hip hop | Musicosity

hip hop

Buck 65

Richard Terfry, better known as Buck 65, is a Canadian hip hop artist, MC and turntablist. However he has recently moved away from hip hop in a stylistic context, and is moving closer to blues, country, rock, folk and avant-garde genres. That said, his new direction is seemingly still underpinned by an extensive background in abstract hip hop, his trademark rhyme-phrasing and lyrical aspiration evident in the altered timbre vocal delivery displayed in his more recent releases. Buck 65 has also introduced his style as crap, a mixture between country and rap.

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TOKiMONSTA

Born and raised in the South Bay area of Los Angeles, TOKiMONSTA (Jennifer Lee) was an unfocused pupil of classical piano. However, she has come to use this background to understand and create vast soundscapes and textures through the usage of live instruments, percussion, digital manipulation, and dusty vinyl. Through the creation of beats, she is able to fuse the sounds of the past with her musical prowess into something avant garde.

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GZA/Genius

Gary Grice (born August 22, 1966), better known by his stage name GZA (pronounced /ˈJizzah/) 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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Akir

Akir is an African- American rapper who is known for the political message in his songs. His single "Politricks" exposes political efforts to thwart minorities political voices. Akir was featured on Immortal Technique's Revolutionary Vol. 2 & in the Source's "Unsigned Hype" in January 2005. In March 2006 he released his debut album Legacy. Akir first entered the hip-hop scene as an on-air personality with WNMH 97.9 (Mass.) from 1994 to 1996.

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Phat Kat

Phat Kat (a.k.a. Ronnie Cash), (b. Ronnie Watts) is a rapper from the east side of Detroit. His career began in the mid 90's as part of 1st Down, which consisted of Phat Kat on vocals and Jay Dee on production. The group was short lived however, possibly because of insufficient support/promotion from their label, Payday, but the two continued to collaborate on many occasions afterwards, starting with an appearance on "Fat Cat Song" and it's remix, from Slum Village's Fan-Tas-Tic (Vol. 1). He also appeared on Jay Dee's Welcome 2 Detroit on the song "Featuring Phat Kat".

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Wu-Tang Clan

Wu-Tang Clan is a New York City rap group with individuals hailing from Staten Island, Brooklyn and Bronx. They have gone on to become multi-platinum record producers, Grammy winners, TV and film stars, screenwriters, product spokespersons, business owners and, most recently, major motion picture composers. They also called themselves Killa Beez which could interpreted to be a reference to Queens. The Clan featured nine MCs until the death of Ol' Dirty Bastard in 2004.

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Nam

(Andrew Williams) AKA Nam was born in Cheapside Manchester Jamaica, and raised by his Mother and attended Christiana Comprehensive School. Nam is the second child of three from his mother. At school Nam and fiends turn the desk into drum when ever they get the chance. When Nam was 14 years old he, started singing but only took music seriously at the age of 17. This was after winning the Western Union Dee Jay Contest in Christiana Manchester Jamaica.

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