{"key":"232602","name":"Eminem","bio":"Marshall Bruce Mathers III, known by his stage name, Eminem, is a rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Credited with popularizing hip hop in Middle America, he is considered one of the greatest rappers of all time. Eminem's global success and acclaimed works are widely regarded as having broken racial barriers for the acceptance of white rappers in popular music. While much of his transgressive work during the early 2000s made him hugely controversial, he came to be a representation of the popular angst of the American underclass. He has been influential for many artists of various genres. After his debut album Infinite (1996) and the extended play Slim Shady EP (1997), Eminem signed with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment and subsequently achieved mainstream popularity in 1999 with The Slim Shady LP. His next two releases, The Marshall Mathers LP (2000) and The Eminem Show (2002), were worldwide successes and were both nominated for the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. After the release of his next album, Encore (2004), Eminem went on hiatus in 2005, due in part to a prescription drug addiction. He returned to the music industry four years later with the release of Relapse (2009), and Recovery was released the following year. Recovery was the bestselling album worldwide of 2010, making it Eminem's second album, after The Eminem Show in 2002, to be the bestselling album of the year worldwide. In the following years, he released the US #1 albums The Marshall Mathers LP 2, Revival, Kamikaze, and Music to Be Murdered By. Eminem made his debut in the film industry with the musical drama film 8 Mile (2002), playing a fictionalized version of himself, and his track \"Lose Yourself\" from its soundtrack won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, making him the first hip hop artist ever to win the award. He has also developed other ventures, including Shady Records, a joint venture with manager Paul Rosenberg, which helped launch the careers of artists such as 50 Cent, Yelawolf, and Obie Trice, among others. He has also established his own channel, Shade 45, on Sirius XM Radio. In addition to his solo career, Eminem was a member of the hip hop group D12. He is also known for collaborations with fellow Detroit-based rapper Royce Da 5'9\"; the two are collectively known as Bad Meets Evil. Eminem is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with estimated worldwide sales of more than 220 million records. He was the bestselling music artist in the United States of the 2000s and the bestselling male music artist in the United States of the 2010s, third overall. Billboard named him the \"Artist of the Decade (2000\u20132009).\" The Marshall Mathers LP, The Eminem Show, \"Lose Yourself,\" \"Love the Way You Lie,\" and \"Not Afraid\" have all been certified Diamond or higher by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Rolling Stone has included him in its lists of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time and the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time. He has won numerous awards, including 15 Grammy Awards. He has had ten #1 albums on the Billboard 200 -- which all consecutively debuted at #1 on the chart, making him the only artist to achieve this -- and five #1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100.","featuredImage":"https:\/\/www.aaemusic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Eminem-I.jpg","feeRange":"please contact"}

{"key":"232564","name":"JAY-Z","bio":"Shawn Corey Carter, known by his stage name, JAY-Z, is an American rapper and businessman. He is one of the best-selling musicians of all time, having sold more than 100 million records while receiving over 20 Grammy Awards for his music. MTV ranked him the \"Greatest MC of all time\" in 2006. Rolling Stone ranked three of his albums \u2014 Reasonable Doubt, The Blueprint, and The Black Album \u2014 among The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. In 2017, Forbes estimated his net worth at $810 million, making him the second-richest hip-hop artist in the US. Jay-Z owns the New York 40\/40 Club sports bar and is the co-creator of the clothing line Rocawear. He is the former president of Def Jam Recordings, co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records, and the founder of the entertainment company Roc Nation. He also founded the sports agency Roc Nation Sports and is a certified NBA and MLB sports agent. As an artist, he holds the record for most #1 albums by a solo artist on the US Billboard 200 with 14. He has also had four #1's on the Billboard Hot 100, one of which (\"Empire State of Mind\") he was the lead artist on. In 2009, he was ranked the tenth-most successful artist of the 2000s by Billboard as well as the fifth top solo male artist and fourth top rapper behind Eminem, Nelly, and 50 Cent. He was also ranked the 88th-greatest artist of all time by