doppaz.com

Sean Combs, also known by the pseudonyms Puff Daddy, P. Diddy and, currently, Diddy, is a Grammy Award-winning American rapper and record producer.

Born 4^th November 1969 in Harlem, New York City, Combs started his career as a producer at Uptown Records. During his time at the label he signed and developed the career of several notable rappers and hip hop artists, including the group Jodeci and the multiple-Grammy Award-winning Mary J. Blige. In 1993 he left the company to set up Bad Boy Records, scoring instant success with the label’s first two artists – The Notorious B.I.G. and Craig Mack. He went on to produce records for a variety of artists from Faith Evans, Usher and Lil’ Kim to TLC, Mariah Carey and Aretha Franklin, before embarking on a solo career.

In 1997 Combs released his debut album No Way Out under the pseudonym Puff Daddy. It shot straight to number one on the Billboard 200 and won the 1998 Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. It spawned the Hot 100 number one hits Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down (ft. Mase) and I’ll Be Missing You (ft. Faith Evans and 112) – which spent a record-breaking seventeen weeks on the top spot between them – and the number two hits It’s All About The Benjamins and Been Around the World.

Since then Combs has released a further three chart-topping studio albums – Forever, The Saga Continues and Press Play – and scored US Top 40 hits with the singles Come with Me (ft. Jimmy Page), Satisfy You (ft. R. Kelly), Bad Boy for Life (ft. Black Rob and Mark Curry), No More Drama (ft. Mary J. Blige) I Need a Girl (Part One) (ft. Usher and Loon), I Need a Girl (Part Two) (ft. Ginuwine, Loon and Mario Winans) and Last Night (ft. Keyshia Cole). During this time he also won a further two Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards.

Combs’ latest album, Last Train to Paris, is set to be released in September 2010 – although it has already produced the hit Top 10 single Hello Good Morning (ft. Dirty Money and T.I.)

Onika Tanya Maraj, better known as Nicki Minaj, is an American rapper and hip hop singer.

Born 8^th December 1984 in Trinidad, Maraj moved to Queens, New York City at the age of five. Although growing up with an abusive, alcoholic and drug-addicted father, she found solace in music and developed a passion for rap and hip hop at a very young age. Her career began in 2004 when she began singing background vocals and recording hooks for local New York rappers, and she soon set up her own MySpace account to highlight her solo work. It was through this medium she was discovered by the hip hop record label Young Money Entertainment, although she was not immediately signed.

Maraj first appeared on ‘The Carter Edition’ of the label’s The Come Up DVD series. This was followed by a number of mixtape collaborations with the rapper and Young Money CEO Lil Wayne, including 2007’s Da Drought 3 (on the song Don’t Stop, Won’t Stop), 2008’s Dedication 3 (on Still I Rise) and 2009’s No Ceilings (on Sweet Dreams). In April 2007 she released her first solo mixtape, called Playtime Is Over, which was followed by 2008’s Sucka Free – and these releases led to her being named Female Artist of the Year 2008 at the Underground Music Awards.

The singer released her third mixtape, Beam Me Up Scotty, in April 2009 and signed up to record her debut album with Young Money Entertainment. She spent the rest of 2009 and early 2010 working on the album and collaborating with a number of established R&B artists, including Mariah Carey (on the single Up Out My Face), Ludacris (on the number eleven hit My Chick Bad), Usher (on the Top 40 song Lil’ Freak) and Jeffree Star (on his debut album Beauty Killer). Then, on 13^th April 2010, she released her first solo single – Massive Attack (ft. Sean Garrett and Amber Rose). After collaborating with Christina Aguilera on the single Woohoo, Maraj’s second solo single Your Love was released on 1^st June and shot to number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Maraj is due to release her debut studio album on 23^rd November 2010.

Faheem Rasheed Najm, better known by the stage name T-Pain, is a singer-songwriter, rapper and record producer from Florida, USA.

