 | | East Coast rapper Drag On had a long and profitable history in the background of hardcore rap albums, contributing to projects like DMX's two multi-platinum albums, Ruff Ryders' Ryde or Die, Vol. |
 | | Based out of Harlem, NY, producer Ron Browz was first brought into the studio by a local hero, Big L. |
 | | Sheek Louch united with childhood friends Jadakiss and Styles to form the LOX, and the trio in turn signed with Bad Boy in the late '90s. |
 | | The members of Yonkers, NY, rap crew the LOX (Jadakiss, Sheek Louch, and Styles P) founded D-Block Records, which officially launched with Sheek's solo album Walk Witt Me in 2003. |
 | | Queens, NY-based hardcore rapper Capone was born Kiam Holley. While serving a prison sentence, he befriended fellow inmate Victor Santiago; upon their release, the duo rechristened themselves Capone-N-Noreaga and in 1997, issued their debut LP, The War Report. |
 | | A street legend before the recording of his debut even started, rapper Tony Yayo is a lifelong friend of 50 Cent and a member of his G-Unit crew. |
 | | A Harlem native, Dominican rapper J.R. Writer grew up listening to Big Pun, Big L, and his all-time favorite, 2Pac. |
 | | The Queensbridge hip-hop trio Bravehearts first emerged in 1998, with a track on the soundtrack to the Hype Williams film Belly. |
 | | One of New York's leading mixtape purveyors, DJ Envy climbed up the ranks quickly and, by the early 2000s, was peddling the latest exclusives and freestyles by big-name rappers like Jay-Z, 50 Cent, and the L. |
 | | Known as the Drama King (aka Slap Your Favorite DJ), DJ Kayslay rose to the top of his field by refereeing some of the most talked-about MC battles of the early 2000s, most notably Jay-Z versus Nas and 50 Cent versus Ja Rule, on his Streetsweeper mixtape series and later on his Hot 97 radio show, The Drama Hour. |
 | | After establishing himself as a recording artist with Jay-Z and his Roc-a-Fella empire, Philadelphia rapper Beanie Sigel set out to start his own network with the group State Property. |
 | | DJ Green Lantern, aka the Evil Genius, rose to prominence practically overnight when he aligned himself with Eminem, who wanted to get his Shady Records label into the mixtape game. |
 | | |
 | | One of the handful of DJs to make the jump from mixtapes to the major labels, DJ Clue? hooked up with Jay-Z's Roc-a-Fella Records camp for a bit in the late '90s, then moved on to his own camp, Desert Storm Records. |
 | | |
 | | Quik(formerly DJ Quik) and AMG, two Compton-based West Coast rap veterans, teamed up in late 2006 to form the Fixxers, an outlet for the pair as MCs and producers. |
 | | Cam'ron's Harlem-based Diplomats crew (also known as Dipset) centers around Juelz Santana, Jim Jones, JR Writer, and Diplomat Records president Freekey Zeekey. |
 | | Not since the early '80s when DJs such as Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambaataa were acknowledged as two of rap's most popular figures had a hip-hop DJ attained such prominent status among the masses as New York's Funkmaster Flex. |
 | | A member of Harlem-based mixtape crew the Diplomats (aka Dipset), 40 Cal (b. Calvin Alan Byrd) made his first appearance with the self-titled theme song "40 Cal" on the Dipset album Diplomatic Immunity, Vol. |
 | | Born and raised in the Bronx, rapper Hell Rell is a member of the Diplomats crew who made his solo debut in 2006 with the mixtape Streets Wanna Know. |
 | | Benzino may be a rapper, but he's far better known for his disrepute, in particular the discredit he brought to The Source, once the leading rap music magazine. |
 | | |
 | | Initially just one among countless other mixtape DJs in New York, DJ Whookid rose to prominence alongside fellow Queens native 50 Cent and his G-Unit posse, whose freestyles he featured extensively and exclusively on his mixes. |
 | | As one of the less heralded architects of '90s hardcore rap, Queens native producer-MC Havoc (born Kejuan Muchita) never received the same level of credit accorded to Wu-Tang Clan's RZA, but his productions on his albums with Prodigy as Mobb Deep -- especially 1995's classic The Infamous -- were among some of the starkest, grimiest, and deceptively musical beats of the era. |