Rolling Stone. In early June 2017, posters were displayed in New York City and Los Angeles, as well as banner ads on the Internet promoting a TIDAL-related project titled 4:44. A teaser ad was aired during the NBA Finals on June 7 of that year, featuring actors Mahershala Ali, Lupita Nyong'o, and Danny Glover in a one-minute video, ending in \"4:44 \u2013 6\/30\/17, Exclusively on Tidal\". On June 18, 2017, the project was confirmed to be a new Jay-Z album, and a clip featuring a song titled \"Adnis\" was posted on Sprint's YouTube page. Jay-Z married singer Beyonc\u00e9 in 2008. The couple, who have three children together: Blue Ivy, Rumi, and Sir, have an estimated combined net worth of over $1 billion.","featuredImage":"https:\/\/www.aaemusic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/jay-z-2013-grammys-nominees-black-enterprise.jpg","feeRange":"1,000,000 - 2,000,000"}

{"key":"232671","name":"Kid Cudi","bio":"Kid Cudi is a Brooklyn-based rapper from Cleveland whose debut single, \"Day 'n' Nite,\" became an online favorite in 2008. Born Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi in suburban Cleveland, his career took off after he moved to Brooklyn and became affiliated with Fool's Gold, the label of DJs A-Trak and Nick Catchdubs. The label released the Day 'n' Nite EP in February 2008 and circulated a Crookers remix around the blogosphere, drumming up a good deal of buzz in the process. It didn't hurt that Kid Cudi began to receive increasing press attention, including a nod from Rolling Stone (which touted him among the magazine's Top Five best indie hip-hop artists of 2008). Not long after the release of \"Day 'n' Nite,\" Kid Cudi began touring with the Fool's Gold collective, which performed at a South by Southwest showcase and subsequently joined forces with Steve Aoki and his Dim Mak collective for a North American tour. After the remixed version of \"Day 'n' Nite\" climbed the U.K. singles charts, Kid Cudi released his conceptual debut album Man on the Moon: The End of Day in the summer of 2009. A year later he returned with a sequel, Man on the Moon, Vol. 2: The Legend of Mr. Rager. In 2012, he teamed with \"Day 'n' Nite\" producer Dot Da Genius and introduced their rock-rap band, WZRD. A year later Indicud arrived and included contributions from soft-rock sisters Haim and former Fleet Foxes' drummer Father John Misty, alongside rappers A$AP Rocky and Kendrick Lamar.","featuredImage":"https:\/\/www.aaemusic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Kid-Cudi.jpg","feeRange":"please contact"}

{"key":"231306","name":"Lil Wayne","bio":"Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr., known professionally as Lil Wayne, is a hip-hop recording artist. In 1991, at the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo The BG'z, alongside fellow New Orleans-based rapper Lil' Doogie. In 1996, Lil Wayne joined the southern hip-hop group Hot Boys, with his Cash Money label-mates Juvenile, Young Turk and Lil' Doogie. Hot Boys debuted with Get It How U Live!, that same year. Most of the group's success came with their platinum-selling album Guerrilla Warfare and the 1999 single \"Bling Bling.\" Along with being the flagship artist of Cash Money Records, Lil Wayne is also the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of his own label imprint, Young Money Entertainment, which he founded in 2005. Lil Wayne's solo debut album Tha Block Is Hot was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His subsequent albums, Lights Out and 500 Degreez, went on to be certified gold. Wayne reached higher popularity with his fourth album Tha Carter, which was led by the single \"Go D.J.\" and his appearance on Destiny's Child's Top 10 single \"Soldier\", that same year. The album was followed by Tha Carter II, as well as several mixtapes and collaborations throughout 2006 and 2007. Wayne gained more prominence with his sixth album Tha Carter III, which became his most successful album to date, with first-week sales of over one million copies in the United States. The album won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album and includes the hit singles \"Lollipop\", \"A Milli\" and \"Got Money\". Following the success of Tha Carter III, Wayne decided to record a rock-esque album titled Rebirth. The album, released in 2010, was certified gold by the RIAA. Wayne's eighth album I Am Not a Human Being, was released during his incarceration. His 2011 album and first following his release, Tha Carter IV, sold 964,000 copies in its first week of availability in the United States. It includes the singles \"6 Foot 7 Foot\", \"How to Love\" and \"She Will\". On September 27, 2012, Lil Wayne passed Elvis Presley as the male with the most entries on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, with 109 songs. Lil Wayne's thirteenth studio album, Tha Carter V, was released in 2018. It sold 480,000 units in its first week and went on to be certified platinum. Lil Wayne has sold over 100 million records worldwide, including more than 15 million albums and 37 million digital tracks in the United States, making him one of the best-selling artists of all time. Since childhood, Wayne has suffered from epilepsy disorder, which causes him to have seizures.","featuredImage":"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/-880sohy5t9A\/AAAAAAAAAAI\/AAAAAAAAsIc\/nvoptx1MBCA\/s0-c-k-no-ns\/photo.jpg","feeRange":"300,000 - 500,000"}

