and in 2000 Cypress Hill released their 6th album with a
two-disc "Skull & Bones". The first disc "Skull"
features rap tracks, while the second one "Bones" explores rock
songs. This led them return to the Top 10 of the U.S. albums chart, peaking at
number three. Cypress Hill released "Stoned Raiders" and "Till
Death Do Us Part" in 2001 and 2004. Both efforts consist of more than 14
songs but failed to climb to the The Top 10 of Hot 200. The first could only
peak at No. 16, and the latter made its highest position at number 21.
