Fronted by MC Fusion, Credit to the Nation were one of the first commercial hip-hop acts producing a distinctively British sound, albeit with a hint of MC Fusion's Jamaican heritage. His lyrics often tackled weighty issues such as sexism, racism, homophobia and British politics, but went against the grain for many followers of hip-hop in the UK at the time and lead to a great deal of antagonism.
R.A. the Rugged Man, real name R.A. Thorburn, is a rapper from Stony Brook, Long Island. He began his music career at age 12. At 18, he signed to Jive Records. R.A.'s legend, perpetuated by the P.R. biographies at his various labels, say he was dropped due to violent and disgusting behavior, but in interviews he disputes many of the more extreme stories told about him, adding that Jive just didn't know how to break new artists at the time.
Intuition is the name of 1) a synthpop group and 2) a hip hop artist. 1) Intuition is the duo of vocalist Garrett Miles and programmer Ken Porter. Hailing from sunny Phoenix, Arizona, they have taken the music world by storm with their infectious and unforgettable sound. Fusing together elements of techno-pop, R&B and traditional rock with an electronic backbone, Garrett's smooth and soulful voice gives the synthetic wizardry a warm richness and unique trademark rarely found in today's commercial music world.
Lyrics Born (a.k.a. Asia Born) is Tom Shimura (b. 1972), originally from Berkeley, California, though through his childhood he lived in Tokyo, Japan, and Salt Lake City, Utah. He began his hip hop career while at college at UC Davis, where he was a DJ at the college station KDVS. He is a founding member of the group of artists known as Quannum Projects. He is also one half of the group Latyrx with fellow MC Lateef The Truth Speaker.
DJ/Producer LEFTO started in 1996. His father had to borrow money from the bank to buy two turntables to his son. And here he is. He learned his first scratches and mix techniques with AKRO of Starflam. LEFTO finished an album of remixes called “Out Of The Blue” for the prestigious jazz label BLUE NOTE in 2005 and dropped an ep of instrumental beats in the same period, a well-demanded record in Japan. The record has been re-released as a box-version for Blue Note Records in 2007. Today he is a demanded dj in Amsterdam, Paris, Prague and all around Belgium.
Nice & Smooth is an underground East Coast rap duo from New York, composed of Greg Nice (Greg Mays) and Smooth B (Daryl Barnes). Together, they made several albums in the late 1980s and early 1990s to little popular appeal, though their second album (Ain't a Damn Thing Changed, 1991) was a commercial success that included a minor hit in "Sometimes I Rhyme Slow". "Hip-Hop Junkies", which featured a sample from The Partridge Family's "I Think I Love You" was also a hit, and once performed live on Keenan Ivory Wayans "In Living Color".
Muph & Plutonic is an Australian hip hop group from Melbourne, Victoria. It is composed of MC Muphin and DJ
Aleister X adds darkness to blackness and takes the musichall to the dancehall, engaging in some old skool Arthur Askey clowning along the way. This is the sound of light entertainment back from the dead and at its very best. So put your dancing shoes on, listen up, and get in touch with your dark side.
Formed in Edinburgh in 2005 by Joe Acheson (bass and electronics), Poppy Ackroyd (keyboards and violin), Tim Lane (drums), and Jamie Graham (v-drums and percussion). Occasional guests live and on recordings include Marcus Britton (Orkestra del Sol, La Boum, Fat Tuesday), Su-a Lee (Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Mr McFall's Chamber), Nick Roth, Fraser Fifield, MC Profisee and Colm O'Hara. JAQ are building a strong following on the live circuit for their stunning blend of jazz, hip-hop, beats, electronics and FX.