{"key":"232945","name":"Tyler, the Creator","bio":"Tyler Gregory Okonma, known professionally as Tyler, the Creator, is a rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, music video director, fashion designer, and graphic designer. He rose to prominence in the early 2010s as the co-founder and de facto leader of alternative hip hop collective Odd Future, and has performed on and produced songs for nearly every Odd Future release. Okonma has created all the artwork for the group's releases and has also designed the group's clothing and other merchandise. As a solo artist, Okonma has released one mixtape and five studio albums, often handling most or all production himself. Following a large contribution to Odd Future's early work, Okonma released his debut solo mixtape, Bastard, in 2009. After releasing his debut studio album, Goblin, under XL Recordings in April 2011, Okonma signed a joint venture deal for him and his label Odd Future Records, with RED Distribution and Sony Music Entertainment. Following that, he released his second studio album, Wolf, in 2013, which was met with generally positive reviews and debuted at #3 on the US Billboard 200, selling 90,000 copies in its first week. His third studio album, Cherry Bomb, was released in 2015, debuting at #4 on the US Billboard 200. It received positive critical reviews but a polarized reception from fans. In 2017, he released his fourth studio album, Flower Boy, to widespread acclaim. It debuted at #2 on the US Billboard 200 and was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards. His fifth album, Igor, was released in 2019 and debuted at #1 on the US Billboard 200, becoming Tyler's first US #1 album. In 2011, Okonma started the clothing company Golf Wang. In 2012, he began hosting an annual music festival named the Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival. He created his own streaming service app named Golf Media; it ran between 2015 and 2018 and contained original scripted series from Okonma himself and the Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival was annually streamed on the service.","featuredImage":"https:\/\/www.aaemusic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Tyler-the-Creator.jpg","feeRange":"please contact"}

{"key":"232546","name":"Childish Gambino","bio":"When he's not busy writing for television, performing with his sketch group or acting, Donald Glover somehow finds the time to make beats and rap as his alter ego, Childish Gambino. The project took on a life of its own after Glover found someone to rhyme over the beats he\u2019d been making in his spare time. In 2008, he released his first record as Childish Gambino, Sick Boi, and followed it up the next year with Poindexter. In 2010 he released two mixtapes, I Am Just a Rapper and I Am Just a Rapper 2, which found him rapping over indie rock gems like Sleigh Bells' \"Infinity Guitars\" and Grizzly Bear\u2019s \"Two Weeks.\" Later that year, he released his third full-length underground album, Culdesac. The year 2011 found him going legit with Camp, his official debut for the Glass Note label. In 2012, Glover released a mixtape titled Royalty, which he released as a free download and which featured a range of musicians including Beck and Das Racist's Heems. He also appeared on Leona Lewis' track \"Trouble\" from her album Glassheart.\" In 2013, Glover revealed he had left \"Community,\" but would still appear in a handful of episodes in Season 5, and he concentrated on his music career. He returned again to music as Childish Gambino and released the single \"3005\" from third album, \"Because the Internet,\" which was released in late 2013. Glover was nominated for two Grammy Awards in 2014, Best Rap Album for Because the Internet and Best Rap Performance for his single \"3005\".","featuredImage":"https:\/\/www.aaemusic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/MmddZAyX.jpeg","feeRange":"75,000 - 200,000"}