Born 30^th September 1985 in Tallahassee, Florida, Najm started rapping from a very young age. He joined the rap group Nappy Headz in his late teens and recorded a cover version of Akon’s hit single Locked Up – called I’m Fucked Up. It got a lot of industry attention and was heard by Akon himself, who immediately signed T-Pain to his label Konvict Music. After months of recording, T-Pain released his debut album Rappa Ternt Sang in December 2005.

The album immediately entered the Top 40 on the Billboard 200 and has sold over 800,000 copies to date. It also produced the Top 10 hits I’m Sprung, I’m ‘n Luv (Wit a Stripper) (ft. Mike Jones), as well as the single Studio Luv. This was followed by his second studio album, Epiphany, in 2007. It was a huge hit, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 and selling over 170,000 copies in its first week (eventually shipping close to a million). It produced the US number one smash hit single Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin’), as well as the number five single Bartender (ft. Akon) and the non-US single Church.

The singer’s third and latest studio album Thr33 Ringz was released in November 2008. It was another US Top 5 hit and produced the number seven single Can’t Believe It, as well as the Top 40 singles Chopped & Skrewed (ft. Ludacris) and Freeze (ft. Chris Brown). The album was also nominated for Best Contemporary R&B Album at the 2010 Grammy Awards.

T-Pain released a compilation album called The Instrumentals in 2009, which features instrumental-only versions of several of his prior hits, and is set to release his fourth studio album rEVOLVEr in late 2010.

Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi, better known as Kid Cudi (or KiD CuDi), is an American hip hop singer and rapper.

Born 30^th January 1984 in Shaker Heights, Cleveland, Ohio, Mescudi began rapping in his late teens – and soon moved to New York City to pursue a career in music. He recorded his first mixtape in 2008 and made a deal with the American streetwear brand 10.Deep to release it as a free download. Available from July 2008, A Kid Named Cudi quickly gained industry attention and within weeks Mescudi was signed to the singer Kanye West’s record label GOOD Music.

After helping to write songs like Heartless and Paranoid for West’s chart-topping 2008 album 808s & Heartbreak – as well as contributing vocals to the track Welcome to Heartbreak – Mescudi was tipped for big things in 2009 by magazines like Rolling Stone, The Source and Vibe… and was even selected as one of the up-and-coming acts in the BBC’s Sound of 2009 poll.

After touring with the rapper Asher Roth in July and August 2009, the singer released his debut album Man on the Moon: The End of Day in September. It reached the Top 5 in the US Billboard 200 and sold over 100,000 copies in its first week of its US release alone. The lead single Day ‘n’ Nite reached number three on the Hot 100 and number two in the UK, achieved over two million downloads in America and was nominated for a number of awards, including two Grammys and an MTV Video Music Award. This was followed by the singles Make Her Stay and Pursuit of Happiness.

Kid Cudi’s second album, Man On The Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager, is due for release in September 2010. Two promo singles have been released to date: REVOFEV and Erase Me.

William Roberts II, better known as Rick Ross (stylized as Rick Ro$$) is an American rapper from Miami, Florida. The name comes from the notorious drug trafficker Ricky Ross.

Ross was born on 28^th January 1976 and was signed to Suave House Recordings in 2002. A few years later the rapper moved to Slip-n-Slide Records, part of the Def Jam label. His first appearances were on the label’s own rap albums, but he gained prominence after touring with fellow hip hop artist Trick Daddy in 2005 and soon entered the studio to record his debut rap album.

Port of Miami – a reference to the fact that Miami is a common entry point for cocaine shipments to America – was released in August 2006 and was an instant success. It shot straight to number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, sold over 187,000 copies in its first week alone and was soon certified gold in the US. The album’s lead single Hustlin’ became a huge summer anthem, while the follow up single Push It was also a big hit.

Ross followed this success with his 2008 album Trilla. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and produced three singles: Speedin’ (ft. R. Kelly), Here I Am (ft. Nelly and Avery Storm) and the Top 20 hit The Boss (ft. T-Pain) His next studio album, 2009’s Deeper Than Rap, became his third to hit the number one spot in the US, selling over 150,000 copies in its first week alone. It produced three hit singles: Magnificent (ft. John Legend), Usual Suspects (ft. Nas and Kevin Cossom) and All I Really Want (ft. The-Dream).

