1
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper from Compton, California. Lamar embarked on his musical career as a teenager under the moniker K-Dot, releasing a mixtape that garnered local attention and led to his signing with Carson-based independent record label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE). Lamar began to gain major recognition in 2010 after his first retail release, Overly Dedicated. The following year, he released the independent album Section.80, which included Lamar's debut single, "HiiiPoWeR". By that time, he had collaborated with several prominent artists in the hip hop industry, including The Game, Snoop Dogg, and Busta Rhymes.
Lamar secured a recording contract with Aftermath and Interscope Records in 2012. His major-label debut album, good kid, m.A.A.d city, was released in October 2012 to critical sucess. The record contained the top 40 singles "Swimming Pools (Drank)", "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe", and "Poetic Justice", and debuted at number two on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart; it was later certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Preceded by the Grammy Award-winning single "i", Lamar released his third studio album To Pimp a Butterfly in 2015 to universal acclaim. The album incorporated elements of free jazz, funk, soul, and spoken word, and debuted atop the charts in the U.S. and the UK. In 2016, Lamar released untitled unmastered., a collection of unreleased demos that originated during the recording sessions for Butterfly.
Lamar has received wide acclaim and a number of accolades over the course of his career, including seven Grammy Awards. In early 2013, MTV named Lamar the No. 1 "Hottest MC in the Game" on their annual list. Aside from his solo career, Lamar is also known as a member of the West Coast hip hop supergroup Black Hippy, alongside his TDE labelmates and fellow South Los Angeles-based rappers Ab-Soul, Jay Rock and Schoolboy Q.
[Read more on Wikipedia]
Aubrey Drake Graham (born October 24, 1986), better known as Drake, is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor, born and raised in Toronto, Ontario. He first garnered recognition for his role as Jimmy Brooks on the television series Degrassi: The Next Generation. He later rose to prominence as a rapper, releasing several mixtapes before signing to Lil Wayne's Young Money Entertainment in June 2009.
Drake's EP, So Far Gone (2009), spawned the single "Best I Ever Had", which peaked at number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. His first studio album, Thank Me Later (2010), debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 and generated the single "Find Your Love". It was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His second album, Take Care (2011), is his most successful to date, topping charts in the United States and Canada and producing the singles "Take Care", "Make Me Proud" and "The Motto", the last of which is also credited for popularizing the widely used acronym YOLO. In promotion of his second album, Drake embarked on the worldwide Club Paradise Tour, which became the most successful hip-hop tour of 2012, grossing over $42 million. His third studio album Nothing Was the Same was released on September 24, 2013. It was supported by the singles "Started from the Bottom" and "Hold On, We're Going Home".
His work has earned him a Grammy Award, three Juno Awards, six BET Awards, and set several significant Billboard charts records. Drake has the most number-one singles on the Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart with 12 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs with 14. He is one of two artists (the other being 50 Cent) to have simultaneously occupied the chart's top three positions.
Drake, along with being a record producer under the pseudonym Champagne Papi, has also written songs for other artists, including Alicia Keys ("Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready)"), Rita Ora ("R.I.P."), Jamie Foxx and Trey Songz.
Tauheed Epps (born September 12, 1977), better known by his stage name 2 Chainz (formerly Tity Boi), is an American rapper from College Park, Georgia. He initially gained recognition for being one-half of the Southern hip hop duo Playaz Circle, alongside his longtime friend and fellow rapper, Earl "Dolla Boy" Conyers. They are perhaps best known for being signed to fellow Georgia-based rapper Ludacris' Disturbing tha Peace label, as well as their debut single "Duffle Bag Boy".
In February 2012, Epps signed a solo record deal with Def Jam Records, an imprint of Universal Music Group. The following August, he released his debut studio album Based on a T.R.U. Story, to mixed reviews. The album spawned three successful singles: "No Lie", "Birthday Song", and "I'm Different", all of which charted in the top 50 of the Billboard Hot 100 and were certified Gold or higher by the RIAA, along with the album being certified Gold. His second studio album B.O.A.T.S. II: Me Time was released on September 11, 2013. It was supported by the singles "Feds Watching", "Where U Been?", and "Used 2".
Rakim Athelaston Mayers (born October 3, 1988), known by his stage name ASAP Rocky (stylized as A$AP Rocky; , AY-sap), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, model, actor and music video director. He is a member of the hip hop group A$AP Mob, from which he adopted his moniker. Rocky released his debut mixtape Live. Love. A$AP, in 2011 to critical acclaim. The success of his mixtape led to a record deal with Polo Grounds Music, RCA Records, and Sony Music Entertainment. He subsequently recorded his 2013 debut album Long. Live. A$AP, which was also well received by critics and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. In 2015, Rocky released his second studio album titled At. Long. Last. A$AP. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, making it Rocky's second consecutive album to debut at number one and has received positive reviews from music critics. Rocky has also directed music videos for himself, Danny Brown, and other A$AP Mob members. Furthermore, he is a noted record producer, producing under the pseudonym Lord Flacko.In July 2019, he was arrested, and in August 2019 found guilty of assault in Sweden. In addition to time already served, he received a suspended prison sentence and was ordered to pay damages of 12,500 Swedish krona (about $1,300 US), split with his two associates, to the victim.