{"key":"232605","name":"twenty one pilots","bio":"The duo that is Twenty One Pilots -- Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun -- has earned widespread applause for their energetic live sets and distinctive fusion of piano-driven schizoid pop and lyrical uplift. No strangers to the road, Twenty One Pilots has built a fervent national following via their electrifying live performances at innumerable headline shows and tours. The band made its Fueled By Ramen debut with a new EP titled \"Three Songs\" released Summer 2012 and was followed by a full-length album titled \"Vessel,\" which was released in 2013. Their third album, \"Blurryface\" was released in 2015. Twenty One Pilots was formed in 2009 by high-school friends Tyler Joseph, Nick Thomas, and Chris Salih. The pop trio built an enormous regional following across Ohio and the Midwest, spurred on by constant energetic touring, shrewd use of interactive social media, and connecting with fans on a grassroots level. Twenty One Pilots self-released their eponymous debut album of rap-infused high-tech pop in December 2009 before Thomas and Salih left the band in 2011; Tyler Joseph carried on with new member Josh Dun. Later that year, second album Regional at Best surfaced, the first with the new duo lineup. The pair also gained popularity through publicly releasing a series of videos made by their friend Mark Eshelman. In 2012, they signed to Atlantic subsidiary Fueled by Ramen, releasing the Three Songs EP in the summer of that year and working with Adele producer Greg Wells on Vessel, their debut album for the label. Vessel saw release in January of 2013, and the band was scheduled to support it with an international tour deep into the year. For the recording of their third album, Twenty One Pilots opted to work with various producers on an almost song-by-song basis. Working with Ricky Reed, Mike Crossey, Tim Anderson, and others, this process took them to studios throughout Los Angeles and London. The album, the Billboard 200-topping Blurryface, arrived in 2015. The album's \"Stressed Out\" single reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 2016, with \"Ride\" following at number six that summer. \"Heathens,\" their contribution to the soundtrack for the DC Comics film Suicide Squad, not only helped notch another Billboard 200 chart-topper for the duo, but the single's rise to number four on the Hot 100 made Twenty One Pilots the first alternative band to have two concurrent Top Ten singles. At the end of the year, the duo collaborated with tourmates MUTEMATH for the TOPxMM EP, which featured reimaginings of \"Heathens\" and four Blurryface tracks.","featuredImage":"https:\/\/www.aaemusic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/official-og-image.jpg","feeRange":"150,000 - 300,000"}

{"key":"12626","name":"Nas","bio":"Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, more commonly known as Nas (formerly Nasty Nas and Escobar), born September 14, 1973 in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York, is a prominent American MC. The son of jazz musician Olu Dara, he was raised in the infamous Queensbridge housing projects in Queensbridge, New York. According to the Nasty Songfacts, as a teenager rapper, Nasir first went by the nickname Kid Wave before adopting his more commonly known alias of Nasty Nas. By the time he released his landmark solo debut album Illmatic in 1994, Jones was known as Nas. Illmatic was a critically acclaimed bestseller and is widely considered one of the greatest rap albums of all time. He married R&B singer Kelis in 2005, they have one son together, and she filed for divorce on the 29th of April 2009. Nas was also a part of hip hop supergroup The Firm, which released one album.In the years following the release of Illmatic, Nas pursued a more commercial direction, which resulted in wider success but decreased artistic credibility among critics and hip-hop purists. Furthermore, Nas' increased commercial success was accompanied by stylistic changes that fostered accusations of \"selling out\". Nevertheless, the LP Stillmatic is often credited for restoring Nas' credibility among fans. Since the success of Stillmatic, Nas continues to maintain a high profile within the hip hop community, and has pursued a decidedly progressive and personal aesthetic. While Nas' current artistic direction differs greatly from his most successful work, it has ensured that he remains one of the most respected and acclaimed contemporary rappers.1973\u20131992: Childhood and early careerNas was born in Brooklyn, New York, as the elder of Olu Dara and Fannie Ann Jones's two children; his brother Jabari (nicknamed \"Jungle\" because he was born in the Congo) is the younger of the two. The family lived for a time in Brooklyn, before moving to Queensbridge, the largest public housing project in the United States. Olu Dara left the household in 1986, when Nas was 13, and Ann Jones raised her two boys on her own. Nas dropped out of school in the eighth grade and began selling drugs on the streets of New York. He educated himself, reading about African culture and civilization, the Qur'an, the Bible and the Five Percent Nation. He also studied the origin of hip hop music, taping records that played on his local radio station. As a child, Nas had wanted to be an instrumentalist (at the age of three, Nas played his father's trumpet on the step of their Brooklyn home) and also a comic book artist. Shortly after his parents separated, Nas began to write short stories as he immersed himself deeper into