east coast rap | Musicosity

east coast rap

Freestyle

There is more than one artist with the name Freestyle: 1. One of the most prolific and influential of the '80s electro artists, Miami-based producer Tony Butler recorded a string of popular club tracks on Power/Jam Packed and his own Music Specialist label in the mid-'80s, helping build the electro legacy that would give birth to Miami-style bass music and freestyle (named after Butler's primary pseudonym), as well as influence '90s post-techno artists such as Autechre and Biochip C.

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Inspectah Deck

Jason Hunter, (born July 6, 1971) better known as Inspectah Deck (aka Rebel INS), is an American rapper, producer, and actor. A member of the Wu-Tang Clan, known for his lyricism, he has not achieved the same level of commercial success in his solo career as some of his counterparts (such as Ghostface Killah or Method Man) though he continues to be respected and actively releases material. Hunter routinely mentions the Park Hill Projects in Clifton, Staten Island, NY, where he grew up, going to school with the future Ghostface Killah, Raekwon and Method Man.

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Jay-Z

Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969 in Brooklyn, New York), is an american hip hop artist and former president and CEO of Def Jam and Roc-A-Fella Records. He is more commonly known as Jay-Z or by a variety of stage names including S. Carter, Jigga, Hova, Hov, and Young Hov. He is regarded as one of the most prolific and successful American rappers of the mid-90s and early 2000s and is known for his use of metaphors, freestyling abilities, word play, flow, and blending of street and popular hip hop.

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GZA/Genius

Gary Grice (born August 22, 1966), better known by his stage name GZA (pronounced /ˈdʒɪzə/) and The Genius, is an American hip hop artist best known as a founding member of the seminal hip hop group the Wu-Tang Clan and for his inclusion on their group albums, his group mates' solo releases and a successful solo career. When it comes to thought provoking, street-bred raw lyricism, the Wu-Tang Clan's fountain of wisdom, GZA takes his job very seriously. The way he crafts his double-edged rhyme flow mirrors the skill and precise technique of one who works with fine ceramics.

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Nice & Smooth

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".

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Jadakiss

Jason Phillips (born May 27, 1975 in Yonkers, New York), better known by his stage name Jadakiss, is an American rapper currently signed to Roc-A-Fella Records. He is also a member of the rap group The LOX, which he formed in 1994 with friends Jamaal, Sheek Louch, and Styles P. He released his solo debut album Kiss Tha Game Goodbye in 2001, and followed this with 2004's Kiss of Death and his most recent album, 2009's The Last Kiss.

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AZ

Anthony Cruz (born March 9, 1972 in Brooklyn, New York), better known by his stage name AZ, is a Grammy-nominated rapper currently residing in Englewood, New Jersey. He is mainly known for his close association with Nas, his membership in the hip hop supergroup The Firm, and his multi-syllabic rhyming pattern and deep content within his solo albums. He released his debut album, Doe Or Die, in 1995 and has since released 1998's Pieces of a Man, 2001's 9 Lives, 2002's Aziatic, 2005's A.W.O.L., 2006's The Format and 2008's Undeniable.

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Wordsworth

As his name suggests, Brooklyn-bred microphone fiend Wordsworth is the epitome of a true Hip Hop wordsmith. At a time when the rap market is flooded with formulaic, cookie-cutter sensations who churn out fast, forgettable hits rather than solid albums, this Lyricist Lounge all-star is looking to the past to reinvigorate the present by recalling the essence of 1994 - when the beats were hard and emcees talked to listeners rather than at them about relevant topics they could relate to.

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Hail Mary Mallon

Hail Mary Mallon is a group formed in 2009 by Definitive Jux rapper/producers Aesop Rock and Rob Sonic and DJ Big Wiz. Their first officially released track, "D-Up", was featured on the 2009 compilation Def Jux Presents... Vol. 4. Their debut album 'Are You Going To Eat That', was released on the 3rd of May 2011. Their name refers to Mary Mallon or "Typhoid Mary", the first known healthy carrier of typhoid fever in the United States, who infected 53 people with the disease as she continued to work as a cook while denying she had it.

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