Ross’ fourth album, Teflon Don, is set to be released in July 2010. The first single from the album, Super High (ft. Ne-Yo), was released on 4^th May.

DeAndre Cortez Way, aka Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em (or simply Soulja Boy) is a Grammy Award-nominated American rapper and record producer.

Born 28^th July 1990 in Chicago, Illinois, Way moved to Atlanta, Georgia at the age of six. He soon became interested in hip hop music and, despite moving away to Batesville, Mississippi in 2004, continued to write and perform raps. His father built him a recording studio to help him achieve his ambitions.

Way immediately recorded a number of original rap and hip hop songs. In late 2005, he posted several of these on the music social network SoundClick, as well as establishing pages on YouTube and MySpace. In early 2007 he published the single Crank That (Soulja Boy) on the various sites and quickly gained a horde of admiring fans. This encouraged him to release his first independent mixtape – Unsigned & Still Major: Da Album Before da Album – later that year.

In just a short time Way had attracted a considerable amount of industry interest and signed his first professional recording contract with Interscope Records in April 2007 – at the age of sixteen. Crank That (Soulja Boy) was re-recorded and released in May, shooting to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and staying there for seven weeks – making Way the youngest person ever to write, perform and produce a number one single. This was followed by his debut album Souljaboytellem.com, which reached the Top 5 in the US – producing the further Top 50 singles Soulja Girl and Yahhh! and earning the singer his first Grammy Award nomination.

Way released his second album iSouljaBoyTellem in December 2008, along with the singles Bird Walk, Kiss Me Thru the Phone and Turn My Swag On. His third album Dre followed in June 2010 and has, to date, produced one Top 40 single: Pretty Boy Swag.

Nas (formerly known as Nasty Nas) is an American singer-songwriter and rapper from New York City.

Born Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones on 14th September 1973 in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, Nas’ father Olu Dara is a renowned jazz singer and musician. Naturally, Nas took an interest in music at a young age and was an accomplished trumpet player by the age of seven. He was exposed to hip hop in his early teens and soon began writing his own material, going under the name Kid Wave and then Nasty Nas. He was soon rapping at local music events and in 1991 managed to appear on stage with the rap group Main Source.

Following this, Nas was signed to Columbia Records in 1992 and released his debut single Halftime in October that year, which appeared on the soundtrack to the film Zebrahead. After shortening his name to simply Nas, he then appeared on MC Serch’s solo album Return of the Product.

Nas’ debut album Illmatic was released on 19th April 1994. It reached number twelve on the Billboard 200 and produced five hit singles, including The World Is Yours, It Ain’t Hard to Tell and One Love. His next album, 1996’s It Was Written, took a more mainstream direction and managed to hit the top spot in the US, selling three million copies and spawning the singles If I Ruled the World (Imagine That), Street Dreams and The Message. His last album of the 1990s, I Am…, also reached number one (selling over 470,000 copies in its first week alone) and scored hits with the singles Nas Is Like and Hate Me Now.

Throughout the 2000s, Nas released six more albums that sold millions of copies and scored a string of hits, including Got Ur Self A…, One Mic, I Can, Thief’s Theme, Bridging the Gap,  Hip Hop Is Dead, Hero and As We Enter. His most recent record Distant Relatives – a collaboration with Jamaican reggae artist Damian Marley – was released in May 2010 and shot to number five on the Billboard 200.

Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, better known by stage name Lupe Fiasco, is a rapper and producer from Chicago, USA.

Born on 16^th February 1982, Jaco began rapping in eighth grade and, after listening to Nas’ 1996 album It Was Written, resolved to pursue a career in hip hop. At the age of nineteen he was in the rap group De Pak which released one single on Epic Records before splitting up.

Jaco first became known in the wider music industry when he featured on the Kanye West singles Touch the Sky and Diamonds from Sierra Leone in 2005, and this led to him producing his first solo album with rapper Jay-Z.