hip-hop culture.By his preteen years, he had settled on pursuing a career as a rapper, and as a teenager enlisted his best friend and upstairs neighbor Willie \"Ill Will\" Graham as his DJ. Nas first went by the nickname Kid Wave before adopting his more commonly known alias of Nasty Nas. Nas and Graham soon met hip-hop producer and Flushing Queens resident Large Professor, who introduced Nas to his group, Main Source. In 1991, Nas made his on-record debut with a verse on \"Live at the BBQ\", from Main Source's LP Breaking Atoms. Despite the substantial buzz for Nas in the underground scene, the rapper was rejected by major labels and was not signed to a recording deal. Nas and Graham continued to work together, but their partnership was cut short when Graham was shot and killed by a gunman in Queensbridge on May 23, 1992.1992\u20131995: The recording and release of IllmaticIn mid-1992, Nas was approached by MC Serch of 3rd Bass, who became his manager and secured Nas a record deal with Columbia Records the same year. Nas made his solo debut on the single \"Halftime\" from Serch's soundtrack for the film Zebrahead. The single increased the buzz surrounding Nas and when MC Serch\u2019s solo album is released later in the year, Nas\u2019 standout appearance on \"Back To The Grill\" only intensified interest in his upcoming album, amid immense anticipation. Hailed as the second coming of Rakim, his rhyming skills attracted a significant amount of attention within the hip-hop community. However, many were concerned that Columbia, being a major label, would try to dilute his New York based style.In 1994, Nas' debut album, Illmatic was finally released. Critically acclaimed and widely regarded as one of the premier rap albums ever created, Illmatic featured lyrics that portrayed stunning visual imagery and production courtesy of several producers . The album featured production from Large Professor, Pete Rock, Q-Tip (of A Tribe Called Quest) and DJ Premier, as well as guest appearances from Nas' friend AZ and his father Olu Dara on the song \"Life's a Bitch\", Illmatic was immediately hailed as a masterpiece by critics, and is still highly regarded as one of the definitive hip-hop albums of all time. Notable songs on the album included \"NY State of Mind\" (produced by Premier), \"The World Is Yours\" (produced by Pete Rock), \"One Love\" (produced by Q-Tip) and \"It Ain't Hard To Tell\" (produced by Large Professor and featuring a sample of \"Human Nature\" by Michael Jackson). However, due in part to extensive bootlegging, the record sales fell below expectations.Following Illmatic, Nas appeared on AZ's Doe Or Die album, and collaborated with his Queensbridge-associates, Mobb Deep, on their album, The Infamous. One notable achievement during this period was Nas' verse on \"Verbal Intercourse\" on Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. After this appearance, Nas received a Source Quotable as he had the distinction of being the only non-Wu-Tang Clan member to be featured on one of the group's solo albums.1996\u20131998: From It Was Written to The FirmColumbia began to press Nas to work towards more commercial topics like the rapper The Notorious B.I.G., who had become successful by releasing street singles that still retained pop-friendly appeal. Nas traded manager MC Serch for Steve Stoute, and began preparation for his second LP, It Was Written, consciously working towards a crossover-oriented sound. It Was Written, chiefly produced by Poke and Tone of Trackmasters Entertainment, was released during the summer of 1996. Two singles, \"If I Ruled The World (Imagine That)\" (featuring Lauryn Hill of The Fugees) and \"Street Dreams\" (a remix features R. Kelly) were instant hits. These songs were promoted by big-budget music videos directed by Hype Williams, making Nas a common name among mainstream hip-hop. Other notable tracks on the album included \"The Message\" and \"I Gave You Power,\" which tells a story from the perspective of a gun. It Was Written also featured the debut of The Firm, a supergroup consisting of Nas, AZ, Foxy Brown, and Cormega. The album also introduced Nas's Mafioso-inspired character \"Nas Escobar\", who lived more of a Scarface\/Casino-esque lifestyle. On the other hand, Illmatic, which, while having numerous references to Tony Montana and the theatrical hit featuring Al Pacino, was more about Nas' life as a teenager in the projects, hustling and smoking marijuana.The Firm signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment label, and began working on their debut album. Halfway through the production of the album, Cormega was fired from the group by Steve Stoute, who had unsuccessfully attempted to force Cormega to sign a deal with his management company. Cormega therefore became one of Nas' most vocal opponents, releasing a number of underground hip-hop singles dissing Nas, Stoute, and Nature, who was Cormega's replacement in The Firm. The Firm's The Album was finally released in 