 | | |
 | | Sheek Louch united with childhood friends Jadakiss and Styles to form the LOX, and the trio in turn signed with Bad Boy in the late '90s. |
 | | Harlem-based crew the Diplomats, aka Dipset, gained a reputation for inundating the New York mixtape circuit with their CDs, and they have been fairly successful at it, too. |
 | | Philadelphia hardcore rapper Gillie da Kid was first thrown into the national spotlight in 2006 from a controversy with Cash Money Records and its star rapper, Lil Wayne, when he claimed to have ghostwritten for some of the label's artists, particularly Wayne. |
 | | Philadelphia rapper Journalist, whose real name is Rafiek George, gives much of the credit for his success to his mother, who supported her five sons and provided a strong example of what it means to be determined and to work hard. |
 | | |
 | | The all-star hip-hop collective/production team Ruff Ryders included CEOs Chivon, Dee, and Waah Dean, producers Swizz Beatz, DJ Shok, and PK, and gold and platinum-selling rappers DMX, Eve, Drag On, and the LOX (Shawn "Sheek" Jacobs, Jayson Phillips, and David Styles). |
 | | Rapper McGruff debuted in 1995 on Big L's Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous and also appeared with Heavy D on Monifah's "I Miss You. |
 | | The East Coast gangsta rap supergroup the Firm never lived up to its excessive hype and instead became a brief footnote in the careers of its main participants. |
 | | The Stone Mountain, GA, trio Fast Life Youngstaz burst onto the scene in the summer of 2008 when their party hit "Swag Surfin'" began to dominate Atlanta radio. |
 | | One-half of the Queens hardcore rap duo Capone-N-Noreaga, Victor "Noreaga" Santiago met Kiam "Capone" Holley in 1992 while both were serving prison sentences. |
 | | Just Blaze worked closely with Roc-a-Fella Records in the early 2000s, producing hits like Cam'ron's "Oh Boy," Jay-Z's "Girls, Girls, Girls," and Beanie Sigel and Freeway's "Rock the Mic. |
 | | |
 | | Reggae singer Serani started racking up solo hits in 2008 with his single "Doh," but his behind-the-scenes work in music goes back to 2001, the year he formed the Daseca production team with brothers David and Craig Harrisingh. |
 | | Rapper Memphis Bleek was raised in Brooklyn, NY's Marcy Projects housing community, making his recorded debut in 1996 on Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt. |
 | | Freeway fast became a valuable member of the Roc-a-Fella family in the early 2000s. His ascent can be traced back to an agreement he made with fellow Philadelphia native Beanie Sigel. |
 | | The Neptunes quietly emerged from Virginia Beach at the turn of the century and quickly became the hottest producers within the rap industry, then the entire pop music industry. |
 | | |
 | | He's half of the brains behind the Cash Money label, his productions have moved over 23 million units, and it all started because of a DJ father. |
 | | Hip-hop producer and entrepreneur Donald "XL" Robertson was born and raised in New Orleans, home to Master P's No Limit, a label Robertson saw grow from infancy to infamy. |
 | | Timbaland ascended to the top of the pop industry in the late '90s, impressively balancing his in-demand hitmaking abilities with his outlandish production style. |
 | | |
 | | |
 | | Jadakiss (born Jason Phillips) became a member of the Ruff Ryders in 1999. Five years earlier, he joined the LOX (who started their saga as a group called the Warlocks) and has remained a member of both groups since. |
 | | Lil' Fame and Billy Danzenie formed hardcore rap act M.O.P. The duo's debut single, "How About Some Hardcore," became popular and led to the release of their first album, To the Death, in the spring of 1994. |
 | | Rapper Fredro Starr has a lot on his plate. The Queens, NY, native balances both an acting and a music career. |