The critically-acclaimed Food & Liquor was released in September 2006. It featured established artists like Jay-Z, Kanye West and The Neptunes and debuted at number eight on the Billboard 200. The singles Kick Push and Daydreamin’ (ft. Jill Scott) both debuted in the UK Top 40, with follow up single I Gotcha also charting. The album also received four Grammy Award-nominations, winning one for Best Urban/Alternative Song (Daydreamin’).

Fiasco’s follow-up album The Cool was released in December 2007. It debuted as the number one rap record in the US and stayed at the top of the charts for nine weeks. This album, like his last one, was nominated for four Grammys but won none. However, the album did produce the Top 10 hit single Superstar, along with the singles Hip Hop Saved My Life and Paris, Tokyo and met near universal acclaim from critics: The New York Times called it “one of the year’s best hip-hop albums”.

Lupe Fiasco’s third studio album, Lasers, is scheduled for release in late 2010. The record’s lead single Shining Down was leaked onto the internet in June 2009 but an official version has yet to be released.

Jay Jenkins, better known as Young Jeezy (or formerly Lil J), is an American rapper. He is known as both a solo artist and as a member of the hip hop groups United Streets Dopeboyz of America (USDA) and Boyz n da Hood.

Born 12^th October 1977 in Columbia, South Carolina, Jenkins first came to prominence after the release of his 2001 debut album Thuggin’ Under the Influence (T.U.I.) This was followed by his next independent release Come Shop wit Me in 2003, before he signed with Bad Boy Records. He joined the rap group Boyz n da Hood for the release of their self-titled debut album – which reached number five in the Billboard 200 and spawned the singles Dem Boys and Felonies – before committing to a solo career.

Jenkins’ first solo release was 2005’s Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101, which reached number two on the Billboard 200. It produced three charting singles – And Then What, My Hood and Soul Survivor (ft. Akon), which reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100. This was followed by 2006’s The Inspiration (aka Thug Motivation 102), which reached number one on the pop album chart and produced the Top 20 hits I Luv It and Go Getta, as well as well as the R&B chart single Dreamin’.

After releasing his side project Young Jeezy Presents USDA: Cold Summer in 2007, which reached number four in the album charts and spawned the singles White Girl and Corporate Thuggin’, Jenkins returned to the studio to record his next solo album. Released in September 2008, The Recession hit the top spot in the album charts and produced several singles, including Put On, Vacation and Crazy World.

Jenkins is currently working on his latest album Thug Motivation 103, which is due to be released in late 2010/early 2011.

Earl Simmons, better known by the pseudonym DMX, is an American rapper and hip hop artist.

Born 18^th December 1970 in Baltimore, Maryland, Simmons first came to prominence after appearing in The Source magazine’s Unsigned Hype column. He was subsequently signed by Ruffhouse Records but, after the commercial failure of his debut single Born Loser, was swiftly dropped.

Despite the setback Simmons released a second single Make a Move in 1994. He then spent the next few years earning collaborations with artists like LL Cool J, Mase, The LOX and Sum 41, which created enough of a buzz to persuade Def Jam Recordings to sign him up as a solo artist. Before releasing his first record, he chose the stage name DMX after the Oberheim DMX drum machine he had used to record his own material in the early days.

DMX released his debut album It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot in May 1998. It went straight to number one on the Billboard 200, sold over six million copies worldwide and produced three singles that charted on the Hot 100: Get at Me Dog, Stop Being Greedy, How’s It Goin’ Down and the classic Ruff Ryders Anthem.

DMX’s second album, 1998’s Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood, stayed at number one in the US for three weeks and produced the hit single Slippin’, while 1999’s …And Then There Was X sold almost 700,000 copies in its first week and produced the singles What’s My Name, Party Up (Up in Here) and What These Bitches Want.

Since the turn of the century, DMX has released two more albums – 2001’s The Great Depression and 2003’s Grand Champ – both of which hit number one on the Billboard 200. This gives DMX the distinction of being only artist in history to have his first five albums debut at number one in America.

DMX’s seventh and eighth studio albums are due for release in late 2010.