1997 to mixed reviews and lackluster sales and the members of the supergroup went their separate ways.At about this time, Nas became a spokesperson for the Willie Esco urban clothing line, but had no other connection with the clothing line. He stopped promoting Willie Esco in 2000, dissatisfied with the company's operations. During the same period, Nas co-wrote and starred in Hype Williams' 1998 feature film Belly, which also featured DMX, Taral Hicks, and T-Boz of TLC among its cast.1998\u20132000: I Am\u2026 to NastradamusIn 1998, Nas began work on a double album to be entitled I Am\u2026The Autobiography, which he intended as the middle ground between the extremes of Illmatic and It Was Written. The album was completed in early 1999, and a music video was shot for its lead single, Nas Is Like, produced by DJ Premier and featuring vocal samples from \"It Ain't Hard to Tell\". However, much of the LP was leaked in MP3 format onto the Internet, and Nas and Stoute quickly recorded enough substitute material to constitute a single-disc release.The second single for I Am was \"Hate Me Now,\" featuring Sean \"Puffy\" Combs (now \"Diddy\"), was used as an example by Nas' critics for moving towards commercial themes. Hype Williams shot an allegorical video for the single, which featured Nas and Puffy being crucified in a manner similar to Jesus; After the video was completed, Combs, a Catholic, requested his crucifixion scene be edited out of the video. However, the unedited copy of the \"Hate Me Now\" video made its way to MTV, and was premiered on April 15, 1999 on TRL. A furious Combs and his bodyguards allegedly made their way into Steve Stoute's office and assaulted him, at one point apparently hitting Stoute over the head with a champagne bottle. Stoute pressed charges, but he and Combs settled out-of-court that June.Columbia had scheduled to release the pirated material from I Am under the title Nastradamus during the latter half of 1999, but, at the last minute, decided Nas should record an entirely new album for release. Nastradamus was therefore rushed to meet a November release date. Though critics were not kind to the album, it did result in a minor hit, the Timbaland-produced \"You Owe Me,\" featuring R&B singer Ginuwine. The only pirated track from I Am\u2026 to make it onto Nastradamus was \"Project Windows,\" featuring Ronald Isley. A number of the other bootlegged tracks later made their way onto The Lost Tapes, a collection of underground Nas songs that was released by Columbia in September 2002. The collection saw decent sales and received glowing reviews.2000\u20132001: The Nas vs. Jay-Z rivalry and StillmaticThe highly publicized rivalry between Nas and Jay-Z began as a rivalry between Nas and Jay-Z's protege, Memphis Bleek. On his debut album Coming of Age, Bleek made a song entitled \"Memphis Bleek Is\", which was similar in concept to Nas' single \"Nas is Like\". On the same album, Bleek recorded \"What You Think Of That\" featuring Bleek's mentor Jay-Z, which contains the refrain, \"I'ma ball 'til I fall\/what you think of that?\". In retaliation, \"Nastradamus\", the title track from Nas' second 1999 album, featured a reference to \"What You Think Of That\". The lyrics state, \"You wanna ball till you fall, I can help you with that\/You want beef? I could let a slug melt in your hat.\" Memphis Bleek perceived the reference on \"Nastradamus\" as a diss, and therefore dissed Nas on the lead single for his The Understanding LP, My Mind Right\".QB's Finest was a compilation album that featured Nas and a number of other rappers from Queensbridge, including Mobb Deep, Nature, Littles, The Bravehearts (which included Nas' younger brother Jungle among its members), and Cormega, who had briefly reconciled with Nas. The album also featured guest appearances from Queensbridge hip-hop legends Roxanne Shante, MC Shan, and Marley Marl. Shan and Marley Marl both appeared on the lead single \"Da Bridge 2001\", which was based on Shan & Marl's 1986 recording \"The Bridge\". \"Da Bridge 2001\" also featured a response from Nas to Memphis Bleek, in which Nas called out most of the Roc-A-Fella Records roster, including Bleek, Damon Dash, Beanie Sigel, and Jay-Z.Jay-Z responded to Nas' songs with an onstage swipe during the 2001 Hot 97 Summer Jam concert in New York City, when he premiered his song \"Takeover.\" Initially, the song was to only be a Mobb Deep diss, only including one line about Nas near the end. Nevertheless, Nas recorded the \"Stillmatic Freestyle,\" an underground single which sampled Rakim and Eric B.'s \"Paid in Full\" beat, and attacked Jay-Z and his Roc-A-Fella label. On his 2001 album, The Blueprint, Jay-Z rewrote \"Takeover,\" dedicating half of the song to dissing Nas, claiming that he had a \"\u2026one hot album every ten year average\" record (referring to Illmatic) that his flow was weak, and that he had fabricated his past as a hustler.Nas responded with \"Ether\", the track begins with gunshots and a repeated, slowed-down sample of Tupac rapping \"Fuck Jay-Z.\" (taken from Tupac's \"Fuck Friends\") In \"Ether,\" Nas accuses Jay-Z of stealing (\"biting\") lyrics from The Notorious B.I.G. and brown-nosing Nas and other rappers for fame. Ether was included on Nas' fifth studio album, Stillmatic, released in December 2001. Stillmatic managed to be not only a critically-acclaimed comeback album, but a commercial success as well, albeit not on the level of It Was Written and I Am\u2026; the album debutted at #7 on the Billboard album charts and featured the singles \"Got Ur Self A\u2026\" and \"One Mic.\" In terms of commercial success, Jay's The Blueprint was certified double-platinum, while Stillmatic went platinum.Jay-Z responded to \"Ether\" with a freestyle entitled \"Supa Ugly.\" going into detail about how he had sex with Carmen Bryan, the mother of Nas' daughter Destiny. Nas dismissed the track by claiming that he was no longer with Bryan during the time the affair took place. In a recent interview, however, New York radio station Hot 97 settled the battle taking votes comparing \"Ether\" and \"Supa Ugly,\" and Nas won with 58% while Jay-Z got 42% of the votes. By 2005, the two rappers had eventually ended their feud without violence or animosity. During Jay-Z's I Declare War - Power House concert, Jay-Z announced to the crowd, \"It's bigger than 'I Declare War'. Let's go, Esco!\" Nas then joined Jay-Z onstage, and the two then performed \"Dead Presidents\" together, which Jay-Z had sampled from Nas' song \"The World is Yours.\"2002\u2013Present: From God's Son to Street's Disciple and beyondIn December 2002, Nas released the God's Son album. and its lead single, \"Made You Look\". The album debuted at #18 on the Billboard charts despite widespread internet bootlegging. Time Magazine named his album best hip-hop album of the year. Vibe Magazine gave it 4 stars and The Source gave it 4 mics. The second single, the inspirational \"I Can\", which reworked elements from Beethoven's \"Fur Elise\", became Nas' biggest hit to date during the spring and summer of 2003, garnering substantial radio airplay on urban, rhythmic, and top 40 radio stations, as well as on the MTV and VH1 music video networks. God's Son also includes several songs dedicated to memory of Nas' mother, who died of cancer in 2002. In 2003, Nas was featured on the Korn song \"Play Me\", from Ko\u042fn's Take a Look in the Mirror LP.Nas released his seventh studio album, the critically acclaimed double-disc Street's Disciple, on November 30, 2004. The album's first singles were \"Thief's Theme\" and \"Bridging the Gap\", which features his father Olu Dara on vocals. The album also includes \"These are Our Heroes\", which accuses prominent sports stars and actors such as Kobe Bryant, Lenny Henry, Tiger Woods, and Cuba Gooding, Jr. of neglecting their heritage and background in favour of white values. The videos for \"Bridging the Gap\" and \"Just A Moment\" received moderate airplay on MTV and BET. Although the album went platinum, its commercial profile was relatively low compared to the rapper's previous releases.Nas was featured on Kanye West's album Late Registration on a song titled \"We Major\". West said the song was Jay-Z's favorite on the album, but West was unable to get Jay-Z to record a vocal for the final mix of the song. He also appeared on Damian Marley's song \"Road to Zion\" (which also featured newcomer The Game in the video, widening Nas' still growing universally appreciated raps) and several other songs such as \"Death Anniversary\" and \"It Wasn't You\" (featuring Lauryn Hill). In addition, Nas was most recently married to the R&B singer Kelis, who is mostly known for her work internationally, but nonetheless released great hits in the U.S. The couple wed on Jan. 8, 2005 in Atlanta, GA, after a two-year engagement.During this time, Nas announced that his next album would be entirely self-produced and feature no other rappers, and would be titled Nasir, and later that the project would feature other producers after all and would be called Nasdaq: Dow Jones. Neither of these albums ever materialized.At a free concert in Central Park, New York, Nas made a statement regarding the quality of 50 Cent's music. \"this is the real shit, not that 50 Cent shit!\" In response, 50 Cent included a stab at Nas by speaking negatively of his wife Kelis on his single \"Piggy Bank,\" implying that Kelis was promiscuous and calling Nas a \"sucker for love.\" Nas was quoted as saying that he feels no obligation to retaliate, remarking \" got a good five to six more albums before I can really respond to him.\" Nas eventually decided to retaliate, and in July 2005 released \"Don't Body Ya Self (MC Burial)\", a song which taunts 50 Cent and his G-Unit crew, stating that 50 was \"a sucka for death if I'm a sucka for love.\" However, despite all of this, Nas still claims to \"have a lot of love towards 50,\" claiming 50 didn't understand his moves when they both were together at Columbia Records.In January 2006, Nas signed a label deal with Jay-Z's Def Jam, further emphasizing the Jay-Z\/Nas truce and raising expectations for a collaboration even higher. His album due in fall of 2006 will come out in a joint deal with this imprint and Columbia Records. He recently announced to MTV News that his album is to be named, \"Hip Hop is Dead\u2026the N,\" the N being a play on the word the \"end.\" The title is supposed to reflect what some would term the current low quality of rap music. The highly anticipated album is due out in December 19th, 2006.Musical style and TechniqueNas has long been famed for his creativity and storytelling prowess, which has earned him acclaim from both the hip-hop community and critics. In his early stages, from his first appearance on the Main Source's Breaking Atoms and throughout the recording of Illmatic, he was perhaps best known for his street-oriented topics, complex lyrical schemes (which often incorporated multi-syllabic internal rhymes), and witty phrasing and imagery. As he progressed and matured, Nas began to branch out into different subjects and developed a richer voice and slower rapping technique.Following Illmatic's release, Nas developed a penchant for hyper-visual storytelling and topical creativity. For instance, \"Undying Love\" (featured on I Am\u2026) is a tale of his wife's betrayal told in first person, \"Rewind\" (featured on Stillmatic) is a narrative in which a story is recited backwards, while on \"I Gave You Power\" (featured on It Was Written), Nas assumes the role of a gun who recounts brutal tales of murder and violence. Over the years Nas' style has changed significantly. In contrast to his previous work, Nas\u2019 most recent material is distinctively socially aware and often politically inflammatory. Songs such as \"I Can\" (featured on God's Son) convey moral messages of black youth empowerment, while \"These Are Our Heroes (Coon Picnic)\" accuses several African-American celebrities of being Uncle Toms. Furthermore, controversial songs such as \"My Country\" and \"A Message to the Feds (Fuck The Police II)\" (which are featured on Stillmatic and Street's Disciple, respectively) question the conduct of the American government. Nas' views in his lyrics throughout his career have made references to Islam and the Five Percent Nation..","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/12626_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"75,000 - 150,000"}

{"key":"12638","name":"Lupe Fiasco","bio":"Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco, is a rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and activist. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor. He also performs as the frontman of rock band Japanese Cartoon under his real name. As an entrepreneur, Fiasco is the chief executive officer (CEO) of 1st and 15th Entertainment. Raised in Chicago, Jaco developed an interest in hip hop after initially disliking the genre for its use of vulgarity and misogyny. After adopting the name Lupe Fiasco and recording songs in his father's basement, 19-year-old Fiasco joined a group called Da Pak. The group disbanded shortly after its inception, and Fiasco soon met rapper Jay-Z who helped him sign a record deal with Atlantic Records. In September 2006, Fiasco released his debut album Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor on the label, which received three Grammy nominations. He released his second album, Lupe Fiasco's The Cool, in December 2007. The lead single \"Superstar\" became his first top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. After a two-year delay, Lasers was released in March 2011 to mixed reviews; however, it became his first album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200. Fiasco released his seventh studio album, Drogas Wave, in Septemnber 2018. Drogas Wave was the follow-up to Fiasco's 2017 album Drogas Light. In addition to music, Fiasco has pursued other business ventures, including fashion. He runs two clothing lines, Righteous Kung-Fu and Trilly & Truly; he has designed sneakers for Reebok. He has been involved with charitable activities, including the Summit on the Summit expedition, and in 2010 he recorded a benefit single for victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Fiasco is also noted for his anti-establishment views, which he has expressed in both interviews and his music. Fiasco, along with rappers Common, Mos Def and Talib Kweli, has been credited as a pioneer of the conscious hip hop movement, which focuses on social issues. Fiasco attributes his interest in social issues to his highly cultured upbringing, as he describes his mother as \"very intellectual\" and his father as a \"Renaissance man.\" He rejects the misogyny common in hip hop, which he discusses in the song \"Hurt Me Soul\".","featuredImage":"https:\/\/assets.allamericanmusic.com\/images\/12638_h_0.jpg","feeRange":"75,000 - 150,000"}